Monthly Archiv: May, 2019

Stories by Jeff Madsen on Medium: Using State Machines in Laravel

“State Machine”Does that send shivers of high-level, computer science theory dread through your body? Another one of those “I should dig into that someday” feelings?Fear not! I’m going to walk you though a very simple but practical use case of these that will have you wonder...

pascallandau.com: How to build a Docker development setup for PHP Projects [Tutorial Part 3]

In the third part of this tutorial series on developing PHP on Docker we'll lay the fundamentals to build a complete development infrastructure and explain how to "structure" the Docker setup as part of a PHP project. Structure as in
folder structure ("what to put where") Dockerfile templates ...

Why Gutenberg Has Changed My Opinion of Page Builders

Ever since page building tools hit the market (particularly the WordPress market), I’ve been rather dismissive of them. A big reason why is that they made a bad first impression.

First, they often wrote poor code. Some relied on methods, such as WordPress Shortcodes, that worked so long as you had the page builder plugin activated. If you decided to deactivate the plugin, you were left with a jumbled mess of code to clean up. This essentially locked you into using it, whether you liked the product or not.

Then there was also the way some of these products were marketed to business owners. The message was often that you didn’t need to hire a professional web designer. If your WordPress theme came bundled with a page builder, you had this beautiful theme and a tool to create whatever layout you wanted. No outside help required. Of course, the reality was a bit more complicated. This rubbed me the wrong way.

But since the release of Gutenberg, the WordPress block-based editor, I’ve started re-thinking page builders. After some soul searching, here’s what I’ve found.

The Need for Flexibility

The expectations of what a website should be have changed dramatically over time. It used to be that having a fancy layout on the home page was enough, with secondary pages being a simpler mix of text and images. That’s no longer the case.

Now, we see more complex design features spread throughout a site. Elements such as multiple columns, video backgrounds and scrolling effects are about as likely to be seen on a “Services” page as they are on “Home”. In many cases, the good old WordPress sidebar doesn’t fit the new narrative (which is why widgets can now be added as blocks within Gutenberg).

In many instances, web design has adopted some of the core elements of print. For example, print has been liberated from single-column layouts for decades. But this has taken awhile to become more easily achievable online for the non-designer. Page builders have played a role in making this type of layout available to more people.

For designers, this is sort of a double-edged sword. On one side, we can build a complex layout that clients can change with minimal effort. But that also brings the possibility of accidental breakage. Therefore, it may be that a page builder (Gutenberg included) may not be the best option for every situation. It’s on us to know when to use one and when to put a layout on lockdown.

A multi column page layout in WordPress.

Increased Efficiency

There are times when speed is of the essence. Recently, I found myself in one of those situations. A client needed a fairly complex landing page, including some special effects. And it needed to be built within a day.

I pride myself on getting things done quickly, but this was going to be pushing the limit of what I could do. Because of the time crunch, I decided that the best approach would be to utilize a page builder.

While the project still required lots of hustle, I managed to get something that looked and functioned as it needed to – with a few hours to spare. Truth be told, I was both happy with and surprised by the results (thankfully, so was my client).

The point is that there is a time and place where a high-quality page builder can be helpful. Given more time, I may have done things differently. But in this instance, it provided a means to build an intricate layout in short order.

Pedestrians hurrying across a city street.

Gutenberg’s Role

The idea of Gutenberg itself was controversial. Not necessarily because of what it does, but because of the change it brings to a tried-and-true workflow (not to mention a communication breakdown during the build process). The run up to its release was full of dramatic twists and turns.

But, in my mind, the block editor has brought another perspective with regards to the needs and expectations of the modern content creator. I’ve realized that there are cases where it just makes sense to build content in a block-based manner.

And this also applies to other page builders. Granted, they do add a lot of extras when compared to a stock install of Gutenberg at this point. The special effects, for example, may be overkill for some of us (and hopefully something that Gutenberg continues to eschew). But a tool for quickly building something beyond a single-column page of text and images serves a real need.

Now, this doesn’t speak to the quality of any specific page builder – or even Gutenberg itself. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. One thing Gutenberg has going for it is a dedicated development team that will continue to improve the product. We’re already seeing some of those results.

Rather, it’s about the role these tools can play in the design process. They aren’t going to be the perfect choice in every situation. And no, they still won’t replace the need for a qualified professional. But they do offer a viable alternative to more traditional techniques. That’s more than I thought I’d ever say.

The post Why Gutenberg Has Changed My Opinion of Page Builders appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

Yacon Syrup Benefits Weight Loss, Dr Oz Claims

Dr Oz Yacon Syrup

Dr Oz is always trying to find the next big thing in weight loss. The team at The Dr. Oz Show asked several viewers interested in weight loss to try yacon syrup for 28 days.

Dr Oz had 60 women take one teaspoon of yacon syrup with or before each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for four weeks. They were told not to change their diets or exercise habits. Forty of the 60 women completed the project and of those 40 women:

Yacon Syrup

  • 29 (73%) of the women lost weight
  • 14 women lost five pounds or more
  • Average weight loss was 2.9 pounds
  • Average reduction in waist size was 1.9 inches
  • Total weight lost among all the women was 153 pounds
  • 27 (68%) recommended yacon as a weight loss tool

Dr Oz Weight Loss

Dr Oz revealed that in a 2009 study done by Susana Genta and colleagues using a yacon extract in a group of overweight women, found a 33-pound (16 kg) average weight loss in four months, which is about two pounds per week. LDL (“bad”) cholesterol also fell significantly.

What is Yacon Syrup and the health benefits?

Yacon is a South American tuber (from the Asteraceae family) that looks sort of like a potato, but tastes like an apple. Yacon’s health benefits and pleasant taste have been appreciated by native Peruvian cultures for thousands of years. Yacon Syrup can add sweetness to your diet without the negative effects of cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

Yacon Syrup is a low-glycemic sweetener that tastes like molasses. With half the calories of sugar and a high concentration of indigestible inulin, yacon is a great alternative sweetener for diabetics and those wanting to reduce their sugar intake. Use it like any other sweet syrup for baked goods, smoothies, desserts, sauces and dressings.

The yacon syrup, distilled from the Peruvian tuber yacon, contains up to 50 percent fructooligosacharides or FOS.

According to the Dr Oz website, “If you want to try yacon syrup for weight loss, take one teaspoon of 100% pure yacon syrup before or with each meal. Or you can use it as a sugar substitute. You can purchase yacon syrup at health food stores or online. Because of yacon syrup’s bowel movement-promoting properties, you may want to limit daily consumption to no more than 1-2 tablespoons.”  Using the yacon in recipes to incorporate it into your diet is fine, but keep in mind that heating yacon syrup to a high temperatures (as in baking) can affect some of its beneficial properties. To maximize the benefits, don’t heat it above 70° C, although you can add it to hot drinks like coffee or tea.

Consuming Yacon syrup also increases absorption of dietary minerals, and may make calcium more bioavailable. Dr Oz says studies have shown this could help increase bone density and delay the progression of osteoporosis. Studies also show that neutraceuticals, especially fructans such as yacon, may increase the efficiency of the immune system, lower infection risk and reduce digestive allergies.

3 Best Sugar AlternativesAs a side note, yacon root and root extracts are to be used, not the leaves, which may be potentially toxic. If you don’t like the idea of taking the yacon extract, fructooligosaccharides can also be found in onions, garlic, asparagus, bananas, artichokes and chicory.

Yacon is a sweetener extracted from the tuberous root of the Yacon plant native to the Andes mountains. Peruvians eat Yacon for its nutritional value and low sugar levels not to mention lower calories. The leaves of the plant are sometimes boiled by Brazilians to make a tea which is said to have anti-diabetic properties. Yacon is comprised of 50% fructooligosacharides which don’t raise blood glucose.

Related Stories:

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Dr. Oz Flat Belly Plan: 4 Steps to Follow in Diet Plan
Dr. Oz Exclaims the Dash Diet as the Number One Weight Loss Plan

Article source: https://z6mag.com/2013/11/04/yacon-syrup-benefits-weight-loss-dr-oz-claims/

Top 15 Best Weight Loss Pills For Women In 2019

Weight loss is a common goal for many women. You may want to lose that extra fat because summer is coming or you just want to look and feel good. 

There are a number of ways available today that could help you reduce weight. There are different kinds of strict diets and workout routines you can choose. 

But eating the right food or actively visiting the gym may not be enough in some cases. That is why there are weight loss pills that are designed to assist you in achieving your weight loss goals. 

This report explores the top and highly rated weight loss pills for women. The list is based on the highest number and most positive reviews from consumers who are already enjoying the benefits of such supplements. 

Best Weight Loss Pills for Women

Article source: https://www.medicaldaily.com/top-15-best-weight-loss-pills-women-2019-435117

How to build a Docker development setup for PHP Projects [Tutorial Part 3]

In the third part of this tutorial series on developing PHP on Docker we'll lay the fundamentals to build a complete development infrastructure and explain how to "structure" the Docker setup as part of a PHP project. Structure as in

  • folder structure ("what to put where")
  • Dockerfile templates
  • solving common problems (file permissions, runtime configuration, ...)

We will also create a minimal container setup consisting of php-fpm, nginx and a workspace container that we refactor from the previous parts of this tutorial.