keeping the community informed…

This month the DaniWeb Digest is sponsored by Communitas Rewards.

Please remember that by supporting our sponsors you are supporting DaniWeb and ensuring that it remains a free service.

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a much missed old friend

James Bennet, better known to the DaniWeb community as jbennet worked his way up the ranks from enthusiastic member to equally enthusiastic moderator. You have probably noticed that James has been pretty quiet around the DaniWeb forums of late. There was a good reason for this, he was studying hard for his exams! Now, having passed those exams and gained a place at the University of Dundee where he is studying for a BSc in Applied Computing, James is back with us. I am sure I speak on behalf of everyone who has ever bumped into jbennet on DaniWeb, well done and welcome back.

a DaniWeb mini-FAQ

Q: How do I update my member profile?

A: You need to look right to the top of the page, above where the logo and banner ad is situated, and then click on the Control Panel link. Once you arrive at the new page, look to the left hand side and simply click on Edit profile.


Q: When should I mark a thread as solved?

A: If you have asked a question and got the answer that you were looking for, then you can and indeed should mark the thread solved - but only if it was your question that was at the root of that thread, of course.


Q: How do I mark a thread as solved?

A: Right next to the big yellow 'reply to thread' button you will see a link that says mark as solved.


Q: When should I report a bad post?

A: If a posting has broken any of the rules of DaniWeb, most commonly because it is spam, it is abusive or offensive, or links to illegal content then you should report it so that the moderation team can take the appropriate action.


Q: How do I report a bad post?

A: Look for the 'Flag Bad Post' link at the top of the posting and click on that.

every month one member makes the DaniWeb hall of fame…

Please welcome our newest member of the DaniWeb hall of fame, Ryan Satterfield AKA tiger86. Ryan joined the DaniWeb community six months ago now, and in that time has been busy contributing to both forums and blogs. His blog can be found here while you can find Ryan most often in the HTML and CSS, Geeks' Lounge, Viruses, Spyware and Other Nasties, Web Developers' Lounge and Site Layout and Usability forums. We cornered Ryan and got him to answer our questions in return for a Featured Blogger badge...

Where are you from originally, and where do you live now?

I am originally from Northern California; I always lived in some town near Sacramento. I now reside in Southern California about 15 minutes from the beach and an hour and a half away from Hollywood.

How old are you?

I am only 22.

What is your current occupation, ever done anything unusual in the past?

Currently I am in the Web design field. I started using computers when I was 3 years old; I reformatted my dad’s Windows 3.1 Operating System when I was 5.

What is your favorite operating system and why?

Well I guess you would have to say my favorite Operating System would be the Leopard by Apple. I like Apple's Operating Systems because they are so easy to use almost anyone could use them. I am basically forced by the market to be stuck with Windows XP because most of my software is for Windows only and it would cost a ton to buy all new software for apple.

What first brought you to DaniWeb?

I was using the infamous Google when I came across DaniWeb searching for a community of computer enthusiasts like myself.

What makes you stay here?

I like it here because on the most part everyone is nice, very knowledgeable, and I have seen members go out of their way to help others.

What is your favorite forum and why?

I would have to say the geek’s lounge posting games.

What are your interests outside of IT and outside of DaniWeb?

I like Soccer, hiking, and bowling. I won 2nd place in a bowling tournament.

Name the best thing about DaniWeb, and one thing you would change if it were in your power?

I would have to say the best thing about DaniWeb is the blog feature, I didn’t write that much before I joined DaniWeb. I would like the ability to edit/delete our own blogs; maybe you could make them editable/erasable for 24 hours?

Any fascinating facts about yourself that you would like to share with the DaniWeb community?

I started writing programs in Qbasic when I was 9 years old and they worked, they weren’t spectacular but what do you expect from a 9 year old? I think this is the most fascinating fact about me, I was supposed to be dead 21 years ago but amazingly I lived. Many doctors said that I would never talk and I would be a vegetable in a wheelchair; as of now I am working on flash games for a Website, I run my own business, and I can walk and talk just fine. Moral to the story: don’t always believe doctors.

by slfisher

If you like the Google Earth mapping application, there's now an application that works with it and provides information on "Marine Protected Areas" on the Earth.

Installing the application shows all the various marine protected areas (MPAs); clicking on them provides some information, including a link to more detailed information.

Depending on the MPA, users may be able to see photos and video as well.

Around 4,500 spots scattered around the world's oceans have been designated as marine protected areas, which means activities such as commercial or recreational fishing are restricted or banned to protect dwindling stocks of fish and other marine species, according to Google, which developed the software along with the World Commission on Protected Areas and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a grouping of more than 1,000 government and nongovernment organizations and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries.

The application was demonstrated at at IUCN conference earlier this month.