As Checkmate approaches 300 downloads I started thinking about updates. Checkmate has already received 4 bug fixes and I would like to be able to do a major update in the future. But I also thought about those people that had not subscribed to the thread or the comments. I’m not sure if these people check back often for updates but I would say most people don’t.
So I thought about having themes “call home” and check for updates periodically and inform the user, much like how WordPress 2.5 informs users of updates. But for a free theme this seemed a bit invasive to me. A simpler and effective way I thought up is to pull a RSS feed into an admin page where users could check for update notices. I know you can do this manually on the dashboard, but most theme users won’t do that.
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Site specific browsers(SSBs) are my new favorite thing. If you haven’t heard of SSBs yet, this will change the way you use the web, and your life will change for the better forever and ever. SSBs are just what they sound like: a browser specifically for one website. Sounds ridiculous and useless doesn’t it? Why would I want a bunch of browsers when I can have tabs in Firefox? Well I’m going to show you.
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News of Google Ajax Libraries API is spreading fast, and I for one welcome it. Anything I can do to speed up websites and offload files is something I’ll likely take advantage of.
They’ve recently added jQuery, and I’ve started using it with this new design. So far it is working great, but will it last? Anyone who uses Google Analytics knows that at times it can slow your page down. Although Google says this is a faster alternative to using your own server, I think the chance for slow response time is still there.
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Anyone that has ever had to use a U.S. Government website knows that they are horrible. And by horrible I mean awful. And by awful I mean terrible. And by terrible I mean they are abominations of all that is good in the universe and beyond. I have given up hope of these sites joining us in the new millennium but all is not lost.
RSS/XML to the Rescue
There are a few sites that take government data and organize it into usable presentable information a non Tom Cruise type being can interpret. But getting this data means manually scraping it, which …well… sucks. I’m not going to spend my time doing it, and I doubt you would either.
Well the smarty pants guys(I’m just jealous) over at Princeton have written a paper suggesting stop the nonsense redesigning of government websites, and deliver the raw data via a structured format like RSS and XML. This would allow much more talented people to grab the data and run with it. I can only imagine the beautifully usable sites that would come from easily obtainable data.
Throw in an API
It would be pushing it, really pushing it, but creating an API for certain government websites could open all sorts of avenues. Imagine a well done interface for the DMV, complete with AJAX, smooth gradients, and calming pastel colors. I don’t know if we’ll ever see this type of integration but it is nice to imagine.
Blogging can be an escape from the humdrum of working, and that is exactly what this post is! Follow me on a wild romp through the fields of the web, hand holding and skipping to my lou optional.
Disclaimer: This is a nonsensical post of random links, time wasters, random news, updates, and really really important stuff, it is meant to be funny and light hearted. Also the surgeon general warns this post is hazardous to your health.
On with the adventure!
First up in this escape to fun and excitement: Rubiqube just re-designed, with eye scorching whiteness. Seriously I don’t know what white that is but it is much brighter than #FFF! He’s also posting again, which is good, cause I like his blog.
Need a slick lightbox that can display all sorts of things? Continue Reading
And Me. I’ve recently noticed a disturbing trend, kids barely in their teens as web designers and developers. And they are better at it than 20 somethings. I started when I was 15 and quickly grasped HTML(that was HUGE back in the day). I thought I was a pro and would laugh at my older counterparts fumbling around with their BBS boards. Now I’m the fool fumbling around with the web while barely teens are already better skilled than I.
When I was twelve I was too busy playing police quest, giving a presentation on anything was out of the question. Not for Dimitri though! He has a far better grasp on javascript and jQuery at the age of twelve than I will when I’m fifty. Check out the jQuery presentation he did for Google….yes Google.
When I was 13 hacking to me meant taking over someones AOL AIM account and messaging their friends with “I’m a stupid head”. I didn’t know what SQL was(if it was around then), and I surely didn’t know how to hack(the happy hacker website wasn’t around yet). Hayes Potter doesn’t have that problem. At 13 he can hack your website, then tell you how to fix it, and pay his tuition to M.I.T. before he can drive. Read his tutorial on SQL Injections at his blog, WordPress theme developers should pay close attention to this. He also has a surfer and Converse All Stars in his header which makes him extra cool with me.
With kids(what do you call them when they are smarter than you?) like these around, the future of the net is very secure and will be an exciting place. Sometimes older web designers get jaded on technology, these kids remind me that the net is ever changing and moving forward and I for one have no problem learning from them. So keep up guys, you don’t want to be that grumpy old bearded guy working in a dirty office with 10 year old monitors and a huge rats nest of cat5 cables in the corner do you? Actually that dude is pretty cool, he probably is really good at Word of Warcraft too.
Kyle over at Hack WordPress has compiled a list of resources for WordPress. I gotta say it is a great list(and not just because I’m on it), if you are at all involved with WordPress check out the list. I found a few new sites I didn’t know about.
On a side note, if you develop WordPress themes Hack WordPress is a great place for tips and tricks. You’ll find all those little useful things that the pros hardly talk about.
Design Has No Name has done some pure genius work and I could not pass up posting this. It is a packaging concept for a Beck album and I have never seen anything like it, or anything as cool. Check out all the photos.
I told you earlier I was going to release it, and here it is! The Checkmate WordPress theme. It is a classic blog style template with a minimalist design packed with features and customizing options. This is one to definitely download and try out and includes a quick start guide to show you how to use some of the features.
Checkmate Demo - The demo is a bit messy looking because I tried to show off as much of the theme as I could.
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Wow I got all sorts of goodies in my RSS reader today!
TimThumb
First up is the release of TimThumb by Tim McDaniels. This was a script created for use in the Mimbo Pro Premium Wordpress and Darren Hoyt and company have released it as open source. I can’t wait to try this out and start incorporating it into my themes. What it does is resize images so the user doesn’t have to anymore, and I think no matter what your level of skill this is much appreciated. Grab the files at Google Code.
bbPress ver. 0.9
The bbPress team has released a new version, which is primarily to update it to work with Wordpress 2.5. There have been a few improvements though.
- New Installer, better integration with Wordpress
- New RSS feeds
- Support for gravatars
- New core theme
- Better Security
Check out the release notes for a full list of the changes. I’ve been meaning to get my hands dirty with bbPress and I think now will be the time. Look for some themes and tutorials in the future for bbPress.
Checkmate
My premium Wordpress theme Checkmate is coming along nicely and will be released “soon”. The first release will be the blog only portion. There will be an advanced business version that will function more as a CMS coming out soon after the blog version. I’ll write a more detailed post in the coming days about the features, design, and all the rest of the details.
