Building Practical Software with AI-Assisted Tools
Reflections on integrating AI tools into real product workflows — what's working, what's hype, and where the leverage actually lives.
Read more →Writing
Articles
Practical articles on software leadership, product building, learning, AI, and working with useful tools.
This collection includes current writing plus legacy posts from my old WordPress site. Some older articles are technical snapshots from earlier seasons of web, Flash, and product work; I keep them here as part of the trail that led to what I build now.
Lessons From 20 Years of Building Software
Not a listicle. Just a handful of things I've learned about shipping products, leading teams, and staying in the game long enough to get better.
Read more →Small Committed Groups
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
Read more →Work at your talents and dreams
Work is the miracle by which talent is brought to the surface and dreams become reality. - Gordon B. Hinckley
Read more →Joy = Focus
The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. - Russell M. Nelson
Read more →Improvement is a life long journey
None of us will become perfect in a day or a month or a year. We will not accomplish it in a lifetime, but we can begin now, starting with our more obvious.
Read more →Reading/Knowledge is Power
In this world there are many who are unable to read or write. For them there is little light of ages past, and only diminished knowledge of the vast and.
Read more →Moral decay
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace..
Read more →Not to speak is to speak
Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Read more →Learning from the past, living in the present, longing for the future
Of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future. - Winston Churchhill
Read more →Ordinary can be extraordinary
The major work of the world is not done by geniuses. It is done by ordinary people who have learned to work in an extraordinary manner. - Gordon B. Hinckley
Read more →Moms Know Best
" Remember that God is our only one trust. To Him, I commend you ... My son, neglect not the duty of secret prayer. " - Mary Washington
Read more →Greatest snickerdoodle cookies of all time
1 stick of salted butter (8 tbsp.) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla (real vanilla is best) 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt.
Read more →Setting Goals = Happiness
" If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes. " - Andrew Carnegie
Read more →Accountability
" Accountability breeds response-ability. " - Stephen Covey
Read more →Greatness Requires Enthusiasm
" Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. " - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Read more →Change Your World
" Change you thoughts and you change your world. " - Norman Vincent Peale
Read more →Optimism = Happiness
" Optimism leads to opportunity Opportunity leads to challenge Challenge leads to growth Growth leads to success Success leads to happiness " - Joe Billman
Read more →Every day is special
" Don't save something special for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion. " - Thomas S. Monson
Read more →Preparation
" The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. " - H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Read more →Keep Moving Forward
" It's not about how hard you can hit; it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. " - Rocky Balboa
Read more →THINK before you speak
T - Is it True? H - Is it Helpful? I - Is it Inspiring? N - Is it Necessary? K - Is it Kind?
Read more →Installation Error: APIInternalError
I know I know, Flash is dying. Sadly Adobe announced the end of life for Flash Player, but I have high hopes that Adobe AIR will live on and I love.
Read more →Pick good people
" The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while.
Read more →Things come to those who wait
" Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle. " - Abraham Lincoln.
Read more →Uphill Battle
" If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill. " - Henry B. Eyring.
Read more →Vision and Action
" Vision Without Action is a Daydream, Action Without Vision is a Nightmare. " - Japanese Proverb
Read more →Configuring WAMP server to work on Windows 10 with PHPStorm
I used Netbeans for a while, but it wasn't everything that I'd hoped for. So after using the trial of PHPStorm, I picked up a copy of it. Jetbrains makes some.
Read more →Configuring WAMP server to work on Windows 10 with Netbeans
I've been doing more PHP lately and ran accross a problem that I needed to debug locally. So I downloaded WAMP and of course it didn't work the first try, so I.
Read more →Stand For Principles
" In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. " - Thomas Jefferson
Read more →Be happy
" Be believing, be happy, don't get discouraged. Things will work out. " - Gordon B. Hinckley
Read more →Conscience
" Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience. " - George Washington
Read more →Clear Vision
" The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend. " - Henri Bergson
Read more →Measure of a Man
" The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. " -.
Read more →Optimism
"The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity." - Winston Churchill
Read more →Habits
"It's never too late to redefine self-control, to change long ingrained habits, and to do the work you're capable of." - Seth Godin
Read more →Leading vs Managing
"When you're talking to a manager you get the feeling that they are important; when you're talking to a leader you get the feeling that you are important." -.
Read more →Consistently Getting Things Done
"A successful day isn't always measured by how many things I got done, but rather by how many things I got done today that I didn't get done yesterday." - Joe.
Read more →Greatest oatmeal raisin cookies of all time
I finally got around to creating a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. Here it is, enjoy. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 1 stick (8 tbsp) salted butter 1/2 cup.
Read more →Time is limited
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking..
Read more →Action > Theory
"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory..." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Read more →Free online vector graphics editor
I've been using vector graphics software for a long time to create vector artwork. Programs like Freehand, Fireworks and of course Illustrator. Today I came.
Read more →RESTful calls via AngularJS
I've been doing more with AngularJS lately, it's becoming really popular. Here's how to do RESTful calls with Angular: var config = {headers:{'accept':.
Read more →RESTful calls via JQuery
I created a post showing hoe to make RESTful calls with plain vanilla JavaScript and wanted to show how to do the same thing using JQuery. So here it is:.
Read more →RESTful calls via JavaScript
I've been doing a lot more front-end work with JavaScript lately and have needed to make calls to RESTful APIs. One of my complaints with JavaScript is that it.
Read more →Flash Builder attempts to launch and then fails
I wrote a post a while back about how to fix Flash Builder when it wouldn't start. I found that there were two things to try, one of which usually fixed the.
Read more →AS3 Singleton
Singleton classes are very useful. So I wanted to show a simple sample of a Singleton class. I like to use these as models to store data in one location that.
Read more →Get Spark Image width or height
So one of the most annoying things about working with display items in the Flex framework is the difference in how things are rendered. This means that after.
Read more →TypeError: Error #1007: Instantiation attempted on a non-constructor
So I know that many people are jumping ship when it comes to Flash and Flex when it comes to web applications but if you are one of the ones like me that is.
Read more →ActionScript Mobile Projects
I've been working on more mobile projects lately both at work and in my spare time. I've been mainly using the Starling framework and really like it so far..
Read more →Greatest chocolate chip cookies of all time
So it's probably weird to read a recipe on my blog, but I actually like to cook. I especially like cooking that involves cookies. Also what programmer doesn't.
Read more →TypeError: Error #1009: Cannot access a property or method of a null object reference - UIMovieClip
So I ran into this error again today. I first ran into it a few years ago. It happens to me when I have an asset that is created in Flash Pro and used in a.
Read more →TypeError: Error #2007: Parameter antiAliasType must be non-null
I got this error when I was trying to create a mx DateChooser via code instead of mxml. To make a long story short the solution was to move the call to the.
Read more →Starling iOS app rotates after splash screen
So I've been using Flash Builder and the Starling framework to create an iOS app of the Card Match game that I made a while back. I must say I'm pretty happy.
Read more →Recommended MP3 Settings for Flash Player
I recently ran into another MP3 issue while working on a Flash Project. I found this one while working on an iPad app in Flash Builder. I meant to write about.
Read more →Mp3 works on pc but not on my iPad Starling
I have been using Flash Builder and Starling 1.3 to create some iPad apps and recently ran into an issue that was making me want to pull out my hair. Luckily.
Read more →SoundChannel position doesn't = Sound length
So I recently made an AIR app at work that we use for finding cue points in an mp3 file. It loads an mp3 file, creates the sound wave spectrum for said file.
Read more →Flash Player Garbage Collection.
So the more you work with ActionScript 3 and especially when it comes to building RIA's (Rich Internet Applications) or games, the more garbage collection will.
Read more →Is Flash a Dying Technology
So no surprise I'm a big Fan of pretty much everything Flash. Because of this people will ask me things like "Flash you're still doing that?" and "Isn't that a.
Read more →Nexus 7 Wallpaper Size
So I recently got a Nexus 7 tablet, (in fact I'm writing this post on it) and I wanted to put a different wallpaper image on it. After a lot of research and.
Read more →AS3 Random Class
So just recently I did a major overhaul to the random class that I use for my projects. I implemented Grant Skinner 's (thanks Grant!) random class and made.
Read more →Flash Builder 4.6 Won't Start
I recently updated to CS6 and everything was working great until one day I tried to open Flash Builder and it wouldn't open. It would pull up the Splash screen.
Read more →How to get rid of blank pages after a table in Microsoft Word
There might be another way of doing this, but this is the best way that I have found. I know this is an issue in Word 2007 not sure about 2010. Here are the.
Read more →Planning is critical
"Prior proper planning prevents poor performance" - One Smart Dude
Read more →Trying to make something it's not
"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." - Aristotle
Read more →FPS and Memory Profiler
With Flash shifting more of it's focus to games it is becoming more and more important to optimize and ensure good performance. A great way to gauge.
Read more →The Future of Flash
So I recently read an article that I like to call The Future of Flex and a couple of days ago I read The Future of Flash. We've known for a while now that.
Read more →The Mind is a Powerful Thing
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." -Henry Ford
Read more →Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. So as everyone knows Thanksgiving is a great time to get together with family and what better to do with family then play computer.
Read more →Hard Work = Success
"Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration. Accordingly, a 'genius' is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or.
Read more →Remove Duplicates from an Array AS3
I recently needed function that would remove duplicate values from an array. After looking around online and modifying what I found to fit my needs I came up.
Read more →Let Me Explain
So if you've read the previous posts on my blog you might be wondering what's going on. Before abandoning it, please know that I'm still going to blog about.
Read more →Good Enough
"Art is never finished, only abandoned." -Leonardo da Vinci
Read more →Preparation
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." - Abraham Lincoln
Read more →Use Your Talents
"Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God." -Leo Buscaglia
Read more →Thanks Visual Link
So I started a new job this week and wanted to give a special shout out to everyone at Visual Link where I worked for the past 6+ years. I only have super good.
Read more →WordPress is Awesome!
If you are looking to put up a blog or an entire site for that matter, you need to check out WordPress . I just finished creating a theme for this blog and.
Read more →Affordable Web Hosting
So occasionally I have people ask me who hosts my website. So here is my answer. I use 1and1.com and so far only have good things to say about them. They have.
Read more →Extra space below img tag
So I've been doing a lot of web development lately and have run into some issues that have driven me nuts. The latest one had to do with an HTML email template.
Read more →Word multilevel list not working
This morning I was working on a Word 2007 document that had a bulleted list in it and couldn't get it to indent and place the different bullet points in the.
Read more →Joe Billman = ACE (Adobe Certified Expert)
Recently I did something that I've been meaning to do for a long time. I took the exam to become an Adobe Certified Expert in Flash Professional. Those who.
Read more →404 Not Found Error from my WordPress blog when I click on an entry or archive
So I just had this happen recently to two blogs that I maintain. The home page of the blog showed up fine, but when I clicked on a link to go to any page other.
Read more →You gotta love android phones
This is my first post from a phone. I recently got a new android phone and am loving it. If you are in the market for a new phone you've got to look into an.
Read more →Random Vector and Random Array Functions
I've been working on a Blackjack game and have needed to do a lot of shuffling, cards that is. I've seen quite a few shuffling functions over the years. Here.
Read more →7 Foods That Are Good For Your Body And Your Brain
Since I'm on the topic of health today I want to share one more tidbit I just read. I'm a big fan of the P90X program and just read an article from the.
Read more →10 Healthy Diet Principles
I would dare say that when most people think of a typical programmer they think of a nerdy person who sits at their desk all day. And sitting at your desk all day can lead to being unhealthy both in diet and exercise.
Read more →How do I change the retry time in SmartFTP
So if you do much with ftp you have probably heard of SmartFTP . If not I would highly recommend them. I have used a variety of ftp programs and theirs is by.
Read more →How to embed fonts using actionscript 3
This was causing my to bang my head for a little while. There are different ways depending on whether you are using Flash or Flash Builder (previously Flex.
Read more →W3C Page Validation Issue
It's good practice to always make sure that each page on your site validates to its proper doctype. Recently I noticed that some pages on a site I did that use.
Read more →Apple vs Adobe
Last week I heard the news that Apple is looking to only accept apps that were created using their software. This means that the new feature in Flash CS5 that.
Read more →The Top 5 Reasons to upgrade to CS5
So since the unveiling of CS5 last week I have been doing a little research and have come up with the top five reasons to upgrade to Adobe CS5. CS5 now.
Read more →Flash Builder 4 Install Error
So I attempted to install the new Flash Builder 4 the other day and got this error: Exit Code: 7 -------------------------------------- Summary.
Read more →How to format a number as money
Recently I was working on a project where I had to take a number that represented a monetary value and display it as money. For example say I had a numeric.
Read more →Latest Project - Rotating Flash Banner
I just recently did a freelance project for makeityourweb.com It is a rotating banner. It is populated by XML. The XML file lets you control what images are.
Read more →The Proper Way of Referencing Elements on a Web Page
I was recently working on a web page that was not displaying some Flash elements properly on some people's browsers or so I thought. After beating my head for.
Read more →Fun Games For Your Next Party
I recently played some fun games that I wanted to pass on. I played them at Christmas parties, but they would work great for any holiday or party. The first.
Read more →Error #2044: Unhandled IOErrorEvent:. text=Error #2032: Stream Error.
If you have ever received this error it can be quite frustrating and there are a lot of not so helpful answers out there on the web. Because of that I wanted.
Read more →Adobe Creative Suite Tools Not Showing Up Right
This is one that I found a while back, and just recently was reminded of it again. The other day I saw a forum post stating that Flash won't display the path.
Read more →if(computerWorking){iBeHappy = true;}
I am writing this from my computer again instead of my laptop. Woo hoo! It is great to have it working again and even better working with Windows 7. Man I.
Read more →Website Redesign
I wanted to share a redesign that I just did. I will put up the before and after on my site soon, but for now take a look at the after. It is a religious.
Read more →Computer Problems
So just when I thought that I was doing good on keeping up with my blog my computer crashed. The mobo on my computer bit the bucket and I am waiting for a.
Read more →Adobe MAX 2009
So this last week was MAX and the bummer news for me is that I didn't get to go this year. On a good note though they put up a bunch of cool stuff online. If.
Read more →Email Validator for Flash
Okay so far I have not been very consistent on this blogging thing. I have been really busy lately. I plan on posting more often. I have been working a lot in.
Read more →What I've been doing
A quick catch-up
Read more →Hey y'all
Hello world, my name is Joe (Joseph) Billman I am a computer programmer/graphic designer. I do a lot of work with Adobe Flash both in programming and design..
Read more →