robglazebrook.com

Well, as I’m sure you’ve noticed as you entered the site, I’ve made a change. The mini-weblog has been incorporated into the contents of the main weblog via some beautiful (if I say so myself, which I’ll have to, because it’s probably not according to the ~real~ net gurus) PHP script I wrote while taking a break from the Sociology website. Yes, I can take a break from a website by working on a website. That website is all old-school HTML and ASP (which I know nothing about). My site is mostly XHTML, and the script I wrote was PHP. So it’s all good. :)

Tell me what you think, or not. Whichever. I still plan to have a “Downloads” page in a couple of days, for this script and scripts like it. Someone else may want an easy way to use Movable Type and their PDA, yano? I think I’m just going to make a category in Movable Type, post the downloads to that category as updates, and then make a link to an archive containing only that category. That would make it spammy here for a couple of days, but would stop me from having to make a whole new page and templates for said page for no good reason.

Work has been tedious as of late, but only because I got all the redesign stuff done in a tenth or so of the time Dwight and I thought it would take me, so I’m already quite a ways into the “copy old content into a new template” stage. Though, I’m taking a bit of a creative license on some of the content, too. On some of the PhD pages, for example, they reference professors who haven’t worked for the department in five years. Some of the links on the Links page go to gopher:// sites. For those of you who don’t remember, or maybe weren’t around online yet, gopher:// is PRE http://. We’re talking 1993 or something, here. Some of these links haven’t been updated in a decade.

I’m really starting to feel like web work is my ‘real’ job now, which may mean I’ll be in for a bit of a shock three weeks from now when the website is done and I have to go back to rebuilding PCs and fixing brilliant screwups from brilliant professors whose genius lies somewhere outside the realm of technology. I suppose my delusion is somewhat understandable though, right? I’ve done nothing but web design at work for the last seven work days (56 hours). When I take a break from that website, I work on ideas for this one. Dwight just sent me a link a couple of hours ago to a contest on campus for a website that I’m seriously considering trying for, which means even more web work in my free time. I’m even attending conferences, now. Okay, so I’ve only attended one, a few days ago, on RSS and how they could benefit departments in the university (which I may write something up on later). But I’m still planning to go to Gnomedex come late July, and that’s going to be an awesome experience.

Speaking of PDAs and this website and Gnomedex (how’s THAT for a lead in?!), I’m thinking about buying a new PDA before I go to Gnomedex. It’s better than spending money on a tattoo, right, grandma? :) I like my Handspring and all, but it does have its limitations. One limitation has always bothered me, and continues to do so. No wireless access! What’s the point of developing a personal computer that fits snugly in the palm of your hand if you have to hook that tiny electronic marvel up to a big, clunky computer just to get new data? It seems silly to me. So my next PDA will have, I hope, WiFi access. ISU is fairly decent in the wireless access department, so most anywhere I go on campus, I could surf the ‘net free of charge. And, while I’d absolutely ~love~ to have a Palm Tungsten C, there’s no way on Earth, in Hell, or anywhere in between the two that I’ll be able to afford that anytime soon. So instead, I’m looking at the Sharp Zaurus SL-5500. It doesn’t have built-in WiFi, but I can buy a WiFi card for that model for under $40. Plus, the Sharp has a built-in QWERTY keyboard that just looks luscious.

Oh! And, in case you’re wondering, I don’t think Megan and I will be heading to Missouri this weekend. We’d love to and all, but Megan has to work all weekend, and I don’t want to spend the weekend without her. We need more than 72 hours notice. :)

I’ll try and remember to post more tomorrow, but for now, it’s bedtime. Goodnight, all. :)