Andrew's Biztalk posts

Web dev pros: What do you think about PHP frameworks?

I'm planning to help put together a number of Web projects in the near future, and I'm thinking that a good PHP framework would be the best bet, along with an object persistence layer (OPL) to provide object-oriented functionality in a MySQL database.

I've been checking out the various frameworks and it looks like CodeIgniter and CakePHP are the best bets. Right now I'm leaning toward CodeIgniter, because it's well-documented and lean enough to run fast. CakePHP seems a bit more bulky and doesn't have such clear docs, but it does provide functionality in areas where CodeIgniter isn't so complete. And there are also Zend, Symfony and other frameworks to consider.

Can anyone offer thoughts on these frameworks, or share experiences developing with them? I'm also interested in knowing if there's an OPL that can be integrated easily with CodeIgniter to allow for things like recursive queries of hierarchical data structures. PHP Doctrine seems all right, but I'm not sure how easy it would be to integrate.

How do you use business cards?

With business card design becoming an increasingly important part of my portfolio of services, I'm curious as to how other Bizniks see business cards as part of their overall promotional strategy.

Do you use cards as a way to attract new calls and prospects or as a way to remind existing clients of your contact info? Do you distribute your card by itself or packaged with other material? Do you ever write notes on your cards?

This will be one of the discussion topics on the menu at my upcoming business card event, but I'd also like to hear from the broader Biznik community on this. And if you'd like to post about a business success you've had involving cards or a unique way in which you've used business cards, by all means do...

Business Card Clinic: Would anyone be interested?

Hey everyone,

I've been thinking of holding a talk about what makes an effective business card. As someone often called on to design cards, I've developed a sense of what works and what doesn't from a card recipient's point of view, and I can identify some common pitfalls people fall into with card design. Would anyone be interested in an event like this? I'm thinking the Monday after next would be a good time to hold it. Let me know.

Shooting all kinds of stuff in Seattle.

Hey Bizniks,

I've just started to dig into this community and I can already tell it has amazing potential. I'm a photographer in Seattle with experience in a wide variety of imaging styles. I'm looking forward to networking with other creative professionals and I'm particularly interested in meeting people involved with dance, martial arts and sports, since I've devised a new imaging technique designed to capture the essence of physical skills. You can see my portfolio and more at my website. Later!