Just a quick note...

In regards to preparing the cd for our assessment, i would like to take this opportunity to have a lil tanty (as Rowan would put it). *Having my tanty NOW*

In combination with my iWeb files and google docs of all of these very interesting entries i was just told that i need to also include all of my del.ici.ous links and Flicker images. to this news, i totally freaked out!!! how on earth was i going to copy 120 something link? and why when i have already provided the link to my del.ici.ous?? so after a dummy spit i actually found that this was quiet easy and took all of 30sec by simply choosing the backup/export option in del.ici.ous to export all of my bookmarks at the click of a button YEY :)

as for Flicker, there is no backup option. i did find a 3rd party that had a free download to backup all ur Flicker images but it does not seem to work which leaves me a lil puzzeled.... why is there no way of backing everything up directly from Flicker? this seems like a very basic function that most if not all users would benefit from. im very reluctant to go through each and every images and saving them onto the cd. i already spent the time uploading them to Flicker and see no point in going back and downloading them back onto my computer... i think ill try calling Damian prior to the assessment to confirm that providing him with a link to my Flicker is sufficient (and it just makes sense this way).

Anyways im off to bed. Sweet dreams to all my peeps :)

MPI104 Wrap UP

I have to say that i really enjoy this class. I love being able to have an online presence where i can showcase my work and share it with my family and friends back in Sydney so easily.

The first half of the semester was jam packed where we were introduced to a bunch of sites and tools i have never used and now dont know how i ever managed without them. For more details check out my previous POST and read more about all the MPI goodness.

iWeb and myCSU webspace

This side of the holidays for MPI104 has rocked! We got right into it to build our very own websites using iWeb where they now live on our athene accounts. I have previously designed a site using iWeb for my business back in Sydney which never saw the light of day. This time around i managed to build and upload my site for all to see :) Yey for me! Check it out HERE .

When i started this site i was using iLife 08 which didnt allow me to add snippets to my site. After purchasing iLife 09 and a bit of trouble updating the operating system on my mac i was finished. You can read all about my troubles HERE

I customized the entire site (i didnt want to use any templates) and have links to my Vimeo, Flicker, this blog, del.ici.ous and even Facebook which makes this myCSU webspace a one-stop-shop for my entire online existence and only a click away for my family and friends. I will continue to add to this site during my studies here at CSU until Damian teaches us how to build bigger and beta web pages which will eventually replace this one.

RSS - my new addiction

This was something i have always known of but never wanted to use... until now! When i first moved to wagga i had to deal with the sad fact that i would no longer be able to listen to Kyle and Jackie O antics on 2day FM and then Damian introduced me to RSS and now i get daily podcast of the show!!! this is a very exciting development and im sure only the beginning of my RSS encounter.

I probably should mention technorati but i wont! U can read my previous rants HERE and HERE .

So now that we r done with MPI104 we can chill and enjoy our well earned holiday :)


Glitter Congratulations Graphics



Cheers peeps

Technorati.... blah!

So im still battling this horrible monster that is technorati. Quite frankly im not a fan and would be shocked to come across anyone who is. This is not something i will continue to use beyond the minimum requirements for this assessment.

I have attempted to add all the MPI104 blogs as my favorites but was only able to add a small no (im guessing this is due to everyone else not being able to win this battle either). So here is a link to my favorites

Technorati.... blah blah blah!!!!

Revision, revision, revision.....

ok so today we revised everything we need for the assessment next week. for some reason i totally freak out cos nothing was working right for me, but in the end i think i have covered everything. i still need to tackle the Technorati monster so hopeful i have better lack then previously (ill keep u peeps posted with yet another blog entry with the results).

i have updated myCSU webspace and u guys can check it out HERE

thats all folks......

myCSU web space

iWeb and Leopard

so i have spent most of the afternoon upgrading my operating system on my mac. so far im loving the changes! originally i just got iLife 09 but it was not compatible hence the upgrade. the guys at the apple shop in wagga were great and i had no problem exchanging the iLife software for the Mac Box Set :)

as u guys previously read in one of my post, i needed to get the new iWeb to be able to add the counters and other snippets to my website. i was excited and ready to go when the upgrade program refused to open my file and i ended spending most of the nite re-building the site to look as it did before :(

anyways HERE is the new and improved site.

cheers peep :)

The technorati MONSTER!

Today the plan was to explore the wonder that is Techorati . Instead we encountered the Technorati Monster, which we are told has just escaped due to the unusually high load 'right now!!'. i guess that a class of 20 students trying to sign-up for an account is just way to much to cope with for this awesome website... im guessing the regular traffic of 2 users is when this fabulous site is at its optimum performance.

I will continue to battle this monster and attempt to sneak past it to 'claim my blog'....

In the mean time, i checked out Sarah's Blog (from the 1st group). Her post has an awesome explanation of what is Technorati and how it works. i definitely think its worth a read for anyone who wants to know more about this 'seemingly impossible to access' site. Check it out HERE ppl.

Before i sign out for the week, here is a lil somefin funny to make up for a very 'unfunny' lesson.


Glitter Funny Animations Graphics



Cheers

I have my eye on U

So this week we played around with counters and discovered RSS. I have to say i am a bit annoyed as i have an earlier version of iWeb on my mac which wont allow me to add html :( so i need to make a choice - 1. do i upgrade my iLife and have the flexibility of working on my web page in class and the comfort of my own home, or 2. do i give up the luxury of working from home and use the lab.... hmmm im thinking i will pay the price to continue to work from home while playing with Frankie and watching tv :) As a result of this lil conflict with software, i am not able to add these tools to myCSU site just yet but ill keep u posted once its they are.

1 2 3 - COUNTERS

Counters accurately track page hit data and how many unique users visit our site. Web counters can be used by anyone and can be inserted into our page without any tricky programming. This is a great tool to see the progress and success of your site. Another web analysis tool is Google Analytics. Here, you are able to see exactly how visitors interact with your site, what pages are being viewed and the average amount of time being spent on each page. This is advantages as you have a clearer understanding of what is of interest to other web users visiting your site and allows you to make informed site design improvements, drive targeted traffic, or work on your "interestingness". Here is a LINK to a comment i made on Ricks blog (from the first group) regarding a question i have about counter.


RSS and what all the buzz is about

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is web feed formats used to publish updates. Blog entries, news headlines, and videos can all use RSS to inform their subscribed followers on any updates eliminating the need for them to regularly go to these sites to see 'Whats New'. When you subscribe to a feed, Google Reader monitors that feed and keeps track of all updates. Google Reader gathers the content that the owners and publishers provide. Some sites send out updates with entire stories while others give just a headline or brief summary and require you to go directly to the source website.So basically RSS keeps u informed and up-to-date.


This week was a lil

in regards to my computer and i not getting along so im hoping for a beta week next week.

Cheer for now peeps....

FTP and me

So peeps, this week we got into web design by starting with a few basics using Word and iWeb. I am so excited about this and i look forward to learning more and developing my very own awesome site. HERE is a link to my CSU web space which is a work in progress.

My understanding of FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is that it is a common way to transfer files over the internet from one computer to another. A con for using this method is the security risk as FTP is unsecure and there is no way of encrypting the data. Here is a LINK to a comment i made on Angus' blog (from the earlier group). I found that his explanation of FTP was very helpful and clearly more informative then my own. Thanks Angus :)

Back in 2007 i designed a site (using Photoshop) for a residential builder in Sydney but needed the help of a developer to do all the html for the site as well as making it apart of a CMS (Content Management System) to allow my client the "backstage" access to their website and give them the ability to update the information, create/delete pages and change content whenever needed without relying on a designer or a developer. You can check it out HERE . There was months spent researching web design and competitors sites to see what worked and what didn't in respect to design, navigation, information etc. I designed all the page layouts and all content. Each photo was airbrushed, turning a day shot into an evening shot, superimposed landscaping and removing of unwanted items such construction fencing, shadows, lamp post etc... anything you could do to an image was done in this case (lots of FUN for all u photoshop fanatics). I also needed to create 3D models of the home designs that were not yet built by using ArchiCad and Photoshop. THIS is my favorite model. The whole project was a lengthy process as i had no content and no clue when i began.

Some time back i also started to design a website for my own company using iWeb. This project slowly died as i was flooded with work, which was great for business (and my designer shoe fetish lol) but didn't leave me much time to work on it. Over time i lost interest and it was never completed :( hence my excitement for this assignment!

anyways thats a rap for this week. Cheers

My Update

BLOGGER:

I am not much of a blogger, in fact i have never even kept a diary. It think its because i have enough trouble keeping up with my thoughts and find it almost impossible to write them down (or in this case type) to share with others. The closest i get to blogging is to make status updates on facebook and remain active on the animation forum. This however has been a great exercice to introduce me to blogging.
Even though i still struggle to make posts, i enjoy reading others and keeping up to date with their happenings. To date i have 5 followers and i myself follow 8 blogs. I have a total of 5 posts with THIS being the most interesting as it takes you to my flicker where i have posted adorable photos of my beautiful and very cheeky puppy. This is another interesting post where i have included 2 animations using HTML to amuse my followers.
I worked with an existing template to customize my blog and changed the background, colour and font as well as include applications such as Pacman and YouTube.
Here is a link to a comment i made on Megans blog where i discovered stumbleupon.
In my  The world of Flicker! post i used a flicker tag, and in my Sweet del.icio.us posts i used the delicious tag.

Del.icio.us:

I love this tool! I dont know why i never used it earlier. So far i have 117 bookmarks which i can access from anywhere, even my phone! These are sites i use on a regular basis as well as sites i use for reference material. HERE is link to the animation forum where i spend a majority of my internet time. Other sites i enjoy are Perez where i get to keep up with all the Hollywood juice and Dolce & Gabbana which needs no explanation.

FLICKER:

So far i have not used Flicker very much. This is not a site i would use to share my personal photos ( my preferred option for this is Facebook) but i will continue to use this to upload and share any images that i want to share on the animation forum. At the moment I have 2 albums with a total of 10 photos and 1 video, and 1 album containing 3 images for my VFX assignment. Here are 3 of my favorite images: My mum and dad , Snow trip and Frankie . And as a bit of bonus material, HERE is a link to a video of Frankie being very cheeky to his mummy.

So that is it. You are now up-to-date with my progress in MPI104.

Cheers peeps...

Wow... CSS and Templates!

ADVANTAGES OF USING CSS:

An advantage of using CSS is that it allows you to change the design and layout of your web page without affecting the content. CSS is primarily designed to allow you to separate document content (eg HTML) from the document presentation (such as font, colours, background styles, layout etc). This separation can improve content accessibility and enable multiple pages of your website to share formatting. CSS can also allow different styles for different rendering methods of a particular page, such as on-screen, in print, or on Braille-based etc. When viewing web pages, you can choose to view the page in a different style sheet by overriding the one the author has specified.

WHAT CAN BE CHANGED USING TEMPLATES?

Anything that is associated with the design and layout of the page can be changed using a template. Such things are fonts, colours, background styles, element alignments, borders and sizes etc.

WHAT CANNOT BE CHANGED USING TEMPLATES?

The content of the web page (in this case our blogs) does not change when the templates are changed.

WHY IS ACCESSIBILITY WORTH CONSIDERING IN WEBPAGE DESIGN?

Accessibility is about making things accessible to all people including those with disabilities.

CUSTOMIZING MY BLOG

Using the templates i have added the Pacman, YouTube and Digg applications to my blog. I changed the fonts and background colour using the template. I then customized the font colours through HTML. I also thought id throw this clip in for laughts...


So guys thats it for the week....


Cheers

Sweet del.icio.us

My new addiction. So today we were introduced to delicious and i love it! im always bookmarking things i know ill go back to and the stuff i use on a regular basis (to save myself having to type in the url every time). To know that now i can access my bookmarks from anywhere and any computer is very exciting. There have been countless times when i wanted to show someone a site but couldn't remember it.

Check out my del.icio.us

3 of my favorite sites that use tag links are:

1. The #1 Celebrity Gossip Site. Check it out here (this is my daily bible!)
2. Vimeo is the best tool for all us "animators in making" to share our work. Check out my vimeo
3. and of course good ol YouTube


Gone are the days when u have to rely on ur own computer when we have all these new applications that we are discovering in class.

Anyways.... Cheers...

The world of Flicker!

So in todays class we explored Flicker! its seem like a cool application but a lil weird to navigate and use. im a lil embarrassed to say that i found it confusing (anyone else think that?) but once u get going its like most applications and u find ur way around and get the hang of it... im still exploring flickers possibilities and wether its something i will continue to use or trade in after the assessment.


Follow this link to my flicker! The photos of Frankie are a "MUST SEE" people. These definitely fall under the category of 'interestingness'.

What is a Blog? What is a Blogger?

A blog is a website where we can post just about anything we can think of that we may want to share with the world (or just ourselves).

Click HERE for the Wikipedia definition of a Blog.

A blogger is the software (or blogware) designed to make creating and maintaining our blogs EASY.

Click HERE for the Wikipedia definition of a Blogger.

My first post

Hi all,

This is my first blog post ever! Keep a look out on this space for more to come in the future...

Cheers