March 2011
1 post
7 tags
From idea to app in less than three weeks
Three weeks ago I had an idea: free, weekly, themed mobile photo competitions. Now I have an app! Here’s how I did it.
Design
Graphic design is one of my weaker skills, so I’ve learned to just keep things as simple as possible. I use default controls when available and apply subtle shadows, gradients, and textures to make simple interface elements beautiful. I began my quest for a...
February 2011
2 posts
S3 Hosting vs. EC2 Micro
Today Amazon announced their new website endpoint feature for hosting static websites completely on S3. In short, it allows S3 buckets to have their own index and error documents. It had been an often-requested feature, and I’m happy to see Amazon deliver on continually improving their web services.
Setting this up is pretty simple: just login to your AWS console, select the bucket you wish...
Using genetic algorithms to maximize Lending Club...
I’ve had an account with Lending Club for over 3 years. In case you’re unfamiliar, Lending Club offers borrowers lower interest rates than a credit card company and provides individual lenders (like me) higher returns than a bank. They take about a 1% cut, but handle all the details like automatic withdrawals, payment-plan negotiation, and collections. It’s a...