South by Southwest 2011 will take place in Austin, TX in March and each year the conference sessions are submitted by people all over the country to present on topics including web apps, entrepreneurship, social media, and more.

This year I submitted a presentation with Eric Jennings from Loopshot called “Beyond Mashups: Connecting Web Apps in the Cloud” to discuss and demonstrate what is possible when trying to connect multiple web applications so that they can send, receive and share data between one another.

Vote Here! http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/7077

Beyond Mashups: Connecting Web Apps in the Cloud
Have you ever wanted to capture your project management or time entry data from Basecamp within an invoicing application like Freshbooks, or perhaps a customer relationship management tool like Salesforce.com? Maybe you want your WordPress traffic to publish to multiple analytics systems at the same time, update your Google calendar from your online to-do list app or have Craigslist send you a direct message on Twitter the moment the that first edition of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” shows up? In this session, the presenters will give you a crash course on how simple it is to leverage data from web applications and have them do your bidding. There is not a single web application out there that can do everything. In fact, we believe each one should focus on doing what they were intended and performing those functions extremely well. This session will not only discuss technologies including REST and SOAP APIs, webhooks, microformats, data portability, and JSON/XML data, but also demonstrate how you can connect any number of web based applications together and get them talking with one another with real-world examples.

Questions that will be answered

1. What is a mashup?
2. Are cloud app mashups hard?
3. Who’s JSON and why do I need to know him?
4. How exactly do you leverage the multitude of interesting APIs available on the web today?
5. Can I see some quickie real-world examples of just how mind-blowing this is?

Here is video from the presentation I did at the Orange County WordCamp 2010 discussing specific methods for using WordPress as a content management system, including when WordPress is best for your site and how you can optimize your WordPress use for a complete site.

Video provided by Blaze Streaming Media

1. Macbook Air
2. iPhone
3. Ray Bans
4. Chrome Bag
5. Carryon Bag
6. 22” Monitor
7. Boxers (all counted as 1)
8. Socks (all counted as 1)
9. Undershirts (all counted as 1)
10. Keys
11. Wallet
12. Bike
13. Running Shoes
14. Dress Shoes
15. Chucks
16. Bike shoes
17. Helmet
18. Belt
19. Razor
20. Electric Razor
21. Toothbrush
22. Button-down long sleeve
23. Button-down long sleeve
24. Button-down long sleeve
25. Button-down long sleeve
26. Button-down short sleeve
27. Button-down short sleeve
28. Long sleeve shirt
29. Long sleeve shirt
30. T-Shirt
31. T-Shirt
32. T-Shirt
33. T-Shirt
34. T-Shirt
35. T-Shirt
36. T-Shirt
37. T-Shirt
38. T-Shirt
39. T-Shirt
40. Jeans
41. Jeans
42. Jeans
43. Jeans
44. Hoodie
45. Slacks
46. Suit jacket
47. Suit pants
48. Dress shirt
49. Dress shirt
50. Leather jacket
51. Chrome jacket
52. Blazer
53. Flip flops
54. Bike lock
55. Hoodie
56. Pens & Pencils
57. Notebook
58. Laptop Case
59. Glasses
60. External hard drive
61. Car
62. Board shorts
63. Shorts
64. Shorts
65. Tie
66. Bike pump
67. File cabinet
68. Speakers
69. Office Desk
70. Workout shirt
71. Workout shirt
72. Bike shorts
73. Base layer top
74. Base layer bottom
75. Sunglasses (running + cycling)
76. Tent
77. Sleeping Bag
78. Backpack
79. Rain jacket
80. Rain pants
81. Running shorts
82. Beanie
83. Bass guitar
84. Guitar amp
85. Flip video camera
86. Headphones
87. Hat
88. __________
89. __________
90. __________
91. __________
92. __________
93. __________
94. __________
95. __________
96. __________
97. __________
98. __________
99. __________
100. __________

100 Thing Challenge

So the big question now is, can I purge the material possessions from my life and reduce the number of things I own to just 100?

I’ll be following the few rules that were outlined by David Bruno when he started his own 100 thing challenge.

Things not included:

• Non-personal stuff, like dishes, cleaning supplies, etc.
• Books.
• Tools.
• Collections count as one item.

I think I can do this and I have a few reasons for wanting to do so:

Packrat Tendency
I really don’t know all the things that I own. I have containers full of electronic parts and broken components that I’ve held onto with the hope of one day fixing them or using them in some spontaneously inspired project in the future. For most of these things, those days never come and the collection just continues to grow and collects dust. I have clothes that no longer fit right or that never have. I look forward to inventorying it all, keeping only the essential and donating/selling what I don’t keep around.

Financial Freedom
I currently am working on freeing myself of all types of debt. I don’t have a lot but starting Reno Collective and Lively Labs in the last couple months required everything to be bootstrapped. I never took any loans or funding from banks but rather used two credit cards and income from web development projects.

Clarity
Most people are more productive and even happier when their environment is sparse or supportive. I find I am most productive at work and most relaxed at home when both places are clear of clutter and distractions. Physical clutter is mental clutter and I don’t need any of it.

Why?
While there are certainly a good number of items that I will rely on, the things I enjoy most are the experiences I have with the people that I love here in Reno and hopefully abroad.

100 Thing Challenge

1. Stick to the 100 possession limit. New items will have to mean the replacement of an existing item
2. Get rid of cable at home (I never watch TV anyway)
3. Get rid of the paper trail – I have A LOT of files and things that should and could be digitized so that I can not only get rid of the clutter but also find things quickly in one place
4. My goal list of 100 things

An IDE for WordPress Plugins & Themes

My proposal for GSOC 2010 is an integrated development environment for WordPress to allow for integration between the code editor, publishing, developer collaboration and the WordPress codex.

Features

• Open Source: Built on Eclipse
• Code Share: Share and collaborate on WordPress projects with fellow developers using Git or SVN
• Publishing: Setup FTP to allow for publishing your plugin to a WordPress installation to see your progress and test out functionality
• WordPress Codex Autocomplete: Start typing out a wordpress tag and the IDE will display autocomplete options and relevant parameters for each.
• WordPress Codex Wizard: Forgot what codex tags to use when you’re developing a theme or plugin? The Codex Wizard can help you browse the WordPress Codex and build your queries without leaving the IDE.

Example of a WordPress Theme developer’s workflow in WP Builder

1. Start Eclipse
2. Create New Project
3. Select WordPress Theme Project
4. WP Builder will create a project with a basic template structure (index.php, page.php, single.php, etc.)
5. Edit theme files within Eclipse
6. Browse the Codex for template tags within the Codex Wizard
7. Enter FTP information for a WordPress installation to see changes live on the web

Example of a WordPress Plugin developer’s workflow in WP Builder

1. Start Eclipse
2. Create New Project
3. Select WordPress Plugin Project
4. Select options such as “Include backend admin panel, etc.”
5. WP Builder will create a project with an empty plugin shell
6. Share project files with another developer across the world using a GitHub repository or SVN
7. Enter FTP information for a WordPress installation to see changes live on the web

Future Roadmap Features

These features are a little ambitious for the GSOC program timeline but as future features could include:

• Testing & Debugging
• WYSIWYG editor for theme development

April 24th: Orange County WordCamp

I’ll be presenting on “Using WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS)”  at the OC WordCamp down at UC Irvine. Come check it out!

May 1st: San Francisco WordCamp

Ed, Chelsea and I attended SF WordCamp last year and it was great to meet a lot of new people in the WordPress community such as our friends over at Shane & Peter and NextSpace. We are definitely looking forward to it again this year.

June 12: Reno-Tahoe WordCamp

The 2nd annual Reno-Tahoe WordCamp is going to much larger than the first. We have already confirmed it will be held in the ballrooms of the university thanks to sponsorship by the UNR Business Student Council. This event is key to the development of Reno’s tech culture. We have a lot of great developers, bloggers and more in this town and we want to continue to help them in any way possible. The call for proposals is now open so if you’d like to speak, make sure you get your presentation submitted! A new website is going up soon but for now, you can find details at www.renotahoewordcamp.com.