_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Station Upgrades

I’m making some upgrades and alterations to Stonekettle Station this weekend.

Yes, yes. Please, stop your wailing. It needs to be done.

Despite the fact that I haven’t been posting more than two times a week lately, readership continues to increase at a steady rate – and has ever since the America posts. I needed to make some changes to accommodate the traffic load. 

I keep thinking that I should probably switch Stonekettle Station from the Blogger platform to something a little more modern, say like Wordpress, but the thought of making the jump and the danger of data loss inherent in any process of such nature fills me with a huge amount of ennui.  Maybe later, but not today. I’ve already got enough stuff to do this weekend.  Plus, I just plain like Blogger.  I’m used to it and it’s comfortable and it works. And Google keeps making improvements to the Blogger platform. Some of which you’ll see here today and may have noticed already. So, I’m going to wear it like a ratty sweatshirt until it just completely falls apart.

If you think I should switch to another platform and you can’t wait to tell me all about it in the comments, well feel free.  But be warned, unless you’re sending me money, brownies, and guilt free jungle monkey sex, I’ll probably just ignore you. 

Anyway, fear not, most of the changes are under the hood. Mostly I’m making tweaks to how the pages load and streamlining how I gather statistics.

However, a couple of the modifications will affect you directly.

First, you’ll notice a sharp stabbing pain at the base of your skull. There may be some momentary nausea and disorientation.  Ignore that.

Second, there is now a floating social media banner to the left of the main posting field, making it easier to share content with the world. All the really cool blogs wear them like a pretty bow on their comely heads and I wanted one too. The usual share buttons are available, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg, and Google+.  The counters may or may not be completely accurate, depending on when coding for each was enabled. Also, I’ve noticed the counts change depending on a number of factors. The Facebook count for the America post is way, way off, too low by like a bazillion.  I may have lost some data there, the current count is just back to the beginning of the year.  I’m tweaking the code, it should stabilize eventually.  Changes to the banner will be made as social media systems evolve.  Digg for example is mostly, but not quite, dead.  I included it just because I have a certain fondness for it.  But it’ll probably be replaced by something else eventually. The counter is page specific, or it’s supposed to be anyway.  So if you want to share a specific post, you have to be on that page, otherwise you’ll share Stonekettle Station itself. I’m good either way.

Third, the biggest change is to how Stonekettle Station handles commenting.  Comments are now embedded in a manner similar to WordPress blogs, i.e. there is no longer a separate primitive looking comments page, comments are embedded at the bottom of each post.  Also, note that you can now reply to specific comments by other readers, simply click “reply” under the comment you wish to address.  Remember the commenting rules, those haven’t changed.   If you have problems commenting or seeing the changes, you may need to clear your cache and/or cookies and reload the page.  Also note that Stonekettle Station is optimized for the latest versions of the popular browsers, if you’re using IE6 or older, you may have trouble displaying the site correctly – likely, if you’re using IE6, you and I probably aren’t going to be friends anyway, so I’m not going to lose any sleep over it, just saying.

Mobile versions of the website are available. Mobile sense is enabled and the compact version should load automatically on mobile devices, though I note that the tablet version of Chrome on Android 3.5 or higher mobile devices continues to display the full version of Stonekettle Station – probably because Android 3.5 is so awesome that it can play in the big leagues with full blown desktops. 

Other changes and updates will continue over the next few days. 

If I break the site and you are unable to enjoy my psychotic brain droppings pithy musings, I will see that you are justly compensated for your trouble: Liberals will receive a free bunny, conservatives will be impregnated against their will and forced to raise my bastard as their own in accordance with God’s plan, everybody else gets chocolate waffles.

 

Consider this an open forum. Squabble amongst yourselves.

62 comments:

  1. Chocolate waffles! The taste that's worth sharp stabbing pains at the base of my skull!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most people will endure quite a bit of pain for chocolate waffles. Tis true. You can look it up on the internet.

      Delete
    2. Will there be Breyers Vanilla Ice Cream for these chocolate waffles? Coz if there is, I'll be able to enjoy sharp stabbing pains at the base of my skull =and= my brain.

      (I think I'll go make some chocolate waffles now)

      Delete
    3. Oh I think ice cream is definitely indicated here.

      Delete
    4. You scream. I scream. We all scream...

      Delete
  2. Jim you smooth talker you. Free bunnies! Now I'm hoping you break it just so I can get a bunny and call him Stew.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anybody who knows you, or more importantly, knows Becky, will NOT be sending you any guilt free jungle monkey sex. If, however, somebody does, and if you decide to accept it, please sell tickets to the beat-down by Becky that will occur afterwords. Because if you're lucky, you'll need the money for your hospital bills; if you're unlucky, Becky will need the money to pay for your funeral. Or the party she'll be throwing after tossing your corpse in some deep, dark pit in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dude, your RSS Feed is now truncated. I hate that option. Seriously.

    ReplyDelete
  5. To be clear, it's your Rec Room, do with it as you will and I'll just continue to feel privileged to have Guest status.

    That being said, here's some Geek feedback from the field: cleared my caches and all that good stuff but in both IE 8.0.6001 and Chrome 17.0963 running on Win XP SP3 I only see the smallest right hand edge of your floating social media banner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same with Firefox 3.6.21

      Dr. Phil

      (Not that I care one twit about social media sharing floating overlords.)

      Delete
    2. M. J. do you have your browser display zoomed?

      Delete
    3. Don't know about M.J. but i have my browsers zoomed to 125% and can only see about a quarter inch of the banner.

      Delete
    4. It may be display system related. I use a twin hi-resolution wide screen display. Looks fine to me in Chrome, Firefox, and IE.

      It is partially cutoff in Android on the tablet.

      I'll make some adjustments. Standby

      Delete
    5. I am zoomed in to 150% and I get a small portion of the floating bar when I zoom out I get it all. I am on a HD widescreen laptop using the latest Chrome. There is no floating sidebar on my Android phone. Looks great, as always.

      Delete
    6. "Firefox 3.6.21"?
      Unhhh...you DO realize the current release version (not beta test) for Firefox is 10.0.1?
      Not sayin', just sayin'.

      Delete
    7. I'm old and I don't know what RSS and a bunch of other shit means, so I guess old sailors aren't meant for your post.
      You guys are geeks and geeks have won the war.
      We lose.

      Delete
  6. Thanks for fixing the RSS feed Jim, I can read it again!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Better. Yes. I haven't been seeing my comments at all lately, and naturally my first reaction was, "He must have heard about me performing "The Shit Song" in that bar in downtown Commerce, Texas, back in October and now I'm blackballed here, too.

    But maybe that's not it. It sure did affect me here, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been seeing your comments, @marykmusic. I looked in the spam catcher and you're not blacklisted. I don't know why you wouldn't be seeing your own comments. If it happens again, email me and I'll see if I can figure out what's going on.

      Also, I'd love to see "The Shit Song" performed. I assume you were drunk, partially unclothed, and dancing on the bar at the time? Because that would awesome!

      Delete
  8. I've made some tweaks, can you all see the banner now?

    ReplyDelete
  9. I too, also, have made some changes to me lil home on the "system of tubes". Not that I'd stoop to shamelessly plugging myself in a comment on someone else's blog mind you!

    Oh crap! I didn't read the commentin' rules! I guess I'd better pony up the cash, my special "Mat-Su Valley Brownies", and red hot jungle monkey sex. Plus a new acubra made from jen-u-whine roo!

    Chocolate waffles rock! I think I'll make some tonight. Bacon on the side. Roo sausage too. And maple syrup (don't ask what it costs down here!).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's an open comment thread, plug away.

      For the rest of you, Downunder Dave's blog is well worth checking out, the guy can cook and he takes some awesome pictures of Australia. Just saying.

      Delete
    2. Now I definitely need to add you to me blogroll!

      Oh, won't be able to swing by AK at the end of May :-{ but give Karl a hug for me!

      The blog layout looks fine in the latest Opera browser btw.

      Delete
  10. Yes... apparently I was zoomed in Chrome (forgot about that) but was at default 100% view in IE. They're both working fine now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've adjusted the column widths on the blog too. That should fix it, and allow you to see everything even in a zoomed mode under chrome.

      Delete
  11. Everything here floats just fine from my angle. Win7. This comment format should liven things up with the occasional troll. If they are Stonekettle worthy!

    ReplyDelete
  12. How do you move that banner out of the way?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It shouldn't be in the way. It should be fixed to the left of the main post, over the snowy background. What are you seeing?

      Delete
    2. No banner on my screen: just "Stonekettle Station" over the snow. It's not bad, but there's no banner image.

      Delete
  13. What's wrong with an IBM Selectric and a mimeograph machine? Why does everyone think that the "NEW" always means "BETTER"? The Pony Express was a perfectly good data transfer system........until the railroad and telegraph of course.......but it WORKED dammit!

    And the commenting rules. I'm a little conflicted here Jim. I AM a dick. But, if I don't behave like one, I can comment. But, if you know I'm a dick, you won't let me comment? Forget I mentioned it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Six-month "listener", first-time caller. I get the need to "update the look" from time to time. And I have to say that the floating "social" (uh huh) media banner is a bit too intrusive for those of us following you on our iPads(what the hell are you doing with my iPad?). Anyhow, when we fill the display with all of the wordy goodness you've worked so hard to share with us, the damn thing covers the 3rd thru 11th characaters of 18 lines of text. Sentences such as "Se________e is now a floating...making it ea________re content with...on their co________ls and I wanted one too." just don't cut it. To_ har_ _o re__.

    Please don't make me use my computer to follow you. I spend all day writing Windows software on the damn thing, and I'd rather relax in the evening and read you on the iPad (don't tell anyone!). D'ya think you could use little links at the bottom of your articles?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Waffles, and decrepit sweatshirts equal elitist slumming. Otherwise, carry on.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The pain at the base of my skull could always be pain blocked. It's only like having acid injected directly into your body for like, a day or so. :D It's worth it to read you!

    I am not entirely sure I count as a liberal. However, can I still have a bunny? I am wanting to try to cure a skin with the fur on, plus the meat would be AWESOME!

    Though, I won't turn down chocolate waffles!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. plus the meat would be AWESOME!

      You are my new favorite, @Rebecca. Feel free to lord your position over the others.

      Delete
    2. Hooray! I think being favorite is awesome!

      My boyfriend's family raised rabbits when he was growing up. He told me that they scream when you club them. I think he was attempting to see if it squicked me. He failed miserably. Then he told me how they would invite city-folk over and tell stories about the bunny they were eating. Only at the end of dinner would they show off the pelt and mention that "fluffy" was that night's meal. Seemed like the right thing to do to me.

      Anyway, some feedback on what changes that I can see, because I totally forgot that part: I see the widget. Aside from being slightly paranoid that I will click it when I am not intending to, it is there on the left side of my screen just fine on Firefox.

      Dammit, now I really want to try bunny meat. I don't think I have ever actually had it before (says the total city broad).

      /random ramble

      Delete
    3. Hassenfefer is quite good. Never eaten a named bunny but did eat 'mean old cow' and a name no longer remembered 4H project. This happens if you grow up in farm country.

      Delete
  17. Chocolate waffles, definitely. Got enough furry creatures running around here. Don't want to get the prefrontal lobotomy required to vote GOP.

    >But be warned, unless you’re sending me money, brownies, and guilt free
    >jungle monkey sex, I’ll probably just ignore you.

    I offered to send you a bottle of scotch, and you ignored it. Now I know why. (I thought you were still sick.) No way is a chocoholic like me mailing anyone brownies.

    Oh yes, I do like the new blog look and functions, but I'll read your intelligent and witty writing in just about any format.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll read your intelligent and witty writing in just about any format.

      Let's test that, hmmm, let's try putting the blog in Comis Sans font, orange on yellow...

      What? I thought it was a challenge.

      Delete
    2. Jim, please note the "just about" qualifier. (If I said "You have a twisted mind, you evil bastard.", I suspect you'd take it as a compliment.) I have to be able to read the text. I couldn't read Comic Sans orange on yellow while stone cold sober after 16 hours of sleep with perfect vision at 25 years of age. I'm getting close to double that age, can't find my glasses, and operate on a lot less than half that sleep. You're getting perilously close to my only offering to send you lousy scotch or whatever rotgut brain-melter Newt drinks.

      Delete
    3. I'm Irish, I don't drink Scotch, not even if I'm drunk.

      Delete
    4. Well, I'm not Catholic so I tend to Bushmills, but I'll drink Jameson in a pinch.

      Delete
  18. What if I'm using Netscape 4? Huh, big guy? Also, I'm thinking of switching back to AOL dialup. I'm nostalgic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think we can be friends any more, Nathan, I'm sorry.

      AOL, gah.

      Delete
    2. I feel your pain, Jim. I've got a Navy friend who flew EA-6B's and uses every upgrade for fishing known to man-yet misses AOL. I suspect jet fuel brain rot, my dad succumbed (he can't have a laptop, he needs a server and can't have one in the RV).

      knittingbull

      Delete
  19. With Firefox 10 and a resolution of 1024 x 768 (my laptop doesn't have a higher resolution) I see most of the floating social bookmark widget, but it's cut off on the left side. At the bottom of it I see "et widget".

    Sorry if this shows up twice, the comment form is wigging out on me down here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll make some more adjustments tomorrow and see if I can smooth things out. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

      Delete
  20. Seems to be coming in just fine in Sodom on the Hudson

    ReplyDelete
  21. This even looks good on my Kindle Fire in Gomorrah-by-the-sea where we eat the Cod and the bean. But, can you send the jungle-monkey sex instead of chocolate waffles? My waistline is still in winter mode. But please don't send any Thai hookers. Look at what happened to those Iranians after spending a night with them!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Well, I was going to try a do something witty, rapacious, to-the-point and wildly interestingly funny. Unfortunately, it all ends up sounding like the last sentence.

    So I'll just revert to saying that I liked the previous title font a lot better.

    ReplyDelete
  23. When I have the Firefox page zoomed up to Official Old Fart text size, so I can read your witty gems as they are intended to be understood, I only catch the right edge of the "floating text box" and, for some reason, I can't scroll left in the window to display it.
    But, since I know it's there, it is NOT beyond my skill level to toggle back to "100%" if/when I need to push a widget button.
    Not bad for a burned out geezer, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Okay, my problem is that when I click to look at comments, I'm brought to the bottom of the comments section. Now I have to scroll up in order to read the other comments so that I don't repeat things other people have said and make any comments I might have on what those others are saying. There's no problem with the font sizing and the column is centered, just this glitch that wasn't there before. Hmmmm.....I guess I can cope with it if it's something that you can't control.

    So, as a liberal, how soon can you ship me my bunny? I had one when I was 12 years old and he was so much fun. Looking forward to having one again. ;-D

    ReplyDelete
  25. Since it doesn't affect me, I'm just putting this here for Jim's data.

    When I go directly to Jim's website via entering the full address in the Chrome bar, I get numbers in the vertical tracker to the left, above the FB symbol was 728.

    When I come to an explicit post via Google Gadget, there is nothing, not even a box above the FB symbol, and the other numbers are different. This also happens when I open an individual post from the main page.

    ReplyDelete
  26. So you are punishing us liberals with a cute (probably pregnant bunny like all the conservatives soon will be)
    while everyone else gets chocolate waffles?!

    WTF?

    Okay. I'll take the rabbit. And the effing waffles, please.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Don't look now, but the thingamajig off to the left is following
    me. I'm not being paranoid, am I? What do I do? If I startle it, I
    might get attacked! If I get jumped, do I still get a bunny?

    I love chunky peanut butter on chocolate waffles as well. And
    I've got a recipe for what you could call brownies that will dissolve
    fillings and enable you to cling to walls and ceilings.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Don't know RSS from WTF. As long as I can read what you've written, I don't care if it's in Sanskrit on a block of stone delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Whatever you're using/doing works fine on my Mac with Firefox.

    Regarding Scotch, not even Laphroaig single malt? That stuff is good enough to make a bishop kick out a stained-glass window.

    ReplyDelete
  29. If you want to switch over to something like Wordpress, I can help you (I do web programming for a living). I am going to send an email in the next 20 minutes with my contact info, hopefully you will see it. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  30. "But be warned, unless you’re sending me money, brownies, and guilt free
    jungle monkey sex, I’ll probably just ignore you."
    If you'll tell me how to send guilt free jungle monkey sex over the internet, I'll definitely send you money and brownies. Hell I'll even take sex with guilt. It would make long distance relationships so much better and probably give you a great secondary income.

    ReplyDelete

Comments on this blog are moderated. Each will be reviewed before being allowed to post. This may take a while. I don't allow personal attacks, trolling, or obnoxious stupidity. If you post anonymously and hide behind an IP blocker, I'm a lot more likely to consider you a troll. Be sure to read the commenting rules before you start typing. Really.