Miscellaneous Happenings
Many changes around here lately — new styles, new software, new hardware, and a whole lot more. I will be covering several of these items in greater depth in future posts, but for now, here is an overview of some of the recent happenings unfolding here in Perishable land..
New Mobile Styles
I finally took the time to throw down some tuff mobile CSS styles for Perishable Press. Before, the site was virtually impossible to use via mobile devices because of the comprehensively applied screen styles, which completely overwhelm the screen real-estate and system resources of the average mobile device. The new styles are clean, lightweight and minimalistic. If you have mobile access, please drop by and share your experience with us. Even better, if you are able to capture screenshots, send ‘em along with your system stats and I will include them in an upcoming article focusing on the new styles.
Bad Behavior Upgrade
After streamlining the mobile CSS styles for Perishable Press, I discovered that mobile users were not able to leave comments on the site. After investigating the mysterious “Precondition failed” error associated with each mobile comment attempt, I traced the issue to an older version of Bad Behavior. After upgrading from version 1.2.4 to the current version (2.0.10), the “Precondition failed” error was resolved and mobile commenting was enabled. Next time you are in the mobile neighborhood, drop a shout and check it out ;)
New Mac Software
Although not new for hardcore mac addicts, the ultra-smooth web-development application CODA has completely filled my unfortunate Macintosh Dreamweaver vacancy. Before discovering the effortless development bliss that is CODA, managing and developing sites on my recently acquired MacBook involved working with a piecemeal assembly of various third-party applications and workarounds. Now, I have eliminated the clutter and streamlined my mac productivity with CODA. So far, CODA has provided every feature I require for complete multi-site management and development, thereby serving as a complete replacement for Dreamweaver. And, compared to Dreamweaver’s hefty $400 price tag, empowering myself with CODA for only $80 seems like a steal.
New Keyboard and Mouse
After two-plus years of using the factory/default keyboard/mouse devices that were shipped with my desktop machine, the time to upgrade had finally arrived. After scoping the options, I decided to purchase Logitech’s diNovo Media Desktop Laser Set. Compared to the sleek design and smooth functionality of the diNovo mouse and keyboard, working with those decrepit, archaic factory peripherals is akin to hammering on stone tablets. Until experiencing the effortless productivity associated with quality devices, I did not realize how much unnecessary effort I was wasting while typing and mousing. And, as a bonus, the devices are Bluetooth wireless, enabling me to simplify my office setup by eliminating even more wires. Nice ;)
New External Backup Drive
As if all of that weren’t enough, I have also acquired a new external backup drive. After years of manually backing up my data via CD’s and DVD’s, it was finally time to upgrade my routine with a secondary external drive. After checking out a few different drive options, I decided to take advantage of a sweet deal on a FreeAgent Desktop 500GB External Hard Drive. The FreeAgent is entirely plug-&-play (USB 2.0) — simply plug it in and copy your entire archive with a few clicks of your new wireless mouse ;) Before, my data-backup routine involved reorganizing my directory structure into DVD-sized chunks and burning an entire stack — one after another — of DVDs. The process was tedious and time-consuming, a monthly archiving nightmare that wouldn’t go away. Well, now it has. Having a secondary, large-capacity external drive enables me to backup data anytime, quickly and easily. Praise the Lord! ;)
So, overall posting may have been a little thin over the last week or so, but rest assured, there is plenty of juicy business in da mix and plenty of fresh biscuits on the way! Stay tuned..
