The Latest

Q:  Why no updates since February?
A:  Nothing has changed in my computer situation since February.

Q: Why does that matter?
A:  It’s kinda hard to develop websites without one. I’m too busy at work to do anything personal on the computers there. And borrowed laptops limit my access to the tools I need.

Q: So is this just how it’s gonna be?
A: Yes- but only for a couple (ok… maybe few) more months! Fingers crossed on the cash-flow thing, but assuming the rug isn’t pulled out from under me, I should have a brand new MacBook Pro in October, and I’ll be hitting the ground running. Then I can make updates to this site, other sites, and resume my education in PHP.

Until then, here’s something unrelated I’m working on. It’s the Information Delivery system (ie network) I’ll be installing in my home. Signing up for some reliable DSL soon, and I have most of the components otherwise. The idea is to have everything connected and easy to access for wife and guests.

Information Delivery Network

Ah, memories… the original look for my site was a spur-of-the moment thing I came up with when it was first launched. Not a whole lot of thought went into it technically, mostly just an imagemap.

I cooked up a new design mid/late in 2009, and I’m in love with it. I didn’t intend to use it for my own site, but since I had no other use for it, I decided, why not? The main page is Fluid CSS, and the secondary pages (with exception to the blog) are a mixture of Fixed and Fluid CSS. PHP used here and there, mostly to include the open and close on all secondary pages, so that i don’t have to make design changes across multiple files.

This is step one; step two will be redesigning this blog to reflect the new look.

Step three? Glad you asked. That will be resurrecting (or starting anew…) with the PHP Album. I went a little nuts trying to modify it before I knew how it worked, and I ended up breaking it good. As in, inoperable. I’d like to bring it back.
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In other news: I’ve been toying with the new layouts for the Car Insurance Guide site. The layout I came up with last year blows, so I’ve started fresh, and I have some nice plans. There will be a fair amount of Javascript involved, so I’ll have to start remembering all that. The goal? A site that looks waaaay more professional, and serious… befitting the content involved.

Also, I’ll be throwing together a blog for my dad to post his song lyrics. That’s semi-related, as it’ll share server space with the Guide.

Lets face the music folks. My laptop is on life support and the internet availability at home is sketchy at best. It is clear that no real progress can be made in either PHP or redesigning any sites until both issues are resolved. This will mean a delay of several months at least. Until that time, I’ll only be using this site for my various backend uses.

Well! I’ve added a photo album to the site. Check it out here.

I got the free code from phpalbum.net. Neat little service, though it can be a little goofy. I’ve only just begun customizing it, there’s still much to do. Over the next few days I’ll try and plug any holes I find in the code, eliminating things I don’t need.

And, I got a Nikon D40, a hand-me-down from Cindil’s dad. Having a professional level camera could definitely open some doors.

Also, I bought a good php book, and am reading through it. Sound like a good start?

So… this whole “make a website and play around learning php” thing would be a LOT easier if my computer was more… operable. I need a new screen. Working on borrowed machines is tedious and unproductive.