Working with the Bluesky API in BoxLang / / No Comments I’ve built multiple integrations with the Bluesky API, all making use of either the Node or Python SDK, but I thought I’d take a quick look at what it would take to build a BoxLang integration using the REST API. Turns out it’s pretty easy (with some caveats I’ll explain at the end) – here’s what I built. Authentication To authenticate, you’ll need your username and password for your account. I’m picking this up via environment variables and doing a bit of validations: BS_HANDLE = server.system.environment?.BLUESKY_HANDLE ?: ''; BS_PASSWORD = server.system.environment?.BLUESKY_PASSWORD ?: ''; if(BS_HANDLE == "" || BS_PASSWORD == "")... more → Posted in: JavaScript Tagged with: Bluesky, BoxLang, working
The Start of Hurricane Season / / No Comments Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean officially begins on June 1 and ends on November 30 each year. The peak of hurricane activity typically occurs from mid-August to late October, with September 10 often cited as the statistical peak of the season. During this time, meteorologists and emergency planners closely monitor tropical systems and prepare for potential impacts to the U.S., Central Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Hurricane, Season, Start
How the US Arms the Mexican Drug Cartels / / No Comments There are only two gun stores in Mexico, and both are located on military bases. Yet the country still suffers from a major gun homicide problem. So where are the guns coming from?In 2015, a Mexican military helicopter was shot down by cartel fighters using a Browning machine gun and a Barrett .50-caliber rifle. Both weapons were traced back to legal purchases in U.S. gun shops. This stark Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Arms, Cartels, Drug, Mexican
Parsing Markdown in BoxLang – Take 3 / / No Comments Ok, so I promise this will be my last post on using Markdown with BoxLang. At least the last one this month. 😉 I first covered the topic last month, "Parsing Markdown in BoxLang" where I demonstrated using the Flexmark Java library in BoxLang code. I then followed up with a revised edition that used BoxLang’s Java integration a bit nicer. So, those posts are still very valid, still useful for showing you how to make use of the JVM from BoxLang, and with the vast library of open-source Java stuff out there, that’s a good thing. But… you don’t need to do any of that for Markdown, because now it’s even easier! If you prefer to consume this post while listening... more → Posted in: JavaScript Tagged with: BoxLang, Markdown, Parsing, take
The Largest Gathering in Human History / / No Comments The Maha Kumbh Mela is one of the largest religious gatherings on Earth. It is a Hindu pilgrimage festival that occurs every 12 years. The 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela, held in Prayagraj, was particularly significant because it was a “Maha Kumbh”, an event that takes place only once every 144 years, due to a rare celestial alignment.During the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela, an estimated 663 million pilgrimages Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Gathering, History, Human, Largest
Code Break Tomorrow / / No Comments Just a quick note to let my subscribers know that my next Code Break session will be tomorrow, May 19th, at 12PM CST. I plan on continuing my look at Tauri, a platform for using the web platform to build desktop apps. Depending on how much time I’ve got, I may also start playing with a Python platform as well. You can RSVP, or just watch, here: https://cfe.dev/talkshows/codebreak-05192025/. Raymond Camden… more → Posted in: JavaScript Tagged with: Break, code, Tomorrow
Links For You (5/25/25) / / No Comments I missed posting my links post last weekend but I had an absolutely good reason. This previous week was my first week at Foxit and while I’ve only had three days so far, I’m incredibly excited about this new role and being able to introduce a whole suite of new offerings to developers. The next few months are going to be pretty busy and I’m really happy about that. My new job also coincided with a little vacation my wife and I are taking in Saint Louis. While I’ve been in Louisiana for sometime now, I grew up in Saint Louis and love visiting here. (My mom still lives up here.) Yesterday we visited the Missouri Botanical Garden which was beautiful. This isn’t a pretty... more → Posted in: JavaScript Tagged with: 5/25/25, links
The Google Maps Platform Awards / / No Comments To mark two decades of mapping innovation, Google has announced the Google Maps Platform Awards, a new program created to celebrate the developers and innovators who have shaped the digital mapping landscape over the past 20 years. For those who build with geospatial tools, APIs, and data this is your opportunity to showcase your best work.Google aims to recognize the impact that developers have Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Awards, Google, maps, Platform