My Thermos

So what started as a minor tweaking turned into a pretty substantial redesign. I switched to the new base bulletproof template in Serendipity and then hacked it pretty much to an unrecognizable state. The color styling was called Glossy Red if that gives you any idea of the extent of the modifications I made - in fact here is a picture of the original in action.

There are still some changes that I want to make. I am not sure about the placement of the various sidebar items, and there are some spacing issues that I need to squash, and for the life of me I can't figure out why I can't center the rss feed icon. I also am really hating the tags but converting to categories is a bigger project than I want to take on right now.

I'm sure that I'll play a bit more with other stuff as well, I'm thinking of perhaps an image for the header. I also have some other goodies to add.

I am pleased with the results - I hope that you enjoy it as well. Please share any feedback you have. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Tomorrow will bring the return of my regular ramblings.

SB

Along with a host change and a version upgrade, we also significantly changed the style of my wife's blog last night.

Featuring a nice clean design and spiffy new color set, I think it is much improved. There are still tweaks to be made but I believe that we are on the right path.

What hasn't changed is the outstanding writing and witty observation.

If you haven't yet visited, please take a moment to do so - it really is highest on my recommended reading list. And of course it still features our wonderful upside down Abbey in the header.

Let us know what you think of the new design.

SB

Jess from over at The Dead Hub found a great artist who has some really neat wallpaper and sketches available for use. We have already incorporated some things into the blog there and I am using some others for another project I started last night.

Asha's work can be found here and is well worth the visit:

Here are a few of my favorites:





 

I also really like this one I chose for my desktop wallpaper - it reminds me that the work I do on my computer is part of my life's journey.



 

So Thanks Asha for the great work

SB

My favorite blogging platform, Serendipity, has just reached another milestone with the release of version 1.2 today.

As usual, my update went without a hitch. If things constantly keep going right like this I might be tempted to skip my normal pre-update backup (not really - but I get the feeling I could).

Presented as a feature consolidation release focusing on small usability enhancements, this new version features some outstanding and exciting enhancements - specifically in the design area with the new bulletproof template and smarty templating of the admin section.

I love how MyThermos is looking these days but even a quick glance at the new bulletproof template has proven to be quite a learning experience, so I wouldn't be surprised to see some things added in here over the next couple of days or weeks.

Even though it is slowly gaining in notoriety and receiving excellent reviews, Serendipity is still a relatively unkown platform. That is a shame really as in my evaluation, I found it to be the best of the bunch. The SPARTACUS system for plugin and template management is nearly foolproof, and while the options aren't as extensive as for something like wordpress, there really isn't anything that I have needed that it can't do.

It is probably not a bad idea to occasionally step out of your comfort zone for a minute and see how the landscape has changed since you made your decision. You may have made the right choice at the time - but would it be so again now? Not just for choosing software, but for any major decision. The reevaluation of the "standard" allows you to revisit your options, reframe your priorities, and make sure that you continue to use the best that is available to you.

The next time you get ready to set up a new blog for yourself, a friend, or a client - give Serendipity a look and see if it would better suit your needs - you may be surprised at the answer.

SB

I love starting a new project.

I don't really mean the discovery and specification phase. Sure, identifying the client's needs is critical, and while it can be enjoyable and rewarding, it isn't the good part.

The good part is when you put ink to paper and see what comes out.

I've always been a rough draft sort of guy. In college, I used to write my papers in longhand before I typed them. The process of writing, erasing, scratching things out, etc helped put things into place.

My designs and coding projects work the same way. Continue reading "Starting A New Project - AKA: The Joy (And..." »

When I set up My Thermos originally, I did have a basic idea of what I would be writing about. I knew I would focus mainly on music, technology, and other general ramblings but when I got to the category setup page, I was stumped.



It was a blank slate, an open canvas, (add your own personal favorite cliché here). Everything I thought to add seemed so permanent and was creating a structure too rigid. Choosing categories without content seemed too limiting. It also required way too much thought about exactly what would appear.

So I took the easy way out and went with tags. Free form, spontaneous, make it up as I go along - it seemed a perfect way to move forward.

But now I am wondering if that was the best decision. Not only are the tags proving to be difficult to work with (my offline blog writer doesn't handle them well) but I find the whole tagging process sort of pointless. My tags don't really tie in with others, they tend to be either too vague or too specific, and don't really provide any consistent way to view my content. I've already abandoned the cloud as a presentation tool.

The category page is still intimidating and empty but I am thinking that it might be a better, more logical choice than the tagging that I implemented originally. It would require going through the posts and such but seems like it would be worth the effort.

What do you think? Which do you use? What is your preference? How would you categorize the content here on My Thermos?

And my wife isn't allowed to comment here - she was set on categories for her blog before I talked her into tags.

Thanks

SB

You know about Blog Bling - it's all the stuff on the page that isn't an actual post. It's in the sidebar areas, maybe even on both sides. It could be blinking or flashing. It prompts you to click to vote, tag, digg or fuel something. It shows page rank, counts visitors, begs for comments, announces some web award or another, and in extreme cases completely overshadows the content of the page.

In designing My Thermos, I tried to choose a style that was clean and fresh looking, with a lot of visible open white space. In the sidebar I chose to include some personalization, my favorite Zappa quote, a player preloaded with some tunes that I enjoy, some jyte claims which I hope tell you more about me, and some carefully chosen others.

The bling is there to make your visit more pleasant - to help you learn a little about me and perhaps give you a reason to stop back every once in a while.

To me it is about balance. I experimented with some last.fm widgets but found them a bit too overbearing, and distracting. I joined some affiliate programs but I just can't see hawking stuff indiscriminately, barraging my guests with products and services that they likely have no use for. And while I want it to be easy for you to subscribe or share if you choose to, I don't feel I need to hit you over the head or overwhelm you with these options.

I am looking at a page now (which I won't divulge) with no less than 24 various banners including a counter which hasn't been updated since December 2006. I look at this and say it is too much.

What do you say? How much is too much? And how did I do with My Thermos?

SB