I've added some statistic counter links from statcounter.com to my blog and to my OTN examples application. I'm using the free service which only tracks detailed stats on the last 100 visitors. It's pretty neat seeing some of the statistic's of how people are using my different sites.

This isn't all just for fun and games though I'm actually going to use the stats I get for something useful. People have complained (from time to time) that some of my examples aren't really step by step howto's but are more random code drops, which is what they are meant to be. But it does make sense to create howto's on the more popular examples if for no other reason than to make it easier for people just starting off in APEX or in integrating APEX with more client side features a better start.

Hopefully it will help with some of my documentation skills as well, which is why I only do code drops in first place ;).

Feel free to browse the statistic's as I've made them public. I personally like the maps of where people are accessing my site from.

Map for OTN Examples
Map for carlback.blogspot.com

3 New Blog Links

I've added a couple new Blog links in the last couple days.

Tyler Muth has just started up his Oracle blog. Tyler used to be a developer on Application Express, and I know still keeps his hands dirty with APEX development here and there, plus he's the one that pointed me towards my new and super cool mobile phone. I look forward to his postings especially when they hype up APEX.

I've also added links to Kuassi Mensah's blog and Christian Shay's blog. Kuassi is the PM for JVM in the database and Christian is the PM for .Net with Oracle, I shared a demo pod with them at Collaborate 07 and they are very nice and very smart guys so if you are interested in either of those technologies take a look at their sites.

I'm not the only person in my family with a technology related job. My sister is the Student Help Desk Supervisor at UNLV. Now if your a regular reader of my blog or posts I have on the internet you'll know about my very rational hatred of all things Internet Explorer.

So I'm very happy to know that my sister is pushing Firefox on the student population, there is hope for today's youth!

http://www.unlvrebelyell.com/article.php?ID=10697

Don't let her quote fool you.
>>
OIT’s decision to give support on Firefox is not meant to promote the browser against others, but only to ensure that Firefox users in need can receive support. Users of other browsers, especially Internet Explorer, will still receive the same level of support.

“We don’t make that distinction,” Backstrom said.
>>

I know what she really runs on a day to day basis and what she uses for QA. ;) though I'm sure that won't effect her support of IE.

Go Firefox!!!!!!

Collaborate game on.

Well Collaborate has started in sunny (well not sunny today) Las Vegas, I showed up today to get registered and pick up my swag but the booths on the main floor don't open up till tomorrow.

So I decided to duck into the "Getting Started With Oracle Application Express" class just to see what kind of questions people are asking and what pains people just starting up with are having. Improving the experience for new users is always a high priority.

There was about 20 people in the class and Robert Freeman (the instructor) did a great job with walking people through the basics of development and administration of APEX.

It's always amazing the questions people have especially when they come from different development viewpoints. It runs the from Security to Exporting to Layout to Tablespace usage and on and on, but most seemed to get the answers they wanted, looks like we might have some brand new educated APEX developers soon.

New APEX Blog

There's a new APEX blog in the wild! Marc Sewtz a member of the APEX Development team has started his blog here. http://marcsewtz.blogspot.com/index.html

Stop by and say hello.

I just saw a post Slashdot about GeoRSS and KML support in different mapping websites.

http://slashdot.org/articles/07/04/06/1448246.shtml
http://googlemapsapi.blogspot.com/2007/03/kml-and-georss-support-added-to-google.html


I went to college for GIS and Remote Sensing and am a huge fan of using XML for near everything so I'm pretty excited about messing with this in conjunction APEX.


Oh and the title is a quote from one of the most underrated films of all time http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086856/quotes