Ben Radler Designs - Website Design, Computer Support, Branding, and Tech Blog

Westlake Village Inn – Website Launch

Ben — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:35:54 +0000

A bit late on the announcement, but we recently launched the Westlake Village Inn’s new-and-improved website.

From the moment you pass through the estate gates and along the cobblestone paths, to the time you can spend wandering our working vineyard and rose covered arbors, you’ll know you have discovered a uniquely exquisite destination. Located approximately 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles and Burbank Airport the hotel extends over 17 landscaped acres and is a short drive from the scenic Malibu coastline, the Performing Arts Center, Ronald Reagan Library, high-end shopping areas and many notable corporate headquarters.

With the great results seen from the Bogie’s Bar Concrete5 based site (located on the same property), we set out to redesign the already-existing static Westlake Village Inn site.

Designed from an existing site, this project required ground-up rewriting of the code in pure HTML and CSS for the Westlake Village Inn. Afterwards, we implemented the site into Concrete5 so that the Inn staff could easily make changes and keep their content current.

We’re hoping to expand the site further in the coming months thanks to the vast extensibility of this platform.

How the iPhone 4 and iOS4 Jailbreak Works – Jailbreakme.com, Comex

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:39:16 +0000

I’m sure many other hackers and tinkerers like me are wondering how the iPhone 4 Jailbreak (released yesterday) was accomplished. Furthermore, I feel that people are most interested in how this exploit could be maliciously used against NON-JAILBROKEN iPhone users. I’m spreading this information with the hopes that the exploit will be promptly patched — as you will recall, with one of the original iOS jailbreaks (version 1.1.1, I believe), the jailbreakers actually took the liberty of patching the jailbreak exploit after the jailbreak was performed. This jailbreak was also accomplished through Safari, and the way it handled .TIFF files.

Now, on to the dirty stuff…

@chpwn has explained that @comex uses the CFF font stack overflow to jailbreak, which is essentially a font file placed in a FlateDecode stream.

If you copy jailbreakme.com to a local server, you can dissect the small web-app and see how it works. Essentially, the site checks for your device’s user-agent, and loads the correct PDF file for the exploit from http://www.jailbreakme.com/_/ through the Javascript function new Image()

One can then open the PDF files with a hex editor, and examine them more closely. The jailbreak uses a FlateDecode stream (which allows any data, including plain-text, to be compressed with zlib and inserted into a PDF) to load a font file which in turn causes a stack overflow:

If you decode the FlateDecode stream with GhostView, you can see the actual code used to perform the jailbreak. I’ve highlighted a line that should be familiar if you’ve visited jailbreakme.com on your iOS device recently.

iPhone 4 Review + Photos

iPhone 4 Review + Photos

Ben — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:54:20 +0000

Having recently upgraded to the iPhone 4 from last week’s now-obsolete model, the 3GS, I felt I should take some time to review it for my followers and others.

First, I’ll cover some of Apple’s touted features added to this new product, since Jobs himself claims, “iPhone 4 is the biggest leap since the original iPhone”.

FaceTime: A much-desired feature, finally added! Video chats…yes, they work. Though not up to par with Skype, or even an AIM-based video chat, the quality and clarity of picture and sound is pretty darn good. Unfortunately, the biggest downfall to this feature is currently the iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 only limitation. Furthermore, Apple hasn’t allowed any App Store apps to take advantage of the feature, save for Fring. To make matters even worse, you also have to be on a Wifi network to use FaceTime, so this begs the question: if you already have a video-chat enabled laptop or desktop in the home, what’s the sense in using the iPhone? Of course, if and when AT&T allows FaceTime over their 3G network, these issues will get put to rest.
Retina Display: This is perhaps the single best new feature on the iPhone 4. This display is so sharp that it’s honestly difficult to describe without actually seeing it in person. Holding it next to the 3GS iPhone makes the 3GS (excellent) screen look just abysmal. With four times the pixel density of the previous iPhones, text and images are now infinitely easier on the eyes, and there is a whole new level of sharpness and brilliance to the display. Please, if you haven’t seen this, check it out in person…
Camera & Flash: Sporting a new, 5-megapixel camera that can record 720p HD video, the iPhone aims to consolidate more of your devices into one — this time the aim is your point-and-shoot camera. For me, this new camera with LED flash is a much appreciated upgrade. Photograph clarity is increased significantly — if you don’t believe me, just check out this thread. The night-time quality isn’t great, but is definitely improved over the nonexistent flash of the past. Also, the flash is EXTREMELY bright, and makes an excellent flashlight.

My personal experience with the phone has been good overall, but has been severely swayed by the obtrusive problem with the antenna design. As you may know, the entire metal band around the outside of the phone is actually the antenna. As reported by many others, the phone does indeed lose reception dramatically if gripped firmly with a hand around the lower section. This is much more noticeable in low-signal areas, but I have seen it happen when the phone was reporting 5/5 bar signal strength. Since Apple has offered free cases I plan to update my review when it arrives. For now, I would recommend it based on the features, but be warned if you live in a low-signal area like me!

While the build quality of this device is unsurpassed, this may be a case where functionality was sacrificed for design. I can’t rave enough about the slick UI, fast responsiveness to touch inputs, extremely fast browsing speeds, quick app-to-app switching, but simply not being able to place a call in my own office is very frustrating. One other small note — this phone doesn’t feel as solid in the hand as the 2G and 3G/S models did…in fact, the glass is extremely slippery — if you set it on a curved surface it will slowly slide down it and crash to the floor.

I rate it a 3.5/5, until my bumper case arrives.

How the iPhone 4 and iOS4 Jailbreak Works – Jailbreakme.com, Comex

Sports Car Documentary – Lotus Exige S, Porsche Carrera, Corvette C6

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:59:58 +0000

Hey there,

So this is a new film I just completed as a final project before graduation. Please feel free to leave comments here, or on the YouTube page.

*BE SURE TO WATCH IN HD*

New Website Launch: DanceConnectLA

Ben — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 04:03:15 +0000

After a great development period with resident DJ Ben Oprstu, I’m proud to release version 2.0 of DanceConnectLA.com. The theme of the site is designed completely from scratch in-house, and utilizes WordPress as a reliable, scalable CMS.

DanceConnectLA is a portal for local DJ’s and music enthusiasts in the Hollywood, CA area.

Westlake Village Inn – Website Launch

Amsterdam, Netherlands: New Photo on Flickr

Ben — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:07:12 +0000

I took this shot recently in Amsterdam, and feel that it really is a great capture of the city. Even though it leaves out the hustle-and-bustle, it shows what many fail to see by always looking down…beautiful architecture, clear skies, and an all-around wonderful place to live.

Be sure to check out and comment on a new photo upload on Flickr!

CSS3 “SnowStack” Demo – 3D Photo Gallery Using Flickr API

Recent Videos – Shelby Cobra, Audi RS4, & High Speed Police Chase

Ben — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:24:34 +0000

Hey all,

I haven’t posted anything in a while, so I felt I should at least stick a couple of clips on YouTube for your enjoyment! These are teasers from my upcoming film about car enthusiasts.

Cars and Coffee – Documentary by Ben Radler

Ben — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:43:38 +0000

I put together this seven and a half minute documentary for a final project in advanced filmmaking course at UC Irvine. The topic is Cars and Coffee, a weekly get-together put on at the Mazda and Ford corporate headquarters in Irvine, California.

From 6-9AM every saturday, hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of people bring their exotics, classics, and sports cars just to hang out and share their passion. Everything from Bugattis to motorcycles show up, all featuring something unique.

This film features interviews with E. Reeves Callaway (founder of Callaway), Chuck Jordan (ex-VP of design for General Motors), and John Clinard (Manager, Western Region Communications of Ford Motor Co.), as well as with many other enthusiasts.

It was shot using the Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 7D, and Panasonic HVX200. Feel free to leave feedback, either here or on the YouTube video itself. Thanks!

Also, definitely check out CnCPics as weekly photos of most of the cars at the event are posted there.

*BE SURE TO WATCH IN HD*

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Bogie’s Bar & Lounge Website Launch

Ben — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:46:51 +0000

I’m extremely happy to announce that Bogie’s new website went live earlier today.

It’s a very elegant demonstration of Concrete5, one of my favorite content management systems. It allows for simple, GUI-based updates so that clients can take control of their sites, rather than having to pay costly maintenance fees for minor changes. So, check it out!

Westlake Village Inn – Website Launch

Waiting for Arrandale…

Ben — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:16:53 +0000

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