July, 17, 2003 archives
mysql and php
here are the slides from my talk about mysql and php at the uuasc meeting last week.
the slides aren't terribly interesting (like most slides). but i actually did use a plain-text version of the slides to present. i set my laptop's background to an image based on the swimming dolphin from the mysql.com front page, and then just used a full-screen translucent terminal running vim to display the text file, with a couple of macros mapped to skip to the next or previous slide based on some simple text markers.
it was decidedly low-tech, but i think it worked quite well. i may take a similar approach in future talks. the process of writing the talk was easier for me in comparison to the php presentation tool, although the end result is obviously more crude. but i like the idea of having all of the slides in one file, and using a simple text format for writing the slides. (something like textile might be a good starting point for a slightly more advanced solution.)
text-indent vs. :first-line
the stylesheet for this site used to indent the first line of paragraphs by setting the margin-left property as a rule using the p:first-line selector. silly me, i had overlooked the text-margin property, which safari actually supports. (it does not apply margins or padding to rules that use the :first-line pseudo-class.)
celebspotting
waiting for ask, robert, and graham to show up for dinner last night (at farfalla trattoria—tasty), i actually spotted a celebrity eating with cohorts: jason lee. apparently when you leave your apartment to eat at good restaurants in the hollywood area, you run the risk of spotting celebrities. who knew? (there was someone who came in and sat at the table next to him who he knew, and looked vaguely familiar, but i don't think i can count that as an actual celebrity spotting.)