Archive for category Sommelier.net.au

Date: November 29th, 2010
Cate: Sommelier.net.au

Yet another Sommelier update

Last week I uploaded the latest version of Sommelier.net.au.

The biggest upgrades are those that are behind the scenes. I upgrade the site’s framework to Cakephp 1.3 (from 1.2) which was relatively smooth but a few errors I wan’t expecting popped up, about the place. For example, the pagination is slightly different now and you need to print the flash statements which used to do so automatically (although, for consistencies sake, I think this is a good move). But for the most part, it was as simple as replacing the core cake files.

I also updated to JQuery 1.4 and JQuery UI 1.8. This was also quite straight forward and will hopefully mean from performance improvements. It also means including one less Javascript file as the Autocomplete widget is now part of JQuery UI so I don’t require bassistance’s wonderful plugin (it’s now part of the standard package).

So all in all I’m quite pleased.

I also added a ‘Ready to Drink’ section to the user home page which randomly selects 10 different wines in your cellar that have a ‘try next’ year of the current year or earlier. My hope is that this will mean you don’t overlook wines that you wanted to drink.

I also rearranges some fields so that they are grouped better in forms and improved some of the documentation.

As always, please send any comments you have on the site to wine@sommelier.net.au

Date: October 12th, 2010
Cate: Sommelier.net.au

Sommelier.net.au Update

This morning I uploaded the latest version of Sommelier.net.au. They took a little longer to go live than I had hoped but paid work got in the way which I can hardly complain about.

Most of the updates were under the hood of the site so you shouldn’t notice them, but the ones you should notice include:

  • A new user home page so when you log in you have more direct access to the various parts of the site that require regular access as well as some stats about the wine in your cellar.
  • You can now search you cellar and your archive by variety. In the past version you could only order your cellar by variety which made things difficult if you wanted to find every bottle that contained Cabernet (for example). Previously, if you ordered your cellar by variety, Cabernet and Shiraz Cabernet would be at opposite ends of your list. Now, a search on ‘Cabernet’ will show up everything with Cabernet (Cabernet, Shiraz Cabernet, GSM etc)
  • Previously, once you added a new bottle, you couldn’t change the purchase price of the wine. This has now been changed after a few people emailed me asking for this feature.

So get in there and have a look around – I think it’s a really useful service and I hope you do to.

Date: July 26th, 2010
Cate: Cycling, Entertainment, Goonanism Websites, Politics, Sommelier.net.au
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The week that was

Yesterday afternoon I took myself off to see Inception. I won’t say anything about the film – it’s the sort of film that it is best to go into with few expectations. I do urge to you see it at the earliest convenience though. It is truly incredible – a game changer – one of the best films I’ve seen in a very long time.

I can’t remember the last time I walk out of a film thinking: ‘that changes everything’. The Matrix? Maybe.

Whatever the case, it was a 2 and a half hour film that I didn’t want to end and will probably go and see again while it is playing at the cinema – something I never do.

I rushed home from the cinema to catch the leader’s debate. The contrast could not have been more stark. Moving from something so exciting, so engaging to the most uninspiring, pedestrian leader’s debate I can remember. The only loser in the debate was the Australian public. Does that mean that both leader’s lost?

Waleed Aly said early on in the piece that this election was about nothing. My immediate reaction was ‘oh, about nothing is a bit harsh, it’s about… it’s about… it’s about’.

He’s right and that is really depressing. I’ve never been this disenfranchised with Australia’s political process.

Given our leaders inability to provide me with anything even vaguely resembling intellectual stimulation, I’ve turned to podcasts in a big way. My regular cycling commute has become full of thought provoking material which I’m loving. The podcasts I’m currently loving include:

  • The Bugle (funny and informative)
  • In Our Time (probably haven’t bonded with this one as much as others)
  • NPR: Fresh Air Podcast
  • NPR: Wait, Wait… Don’t tell me (a quiz show that keeps you up to date with news as well)
  • ZDNet: Patch Monday (fully of tech goodness – and Australian!)
  • Tank Riot (too me a little bit of listening to start enjoying but now I’m hooked)
  • This American Life (my favourite – just so interesting)
  • WNYC’s Radio Lab (shorter episodes and very interesting)

Feel free to share your thoughts on podcasts below. Any recommendations?

While riding in to work this morning, listening to a podcast, there was an interesting confrontation on the road. A scooter rider was going a long in the bike lane. This really bothers me. It’s illegal ($50 fine – no demerit points) and dangerous. As a motorcyclist I would never ride in the cycling lane. I knew how much it bothered me when I was cycling and I actually think that it is a much more dangerous thing to do than ‘lane split’. You should always avoid passing on the left… especially when there isn’t actually a lane there as it is the last place a car will look as any cyclist can attest to.

Anyway, on this particular morning a cyclist decided to take issue with the man on the scooter… to the point where he actually tried to push the guy off his scooter. I’m not one for the ‘cyclists-should-behave-well-so-that-cars-are-nice-to-us’ types. I’m all for cyclists being assertive, but this was just going too far.

This week I started doing website support for Prosper Australia (including support for Earth Sharing). I can’t see it being too much work but it’s a bit of fun as they are eager to implement some good changes and it’s always nice when you’re doing some work for someone eager for change that has faith that you can just get it done for them. It also means getting stuck into Pordpress themes and plugins which is something I really enjoy as the API is fantastic.

Unfortunately though, that work meant that I couldn’t get the changes to Sommelier.net.au done that I would have liked to. A few upgrades are coming though and I’ve got a good sense of the next couple of improvements which I’m looking forward to overhauling.

21 weeks to go.

Date: February 8th, 2010
Cate: Sommelier.net.au

Sommelier.net.au Update

Just a quick note to let you know that I’ve just launched the first of my updates for Sommelier.net.au.

You can now give a bottle an overall rating, the cellar displays regions and you can now order your cellar by both regions and varieties.

There have also been a range of backend changes which should make the site run a little smoother.

Finally, I’ve started recording barcodes. While I’m using it for anything, it is useful as a unique identifier of a wine and will mean additional features in the future.

Date: January 28th, 2010
Cate: Me, Sommelier.net.au

Sommelier.net.au

I’ve launched a new website which I’m pretty excited about.

In case you hadn’t guessed, you can find it at: http://sommelier.net.au.

It’s is a free website that allows you to keep track of your wine cellar, add tasting notes and watch bottles as they age.

It is designed to accomodate all wine lovers without the wank that is too often associated with wine.

I hope you like it – get in there and use it!