Author: Keith Solomon

Site Updates

So you may have noticed that there are a few changes on the site. I have finally gotten around to (and had the time to spare in between freelance gigs) implementing a few changes that I have had on my list for a while.

My favorite change is the addition of Live Search for the site. If you look in the sidebar, you’ll notice that the search box now says “type and wait for results”. Well, that’s all you have to do to search my site now. when you enter a search term, it will overlay (or push down the other content if you’re using Internet Explorer) a box with the search results in it. You can either use the arrow keys and enter to choose one of the results or use the mouse. You can also go to the regular search results page if you so desire.

The next biggest change is I have added AJAX commenting to posts. Now when you enter a comment, it adds it to the page automatically, without refreshing the page. It will also show icons for your country, your operating system, and your browser. You will also notice that on the individual post pages, there is now a block with the info about the post you’re currently reading and navigation links for the next and previous articles in the sidebar.

So yeah. I got a few things crossed off the list. There will be a few more changes coming, but I don’t know right now when they’ll be. Stay tuned.

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Flash for websites?

Back in the bad old days of the web (Bubble 1.0 for those of you who remember it), Flash was everywhere. You couldn’t develop a website if it didn’t use Flash. Was it a good thing? Probably. It broke the web out of it’s static, photos and text only infancy. I honestly believe the web wouldn’t be the medium it is now if it wasn’t for those early Flash days.

However, Flash also came at a cost. Overhead, unsupported platforms, you name it. There was also the fact that back in those days, broadband wasn’t anywhere near as prevalent as it is now. So we had websites with two version, one with Flash, and one without. Not that this was a bad thing…it made sites available to everyone, broandband and dialup alike.

Then, it all stopped, for the most part anyway. There are still places that use Flash for their web interfaces, but for the most part, people figured out that all the baggage that Flash brought with it did nothing for the usability of the site. Yes, it’s pretty to look at, but seriously, which would you rather have? A site that works the way you want it to, or a site that is pretty but limited? A site that makes it easy to add content, or a site that you have to hard-code your content into? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-Flash, I just don’t see it as being viable for web interfaces. Cartoons, sure. Videos? Ok. Games, absolutely. Websites? Not so much. Embrace Web 2.0 (or whatever it’s called these days), learn CSS and AJAX, and code sites that are pretty and usable.

Don’t agree? Let me know your thoughts…leave me a comment.

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Icebows!

I finally managed to catch this on camera. I’ve seen this happening a lot this winter, but it’s usually while we’re in the car and don’t have the camera handy (anybody wanna chip in to buy me a decent small point & shoot cam for my birthday? 🙂 ). This morning when I walked outside and saw this, I just had to duck back in the house and grab the camera. Here’s Wikipedia’s entry on icebows.

These 4 shots were taken on the back steps this morning.

Icebow 01.17.07    Icebow 01.17.07

Icebow 01.17.07    Icebow 01.17.07

Last sunset of 2006

I just had to pimp this amazing shot of the last sunset of 2006 by my buddy Jason. I wish I could take shot like this, but alas, I’m a humble beginner and am stuck just admiring what others can do.

Last Sunset of 2006 at Flickr

Last sunset of 2006, originally uploaded by jaseo.

Recipes for the Holidays: Eggnog Popovers

I LOVE Christmas.  It’s the one time of the year when you can find eggnog everywhere.  I’ve never cooked without eggnog, until this morning.  I found this recipe on Slashfood, and just HAD to try it.  They turned out really good.  Even my fiancee’s daughter liked them, and she hates eggs.  The taste reminded me of French toast somewhat, but the eggnog flavor was definitely there…and oh, the smell as they were baking…I had a hard time keeping the oven door closed! 🙂

So here we go…enjoy these, and sorry there are no pictures again, but the camera battery is dead…

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Live Writer

 I haven’t mentioned it yet, but I have been using Windows Live Writer for a while now to do my blog posts, and I must say, I am VERY impressed.  Even better, I now have an extension for Firefox (Live Writerfox) that lets me post directly from my web browser using Live Writer.  It’s a pretty nifty setup…there was no configuration to be done, it just works. 

There are also plugins for Live Writer that will let you use pictures from your Flickr photostream, insert Technorati tags. and other such functions.  Live Writer also supports most (if not all) of the major blog engines, including WordPress, Movable Type, Blogger, and LiveJournal.  Give it a try…it may be a beta product, but I have yet to find any serious bugs.

Only In Mississippi: Man Arrested for Throwing Pig

Come on people…this is the 21st Century. I can understand these kinds of shenanigans happening earlier in our state history, but now we have things like satellite TV and the Internet to keep us occupied (even if it is for porn). The saddest part opf the whole deal is that he can’t even blame this stupid behavior on alcohol…HE WASN’T DRUNK!

*shakes head*

And people ask me why I left Mississippi? 🙂

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Holiday Recipes: Two For One!

So I whipped up a couple of recipes for a get-together we had to welcome my fiancee’s nephew back into town over the weekend.  They were both well-received, but given that I had only a short amount of time to prepare these two recipes, there are no pictures of the cooking process this time (sorry guys).  Also, sorry in advance for the metric measurements on the ingredients, but I am in Canada after all, and that’s how things are here… 🙂

The recipes in question are Mini Cheese Balls and Pesto & Roasted Red Pepper Dip.

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