by Matt | Mar 24, 2004 | Imported Entry
Well, while I’m waiting for the BF:1942 server we play DC on to stop playing Kursk, which blows, I figured I’d put in my two cents on Moveable Type 3.0. Apparently it’s the topic of some debate, mostly related to it’s move to a centralized comment authorization system, called TypeKey. It’s of course an option and you don’t have to use it but the basic idea is that people sign up, for free of course, and register themselves with a central service. From there you now have the ability to comment on anyones journal/news site/etc that is using the service. While I’m all for a more spam free comment system I’m not sure a centralized system is the way to do it. I don’t want to have to tell people to go sign up for something just so they can talk to me. It seems a little rediculous. Plus I’m really not a fan of centralized anything. Not that I’m some consipiracy nut or anything, I just don’t like people having information about me that don’t need to. I’m not even afraid of the possibility that someone might hack their system. What would happen? They’d get a big list of sites and people that use the system and big email lists to spam. Whoppie.
If you remember, I was all excited about it when it was simply labeled “comment registration”. I thought that would be cool. Then, I could just add all you guys to a list and if someone new wanted to leave a comment I would have to give them the ok. Which would cut my comment spam to nill. Not that MT-Blacklist isn’t doing a FANTASTIC job, because it is, but it would be a precautionary messure instead of a clean-up job. So, now that I know what it is, I don’t really plan on using it. I can’t see the benefit. I’m sure larger journals and news sites will benefit greatly. They’ll have a registration system they don’t need to maintain or even think twice about. Good for them. Seeing as how it’s just a few of us around here, I’d be more inclined to just delete the questionable comments when they arise.
Oh well. It was a good idea. Also, I’ve been reading just about even CSS manual, tutorial and helpfile I can get my hands on. I should start working on a completely CSS driven page shortly. Of course theres three days of long photo shoots between here and the weekend… but I’ll tell you about that later.
Matt out.
by Matt | Mar 23, 2004 | Imported Entry
After a lot of soul searching and various inspirations from across the web, I’ve decided what I’m going to do with this journal. Don’t worry, it’s not going anyway, just getting a well needed upgrade.
Remember that redesign I mentioned about a month ago? Don’t worry, it’s still alive and kicking. But, like Emeril, I’m kicking it up a notch. Adding a little flavor never hurt anyone.
I’ve also become inspired by the CSS Zen Garden. I want you to visit that link and to notice the links on the side, the one’s for different designs. I’ve slowly started understanding the important role CSS can play in design and I think that site, in it’s mission, has demonstrated something that I’ve been yearning to do for quite some time. They have, get this, 85+ designs for that site. Each one different. Same content, completely dynamic. THAT is good code. I think an O’Riley book is on it’s way. I’ve never been this jazzed about design before. And I’m an artist for friggin’ sake.
I’ve also noticed a few trends I will be trying to stay away from, although I’ve apparently already stumbled onto one of them. First, this “center column” design is apparently the hottest thing since toasted bread. I can’t find a “trendy” journal without it. Also, tiny background patterns are apparently standard at this point, to the degree that I’m starting to think someone is passing around a disk with simple tiled backgrounds on it and I just haven’t received my copy yet. There’s also an abundance of journals that focus on the web as it’s subject. A few sites about web design are fine, but when every web designer has a blog devoted to web design itself, on their web page that they designed, showing off other examples of their design, it’s gotten a little out of hand. It’s also trendy to be a blogger in NYC. Then again, those New Yorkers have a pretty high opinion of themselves so I’m probably just hearing of their wonderfulness from other fucking New Yorkers. By the way, fuck Jeter. Lastly there’s topics of conversation. Most often the interesting journal I’ve found usually don’t talk a whole lot about day to day activites. I have a horrible habit of doing just that. It’s not that my days aren’t filled with interesting tid bits, but honestly, who really cares about what I had for lunch?
Then there’s the issue of writting styles themselves. I don’t have one. Unless you count bad grammar and horific spelling as a style. I do suppose there’s a certain way I phrase things, a deep and rooted prediliction for sarcasm among other things. Then again, I don’t do it very well do I? I really should have taken more creative writing courses. My sense of humor and quirky expressions really only shine when you see the faces that go along with them. I should really be experienced in person. Most of you know this.
So, what exactly am I saying with all this? Basically I’m saying that I hope to improve my writing, mention less mundane things and try to go off on far more tangents while trying to keep the controversy level “in the same ballpark” if you will. I’m also going to stop half assing my designing. I’ve finished that last redesign but never got around to using it. Know why? Because I didn’t want to have to redo all the HTML and a whole new set to stylesheets and all the other wonderful things that come with a full redesign. Yet, if I follow the examples I’ve seen, all I’ll really need to do is set up one page and have it reference whole new CSS sets. This way I can continue to change my designs while not having to recode much of the site. I think that a fairly obtainable goal.
Now I just have to find the time to do it.
by Matt | Mar 22, 2004 | Imported Entry
So many things to do, so little time to sleep in. Actually, that’s not true, I slept in quite a bit this morning. Then in order to be lazier than nessisary, I’m not going to do much of anything. I should get my oil changed, do my taxes, call loan people and discuss a few things, pay bills, clean the apartment, do laundry and gernally help society by being a useful person. I might throw a load in the washer. Maybe.
Other minor things of note might include the release of Battlefield Vietnam which I received as a weird present from my boss. Not that it’s weird that I got a present, but that it’s weird that I was given something to slack off at work with. Unreal Tournament 2004 is also out. I gave the demo a whirl and it seemed to be what UT2k3 should have been. It’s quite a bit more refined and polished. The downside to all this is that I can’t play either of them at home, or at least not well. BF:V is really choppy but playable and UT4 is only playable at something like 800×600 with all sorts of things turned off. At work on the XPS gaming rig, they fly. It’s making me jelous. I also just finished my Stanley Cup winning season of NHL 2k4. Just in time to tempt me to buy the new Splinter Cell that comes out tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’m paying bills first, long before I even consider it. If I do have money to get it, I wonder if the Xbox or PC version would be more worth while? I’m a big fan of the PC version obviously, but if it’s unplayable, what’s the point? The Xbox would look good and be playable but I would curse the controls on a regular basis. It would also mean I would have to try out Xbox live to play online, something I could do with the PC version for free. I dunno. I’m torn on that one.
Also, randomly, we’re having a bit of a movie night this friday. We’ve reserved the theater here in the apartment complex which has a big screen and surround sound. I might also lug the Xbox over there for post and pre-movie enjoyment. I’m not sure what to bring for games though. I have Fusion Frenzy, it’s my only “party” game. Any other good choices out there for multiplayer fun?
That’s about it. Time for a little lunch.
by Matt | Mar 19, 2004 | Imported Entry
Six of us went out for dinner last night in celebration of Lauren’s brother’s birthday. We went to a Fondu resturant. I’ll give you a minute to let that sink in…
… ready? Ok.
The whole premise of this place is that YOU cook your food. Then they charge you $30 a plate. That’s like going to the machanic, fixing your own car and them charging you for labor. I didn’t get it. The meal itself wasn’t bad. There were three courses. The first was a cheese fondu. Cheddar and spices and whatnot. Then they gave you little pieces of bread to dip in it. There were some crackers and veggies too but I stuck to mainly the bread. The second course consisted of various meats and sea foods, raw, that you cook in your choice of boiling broth. The terryaki serloin wasn’t bad but I was questioning the chicken most of the time. The last course was chocolate, as fondu should be. We got our pot with Baileys in it because, well, it’s good. Again there were little things to dip. Strawberries, crackers, little brownie bits. The chocolate was good. The cheese was good. I’m not sure about that main course though.
Anyways, I just thought I’d share. I should really get back to work.
by Matt | Mar 15, 2004 | Imported Entry
I don’t really know where to begin. I suppose I should start with last week.
Last week we went to the Rodeo. The actual rodeo events were pretty cool but the concert afterwards sucked. They had the rodeo in Houston’s new Reliant Stadium, where the SuperBowl was. That stadium sucks. I don’t know what the NFL was thinking. The seats suck, the sound system sucks, the entry/exit system sucks. There was however Sausage-on-a-stick. Thats GENIUS! Why settle for a corn dog when you can have a whole 14” sausage on a stick instead? So, at least that was good. That and our tickets were free.
We also went to see The Passion last week. It was alright. It was very much a movie FOR Christians though. Since there were none of the typical movie things, like story development, character development, etc, you pretty much had to know the story already. I’m sure it must have been confusing for people wanting to learn more about Jesus though. It was also ultra-violent. Not a movie for kids. The actually event of the crusifiction was a horrific and bloody thing and if you want to be true to the scripture it needed to be done that way, so I can see it’s nessesity. Still, it was unsettling. Which was probably the point.
I also gave my little brother a call yesterday. He’s doing well. He picked up his first college win last week. Very cool.
Also, the new OffBrand site has gone live. Please go check it out. As you can see (all the way to the right) I’m a very proud member of the syndicate. Also, take a second to download some tasty O.B.I. wallpaper. Mine is up there too, so make sure you check that out (bottom row, center). I’m very happy with it, even though the 1600×1200 link doesn’t appear to be working at the time of this post. (*pokes at Nagle*). I’ve also got to remember to order one of Bates shirts for myself. That one just kicks butt, plus I’m in it, which makes it even cooler.
Let’s see, what else. My job is going well. Very stressful at the moment. It’s “pageant season” which means we have about a billion people trying to book us for beauty head-shot photos. We’re keeping up for the most part but it’s getting a little crazy. Most of them are entering the Miss Houston pageant, which is April 8-10th, so they need their pictures pretty fast. Stupid girls, waiting until the last minute. Geez.
That’s about it for now. These past few days have been fairly routine. Matt out.
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