A Geek Apart

Just got a notice today from my domain name registrar that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) just agreed to lower its Registrar Transaction Fee from $.25 to $.22.

So I was given a credited refund of $.03 per year per domain name I had registered through them…retroactive back to July 1st, 2006.

Not a big amount of money, mind you, but this is a company sending me an email, telling me they’re giving me money back. How many companies do you know that would do that without you having to call and inquire?

Technorati Tags: consumer, money, godaddy, domain, webhosting

As I peruse through my newsreader, I find I am subscribed to an abnormally large amount of blogs that specialize in the subject of blogging.

From software to hosting, platforms, design, RSS feeds, SEO optimization, link-bait techniques, spam filters, reader relationship-building, ad placement, affiliate programs, tagging plugins, etc, my head is starting to hurt.

The “pro” blogging realm has become so boring, I can barely stand it. I’d much rather see which star has recently embarrassed themselves in public than read about the latest money-making “strategy” out there. Sure, the prospect of a large audience, monthly checks from ads, and the like are appealing. But seriously, is it worth the time? For every blog that earns enough money to support it’s hosting, let alone a decent living wage for the author, there is a wheel-barrow full of blogs that no one reads.
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I just wrapped up on the design and backbone of this site. The very last step? Optimize your images! Not everyone has high speed access, and if you can help speed up the page loading, then do it.

My image folder for the particular site in question was around 3 MB’s. By optimizing my images (exporting in smaller formats, removing unused colors, etc), I was able to shrink that to 80KB. That’s a shrink of 2.7%!

Not only does this speed up page loading for your users, but it cuts down on the bandwidth required. This is important, especially when you, the designer, are also hosting the site.
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So I created a theme for a client about a month ago. It was okay, it was the first, and it worked. Moreover, the customer loved it. That satisfied me.

Then I was approached by another fellow to design a site for him. So, I whipped WordPress out of my handy holster, and set to making a theme.

During the process of making the theme, I had two major priorities: Browser compatability, and a better look than the first one.

Well, I know you’re curious, so go ahead and take a peek. Please be gentle
Major problems I encountered: No png transparency support for IE6 and normal IE6 standards ignorance. I spent the better part of two days tweaking and perfecting my layout for Firefox. Then came time to check it on IE6. Holy crap! What a train wreck!
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Today, Indiana University officials sent a letter to Virginia Tech President Charles Steger on behalf of the Indiana University family expressing condolences and offering support to those in need.

While not directly tied to Virginia Tech, many faculty members at Indiana University are former Virginia Tech faculty, and many faculty and students have friends and relatives who attend Virginia Tech.

In addition to the “small world” relations, IU officials also recognize their membership in a “university family.” Both universities are focused on the pursuit of knowledge, and it’s great to see separate universities come together in a time of need.

While the reaction from many at IU I work with was more utter shock and disbelief than sorrow or anger, many were quite quick to jump on the phone to find out if anyone they knew was affected by the incident, my dean included.

I strongly encourage anyone, at any university, to offer support to Virginia Tech, and take a moment to reflect on the events. While I’ll not get preachy here (leave that to the other blogs out there), I will note that this event has spurred me to think about my relationships with people at my university and how important it is to build stronger ones.

Technorati Tags: news, virginia, puppy, school, society