Software can sometimes be frustrating and other times it can surprise you. Today, quality time was spent giving this site a new look. I was pleasantly surprised with the theme that I am using from MultiThemes. It is an add on theme to RapidWeaver, the software I use to build this site. Using the theme was a pleasure. I was able to control many things. Believe it or not, there was a lot of work to get the site to look this sparse. One of the best things about the theme was that it was free! I hope the new look is compelling enough for people to want to stick around.

Two things are currently on my mind about the site. First, I don't think that the hyperlink color is very distinguishable from the rest of the text in the posting body. Unfortunately it is tied to the color of the categories, tags, archives and other text in the sidebar as well as above and below each posting. Those elements are all hot or hyper links. For some reason the link text does not stick out as much when it is in with a lot of other text. Do you think the links are distinct enough? Second issue, I am not sure if I should have a home page or just have the blog be the home page. This website is more than a blog and that is why I have kept it. It has the two albums and the weather page. I'll also add a links page and other different pages at some point in the future. Because there are other things besides a blog here, I may be compelled to keep it. I know the home page is not the place where I have put the most up to date information. The blog has been the place for current events. When I add or change something on the site, I usually blog about it anyway. Let me know if you think the home page should stay or go. Remember to vote early and vote often.

While editing the home page today, I discovered I had not updated it in a year. Olivia the former star attraction on page one, will be a year old next week! The new photo is from the marsh behind my house. We are lucky to be living in such a beautiful area.

Tags: Software,Nerd

Hi Folks,

We're back from Florida where we had a visit with my in-laws. I have some stuff to post but I am going to try and upgrade the site first. Wish me luck. I have also moved the software over to a newer machine. Hopefully the transition will go smoothly.

Tags: Software,Nerd

During this month's posting blitz I have made some small changes to the site. Some of the changes were done consciously and others were feature changes caused by a software upgrade. RapidWeaver version 3.6.5 is the software tool used to create this website. This website is being maintained using an Apple Macintosh computer .

For my own records and your unbridled curiosity in all things geeky, I'll list the changes to the site since the beginning of the month.

• RapidWeaver software upgrade
• I fixed my poor grammar in the banner slogan, replacing "of" with "from."
• NaBloPoMo badge/link added to the sidebar
• Tags feature added to postings
• Tags cloud added in the sidebar
• Tags are now in each posting
• Category counts removed (reduces processing time during publishing)
• "Category" in each posting changed to "Filed in"
• Category delimiter changed from "," to "|" (That thing is called a pipe)
• Multiple Categories and Tags are now supported
• Removed "Permalink" at bottom of each post.
• Each post title is now a hyperlink to the permanent link page
• Comments can now be entered on the permanent link page, avoiding the comments pop-up
• HaloScan comments engine upgraded
• All images posted in the blog are viewable from a Photo Album page called "Stuff From the Blog"
• Standardization of photo's in The Blog.
• "Contact me" in footer was removed.
• Archive no longer shows empty months.

After this month there should be some major changes. A new look and feel is planned. The blog will also move to the home page. When the new hardware is set up and working, there will finally be live weather updates. I'm too cheap to keep the current computer running 24/7 for updates. The new hardware will significantly reduce energy consumption. I'll have more on the hardware later.

Let me know if you noticed any other recent changes not documented here. If there is something want to see changed please let me know.

Tags: Software,Nerd

Yes, I was a member. I spent a year at Essex Agricultural and Technical Institute as a forestry major. I joined the FFA and achieved the degree of Greenhand. That's my pin attached to the cover. I never got one of those cool corduroy jackets, but I coveted the ones my classmates had. They made you look like you were a member of a motorcycle gang. Most people don't know about the FFA, but the movie Napoleon Dynamite put it on the map in this new century. Being at Essex Aggie was a wonderful experience. I sometimes regret that I left. The reasons I left were all good though. I enjoyed my limited time there and have many great memories of the place. Students got half a day in class and half a day in the field or on the farm. I got to manage timber stands, plant trees, study lots and lots of biology and also work at traditional farm skills. The staff were all friendly and helpful. My fellow students were a pleasure to be with and all had a good sense of themselves. My father always said I was the happiest there. It must have showed. Being on the super honor roll was evidence of that. Whenever I drive by the school I always feel a sense of pride and gratitude. I wish I could go back all over again.

Tags: Animals,Childhood,Farms,Nerd

Maureen, technology rock star and lovely person rolled into one, posted this. I thought this would be interesting. It seemed harmless. So I mosey over to here. When all was said and done I am presented with this:

I guess when someone says you are a deity, it is supposed to be flattering. I even beat Maureen, a "Supreme Nerd." She has won awards, spoken in front of thousands of nerds and geeks about software tools and she has even been sent on trips with an inner circle of technology guru's because of her nerdy accomplishments. I beat her??? I'm a little rattled over this.

Anyway, sorry this posting is brief today. I'm posting this early because my wife will be out this evening. This means I will get some quality time with a newer version of Rapid Weaver, the software I use to create this site. But. . . I'm really not a nerd.

Tags: Nerd