As described below, I have written the javascript coding out of the site’s design that would set the size of the site depending upon the site of your browser. While this code was good for that, very few people view this site at a lower screen resolution than 1024 X 768 and it caused many more problems than that. There were more people trying to see this site using Opera or Saafari than those with lower screen resolutions, and the javascript code wouldn’t show anything up on those two browsers.
Thanks again to Jim for pointing me in the right direction and listening to me bitch and complain that coders design programs that will flip upside down in different directions even if the exact same code is inserted.
I also changed the way hyperlinks are shown within posts to get rid of what I thought was an annoying dotted line that would blur words on the next line. In order to do this but still show it was a hyperlink, I did two things. The first is to color visited hyperlinks in red and unvisited links in blue.
When you hover over a link, there will be two things that pop up. A Snap page preview of the link will pop up as well as a solid line of the same color (see above in rules of visited versus unvisited). This will hopefully also provide better sourcing for the posts within this blog in case people want to take a quick look but don’t want to click over.
The third thing I changed was that I added a poll to the left-hand sidebar. I’m not sure if anyone will use the poll, but I encourage all to do so. Further, if you have a poll question you would like asked, just email me and I’ll try to accomodate.
The final addition or change is the addition of gravatars. I announced this one week ago but have since found out the Gravatars.com site is undergoing maintainence and will be for a few weeks. Since I implemented gravatars after the site decided to reform, my gravatars caching program was unable to capture your gravatars that you may have signed up for elsewhere. I don’t know when this will resolve itself.
Diggers Realm linked with Around The Blogosphere And Open Trackback #37: Server Outage Edition...
Panther6170 - 
Tom Killebrew - 
Emm Bayoumi - 
lyndsey -
Thank f’n Allah that you finally got rid of that crappy resizing thing that has been the most annoying part about your site for years! I’ve secretly cursed you every time I’ve come to your site as it loads
As for the Snap previews on hover, while nice in a “neato” way, they really suck a** if you’re on dial-up I’ve found and are probably more trouble than they’re worth.
I like the Gravatars, they really do give a comments section more personality. I’ve been thinking of adding them for quite awhile, but never got around to it.
All of this is just my opinion of course.
If it really doesn’t add to your site, why have it?
KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)is my motto.
Comment by Digger — Saturday, January 6, 2007 @ 1:10 am UTC
Oh, for instance, even just hovering over the trackback link pops up that annoying Snap thing…Argggh!
Comment by Digger — Saturday, January 6, 2007 @ 1:13 am UTC
One thing I would suggest would be to change your snap settings (it’s under options, SPA) to uncheck the box to “Display Preview for internal links?” There’s really no need for that.
Comment by Jim — Saturday, January 6, 2007 @ 8:34 am UTC
Digger re: resizing thing: You and me both, my friend. You and me both. It was just deeply embeded within the code of the entire site, thus took a while to be able to strip it out, find the right variables and for me to figure out how to re-write the ‘header’ code.
Ok, ok. You both win. I took Snap off of internal links. I want to see if I can rig it in a way to show links just within posts (i.e. external links), but I haven’t the time with NFL playoffs this weekend. A man has to have priorities.
Comment by Chad Evans — Saturday, January 6, 2007 @ 1:10 pm UTC
Well, yeah there are priorities.
So, what will the Cowboys be doing today? I think Indy walks away in their game. The Cowboys and Seattle game could go either way.
Comment by Jim — Saturday, January 6, 2007 @ 1:16 pm UTC
Even though I’ll be rooting for the ‘boys,’ I don’t like their chances. Seattle is starting to get healthy, the major impediment to Seattle being a top NFC team this entire season. The Cowboys just struggle, period. Who knows though. If Philly can win the NFC East without McNabb, anything is possible and as long as Philly loses next week, I’ll be a happy camper.
Indy should win without much of a challenge, but every playoff contest with Indy in the past five years or so I’ve said that. They have yet captured a Lombardi Trophy during the Manning era though.
Comment by Chad Evans — Saturday, January 6, 2007 @ 1:21 pm UTC
How about that cowboys game!
I don’t watch a lot of sports these days having started up and worked on sports websites for many years and just being totally burned out on them. So tonight I was flipping around between discovery and landed on the game with about 8 minutes to go… What a fantastic and bizarre finish to that one… a fumbled safety, a comeback and a flubbed game winning field goal.
The Cowboys simply seemed to be cursed this year.
Comment by Digger — Sunday, January 7, 2007 @ 12:10 am UTC
You know, it really has been this entire season for the Cowboys. Everything seems to have gone wrong with the the team, and they are things that are most unexpected. The bobbled hold was the first I have seen from Romo in the years he’s been a Cowboy. Every other field goal of extra point hold was solid.
All of this couldn’t be bad karma related to T.O., could it? I’m joking of course, but I imagine he’s played his last game in a Cowboys uniform and for that there’s reason for this Cowboys fan to look forward to next season.
Comment by Chad Evans — Sunday, January 7, 2007 @ 1:26 pm UTC