We are (UserVoice that is) about to release a new api that is based on a combination of 2-legged and 3-legged oauth. While checking the functional tests that had been written I noticed that they contained a lot of mocked methods, which while not a bad thing in itself, in this case meant a lot of functionality (specifically authorization) was not being checked.

So, I had a poke about in the gem (Oauth (0.3.6)) and wrote a couple of helper methods to allow for testing oauth based requests without mocking too much out, or in the case of integration tests, mocking nothing.

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Yesterday, for the second year running, I was lucky enough to attend one of Jim Denevan’s (http://www.jimdenevan.com/ – very cool art) Outstanding In The Field (http://www.outstandinginthefield.com/ events. This year the setting was a beautiful cove just outside of Half Moon Bay, California. I’ve added the menu here so you can appreciate the effort that Jim and his team put into these events. It has to rate as one of the most special dinning experiences anywhere.

* avocado cracker with lime-pickled fennel,      sesame & cumin, 2008 Luli Chardonnay (Santa Lucia Highlands)

* grilled ronde de nice zucchini, agretti & focea head lettuce salad with anchovy-caper vinaigrette and bottarga buttered slab bread, 2009 Elizabeth Spencer Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino

* aromatic spiced seafood skewers grilled ‘on the bone’, fava bean & herb salsa verde and fregola stewed with tomato & dried chilies, 2009 Lucy Rose (Santa Lucia Highlands)

* honey-rosemary glazed pork spareribs, caramelized young onions and green garlic fingerling potatoes, 2009 Luli Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands – hand bottled for this meal)

* orange blossom-scented fromage blanc, bluberries, walnut-poppy seed ‘sand’ cookies.

More photos here: facebook album

Not since I rock’n'rolled (although that may also be true), but since I wrote a post on here. It hasn’t been due to lack of time, although I have told myself I’ve been too busy many times. Its been through a lose of desire to engage, a lot has happened to my family and I since 20th August 2008 and much of it has been very draining.

People have told me I should write about the passing of my father and his 22 year battle with cancer (and to some degree with arrogance and incompetence in the NHS) and I’ve thought about it. Somehow though, this doesn’t seem the correct forum. However, I did feel that to just start posting on here with no indication of what happened in the last 20 months would be a little odd. With that said, hopefully, now, normality (at least as far as blogging) can be resumed.

On with the show………