Did you know you can create an app using JavaScript? Read these three stories of users who went on to do just that.

1. Jonathan and SimpleTax

Jonathan never wanted to become a programmer, he wanted to learn to solve problems. With Code Year, he got the skills to do that. Now he’s building an app to simplify doing your taxes.

2. Ryan and Sworkit

Last year Ryan was looking for ways to learn to code. After trying books, videos and articles, he stumbled upon Codecademy. Armed with the skills he learned there, Ryan wanted to build something of his own.

3. Michael and GVING

When Michael Perry founded GVING, he knew he would have to learn to code eventually. With Codecademy (and the help of some friends) he finally met his goal.

Ph.D. Dissertation Defense

Mid-Infrared Photonic Integration

Dingkai Guo

10:00am Tuesday, 4 June 2013, TRC CASPR conference room

The mid-Infrared (Mid-IR) wavelength range is important for applications including medical and security imaging, environmental trace gas sensing and free space communications. However, photonic integrated circuits (PICs) in the mid-IR range are completely under-developed which significantly slows the reduction of mid-IR system size, weight, and coupling losses and limits the development of highly functional mid-IR photonic modules with lower cost. In this dissertation, a solution to mid-IR photonic integration was demonstrated using a compact widely tunable mid-IR transmitter and a mid-IR amplifying photo-detector, which can be integrated with the mid-IR source.

This integrated widely tunable mid-IR source is fabricated by incorporating super structure grating (SSG) to the mid-IR quantum cascade laser (QCL) waveguide. The emission wavelength of the fabricated SSG-DBR QCL can be well controlled by varying the injection currents to the two grating sections. The wavelength can be tuned from 4.58μm to 4.77μm (90cm-1) with a supermode spacing of 30nm. This SSG-DBR QCL can be a compact replacement for the external cavity QCL used in current mid-IR sensors.

Mid-IR amplification and detection can be achieved using the same material as the mid-IR source. This QCL amplifier has an adjustable bandwidth and tunable gain peak, so it can function as a tunable mid-IR filter. By biasing the QCL just below its threshold, we demonstrated more than 11dB optical gain and over 28dB electrical gain at specified wavelengths. In the electrical gain measurement process, the resonant amplifier also functioned as a detector. This indicates that intersubband-based gain materials are ideal candidates for mid-IR photonic integrations.

Beside the optimized fabrication processes, new characterization technique based on the electrical derivative of the QCL I-V curves is used to quickly acquire the QCL threshold and leakage current, and explore the device carrier transport. The leakage currents present in different QCL waveguide structures are also studied and compared using this technique.

Finally, we report that the telecom wavelengths induced optical quenching effects on mid-IR QCLs when the QCLs are operated well above their threshold. The quenching effect is a result of intersubband bandbending and it depends on the coupled near-IR intensity, wavelength, and the QCL voltage bias. The quenching effects not only can be used for mid-IR QCL optical switching and modulation but also reveal that the mid-IR QCLs can function as “converters” to convert the telecom optical signal into the mid-IR optical signal at the near-IR fiber end.

A coherent mid-IR transceiver with both transmitting and receiving functions can be realized based on each integrated component introduced in this dissertation. This compact transceiver includes an integrated widely tunable mid-IR source, a mid-IR filter, amplifier, and detector based on the same material system.

Committee: Drs. Fow-Sen Choa (Chair), Anthony Johnson, Terrance Worchesky (Physics) , Li Yan, Gymama Slaughter

Patrick Kunka demos how fluid grids can be created with percentage widths and justified text. I like it because you don't need to think about gutter calculations which is what really complicates grids. If you need specific control over gutters, Don't Overthink It Grids might help.

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Need a new look for your portfolio? Check out the Snap WordPress theme from The Theme Foundry. Sass files and Compass config are included!

Grids with text-align: justify is a post from CSS-Tricks

Today we have a neat giveaway from our friends at Jumpeye which will come in handy for all developers.

The Jumpeye framework is a responsive design framework that helps users build websites that look perfect on desktop, tablets and smartphones. By using the included fluid grid system, UI elements and components along with the recently added responsive website templates users will be able to build stylish responsive websites much easier and much faster.

Today’s your chance to win 1 of 10 commercial licenses of their superb framework. Each license is available for 100 domains and is worth $99/license.

Read on for more details on the Jumpeye framework as well as details on how to enter…

Here’s more information about the Jumpeye framework…

1. Fluid grid system

The core of the framework is the CSS grid system. Before users start designing their website, they can easily create a grid structure by using the online grid editor on the page of the product.

2. Responsive stylish UI elements

Jumpeye framework comes with a huge set of stylish UI elements: drop down menus, buttons, panels, tabs, tooltips, alerts, forms, tables and typography. Each type of UI element has several ready­made skins and they are highly customizable, so it will be easy to select the most appropriate design for any user’s site

3. Responsive JavaScript components

Two jQuery­ based responsive components are included in the framework: a photo gallery and an image & content slider. By using these components users can easily create image and content sliders, photo galleries, slideshows or portfolios inside their responsive websites built with the framework’s grid. 

Jumpeye framework was recently updated with two responsive templates. These templates were created using the elements and components of the framework and users can use them for commercial purposes by only changing the media content (text and images). 

Empower:­ Responsive personal/small business website template

Glimpses:­ Responsive photography website template

How to enter:

• Leave a comment below about what you like most about the framework (e.g. image slider component, drop down menus, the included templates)
• Generic comments won’t be eligible
• Enter your comment using your email address (not Twitter/Facebook, etc)

 By entering, you get a chance to win 1 of 10 commercial licenses available of the superb Jumpeye framework. Each license is available for 100 domains and is worth $99/license. Results will be announced here on WDD on June 14th, 2013. All winners will also be contacted by email. Good luck to everyone! 

OTAMA Font Family (with 20+ Font Styles) – from $37!

Today we have a neat giveaway from our friends at Jumpeye which will come in handy for all developers.

The Jumpeye framework is a responsive design framework that helps users build websites that look perfect on desktop, tablets and smartphones. By using the included fluid grid system, UI elements and components along with the recently added responsive website templates users will be able to build stylish responsive websites much easier and much faster.

Today’s your chance to win 1 of 10 commercial licenses of their superb framework. Each license is available for 100 domains and is worth $99/license.

Read on for more details on the Jumpeye framework as well as details on how to enter…

Here’s more information about the Jumpeye framework…

1. Fluid grid system

The core of the framework is the CSS grid system. Before users start designing their website, they can easily create a grid structure by using the online grid editor on the page of the product.

2. Responsive stylish UI elements

Jumpeye framework comes with a huge set of stylish UI elements: drop down menus, buttons, panels, tabs, tooltips, alerts, forms, tables and typography. Each type of UI element has several ready­made skins and they are highly customizable, so it will be easy to select the most appropriate design for any user’s site

3. Responsive JavaScript components

Two jQuery­ based responsive components are included in the framework: a photo gallery and an image & content slider. By using these components users can easily create image and content sliders, photo galleries, slideshows or portfolios inside their responsive websites built with the framework’s grid. 

Jumpeye framework was recently updated with two responsive templates. These templates were created using the elements and components of the framework and users can use them for commercial purposes by only changing the media content (text and images). 

Empower:­ Responsive personal/small business website template

Glimpses:­ Responsive photography website template

How to enter:

• Leave a comment below about what you like most about the framework (e.g. image slider component, drop down menus, the included templates)
• Generic comments won’t be eligible
• Enter your comment using your email address (not Twitter/Facebook, etc)

 By entering, you get a chance to win 1 of 10 commercial licenses available of the superb Jumpeye framework. Each license is available for 100 domains and is worth $99/license. Results will be announced here on WDD on June 14th, 2013. All winners will also be contacted by email. Good luck to everyone! 

OTAMA Font Family (with 20+ Font Styles) – from $37!