Hello.

I've successfully integrated WebTorrent streaming and bit torrent URLs into my blog! This allows me to distribute content like this test podcast without relying solely on my website's bandwidth. It uses the WebSeed BEP, meaning my site acts as a permanent, unchocked seed. I'm excited to experiment further with this tech and explore analytics tracking.

The Chrome Web Store isn't just about HTML5 and JavaScript; Flash plays a crucial role too! Flash apps and games are readily available in the store, with examples like Vyew and Paltalk showcasing functionalities not yet fully achievable with HTML5, such as webcam access. Getting your Flash content into the store is easy, either by using Appmator or directly packaging your SWF file. The store handles distribution and updates, eliminating bandwidth costs for developers. Focus on creating immersive experiences that utilize the full screen, like Canabalt, for maximum user engagement.

I've given kinlan.co.uk a fresh coat of paint with a new Blogger Template. It's cleaner, faster, and easier on the eyes. I'm planning some more small tweaks in the near future, stay tuned!

This post discusses the security implications of cross-domain XMLHttpRequest access. While some argue that such access increases the risk of phishing attacks and unauthorized data access, others contend that these risks are minimal and that the benefits of cross-domain access, such as reduced bandwidth costs for "mash-up" applications, outweigh the potential downsides. The current security model, which requires proxying requests through the originating server, is seen as costly. I propose a server-side security model where third-party servers can control which clients can directly access their data, addressing the bandwidth theft concerns.

In part two of this series on the failures of my first AJAX application, I discuss how my initial plan to reduce bandwidth by having the client directly access third-party web services didn't work out. Due to cross-domain scripting issues in Firefox and IE 6/7, I had to implement proxy scripts on my server. This means all client requests now go through my server, increasing my bandwidth demands. While using a proxy server offers benefits like hiding security information (like Technorati developer tokens) and enabling data manipulation/request merging, it comes with the major downside of increased bandwidth usage and the need to create/maintain proxy scripts. I hope to support cross-domain data sources in the next version to mitigate these issues but acknowledge there might still be scenarios where proxy scripts are necessary.

My site's bandwidth usage spiked mid-month, and I discovered the culprit was MSN Bot repeatedly accessing my Atom.xml feed. It was hitting my feed every minute, consuming a significant portion of my bandwidth. The bot is apparently part of a syndication search engine, constantly checking for new content. I added a robots.txt file to throttle the bot's access frequency, which solved the issue.

I've been exploring how Microsoft's Start.com retrieves data from external web feeds. It appears they use a server-side script to tunnel requests to the remote server, effectively acting as a proxy. This workaround is necessary due to browser security restrictions that prevent cross-domain data fetching in Firefox and certain Internet Explorer configurations. Consequently, my AJAX application will need to handle the additional bandwidth required for retrieving data from Yahoo and Technorati directly, as redirecting XMLHttpRequest calls isn't a viable option.