jQuery the Javascript framework that we’ll be discussing over the next couple of articles. jQuery allows you to do cool things with Javascript easily and quickly. jQuery, just like Javascript, works on a document tree. You start with a reference to an element on the page, branch out into functions from there.

Let’s take a look at the basics. First of all, you need to download jQuery, and then load it into the head of your document:

[code language="html"]<script type="text/javascript" src="jquery.js"></script>[/code]

Change jquery.js to the name (and path) of the file you downloaded.

To reference an element in jQuery is simple. Say I wanted to select the element with the id of head. This would simply be done like this:

[code language="js"]$("#head")[/code]

You can use this method to reference anything in the document object model. For example, you can also reference the document in this manner ($(document)) or entire ranges of HTML tags ($(“a”).

Once you have an object referenced, you can use one of jQuery’s many build-in functions to do something with the object. We’ll be going more indepth on that in our next article.

The T-Mobile G1 was the first handset to hit the market powered by the new Google Android smartphone platform. It was met with some success in the United States, but much like the original iPhone, it was never officially offered to Canadians. It may have taken almost a year, but Google Android is finally making its way north of the border, offering a new smartphone operating system for people to consider beyond the BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and iPhone. And the kicker is that there will be at least two Android phones coming our way.

The HTC Dream is essentially the same phone as the T-Mobile G1, except it will carry some Rogers-specific branding and customization. That’s the phone with the touchscreen display and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. In addition to the Dream, Rogers Wireless will also be getting the HTC Magic shown above. This Android phone is much more akin to the iPhone in nature, because it does not have a physical keyboard to speak of. Instead, it relies on the touchscreen. You’ll also notice the BlackBerry-like trackball as well.

The version of the HTC Magic shown above comes from Vodafone, but the Rogers version will be quite similar. From what I understand, it will be running on version 1.5 of Google Android, a build known affectionately as Cupcake. Other notable features include 3G high-speed data, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD expansion, 3MP camera, and an integrated accelerometer.

Word is that Rogers will launch the HTC Dream and HTC Magic on June 2, both at a projected three-year contract price of $199.99.

Do you sign-up at various places only to find your email spam has increased? I have done this a few times and really had no way to prove that the site/company sold my email to others.

I did some searching and using a GMail account you can now find who has spammed you w/o having 100′s of emails setups.

To get started be sure to have a GMail account. If you do not have one then create one.

Once you have your GMail account you can sign-up at various services using the GMail account. The only difference from how normally enter our email is were going to add a keyword so we can later track where the spam originated from.

Let’s presume for a second that your email address is bluefurtest@gmail.com. If I sign-up for twitter I can add the keyword twitter to that email by using a +keyword. The email would look like bluefurtest+twitter@gmail.com.

If you add  the +keyword the email will still be sent to the main account of bluefurtest. To view if a spam was sent by one of your places you sign-up click on Show Details and you will see the +keyword where the spam was sent/sold from.

If you get stuck let me know in the comments.

 A cartoon created by artist Rob Cottingham.

 

If you have an idea for a future comic or would like to submit your own BlueFur cartoon let us know in a comment.

It’s time once again to embark on our weekly tour of the blogosphere. This time around, we focus on novel experiences, personal indulgences, and what you can do to keep moving forward.

Pancreatic Prattle starts us off in the social media sphere, discussing the relevance of Follow Friday on Twitter. This phenomenon was very popular and useful in Twitter’s earlier days, but some have said that it no longer holds the same kind of relevant value that it once did. Personally, I think the #OneFollowFriday movement is more meaningful and ultimately more effective.

Bill Parlaman takes a look at a task that can evoke a great sense of fear and hesitation from most people. Do you know how to quit your job? If you’re not happy at your current workplace and want to move on with your life, there are a few things that you’ll want to keep in mind. Bill outlines three of these critical steps.

Darren Barefoot did something that most people have not done. Rather than use a plane or a rental car, he decided to take a taxi across the border. I’m pretty sure this isn’t the most common of experiences for the border guards either, especially at the so-called “icebox of the nation.”

Amerikajin is a blog written, presumably, by a displaced American in Asia. Hong Kong is home to a lot of terrific food, so the blogger decided to visit Watami Restaurant for Mother’s Day. The diners indulged in pork and teriyaki chicken pizza, pork cutlets and egg, garlic fried rice, deep fried shrimp rolls, and more. The best part about eating in Hong Kong? It’s so affordable! The multi-course meal for three came to about US$24.

Jason Landals seems to have video games on the brain, possibly since he’s heading to Los Angeles for E3 Expo early next month. In preparation, he went to watch Video Games Live. At the concert, a full symphony recreates many classic and contemporary video game soundtracks, including those from Tetris, Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, and Chrono Trigger. Has Video Games Live visited your town?

Unlike with shared hosting, there’s nobody monitoring the status of your unmanaged server. That responsibility is completely your own. If your server goes down at 4am, you may not know about it, potentially resulting in hours of downtime and lost revenue.

The solution is to use a third-party uptime monitoring service. These services will check your server regularly (at determined intervals) to ensure it is up. If your server goes down, the service will notify you, by email or SMS (depending on your uptime service plan).

It is possible to get both free and paid uptime monitoring service. Free services generally check your server less often only offer email for notifications. Paid services check your server more often and offer SMS notifications. If you’re running mission-critical, high-availability websites on your server, I would recommend using a paid service. Otherwise, if you’re just running your server more as a hobby, a free service will be sufficient enough.

By using an uptime monitoring service, you increase your chances of catching downtime sooner, and acting to correct it. The less downtime you have, the more money you can make with your websites. ;)

Two good uptime monitoring services are Pingdom and SiteUptime (the latter of which has a free plan).