AI Map Search / / No Comments I am trying to keep track of developments in the use of artificial intelligence in mapping. At the moment the most interesting experiments seem to involve using AI to help answer geospatial queries. This is leading to some interesting maps which use AI to map answers to users’ queries. Over the last few months I’ve been reading with interest on Twitter how developers have been using AI models ( Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: search
Quick example using AWS Node.js SDK V3 for Signed URLs / / No Comments This probably falls into the "it was easy for everyone else in the world but me" bucket, but I really struggled to find good search results for this and figured I’d better write it down so when I google for it again in a few months, I’ll find my own blog. Specifically – today I was trying to use the AWS Node.js SDK to generate signed URLs. One to create read-only access to a bucket item and another to allow uploading. Everything I’m sharing is covered in the docs, but I struggled to find the relevant parts. So first off, V3 of the SDK is modularized, so instead of installing a giant SDK, you get just what you need. A lot of the demos show S3 so that’s handy.... more → Posted in: JavaScript Tagged with: example, Node.js, Quick, Signed, URLs, using
Global Sunlight Chart / / No Comments The ShadeMap: Direct Sunlight Chart is an interactive map which can calculate the number of hours of direct sunlight for any location on Earth. Unlike traditional sun charts, this map actually accounts for shadows cast by buildings and terrain. If a tall building or mountain blocks out the sun for part of the day this is taken into account in the sunlight chart for that location. The Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Chart, global, Sunlight
Using Goodreads Data in Eleventy – Update / / No Comments Yesterday I shared a blog post where I detailed how to take your data export from Goodreads and make use of it in an Eleventy site. While describing the process, I mentioned that I wasn’t terribly confident in the approach. Things got even worse when I tried to make use of the Google Books API as well. (That’s not the fault of the API, more just an issue with how Goodreads reported book titles.) Well, today, Brian Koser reached out and pointed out a much easier way to accomplish the same thing. To be honest, I love it when I say something and folks point out a way to make it better – it’s like free content for my blog! Anyway, here’s what Brian shared. Turns out,... more → Posted in: JavaScript Tagged with: data, Eleventy, Goodreads, update, using
Assassination Simulation / / No Comments Japanese broadcaster MBS has released a full scale 3D digital recreation of the assassination of Shinzo Abe. In July 2022 the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed while giving a speech at Yamato-Saidaiji Station, Nara. A Re-creation of former PM Shinzo Abe’s Assassination is a shocking full re-enactment of the Prime Minister’s assassination, which uses witness accounts and Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Assassination, Simulation
How to Create a Screen Recording with Quicktime / / No Comments Creating screen recordings is an essential skill for web developers. Screen recordings can illustrate new features, bugs, or a variety of other ideas. I’m often asked what app I use to create screen recordings and people are shocked when I tell them Quicktime! Let’s review how to create a screen recording with with Mac’s native Quicktime! In Short: Open Quicktime Choose File -New Screen Recording Record your screen actions Press COMMAND+CONTROL+ESC to stop and save Step 1: Open Quicktime To get started with the process of recording your screen, open the Quicktime app. The Quicktime app will immediately open a dialog to import or play a video — close that dialog as... more → Posted in: JavaScript Tagged with: create, Quicktime, Recording, Screen
The World’s Population in 3D / / No Comments This 3D Map of world cities with a population over 100k visualizes the global population of the world’s cities as 3D towers. Zoom in on Europe and you can see that London dominates western Europe, towering over Paris, Madrid, Berlin and Rome. The data for the map comes from this Wikipedia list of towns and cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants. Wherein lies the problem. The main problem with Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Population, world's
Adding Form Participation Support to Web Components / / No Comments Many years ago when the web platform began to really improve, when everything was "HTML5 this" and "HTML5 that", I remember being particularly excited by the updates to forms. I started my web career doing a lot of form processing and have always thought it was one of the more important aspects of the platform. Anything that improved that was a good thing. In my explorations of web components, I was ecstatic to discover that web components can be participants in forms. So what do we mean by that? What’s a Form Field? # Form fields have a number of different features, including: Including a name and value as part of the overall form. This is the bare minimum thing a... more → Posted in: JavaScript Tagged with: Adding, Components, form, Participation, Support