chris Burdick

So I recently just finished a project here at Purple, Rock, Scissors. Web Design and Development Firm / Digital Agency in Orlando, FL.  It was the first time we were asked to provide a quick setup and a low cost solution for scalable web hosting.  Instantly, Amazon EC2 with Elastic Load Balancing came to mind.  I find that many IT professionals have a strange fear of "Cloud Hosting".  This isn't all that uncommon though.  Many IT Pro's fear the unknown and choose to bash it rather than embrace technological advances.  

Before anyone bashes me though for being an obsessed "fanboy", I do not always utilize AWS or other Cloud Providers.  While cloud hosting has many advantages, it is certainly not for everyone.  Every client has different needs and therefore AWS does not get recommended to all of them.  Most clients who request help with hosting still get directed into a traditional hosting plan with our favorite provider Peer1.  They have datacenters all over the US and have the flexibility to meet most of our clients' needs.  It also gives the flexibility to upgrade / downgrade to meet the ever-changing needs of our clients.  

Since I haven't posted on my cultural side in a while, I thought I should take some time to get everyone up to date. I have been rather busy with personal endeavors, so I haven't had a lot of time to keep my blog up to date, but I figured it was time. Let's start on my pick of the week for eating out.

With my roots in Systems Administration, Disaster Recovery or "DR" is a subject near and dear to my heart. However, I find that most people discount the importance of having a solid plan of what to do if the unexpected occurs.

When a person has a valuable asset, they never hesitate to insure it "just in case". Yet with a website, which has inherent value and revenue potenial, the idea of insuring their site "just in case" never comes to mind. Unfortunately, it only takes a single mistake to wish that you had a DR plan. Many people will say, "We have a DR plan! What do you think those backups are for?" Unfortunately, having backups is not a DR plan. It is simply one of the counter measures that may come in handy when recovering from a disaster.

Let's take a look at several scenarios when planning for DR:

So, tell me what is wrong with this scenario:

John's Widgets goes to Purple, Rock, Scissors. for a web site.  After several discovery meetings, a statement of work is written and, in turn, approved by John.  Purple, Rock, Scissors. provides several comps, John approves and work begins.  Six to nine weeks later, John's widgets has a beautiful website which he absolutely loves and he is ready to go live.  John is ecstatic, he can't wait...he asks when can the world see his website?

Many web development firms do not take the time to help their clients choose appropriate hosting.  From that perspective, the answer to the conundrum above puts all the responsibility for hosting on John's widgets.  Does he have web hosting?  Did he ever ensure that the framework or CMS that his Orlando web development firm, Purple, Rock, Scissors used will function on his current hosting provider?  Honestly...most clients don't really care about hosting.  They want to see their shiny new website, but honestly, they could care less what is happening behind the scenes.  Web hosting, for many clients, is an afterthought.  In reality though, the web application determines what kind of hosting is needed.  Your hosting environment should never define or limit what your application can do.  If John's Widgets has an inappropriate host or he has no hosting at all, it could be 3-6 weeks including testing to get his site ready for an official live deployment. 

So...I've been pre-occupied for the past month or so with buying a house, so I really haven't been cooking as much as I used to.  While I love a good desert or homemade meal, when I'm busy...a little something on the grill (even a hotdog or hamburger) certainly cuts it for a quick meal.  However, I decided to take the time to start a "Restaurant of the Week" column, as I do love to go out to eat, as well as cook my own meals.

On that note, I thought I would recognize some of my favorite places that I feel really do not get the attention they deserve.  To start out the column, I'd love to recognize Bavarian Restaurant Bar & Grill.  

Again...this week I am spicing up a recipe right from the back of a pre-packaged product.  As surprising as it may be, the recipes that companies put on the back of their packaging are actually quite good.  Today, I decided to feature the M & M Rainbow Blondies recipe which is found on their 12 oz mini baking bits package.  The great thing about these recipes is that with a few minor alterations, you can make just about any type of blondie you want.  I almost forgot that some of you may not know what a blondie is.  In the simplest sense...it is just a brownie without the cocoa.  Let's get down to the basics:

So...this recipe is actually adapted from the back of the Reese's Peanut Butter Chips bag, but I like to try my own little twists on it.  That is probably my favorite part about cooking.  You never have to settle for something that isn't quite what you want.  You have the freedom to mix it up and try just about anything.  Above all else, this recipe is a good starter dough for any chocolate cookie, so you can manipulate it any way you want.

Ok, so fried rice...why make it when you can buy it from the local Chinese Restaurant?  Well, I know I won't convince all of you to try this, but sometimes you just have a craving for quick chinese and the restaurant down the street is closed.  I personally like to do it because it is such a versatile dish.  If you add some protein to it, suddenly you have the making of a full meal.  Honestly, I was looking to experiment and whipped this up tonight for dinner.  I always thought there was some secret to it.  However, I went to Kobe Steakhouse one night for dinner and watched the teppan chef make fried rice in a matter of minutes for the whole table and realized just how easy of a dish it could be.

Hmm, ok...maybe you've never heard of this one, but it is certainly worth a try.  This is a Spanish Potato Omelet which I know you're gonna love.  It goes well with just about anything as it is from the class of spanish cuisine known as "tapas."  While the origin of the term varies, the word literally means "cover."  I like to think of it as meaning that it "covers" your appetite between lunch and dinner.  Tapas come in all shapes and sizes, from a full Paella (Seafood and rice stew - to put it quite simply) to queso de cabra (baked goat cheese served with a mild marinara on french bread) or even just dried meats like Chorizo - a spanish sausage.

Just in case you have a sweet tooth and you are looking for something interesting to try.  Give these cookies a whirl.