Archive for the 'web services' Category


Introducing a New Open Source Apache Module: mod_graphics Comments Off

Posted November 6, 2008

mod_graphics is a new Apache module built using ImageMagick that allows you to generate simple graphics from a web site using a REST-only syntax.  Currently, the module has 2 primary features:

  • Circles – generate circles of any size with a specified foreground and background color
  • Gradient – generate a 1 pixel x any length rectangle that has a 2 color, linear-gradient fill in horizontal or vertical orientation
The module is designed to allow web page theme designers and developers to create rounded corners and resizeable dynamic modules without having to generate custom graphic files in photoshop for every adjustment.
There is an amazing variety of ways to create Web 2.0 style ’rounded corners’ including:
I am hoping that some of the developers who have created these approaches might integrate mod_graphics into their techniques to make their solutions fully automated.
Some key features:
  • Apache 2 Licensed Open Source
  • Entirely C/C++
There are probably a handful of bugs for getting it to work on every flavor of linux, but we’ll get those hashed out as we hear about them.  Instructions to compile and install are in the readme.
View the project, or download the code (Subversion) and let me know what you think.  Feature ideas and patches are welcome.

Freedomspeaks Widget and API Makes Getting Involved Even Easier Comments Off

Posted October 1, 2008

Many people are cynical about their impact on the political process.

Does my vote really count? Do my representatives care what I think?

One innovative website is focused on helping answer these questions while making it easier for every citizen to get involved in the democratic process is Freedom Speaks.  This week, Freedom Speaks launched a new set of APIs and widgets to help make it easier to create new democracy-focused applications.

To understand the power of their platform in action, let’s see if you can answer this simple question:

Who are your political representatives in federal and state government?

If you move to a new home, aren’t really active in politics, or don’t want to visit 3-4 government websites to lookup this information, then Freedom Speaks is for you.

Of course, all of this information is available online, but it takes at least 2 searches to find your federal congressional reps, and every state has a different way of finding those state representatives.  Too much work, and yet another reason to stay complacent in the political process.

Try out their new widget, so you can be informed at your next dinner-table debate:

Developers should checkout the API Information here.