I’ve put together a quick + dirty function that’ll get you started, and I’ll publish a more in-depth post later, with a dedicated Codeigniter library.

$url = 'http://webservice.local/data.json';
$data = array("name" => "Gareth", "email" => "gareth@mail.com");
$response = sendPostData($url, $data);
function sendPostData($url, $post){
 $ch = curl_init($url);
 curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
 curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "POST");
 curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS,http_build_query($post));
 return curl_exec($ch);
}

The JSON encoded string should be stored in $response. Use json_decode() to convert it into a usable StdClass object.

Here, I’m setting the maximum dimension (width or height, depending on whether the image is landscape or portrait) to 1920, or 1080p.
sips -Z 1920 *.JPG

“Cron is a time-based job scheduler in Unix-like computer operating systems. Cron enables users to schedule jobs (commands or shell scripts) to run periodically at certain times or dates. It is commonly used to automate system maintenance or administration, though its general-purpose nature means that it can be used for other purposes, such as connecting to the Internet and downloading email.”

To set up a new Cron job, open your Terminal and type:

sudo crontab -e

You’ll be prompted for your password, and upon correct submission, will open a blank VI window. The basic format of a Cron is:

0 0 * * * sh /directory/script.sh

1. The first 0 denotes minutes past the hour (0 is on the hour)
2. The second 0 denotes the hour of the day (0 is 12:00am)
3. The first * denotes day of the week (* means every day, 1 is Monday etc)
4. The second * is the week of the month (* means every week, 1 is the first week of the month)
5. The final * is the month of the year (* means every month, 1 is the first month of the year)

We specify the type of script we wish to execute; in the example above, we’re executing a basic shell script, and the final parameter details the absolute location of the script you wish to execute at regular intervals.

I often execute daily PHP scripts on my server, an example of a PHP script (backup.php) running every day at 6pm is:

0 18 * * * php ~/site/cleanup.php

Note the script type is now php, as we’re executing a php script, not a shell script.

Finally, let’s write a script that backs up my ssh keys from ~/.ssh to my Dropbox directory, once a week, on a Monday at 9:30am.

Using Terminal.app, open a new file for editing anywhere on your system (I use vi).

sudo vi ~/src/backup.sh

Copy and paste the script below, write to backup.sh and exit vi.

#!/bin/bash
sudo rsync -av --progress --delete --log-file=/Users/*yourmachine*/logs/$(date +%Y%m%d)_rsync.log /Users/*yourmachine*/.ssh /Users/*yourmachine*/Dropbox

The script uses rsync to backup the directory at “/Users/*yourmachine*/.ssh” to your Dropbox directory at “/Users/*yourmachine*/Dropbox”. It’ll also log the backup in a logs directory in your home directory. Now for the Cron.

30 9 1 * * sh ~/src/backup.sh

Hopefully this will get you started with using Cron on your OSX system.

I currently run a 2010 15″ MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Core i7 running Snow Leopard as my main development machine with 8GB RAM, which is essential since Titanium Studio and Safari 5 seem to consume most of this during the course of the day. Working on a laptop all day is tough on the neck and back so I use a Rain Design mStand, with an Apple Trackpad + full size wired keyboard, with the number pad. I’ve always preferred to have the number-pad there on the right. The mStand ensures the laptop display is at a comfortable height, and looks pretty cool doing it.

I upgraded the memory to 8GB, and boosted the HDD to a 500GB 5400rpm mechanical drive. The mechanical drive became a massive performance bottleneck, so I installed an MCE Optibay where the (rarely used) DVD drive sat, and installed a 160GB Intel SSD as my primary boot drive. The spinning drive houses my iTunes library, Safari downloads, and other large .dmg’s.

I have an iPhone 4 & first generation iPad for app and browser testing.

Why this rig?

Previously I spent a month with a 27″ iMac, and while the all-in-one form factor was nice to have (quad processor, large hard drive), I longed for the portability of a notebook, which matched the desktop for performance. I exchanged the iMac for my current MacBook Pro, with a bumped i7 processor and hi-res matte display. I couldn’t imagine going back to a glossy display – the matte finish on the MacBook Pro is perfect, and the increased screen real estate is good for having multiple apps open in the same window – I usually have Titanium Studio + a device simulator open side by side.

What software do you use and for what do you use it?

• Coda is the main piece of software I use, and use it every single day. I use Coda for local and live web development, the meat and potatoes of my workflow.
• Titanium Studio for developing native iOS and Android applications.
• Pixelmator for 90% of the image editing and design I do. It’s unbelievably fast, and has just the right level of flexibility I need as a developer.
• Fireworks CS5 for screen mockups and general bits of design work. I don’t like how slow it feels compared to more native Mac apps, like Pixelmator.
• Sparrow for e-mail. What Mail.app in Lion should’ve been.
• Sequel Pro for local and remote MySQL database management.
• VMWare Fusion I keep a number of Windows virtual machines for native browser testing.
• The Hit List for organising tasks that come through from clients. Clients tend to send over bugfixes / additions in bulleted lists in email, I just reformat them in THL so can be checked off when complete.
• Twitter for Mac
• Safari for the majority of my surfing. Generally use Firefox for development – I preferred Webkit’s old Inspector.
• Evernote because it’s amazing, syncs across all my devices, and free!

How does this setup help you do your best creative work?

Using a UNIX based operating system like OSX ensures great uptime, security and reliability. Building apps for iOS devices requires a machine running OSX for XCode, and there’s an Android SDK for OSX too. Having the portability of the notebook allows me to work from anywhere – I recently put together an app on a return flight from Seoul.

Having my iPhone handy for music & my weekly podcasts keeps me in the zone during a productive day.

How would your ideal setup look and function?

I’ll be moving from life as a freelancer to full time shortly, so I thought of personally ‘downsizing’ to a iOS ecosystem, using a Mac Mini Server and iCloud to store + manage my personal digital content, I’d upgrade my iPad, and I’m keeping a close eye on Apple’s TV business in light of comments made by Steve Jobs in his biography.

Although it’s my editor of choice, I’ve recently experienced quite a few instances where Coda has left me short-changed in my workflow as it’s changed this year. Here’s a few things I’m expecting of their 2.0 release when it ships in 2012.

• Git support – Panic integrated subversion into Coda 1.5 (IIRC), it’d be nice to see my source control system of choice baked into 2.0 with similar GUI elements as subversion.
• Transmit “Twin Turbo” FTP Engine – Panic released Transmit 4 this year and it’s FTP engine is really fast. It’s kind of a given that their new engine will be built into Coda 2.0.
• Better code completion – better jQuery and CSS3 support specifically. It’s also frustrating when an already existing closing tag doesn’t stop opening a HTML tag from automatically creating another instance of that closing tag. Coda users will know what I mean on that one!
• Code folding – simple request, let me minimise code within {}’s.
• Sites archive – when I’m done with a site, I’d like to be able to ‘archive’ it, and not clutter my growing ‘Sites’ window when I launch Coda. It’d be nice to just see projects I’m currently working on.
• Site Export – It’d be cool to be able to export an encrypted password-protected version of a site’s settings, and share that with my Coda-using peers instead of sending FTP/SSH details in emails etc.
• iCloud support – I’d love Coda to utilize Apple’s iCloud service to backup my site configurations and preferences to the cloud, so they’re there waiting for me when I decide to reinstall my OS, or switch machines.
• 64 Bit + performance bump – Coda’s one of the last remaining apps I use that hasn’t been written in pure 64-bit Cocoa. I’ve got 8GB of memory waiting to be addressed! I’m not sure the app’s leveraging new tech introduced in Snow Leopard, like Grand Central Dispatch or OpenCL, but I’d like to see more performance in the 2.0 release.

After an hour or two trying different methods, I discovered this article which describes the complete procedure. It took a while to hunt down the article, so I’m hoping it didn’t take you too long to find this post!

Requirements: Ubuntu 8.04 or above installed on your dedicated UK based server. I recommend Linode.com (be sure to choose the facility in London). You’ll need root access to your server. If you’ll be watching lots of video, it’s a good idea to check you have sufficient network transfer.

Note: this post assumes you’re ok logging in/out of your server with SSH. If not, there’s more information here.

Setup your server

1. Firewall – I use the Uncomplicated Firewall on my server to allow/deny ports and services. We’ll need to allow access to port 3128. Issue the command sudo ufw allow 3128/tcp
2. Install packages – Type:
   sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install fail2ban
sudo apt-get install squid3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
3. Limit access to your local machine (the computer you’re using abroad!) You need to know what IP address your local machine is using, (this may change; you can add / remove IP addresses to the Squid configuration as and when required). If you don’t know your IP address, visit http://whatismyipaddress.com/.
   Before we edit Squid3′s configuration, we’ll create a backup of squid.conf. Type
   sudo cp /etc/squid3/squid.conf /etc/squid3/squid.conf.bak
   To edit the file, we’ll use VI. Type:
   sudo vi +/'INSERT YOUR OWN RULE' /etc/squid3/squid.conf
   This should take you to the right line in the file. Below this line, add:
   acl myIP src [your IP address]
http_access allow myIP
   Save the file (:wq); now your server will only accept connections from your computer.
4. Restart Squid3 – issue the following commands:
   sudo /etc/init.d/squid3 restart

Setup your client

1. Install Firefox.
2. Install the FirefoxFoxyproxy add-on
3. You need to set up Foxyproxy to ‘use proxies based on their pre-defined patterns and priorities‘.
4. Click on ‘add new proxy’ in the options and enter the proxy details (the IP address of your dedicated server and the port number 3128).
5. Close the options box and you should see the blue foxyproxy icon in the bottom right of the browser.
6. Open up TV catchup or any other UK based services; hopefully now you’ll be able to stream the video/audio content!