Search structured LDAP data with a vector-space engine.

Use Perl and a vector-space search engine to search and display records from your Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) database. Use inflected letters and numbers to create a useful vector space from structured LDAP data. Compensate for typographical and spelling errors automatically while showing the most appropriate match for any …


Make your 404 pages smarter with metaphone matching.

Create your own 404 error-message handler to provide useful links and redirects for the contents of your site. Use metaphone matching and a simple weighted score file to make typographical, spelling, and bad-link redirect suggestions. Customize the suggestions based solely on your Web site's content and preferred redirection locations. Catch …


Map people, places and relationships inside a building.

Google and MapQuest do a great job of creating maps of the outside world on the fly. But what about our workspaces? This article shows how to define and map places and people inside a building. Search, track, and plot individual cubicles, rooms, employees, or assets. Graph the location of …


Precipitation proximity alerts using WSR-88D radar data.

Traditional weather reports will give notice of vague forecasts and severe weather alerts in your general area. The code and tools presented in this article will allow you to create precise detection zones so you can receive a page, SMS, or e-mail a few minutes before a precipitation event is …


Explore relationships among web pages visually

Explore relationships among Web pages visually, The Graphviz program from AT&T Research and others is a fantastic tool for automating the visualization of complicated link sets. This article shows how to combine the Graphviz tool set with Web-page thumbnail generators to create new ways of visualizing any Web page's …


Create custom data charting tools using Perl and GD

Create custom data charting tools using Perl and GD, Create professional-looking charts for data visualization using Perl and GD. Move beyond standard pie charts to incorporate annotations, indicators, and layering for enhanced informational delivery.


Custom cartographics with CAIDA's plot-latlong

Using world and custom U.S. maps, Perl, GD, and the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA) plot-latlong tool, this article demonstrates how to create your own effective data visualizations in the spirit of Google maps and the U.S. national atlas.




Create fancy on-screen displays with Ghosd and Perl

Let system events kick off on-screen alerts displaying text and images, Use Perl, Ghosd, and some network programming to display on-screen overlays of text and graphics based on messages from your local system and remote computers. Define custom images, font sizes, and colors to convey information integrated with your desktop …