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I am sitting in the airport right now waiting on a flight to fly back home to California for the new year and I thought I should update the site and explain what any readers can expect, since there is a lot coming!

First, and I’m sure I’m allowed to say this now: Official Zend Screencasts. Yes, I have been a busy bee the past month reworking my screencasts and writing out new screencasts, officially sponsored by Zend. Although I will link to them from my site, they will be hosted on the Zend Framework website. (Quite frankly, I can’t handle the traffic, so Zend kindly offered the hosting.) Not only can you expect full reworks of the getting started screencasts, but many more are coming. Also, the new screencasts are in flash video format. Hurray for reaching more viewers!!

Second, for the UW students who use my tools, I have a HUGE update coming. Really… “HUGE” doesn’t even begin to describe it. I have written a program (mac-only, sorry windows users!) which takes course notifications to the next level. It not only watches and waits for an opening (still every 15 seconds) for any courses, but automatically registers you for the class. I’m sure if you’ve used my course notifier you’ve had the moment where you’re nowhere near a computer or internet and you get a text message saying there is an opening in a class, but you have no way to register for it and feel helpless, knowing some other person is going to a computer to steal it from you as you think. Well with this new program, just set it and forget it. It will scan multiple SLNs for an opening and when it finds one, it will automatically register. If it was successful, it will text message you saying so, otherwise it will just keep plugging along, until it does get the opening. With this we’ll be one step closer to a more painless registration! For those wondering when you can expect this program: It is going through very intensive testing since it must work perfectly. But definitely expect it before spring quarter registration. I do have a working model testing on my own account at the moment.

Thats the big news that is for sure coming in the very near future. Some other things I’m THINKING of doing, but no promises…

iPhone development, once the official SDK comes out. This includes porting my UW tools to the iPhone (should not be difficult) and writing a few other useful tools which I think lack. Sounds fun!

I am very serious about writing a technical book on a very specific yet untouched subject (I could not find any books on this subject.) Really, I have been thinking of this for awhile and I am asking: If any of you readers have experience writing technical books, please drop me an email, I’d love to listen to any input you have. I don’t expect to make any money through a book in the future, I just want to share information. Really, what technical books make money anyways? (Top 1%? I laugh.)