June 11, 2008
A pretty picture
My new Drobo, pretty slick storage for those who want a convenient (lazy) solution.
My new Drobo, pretty slick storage for those who want a convenient (lazy) solution.
After spending some time working with the Blueprint CSS Framework on school projects, I have decided to rely on the framework for handling site layout and base styles. As long as the proper styles are included, site design stays consistent regardless of what modern browser is viewing the site. The custom stylesheet I have to manage is much smaller as a result and should make my life much easier when I have the urge to suddenly redesign my site (or any other project).
I never built any sort of basic blog like features for my original site because I never really had the time to invest in creating an app better than what is already out there. So, I opened up an account with Tumblr, my intention being to play around with the API and learn a little more about python. Working with the API is, well, really easy. The only task was to figure out which way I wanted to parse the xml with python so I stuck with a lightweight dom solution (minidom). Now I can finally add new posts to the website without having to upload some static page. I have not completely integrated the Tumblr API, the other types of posts Tumblr supports like video have not been added to the parser yet. I’ll put the final code up somewhere on the site when it’s finished.
My original web host A Small Orange served me well when I needed an inexpensive and reliable host to start experimenting on the web but I am very happy to be moving to Joyent. While the UI for server administration is a bit rough, managing important features such as subversion repositories and additional domains is pretty simple. Unfortunately, I just happened to sign up after they decided to no longer include a secure backup solution in their shared hosting plans. It was not a gigantic factor in making the decision to move but it certainly made the idea more appealing. Fortunately, my site seems much more responsive than I remember it being.
I recently attended a presentation by Edward Tufte and came back determined to improve my website design. While Tufte did not address web design alone in his presentation, he made a few key points about the benefits of minimalistic, elegant design and its positive impact on site content (more focus on content, less on the design itself). While this is not a new concept, I have not always adhered to this philosophy as much as I would like in order to make an attempt at creating a more eye catching design. The new design while not terribly different from the last one tries to reflect a little of what I took from the presentation.
I’ve spent maybe the last couple months or so slowly making minor design changes to this site. I spent some time reading articles on the application of proper typography and tried to apply a little of what I learned. The changes (mostly related to text size) do seem to liven up the text a bit and it feels easier to navigate content on the site. I would recommend Five simple steps to better typography by Mark Boulton for folks interested in web design and looking for a short, insightful read.