As most people know, both WordPress and Drupal belong to the class of software known as content management systems (CMS). The benefit of these systems is that they allow users to create content easily, often by typing in content via a dashboard or some other simple form of entry. The actual HTML generation is taken care of by the CMS, allowing the user to focus on creating content without worrying about the details of the HTML. I’ve had my personal blog for nearly ten years now, and have been on WordPress for nearly three. As I write content, there’s always the implicit expectation that my ...

Anyone who has attempted to design a website before knows that not all browsers are created equal. In terms of web development, a lot of my time goes into making a website work on Internet Explorer 6, since many people still used it even though it is hopeless broken with regards to being standards compliant. To help make browsers more compliant, several initiates have emerged over the last few years. The first is an effort by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) to have the source code for websites validate against W3C standards. While several exist, most developers attempt to conform to TRANSITIONAL ...

I’m not a big fan of flying, so whenever I hear a story about a plane breaking apart in mid-air, I get a bit worried. Today a Qantus 747 busted a hole in the fuselodge in mid-flight, causing the oxygen masks to come down and the pilots to execute an emergency landing. Passengers described hearing a loud bang and seeing debris fly into the cabin. As the plane depressurized, oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and cabin crew members shouted to passengers to put them on. “There was a terrific boom and bits of wood and debris just flew forward” into the first-class area, a passenger, Dr. ...

Well, ladies and gents, we just passed the halfway mark over here. I have to say, writing 24 blog entries has turned out to be more difficult than I imagined. I managed to close my eyes for a few minutes there are recharge my batteries slightly, but I’m currently in this weird groggy limbo that is making it hard to write anything. For those of you arriving here on the day shift, welcome. Please browse the pages and visit all 24 entries so far. As you know, I am doing this 24 blogging marathon to support the Union Gospel Mission. If you are a reader and wouldn’t mind supporting their cause, ...

The following is a guest post by the always lovely Shira Lazar. Shira is an amazing reporter based out of Los Angeles, and was nice enough to offer to help me out with a guest posting. You can read more about Shira Lazar on her main site, or head on over and check out her blog, The Pop Report. Thanks again Shira! After a few hours of sleep, I’m back and ready to rumble in San Fran. My fellow Canuck and blogger, Duane Storey, has been doing a 24-hour blogathon for charity starting last night at 10pm and has been getting friends to do guest entries- so here’s my contribution. Last night at ...

Well, I imagine by now many of the early morning shift people are in full swing. It seems like so long ago I wrote my first entry, and here I am at number 28. It sure is getting difficult finding content on short notice, but I’m managing to stay ahead of the curve somehow. My Blogathon Setup Rebecca did a quick tally on her blog, and I think between all the participants we are up to around $500 so far. That number doesn’t include people who have gone directly to their charity’s website and donated directly, so ultimately the number will be a bit higher. In terms of people on this blog, ...

If you pledge between now and 10pm tonight, I’ll feature your name on the top of the next blog post. So please head on over to pledge, and then drop me an email or a comment. Help me reach my goal of $1000, and support the Union Gospel Mission. Sometime last night, while in the middle of a weird, sleep-deprived trance, I blogged about a community in Canada that recently converted to solar power. To show that our American friends down south can be innovative and green as well, I want to talk about another community that has recently embraced the wind. Wind Turbines, Photo From here In Rock Port, ...

Blogathon is a team effort, and as such, I’m happy to be blogging along side of some of Vancouver’s best bloggers. So, here are some shouts to some of my fellow bloggers participating in Blogathon, not all of who are on the sunshine shift tonight (but will be checking in at various times during the weekend): Tania Morrison (Ottawa), Raul, Shane Gibson, Karen Hamilton, Ayeza Garcia, Isabella Mori, Danny Dang, Mehnaz Thawer, Jenn Lowther/Nadia Nascimento, Barbara Doduk, Chris Richardson, and Colleen Vince. I had a little nap after work tonight hoping that it would give me a bit of extra leverage ...

Two more people have donated recently to the Union Gospel Mission. They are: - Kevin Haggerty Grant Jordan Thanks for your support. If anyone else pledges before my next entry, drop a comment or an email and I’ll make sure I add your name. I don’t have the exact number, but I think that brings us close to $300, with a goal of $1000. So if you can help us hit that goal, please head on over to the pledge page and lend some support. To sweeten the deal, I’ll give any person who donates $50 or more to the Union Gospel Mission an 8×12 photo of your choosing from my HDR gallery located at SmugMug. One ...

The following is guest post by my good friend, Keira Mellis, who happens to have a really amazing blog herself over at Keira-Anne.com. Also, we’ve received another donation, one that’s eligible for my free photo giveaway. Here’s a list of recent donations. Michelle Palazzo YOU – if you click here and pledge Also, to sweeten the deal, any person who donates $50 or more to the Union Gospel Mission will receive a free 8×12 photo of their choosing from my HDR gallery located at SmugMug. Since it’s rather apparent that our blogalicious friend, Duane, has such a deep love for the spirit ...

As you well know by now, I am supporting the Union Gospel Mission for Blogathon. The Union Gospel Mission provides assistance to the homeless people in Vancouver, and those who are in the most need. At last count, this blog has raised at least $320 or so towards the charity, and I’m hoping to bring it closer to $1000 as the event continues. As I mentioned in my last two posts, anyone that donates at least $50 to the United Gospel Mission will receive a free 8×12 print from my HDR gallery. It can be a permanent reminder for you of the contribution you made to help some of the less fortunate ...

The Tyee had an interesting piece last year where they detailed seven different ways the city could potentially help the homeless. These seven items apparently were based on real-world examples of efforts in other cities that ultimately helped. I encourage everyone to head over to The Tyee and read the original article, but I’ll give a short list here. Idea One: Trade Fairs for the Homeless Idea Two: Raise the Welfare Rates Idea Three: Train Young Workers Idea Four: Spread the Love Around Idea Five: Buy a Few Hotel Idea Six: Give Addicts Time to Heal Idea Seven: Bring Governments Together The ...

A big thanks to the following people who recently pledged support for the Union Gospel Mission - Cullen Jennings Wow. To say I am completely exhausted at this point would be an understatement. I’ve essentially been awake since yesterday at 9am. That means I’ve been awake for around 30 hours now. Blogathon ends for me at 10pm tonight, which means I still have nearly eight hours left to go. I’m really not entirely sure how I’m going to make it, but hopefully I get my third or fourth wind soon. This Is Me When I’m Tired I’ve been listening to music rather loudly in my living room, hoping ...

Based on a suggestion by Raul, I’m going to talk a little bit about my entry into photography. I originally got into a photography because I wanted a hobby that exploited my creative side without all the trappings of the math and science I typically deal with in my day job. Photography to me has always been a bit of a release, a way to unwind and simply see only a small portion of the world at a time. It’s like turning the power off and noticing your ears are ringing — it represents a way for me to unplug from the world for a period of time. I picked up my first digital camera in 2000. It ...

Most compact cameras that you pick up from Future Shop only have one built in lens. In most cases, it’s a zoom lens, capable of giving you moderate wideangle coverage upwards to a decent telephoto lens. Most people probably don’t know the difference between those two, so I thought I’ll give a brief tutorial. The most well known lens is probably the 50mm prime. 50mm refers to the focal length of the lens, and prime refers to the fact that it’s a fixed focal length lens (i.e. not a zoom lens). In photography, the 50mm lens is also called a “standard” lens because it almost exactly matches ...

I did a quick tally of all the emails pledge I’ve received from Rebecca’s site, and we’re sitting at around the $400 $450 mark, which is great. Thanks to everyone who has pledged so far. My own personal goal was to try and hit $1000, and we’re doing pretty good so far. There are only about ten entries left, so if you’ve been sitting on the fences waiting to potentially donate, now’s your chance. As I mentioned in my last entry, Matthew Good has also generously donated a signed copy of his last album, Hospital Music, which hit #1 in Canada when it was released last year. Anyone who ...

I read an article today that indicates how one of the largest ice-shelfs in the antarctic region is in danger of collapse: Photo From ESA The Wilkins Ice Shelf is experiencing further disintegration that is threatening the collapse of the ice bridge connecting the shelf to Charcot Island. Since the connection to the island in the image centre helps to stabilise the ice shelf, it is likely the break-up of the bridge will put the remainder of the ice shelf at risk. .. This break-up is puzzling to scientists because it has occurred in the Southern Hemispheric winter and does not have characteristics ...

I have lived in Vancouver most of my life. It is a city I hold dear to my heart, but a city that has, over time, grown cold to some of its inhabitants. My daily walk takes me from my apartment near Beach avenue in Vancouver, down across Yaletown, passing near Gastown, and into Vancouver’s business district. One thing that has become evident, especially in the last few years, is that the homeless crisis in Vancouver is reaching epidemic proportions, with many people forced to sleep on the street each and every night. Homelessness in Vancouver, photo by Eric Rudolph I posted an entry over on ...

First off, I’m going to put together a Blogathon-wide RSS feed so that people can follow what everyone is doing on blogathon without having to visit each site individually. You can subscribe to it by clicking here. Also, if you’re part of blogathon, please drop a comment and I’ll add you to the feed (I’m going to do my best to add everyone I know about), but given that time constraints of writing posts, it may take me a few hours. Raul and John at my place Raul and John are currently keeping me company at home. My laptop LCD broke a few days ago, so instead of committing myself to spending ...

I read this interesting article today that basically said that most people in the United States were only 11 days away from financial ruin. That is, if they were to lose their jobs tomorrow, they only have enough money to last for about 11 days: More than a third of adults could survive financially for only 11 days if they were to lose their job or be too ill to work, according to a survey. The finding gives a worrying insight into the lives of millions who are living on a financial tightrope. Researchers looked at how much people spend every month and how much they have in savings. It found ...