Pat Howe's Blog

Determining file suitablility before uploading using HTML5 File API

Today I wanted to write about HTML5’s File API. In the past, a developer would generally write code to determine if a file type was appropriate after the file had been uploaded. This would quite often be annoying for a user especially if the file was large and they only find out that it is inappropriate after it has finished uploading. Now, using the File API, the web page can determine if a file is acceptable before the user uploads it. In fact, not only can you gather the file

Converting photographs to black and white or sepia using Photoshop

I had to convert a photograph to black and white recently and I remember from many years ago having a problem trying to achieve this. It was a simple automated task in many other photo editing tools (including Photoshop Elements) but I couldn’t figure it out in the full version of Photoshop (I think it was CS2 but may have been earlier). I can’t remember when Camera Raw was introduced to Photoshop but that was where the functionality could be found (Convert to Grayscale option at the top of the

Some tips on improving your IT CV

In this article I will explain how to improve your Curriculum Vitae (CV) in the Information Technology (IT) world if you are applying for a job with me. I don’t go around applying for jobs left right and centre myself, actually I’ve never really done that, but I do interview a lot of people around the world and know what I like to see in a CV and what I do not. I thought I would share this here and see what other IT managers think and it also serves

Getting started with the Arduino microcontroller

This is my first article about the Arduino microcontroller development board and indeed my first article in my new Electronics category. I am fairly new to this but filled with excitement as I delve into another hobby and perhaps a second childhood (or maybe a fifth or sixth). I say that because I have always had a keen interest in both electronics and programming and the Arduino mixes both of these interests. As a child, having an Arduino, would have saved many an electronic device from being “upgraded” by my

Prioritise and time-box to get more value out of your day

I have written before about using the time-boxing method in project management to make sure a project finishes on time and within budget but today I am going to explain how it, together with some other techniques, helps me to organise my day and enable me to get more done. In this article, I will briefly explain how my day used to be before I took charge of it and how it is now. I’m not perfect and I still work long hours but not as many as I used

Advice to help avoid becoming an email scam victim

During 2014, I wrote several times about scam emails and that advice still applies today at the start of 2016. Scammers are finding new ways to con you each day but they also keep trying the old ways too as people are still falling for it. In this short article I reiterate that advice in the three main areas of email scams covering attachments, links and cons. In brief the way you can stay safe from nearly all of scams is to never click on any links and never open

What do I need to do to get a company web presence?

As the New Year gets underway, I have been contacted quite a few times by people who are interested in domain names, email addresses and websites but they don’t know where to start. Perhaps a lot of people are starting new businesses in 2016 or maybe those running new businesses have realised that they need a web presence to compete regardless of the industry. What is a domain name? Why do I need hosting? What do I need to do to set up a company email address or a website?

Teeth Whitening your photographs with Adobe Photoshop

I have previously written about improving your photographs digitally by “removing red eye and blemishes with Adobe Photoshop“. There is another action that can make a smiling photograph look better and that is teeth whitening. Yellowish teeth are healthy teeth my dentist always said to me from a young age when I wondered why brushing them several times a day did not give me a dazzling bright white smile. Of course in reality most people will not have that toothpaste-ad sparkle but what I can’t do in real life I

The best software purchase that I made during 2015

I have made many software purchases over the years and have a shelf full of packages that I only used once or even not at all. I am getting better at resisting the temptation to try everything out but out of those that I did purchase this year I had three that really impressed me. These packages might be old news to some but for me 2015 was the first year that I used them even though I knew of their existence beforehand. All three are different and could be

The best hardware purchase that I made during 2015

I’ve been impressed by quite a few hardware purchases this year but none more so than the purchase I made back in May 2015 of the BT8500 Advanced Call Blocker Cordless Home Phone (Trio Handset Pack) (BT8500 Advanced Call Blocker Cordless Home Phone (Trio Handset Pack)) – single, duo and quad handset packs are also available. Apart from its obvious claim to block calls it has all the features of most other telephone and handset packs plus the sound quality, ease of use and stylish design make as good as

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