Photos on WordPress

I haven’t been uploading my photos into WordPress, because I am afraid of the storage limit.  So, I had been using Flickr.com to store the photos and then I would link to them from the blog posts.  Problem is, Flickr started limiting the number of photos that I could store:

So, I started looking for another option.  I found a nice list of alternatives, and I decided to try Zoomr.  We’ll see how that works.

I had tried using Picasa, but I couldn’t just copy and paste the images from the site onto my post.  I could also upgrade either my Flickr account or my WordPress account, but I think that if I decide to put money into it, I will invest in a website hosted by Lunar webpages.

Meditation, Thinking, Blogging, Etc.

Today, I came across an interesting article.  What caught my eye was his posting on why he blogs.  I am not really going to comment on his thoughts, but I really wanted to save the links and maybe come back and comment later on them.

It did remind me of a message that I read a while back after someone from church recommended it to me.  The article had a lot of good wisdom in it that I really appreciated.  I saw the value in just sitting down and thinking things through.  I need to spend more time doing that.

Putting the two things together: a blog is a great place to try out new ideas, think things through, etc.

Also, I need to write up why I blog, but that is for another day.  And, I would love to come back and follow this thread around and read all of the “Why I blog” posts.

Resources

• Five Ways To Move Beyond Conventional Wisdom
• Why Do I Blog?
• Blue Demin and Lace
• following the links on and on: How We Decide What to Blog About

Google Maps Static API

The blog Google Operating System pointed out that Google has a new API for just adding a simple map.

They offer a wizard that allows you to type in an address, and they give you a URL the image.  Then, you take that URL and put it in a IMG tag in your web site.  It works great if you are going to use it to display the location of the web site’s organization.  For example, see Landmark Baptist Church’s contact page.

Need a map?  Try out the wizard.

Blogging: Are you up to the challenge?

Paul Pedrazzi wrote a great article about blogging.  Check it out at:

http://oracleappslab.com/2008/01/10/what-makes-a-blogger/

I echo the “blogging is tough”.  It takes time and discipline, both of which I need to work on.  For me, the value in return is having a network of readers.

Blogging: Adding Images

There are 3 different resources for photos:

• iStockPhoto
• stock.xchng  (This one has been most useful so far)
• yotophoto (A search, but so far, I have had to wade through many images you have to pay for)

This site has been helpful for clipart:

•  Open Clip Art Library

The problem I have had with the clipart library is with searching.  I haven’t found an easy way to search and browse to find the image that I want.

Linking to Images:
http://www.flickr.com/

I have been downloading the images from the various websites and uploading them to my account on Flickr.com.  I figured that was better than using the bandwidth of the photo distributor to display the images on my personal blog.  To add the image to my blog, I have been copying the image from Flickr and pasting it in the editor on WordPress.  Then, I changed the link from Flickr to the page on the photo distributor’s website so that people know where the image came from.

For images from the Open Clip Art Library, I have to convert them because Flickr does not accept svg images.  So, I save them as an svg to my desktop.  Then, I open them in Inkscape and export them to a jpeg.  Then, I can upload the image.

Resources

Daily Blog Tips: Where to Find Images for Your Blog

Open Clip Art Library

Computers: Search Added to Google Reader

The search has been a dearly missed feature in Google Reader. A number of times, something has come up in conversation that I said, “oh, I read something about that just the other day, but I could never find it again.” Now, I can search back through the feeds to find that item!

Google also added many other nice new features to the reader, such as counts above 100, the animated loading indicator, and the ability to collapse the folders.

Feature Request: Now, that you can search. I think it might be nice to have a distinction between read posts and ignored posts. On many of the feeds, I just look through the headlines and only read a few interesting head lines. Then, I click “mark all as read” so that I don’t go back through those headlines again. If I were to search, I would like the option to search only the posts I actually read and not the ones I marked as read without reading.

Resources

Google Reader Adds Search

Reading Reactor

“We Found It!”

How to Search Your Reader Feeds (the old way to search)

Google Reader Updates

Blogging: Posting Source Code

I just saw this post about blogging source code.  I have been wanting this for quite a while.  Now, I just need formatting for the PeopleCode language.

Further enhancements that would be nice:

• Add a button to the advanced toolbar for “format as source code” or “paste as source code”.
• Have a preferences option to show the advanced toolbar by default.
• Is it possible to control scrolling of source code?  If the code is large, I want it to appear in a window so the user can scroll just the code and not the whole post.

Please comment if any of this is possible or if you have tips.

Blog Update

I have updated the blog just a little bit:

Categories

I changed the Kent category and the Baby Update category to “Kent Update”. The problem is that he is growing so fast that he will hardly be called a baby. I think Kent Update could last a little longer, and two categories for the same thing is confusing.

About Page

I have updated the About page with some information about the site and some tools that I use.

Theme

I changed the theme to Rubric. Here is a sample page for the theme: WP CSS Styles. In doing some searching on it, it won 2nd place in a competition. I just like it because it is wider than the original theme.

Blog Roll

The blog roll did not have my other blogs on it. So, it is updated now.

Computer Tip: Keeping Up with the Blogs

Now is the information age. We have access to plenty of information, but can we harvest it? News companies and websites are spewing information on current events, and bloggers are adding their personal treasures as well. But, visiting every one of the websites on the Internet to check for new information would be impossible.

The key is tools. Google News gathers all of the news and allows you to see all of the information in one place. Another tool that helps, particularly with blogs or anything with an RSS feed, is Google Reader. Google Reader will take each post or item on the feed and place it in a list keeping track of whether or not you have read it. The best part is all of the blogs and information is gathered into one place and organized.

Here is what Google Reader looks like:

When you are on a blog, just look for the feed link. You can also just copy the URL or the address of the page, and the Reader will probably find the feed for you. When you do a Google search, web, news, image, etc, you can copy the feed from the bottom of the search list and the Reader will tell you if a new item shows up in the search.

There are probably other tools out there — please comment if you have another that you like.

First Post

This is my first delve into the world of blogging. This adventure is a learning experience, but everyone has to start somewhere.

I normally learn quickly with no fear of jumping in and making it work. Hands-on experience is always the best. However, hands-on means trying it out, making mistakes, and learning as you go. With blogging, hands-on involves making mistakes for the world to see. Therein lies my reluctance.

Why try to blog?

Sharing Information Connects
Most pages across the Internet have both ads and content. While the ads may attract attention, the content is what really draws others. Therefore, if you want to bring people together to a place, provide information, and they will probably come.

Sharing Information Establishes Reputation
When someone provides information that another does not have, that party is greater. Therefore, you can build up your reputation by helping others. Those who you have helped will repay you with a higher regard.

Examples
Ray Ontko is one of the examples that motivated me. He is recognized as one of the leaders in the SQR world (programming). I would never have known about him had it not been that he has published some very helpful information on SQR in a market where very little information exists.

Who knows though? It might backfire. But, I will live and learn — in this case in front of the world — if anyone notices.