- Round Cube plugins http://icio.us/5ordic #
- Looking for a great jQuery gallery script? Check out: http://bit.ly/dC0jU0 #
- New favorite remix: Sia – Button (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Remix) #
- New SDAC Inc. Blog Post: http://bit.ly/aAJJWN (HOWTO: Add Custom Classes to Individual Items (wp_nav_menu)) #
- Just amazing: http://bit.ly/bYDDHL #
- Pet peeve: "Please allow up to 10 business days for your request to be processed" – when unsubscribing from a mailing list. Really? 10 days? #
- @thecobblr Perfect Penn State football weather! in reply to thecobblr #
Archive for September, 2010
All posts written in September, 2010.
Sep
26
2010
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-09-26
Sep
24
2010
Buying a Telescope
There is something about looking up into the sky and realizing how small we are in comparison to everything around us. This has helped me greatly put things into perspective while also pushing me to learn more about our universe.
For a few months now I have gone back and forth on whether or not to buy a telescope. I am really interested in astronomy and have my three year old interested in it as well (we go outside and I point out any planets that are visible to the eye, etc. (Last night we looked at Jupiter) He eats it up and so do I. After looking around now for awhile – I have decided I should spend a decent amount of money so I can actually see things of interest and hopefully not get bored.
The features on the telescopes I am looking at are pretty amazing. Most telescopes come with a computer controller that have tens of thousands of object in it’s library which it then uses those to give you a “tour” of the sky on command. Regardless of where you are – you just point the telescope up, it figures out where it is pointed then will auto move and adjust to show you what is visible.
I am super excited to finally make this purchase (hopefully this weekend if I can slip out). There are also camera attachments which will take a photo of what you see – and I am sure that will be my next purchase.
– After thought –
After writing this post – I decided to just order the one I wanted. Check out some of the photos taken using the telescope I just purchase: http://www.meade.com/photogallery/index.html.
(I bought the Meade ETX-125AT Astro Telescope with UHTC Coatings and carrying case. I cannot wait to bring this to NY when I go back home to non-city glow country.)
Sep
23
2010
WordPress Themes Over the Years…A Look Back and Then into the Future
After working with WordPress for over five years now, I have seen a lot of changes both front-end and backend – both for developers and for users. I work for the most part on WordPress themes for a few hours a day and have been doing so for the last 3+ years full time. As I wrap up the final changes for my company’s commercial WordPress theme Lucidity – I wanted to take a few minutes and point out some of the changes over the years and also talk about where I think themes are going.
I remember back in the day being excited about Alex King’s Theme Competition and wishing I had some spare time (I was working full time and doing consulting every other moment) to also participate. These early themes were generally simple and were something people would use on their simple blogs -using a hand full of WordPress functions. During this time, the functions.php was unheard of and there were not too many custom functions that were used (for most themes). The big difference between them were mostly in how the sites were laid out with HTML and CSS. Even though these themes were simple – they were great because it allowed you to easily modify the look and feel of your site by editing a few template files and modifying the CSS.
These themes were more about look and less about function.
If you think about themes then and themes now – the difference is often huge. Most themes now are packed with custom functions, have advanced admin options, and give the users greater control of their content, the site’s look and feel, and general options – all without having to modify any template files or know any CSS. Themes are more complex, are generally made up of more template files, and are much more flexible.
These themes are more about providing both users and other developers with a framework and tools to easily manage content.
Recently Alex King/Crowd Favorite released Carrington Build which is a perfect example of where themes are going. This theme offers an unbelievable amount of flexibility and customization and will make both users and developers eager to use this theme.
So as I wrap up development on Lucidity – I am trying to bridge the old (simple) with the new (framework/tools). I look forward to getting this out to the public so they can enjoy the ease of use, flexibility, and further control over their content.
All in all – WordPress themes have come a long way and will not only continue to improve user’s front end experience, but also improve the backend experience when using WordPress. Look for even greater things to come!
Sep
19
2010
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-09-19
- Made an appearance at http://webstore.gramaphonerecords.com/ – one of my favorite Chicago spots. #
- Slick way to view source on mobile devices http://icio.us/vsotpz #
- Nirvana's Nevermind never gets old! I cannot seem to get this out of my car. #
- Apple iTunes support rocks! #
- BuddyPress tricks http://icio.us/wd1eer #
- A rainy day – perfect for listening to Koyaanisqatsi #
- Happy Friday. Lucidity WordPress theme development all day in the test labs! (http://themes.sandboxdev.com/lucidity) Next week: release! #
- Make your own flour tortillas http://icio.us/0manfq #
Sep
16
2010
Jappler Recommends: Work/Life Balance
Over the last few years I have, like most other business owners, struggled with a good work/life balance. While I do not feel like I am at an optimal balance yet – I know and I a lot closer than I once was. This can be tricky – but here are some tips that will help you achieve it.
- When working with clients – clearly state your business hours. I generally do this on the initial call or email as well as on my voicemail so when a client calls after midnight or tells me they are available until 11:30pm for a call (it happens) – they know I will only be available during my company’s business hours. Sure you might lose a client here or there because you are not available at 7pm on Saturday, but do you really want that type of client anyway?
- Actually follow your business hours. Sure there are days I work earlier/later or an occasional few hours on a Saturday, but if you want your clients to respect your availability – you cannot email/call them before/after it. Once you email them at 8pm – you open up the door for “she must be available all the time – so I will call her now (10pm)”.
- Keep non-work activities (online shopping, errands, etc) for after work hours. If you can put in x solid hours of work a day – you can confidently end the day at your end time without feeling guilty (for not doing enough work).
- Keep all work activities (email/voicemail, etc) for work hours.
- Realize not everything will get done in one day – no matter how long you work.
- Don’t feel guilty for taking a day/week off. Everyone needs some time away.
- Hire someone/multiple people to help out. (This was hard to do but I am glad that I have people to depend on and who can get things done when I am not around)
The tips seem like no-brainers – but they are a lot harder than you think 
Sep
15
2010
Old Hard Drives Laying Around? Try This…
A few weeks ago I decided I needed to upgrade my Mac Mini’s internal hard drive from 200 Gig to a 500 Gig so I could finally take a stab at getting my media in one place. For under $100 – I bought a 7200rpm 2.5″ Seagate drive and had it installed in no time. After running a simple Time Machine restore from backup – my Mac Mini was set. I now could consolidate my media – but I was left with a 200 Gig drive that was going to realistically find a home in one of my card catalog drawers in my office.
Instead of just cataloging the drive – I paid around $50 and bought http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/add-ons-and-hubs/enclosure-kits" target="_blank">an enclosure and within minutes had a sweet portable FW/USB 2.0 drive that I will use to archive backups or to easily backup some of my other computers on the network (no Time Capsule here).
If you have extra drives laying around – these enclosures are super simple to assemble. You literally place your old drive on a tray, screw it into place, slide the tray into the enclosure, and viola – a portable drive.
Just a gentle reminder – if you have not backed up your data in the last month – do something right now. Backups can run in the background, are quick, and will save a lot of time/stress in the future. Drive failures will happen and with the cost of a hardrive or a simple enclosure – there are no excuses!
Sep
13
2010
Meeting People
On the same note as my post las week “Time to Reconnect and Disconnect – I decided to take some time this past weekend to go golfing as well as to go to my first ever book signing: Alison Arngrim (actress who played Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie) (one of my all time favorite shows).
It was great to get out and enjoy the nice fall weather while golfing on my favorite course: Foxford Hills. While only my second time out all year (pathetic) – I did pretty well and came home excited to go out again this week. I need to work on my putting but everything else felt pretty good.
During show commercials – I often pick up the iPad and see what actors have done/are doing and decided to take a look at the Little House on the Prairie cast. I noticed the actress who played Nellie Oleson (someone that is in the thick of things in all my favorite episodes) was in town doing a book signing for her new book. I decided I had to go meet her in person and so on Saturday – I drove down to the bookstore where she was at and listened to her talk, had her sign my book, and told her how much of a pleasure it was to meet her.
Listening her tell stories and just seeing her in person was a real treat. I look forward to going to more book signings in the future. It was great to be able to ask questions and make a real connection face to face with someone you thought you “knew” all those years. Of course playing golf was also a blast and I am looking forward to a lot of fall golf in the next few months.
Sep
12
2010
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-09-12
- Time to buy AppleTV….long live Pippin #
- @amazingamanda glad to hear you are ok. Positive thoughts coming your way! in reply to amazingamanda #
Sep
08
2010
Which WordPress Caching Plugin Is Right For You?
Most people can agree on one thing: they want their site to load faster. With a number of WordPress caching plugins now available – it is nice to see someone that did a comparison between the top contenders: http://www.tutorial9.net/web-tutorials/wordpress-caching-whats-the-best-caching-plugin/.
Remember – your results will vary based on your hosting environment, your theme, your plugins, etc.
