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I’m Marshall Oram, a web designer & WordPress developer by day, ninja in training, technology enthusiast by nature, and nature lover at heart. In my spare time I enjoy running, exploring technology and taking in the outdoors.

When others ask how? I figure it out. What I learn, I’ll try to share here, but it will be infrequent. If you find it interesting, subscribe or follow me. If you disagree, comment. Cheers!

Having A Baby: There’s an app for that!

January 29th, 2010

Time your contractions. Know when it's time.

Actually there are many, the most important of which, I think, is contractionmaster. It’s simple you, or your helpful husband, hit the button when one starts and again when it stops. It calculates all the important things like duration and time between. And you can print out the record or email if you doctor requires more than verbal proof or obvious physical distress. It only costs 99¢: you would actually spend more on a pad of paper, a pencil, and an eraser (to correct your … read more

iPhone Cases: Sleek & Minimal

January 3rd, 2010 | Tags: Apple, case, cover, iPhone

As far as iPhone cases go: I like them to not add bulk and just protect from scratches. Specifically I like them to protect the phone back from getting scratched when put on a table, desk, or else. The beauty of the iPhone is it’s sleek design, adding a clunky case negates that. The other thing I like in a case is some grip (not as much grip as a silicone skin, too difficult to get out of your pocket when driving) but enough grip to keep it from sliding off your leg if balanced on your leg while driving. I’ve found 2 that are winners in that fashion.

Moshi iGlaze … read more

Running with Nike+

August 15th, 2009 | Tags: GPS, nike+, nikerunning, runkeeper, running

Previously I’ve been running with Runkeeper, an iPhone app that tracks your runs by GPS. It’s pretty good, but generally under by about .2 mi on any given run. This is probably be due to the poor gps signal in my area and the fact that all current cellphone gps chips don’t work that well. On that note it uses a good chunk of battery power since it has to remain “active” to track. You can now run to music (which i don’t) and setup training routines.

Internet Explorer 6 Must Die

August 7th, 2009 | Tags: browsers, internet explorer, old stuff, web

As a web developer it’s my job to make sure websites work on all current popular browsers. Over the years I’ve come to a simple efficient conclusion: develop for the majority of browsers (standards compliant) then correct for Internet Explorer 6. The fact that it’s the only thing you need to really fix your site for says a lot. It was released so long ago that it shouldn’t still be viable in the timeline of computational history, but for some reason it is still here.

The designers say Internet Explorer 6, which was released in 2001 and since has been updated twice by Microsoft Corp., is crippling the … read more

Tying with the best, Brian Schmidt. Adventuring with a fly rod and a Mandolin, David Hess.

August 7th, 2009 | Tags: brian schmidt, david hess, fishing, fly fishing, fly tying, mandolin, tying, umpqua

I’ve been fly fishing for a long time, perfecting the cast even longer and tying flies still longer. None of which amounts to much, if you can’t put it all together. Enter my homies Brian Schmidt and David Tyler Hess: They coached me to take all the components I’d practiced, and combine them to gently lay down my first solid presentation and take my first trout on dry fly. Thank you guys.

Since then we’ve spent a lot of time on the stream together. We’ve fished many places and discovered many things. Every time Dave would stated “you can’t do that.” Brian managed to do it! He’s always been an innovative fisherman, beyond ability, more like a fortunate experimental gene. Brian now works for Umpqua, the renowned feather merchants. Last night I found the negative of photo I thought lost for good: it’s the best tying photo I’ve ever captured.

[caption … read more