Module development and code questions

hi, sorry for the question im very noob in this , i trying to use profile_view_field() inside a module to get info about the user but i dont know how to do it right :(

i try this

function practicas_all(){
  global $user;

  $page_content .= profile_view_field($user->uid, 'profile_centro');
  print theme("page", $page_content);

}

and this

Has any developed or know of a developed module for tracking UPS shipments? I am in the beginning stages of building a Module but if its been done there is no reason to rack my brain too much.

I am having difficulties with variable_get.

If I set variable_get in a module:
variable_set('module_variable_name',$value);

the variable is set, and I can get it with
variable_get('module_variable_name','0');

But, if I change the value in the variables table, and call variable_get, I get the original value, not the updated value.
I have tried deleting the cache, and sessions but I always get the old value.

Doesn't variable set store the value in the variable table?
and doesn't variable_get retrieve that value?

What we all know and love from typical blogging systems like MT or Wordpress just isn't there, so it has to be created!

History

Since I started using and implementing Drupal as a CMS and also on blog sites I wondered why there is no module to implement the profane comment follow up e-mail that I knew from Movable Type and Wordpress.

However, there are a lot of features in modules like "subscription" and "notify" - which both let you basically subscribe to content of ANY kind, which is a very generic feature.

None of the modules, hacks and tipp I ran across however offered everything ready-to-go for anonymous users as well - everyone required the user to be created prior to comment notification, which is a different approach ( "Make it easier to signup and only talk to those that take the extra minute to sign up")

The long waiting userbase

A lot of questions and requirements were posted, to list just a few

http://urlgreyhot.com/personal/weblog/anonymous_commenting_in_drupal_4_5...
no changees or updates since may

http://drupal.org/node/64920
=> answer: "just make signup easier" :-/

http://drupal.org/node/76711
=> answer: "use subscriptions module" - hey and the anons?

Both notify and subscription were created in 2003.

Nobody that was able to create a drupal mod obviously has since understood the
urgent need to drive one-time users that comment back to you site to convert them
to real registered users... this conversion step is one essential one in building a blog comment community.

Features

So today I am implementing "comment_notify" with the features

- to mail anonymous users about comment follow-ups
- to mail registered users about comment follow-ups
- to allow both by the click on ONE url to sign out of a specific post followup
- to allow registered users to preset their follow-up setting in their profile

I get a icecast streaming server to make a radiot station, i try to use the module station but seems not to work on stream, any one have a solution integrate icecast

to know more about icecast
http://www.icecast.org/

Thanks

So I'm using drupal on this sort of price comparison style site I've been making.
I'm a relatively experienced PHP developer and chose drupal over using CakePHP, because I didn't want to have to fiddle with the small shit.
I'm enjoying drupal so far, it's only been about 8 hours but I've got alot going.
What I'm struggling with now is the extensibility of it, drupal gives you alot, but also kind of obscures obvious extensibility.