Dec 21
Just thought I’d share a quick link to a great new website I’ve discovered, Centricle. It is an encoder/decoder. You can post html code within your blog post using this tool. If you didn’t encode the html, the html would “work” within the post. When I am posting a tutorial about html coding, I don’t want the html to show you the results of the code- I want to show you the actual code in plain text. Centricle encodes the code! Neat!
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
Dec 20
I was blog surfing this afternoon and when I tried to view one blog, up came this message:
You’ve reached this page because the site you were trying to visit now blocks the FireFox browser.
The Mozilla Foundation and its Commercial arm, the Mozilla Corporation, has allowed and endorsed Ad Block Plus, a plug-in that blocks advertisement on web sites and also prevents site owners from blocking people using it. Software that blocks all advertisement is an infringement of the rights of web site owners and developers. Numerous web sites exist in order to provide quality content in exchange for displaying ads. Accessing the content while blocking the ads, therefore would be no less than stealing. Millions of hard working people are being robbed of their time and effort by this type of software. Many site owners therefore install scripts that prevent people using ad blocking software from accessing their site. That is their right as the site owner to insist that the use of their resources accompanies the presence of the ads.
While blanket ad blocking in general is still theft, the real problem is Ad Block Plus’s unwillingness to allow individual site owners the freedom to block people using their plug-in. Blocking FireFox is the only alternative. Demographics have shown that not only are FireFox users a somewhat small percentage of the internet, they actually are even smaller in terms of online spending, therefore blocking FireFox seems to have only minimal financial drawbacks, whereas ending resource theft has tremendous financial rewards for honest, hard-working website owners and developers..
Since the makers of Ad Block Plus as well as the filter subscriptions that accompany it refuse to allow website owners control over their own intellectual property, and since FireFox actively endorses Ad Block Plus, the sites linking to this page are now blocking FireFox until the resource theft is stopped.
Netscape users can simply set their browser to IE mode to continue to enjoy the site that sent you here. FireFox users can use Internet Explorer, Opera or Netscape (in IE mode) to access it. FireFox users also have the option of using the IE Tab plug-in which uses the IE rendering engine to display pages, but also disables the Ad Block Plus plug-in.
If you are offended by the Mozilla Corporation’s endorsement of dishonesty please contact the Mozilla Foundation and ask them to stop empowering internet theft.
Whoa. So Firefox is blocked because it blocks ads.
Since when is ignoring ads considered “theft”? That’s screwy. There is no basic “right” of ad-viewing. If a website wants to force people to view ads, charge them to access the page.
It is the epitome of injustice in this world for a good browser to be reprimanded for blocking advertising, but another browser is not reprimanded for being a crappy browser.
As for me, and countless others, I had no real desire to view the website and all its ads, anyway. I’ll pick up my marbles and go visit another site. Without being forced to use Internet Explorer, thank you very much.
P.S. The whole reason I block ads is because they are extremely offensive. Some ads I don’t care about, but being forced to view naked women prancing around in a flash-ad is outrageous. Why doesn’t anybody complain about that? What about my rights? As they say when it comes to watching TV– if you don’t like what’s on, turn it off. I love Firefox because it turns the sewage off.
Dec 17
PDF-XChange Viewer
This is another quality PDF viewer I’ve found. As I have said before, I can’t stand that bloatware Adobe Acrobat. I am very happy with my Foxit Reader. PDF-XChange Viewer claims it is more functional than Foxit, but I really didn’t notice much difference. Nonetheless, it is another alternative PDF viewer, and for that I am glad.
The download was lengthy (for my DSL connection, anyway– I waited almost 10 minutes). The program runs well. Check it out if you are looking to be free from Adobe.
A backup software is the only reasonable solution to the risks associated with online file sharing. Many think of a data recovery group being just as effective. However, the perfect computer backup solution requires the presence of a data recovery software nevertheless.
MetaPad 3.51
Working with html code everyday, I have grown frustrated with Microsoft’s Notepad. It is still so un-functional. Has Microsoft even touched Notepad since 1991?!
So, I’ve had my eyes peeled for a replacement. I’ve tried a few, but they were either too large or still not what I was looking for. I just downloaded a little program called MetaPad that I think will be my Notepad replacement from now on.
It’s more functional, it has more settings, and the word wrap works so much better! I’m pleased with it! It’s tiny, it’s simple, it works, and it’s free!
If you’re looking for a suitable replacement, you might like MetaPad.
A customized header is not difficult. You just need to know what you are doing. Because templates vary, header widths and heights vary. You’re going to have to find your templates’ allowance for the header width and height and make a header the same size– or– make a header and adjust your template’s width and height measurements.
Neither one is difficult. However, if you are brand-new at this and are worried you’ll wreck your template, you can back up your template by downloading it to your computer (and uploading it if you want to revert back to it). If you don’t know how to backup your template, go here for a quick tutorial.
I am assuming that you 1) have a new header already made and 2) that this new header is in the dimensions according to your template. For example, if your template has an existing header that is 950px wide and 167px high, you need a header that is 950px wide and 167px high. 3) your new header is already uploaded to a photohosting website.
Another thing is… your template may not even have a header. I have had templates that had nothing about a header, because all it had at the top was space for your blog title. There are ways to change that, but that is a whole different tutorial and goes beyond the scope of this post. You’d have to build a section of html code within your template to make a header. It’s up to you; but if it was me, I’d just get another template with a header, so I could adjust it. It’s so much easier.
So, before you continue on in this tutorial, you should have:
OK, with your template saved and your header ready to go, it’s time to get our hands dirty.
Sign in to Blogger and go to your dashboard. For the blog you want to change, choose “Layout.” This will take you to the Layouts page, showing many options. The page you automatically go to is “Page Elements.” You’ll see other pages, like “Fonts & Colors,” “Edit HTML,” and “Pick a New Template.” Choose “Edit HTML.”
You can see the guts (the html code) of your blog’s template in the window, below where it says “Edit Template.”
What you need to do is expose more of the code than is showing. You do this by checking the “Expand Widget Templates” checkbox. The page will reload.
Now, in this window, scroll down and look for this line of code:
<!– begin header –>
<b:section class=’header’ id=’header’ maxwidgets=’1′ showaddelement=’no’>
<b:widget id=’HTML6′ locked=’true’ title=” type=’HTML’>
<b:includable id=’main’>
It is usually right after the
</head>
<body>
part of your template.
Here’s a tip. Your browser has a search function built in it, using CTRL + F. If you press the CTRL key and the F key, a little window will pop up (for Internet Explorer, a separate window pops up; for Firefox, a section of the status bar enlarges). Type in the word “locked” and click “next” or “search.” Keep clicking until you find the string of code I specified above. This will find your code much quicker than scrolling through endless symbols. There are several areas in a template that have the word “locked” in it, so be sure you have the correct section. Like I said, every template varies slightly.
You are basically looking to unlock your header. So this keyword “locked” will be in an area that determines information about your header.
Once you’ve found the code, changed the word “true” to the word “false.” For example, if your code says this:
<!– begin header –>
<b:section class=’header’ id=’header’ maxwidgets=’1′ showaddelement=’no’>
<b:widget id=’HTML6′ locked=’true’ title=” type=’HTML’>
<b:includable id=’main’>
Change it to say this:
<!– begin header –>
<b:section class=’header’ id=’header’ maxwidgets=’1′ showaddelement=’no’>
<b:widget id=’HTML6′ locked=’false’ title=” type=’HTML’>
<b:includable id=’main’>
What you are essentially doing is telling Blogger that you want to be able to remove the Blogger header. You want to get rid of the old header and put in your new customized one. Save your template changes by clicking “Save Template.”
This part of the template work is done. Go to the page that says “Page Elements.” At the top, see where your header is located? (Right below the NavBar). Click on the “edit” link. A new window should pop up.
A new window should pop up. What you should see now is a button that gives you the option to “Remove Page Element.” This is the result of that html coding we did in the template.
The next step is to remove this page element. You want to get rid of the old Blogger header and put your own in here. It is very easy– but I’ll admit that I still tread very carefully when I do this. But there is really nothing to be nervous about, because you can always add the old header back: just click “Add a Page Element.” When the window pops up, scroll down and you will see the option to add a Page Header. See?
So, now that you have dumped the old “Page Element” header, You’ll want to create a new Page Element. Go ahead. Don’t worry if you don’t see at option to add a Page Element in the header area. Just pick one from the sidebar. When the new window pops up, choose “HTML/Javascript.” This will enable you to link back to the header image on your photohosting site, with the added bonus of making your new header linkable to your blog’s homepage.
Here’s what my code looks like:
You’ll need to change a few things here. For example, my header image is hosted at Photobucket. When people click on my header, I don’t want to direct them to Photobucket! I want them to return to my homepage. So you’ll need to change your code as I need to change mine. This is what I did. I changed this:
<a href=”http://photobucket.com” target=”_blank”><img
src=”http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa84/mrsmecomber/
headerimage.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket”></a>
To this:
<a href=”http://mightytemplatetester.blogspot.com”><img
src=”http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa84/mrsmecomber/
headerimage.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Mighty Template Tester”></a>
I just changed the URL to direct the header’s link back to my blog’s homepage. I also got rid of the target=”_blank” coding because this would only reload my blog’s homepage into another browser tab or browser window. The reader would find that very annoying. Finally, I changed the text from Photobucket hosting to something more appropriate for my blog.
Once you have the code configured, save the changes.
Now return back to your “Page Elements” page in Blogger, You’ll probably see your new header (called “HTML/Javascript”) in the sidebar! You have to guide it to where it belongs. Drag the box up toward the header. get it in the right spot, and it will drop in. When you’ve finished, click the orange “SAVE” button near the top. View your blog and you’ll see your new template header, complete with a link back to your homepage!
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