NotesA few weeks ago, I decided to create an email-powered blog that is hosted in an Amazon s3 bucket as a website. I wanted to be able to email new posts to the blog and have them published automatically. I use the email subject line as the title of the post and the email body as the text of the post (written in markdown).FeedUnfurl
Notes"You use the same Google Merchant account that App Engine debits as the one that accepts donations. This way no bank account is involved. Then you track the money that goes into the account (using the Google Merchant IPN equivalent). Then you look at your usage stats from the App Engine panel and predicate future usage trends. Then calculate the cost per month. Then divide the cash in the account by that and you have how long the service will run. You make this visible on all pages (at the bottom, say) that this service will run for X months, "Pay now to keep it running." You accept any amount, but you are completely clear about what the costs are. And this is all automated."Unfurl
Notes"I recently have spent a little time putting together a new WordPress plugin called HookPress. HookPress lets you add webhooks to WordPress, letting you easily develop push notifications or extend WordPress in languages other than PHP."Unfurl
Notes"The aspect that excites me the most is how easy it is to write a web hook. All you need to have is a cheap PHP host and some basic knowledge about handling POST data, and you're ready to go. By shortening the learning curve, web hooks make it possible for more people to build on top of existing platforms, leading to a more connected and interesting internet."Unfurl