Heres what I was able to do

I had some , ok alot  of issues this week. After a few hours, and I do mean hours, I was finally able to figure it out. At first I couldnt figure out how to make the email links work in the first exercise. On the second exercise I never figured out how to strip the domain and make it a working link. On the third exercise, I was able to make the math work, however I didnt understand the “invalid data” part. Number 4 is good to go! 

Assignment 1   

Assignment 2 

Assignment 3 

Assignment 4 

Oh yeah, I know this is HTML 101, but I couldnt figure out how to center my grid on the page. 

Finally….

assignments

Roundup

My homework . I am slowly understanding how javascript works within a web page. This weekend I put several pages throught the firebug and looked at its HTML,CSS  and Javascript. Initially I had a problem grasping the communication between the user and the program. I really hope that as this class continues I can be more comfortable with it. Mr. Likens said that this was a “weed out class”. Please dont spray the Roundup on me!

Im skeered!

Im not sure why, but if there is ever anything that one can do wrong, I do them. On one hand its frustrating but on the other hand I feel like each time I mess something up, I learn how to fix it. I really had no real problems with this assignment, except the fact that I didnt understand the separate javascript file thing. My files are done to instructions, at least I think they are, and looking forward to see what there is to learn next.

Where do I Go From Here…….

I have no expectations of becoming part of a huge digital design firm as my age will be holding be back from that. Besides, I have worked for other people long enough. So what I think will happen is that I will continue my journey towards becoming my own boss for once. I have started DanPro Designs and have a couple of regular clients already. I do their promotional layouts for them, but have not yet started on the web site track, although I can see it in the near future.

I have had no experience in the field up until I started school. I havnt reached out to clients because I feel as if my skills are not up to par yet. I guess that is my fault for not keeping up my coding skills. i want to be an all in one service. I want to to their web, commercial advertising and regular go to person when they need someone to come up with that perfect logo design or company branding. To help me in this, I decided I am going to take the Publication classes as well even though they are not part of my degree. 

 

HTML cont…

Ok so after I did my HTML research and still sort of in the dark, I went on 3 schools and put myself through one of their tutorials in HTML. Now I see that XHTML makes for a cleaner design process. With HTML you can create a whole web page by just by useing codes. How did someone figure that one out? I really felt better about the subject after doing some further work on it….

HTML

Since I have no clue as to the HTML or XHTML dynamics, I found this assignment to be especially interesting. In my research I found that HTML is the basis for web page development. So of course I first looked for the definition of each so that I could get a better understanding of the subject matter. 

Hper Text Markup Language (HTML) is a text file that that contain small markup tags. These markup tags instruct the web browser as to the building of the web page. These files can be created by using basic text editors.

Now I am a hands on kind of learner. I found this website that walks you through the HTML creation. 3schools.com is short in its explanation of the HTML process. It dosnt muddy the subject with over your head vocabulary and statements. 3schools tutors the reader in things such as framing, tagging , elements, forms, images, background and color, to mention just a few.

According to javascriptkit.com, “XHTML documents look more professional and eradicate sloppy coding habits. They still allow us to develop pages for older browsers, however, by using the transitional DTD declaration.” Holy Cow!! What in the world is DTD? According to 3 schools , The purpose of a DTD (Document Type Definition) is to define the legal building blocks of an XML document. It defines the document structure with a list of legal elements and attributes. So is the DTD a built in lawyer for your document?

 

Attack of the PODCAST People….

In the true spirit of stepping outside of the resource and research box. I decided to try a totally different search engine and stick to it to maybe get some hidden information.  I used a search engine called Beaucoup. Of course Beaucoup is not as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as Google, but it does do the job. 

Now I know the basic idea of a podcast, record your audio/video and put on the web for others to watch if they want. However, I really was curious about the makeup of the podcast. I wondered, what happens after making the video and before others watch it. I was really curious about the guts of the process. 

My new found search engine led me to various sites, some of which I will mention in this post. Boucoup led me to an article that it found in another search engine called About.com.  he site I found to answer my first question was a web site ( more like another search engine I guess) called About.com. If you feel podcast naive , such as I do, then I would suggest at least looking over this article  by Corey Deitz.

In my opinion he has written an informative overview of podcast’s and its abilities. He also outlines and tutors on basic podcast construction. Deitz touches on the following steps in his article; “how to record your audio and save it to an .mp3 file, how to create an RSS file which holds the “directions” for sending your file when a user’s program like iPodder requests it, how to write the “directions” that are inside the RSS file, how to upload the RSS “feed” and your .mp3 file and how to validate that the file is written correctly and will send the file correctly.”

On top of all this great instruction, Deitz also links the reader to great programs that they can download to help with the podcast process for PC and MAC users. He also gives insightful and honest opinions of the suggested web links.

Well, what about Vodcasting. I , rather my trusty new search engine, have you covered. XML is another great instructional website. XML instructs those who are interested in vodcasting on ; ” How to set up podcasting and vodcasting, Preparing your media files, Publishing your podcast and Distribution, licensing and legal concerns. Now, let me say , this article is a little over my head, but I get lost in my own bedroom sometimes. 

So what else is out there. How about the ability to create tutorials and demonstrations  on your computer and share it as a video. That is what screencasting is. According to the Digital Inspiration website, “screencasting is a process of creating interactive demonstrations and software simulations. You take a series of screenshots of a running application. The software records your actions and instantly create a simulation or Screencast. The movies can be in a variety of formats like Standalone EXE, Macromedia Flash SWF, AVI format or the Windows Media Video (WMV) format or as streaming presentations from a website.”

A couple of weeks ago I was researching Photoshop tutorials on youtube. There were some vodcast of Photoshop users creating whole pieces of artwork in compressed time and the viewing of the progress was seamless. I was perplexed with this. I had never seen anything like it before. AHH HAAA!!! Now I get how they did it. 

I believe that podcast can give a website a certain professional feel, if used correctly. I also think that podcast/vodcast combo would really hold the audience attention. I have a friend of mine that has a showroom at the World Trade Center here in Dallas called Codarus. He is a wholesale distributor for high end bedding and interior design. While his website has great color and looks really nice, I think there is room for improvement. I would really like to upgrade it by inserting podcast in the website. These podcast will be recorded by the employees of Codarus. These recordings will offer suggestive sales to any customer who visits the web site. The fact that they will be recorded by the employees of Codarus will bring a personal touch to the audience. I also had ideas to add vodcast also with the employee’s as the actors, who will offer the visiting customer helpful buying hints, introduce new products, and tutor the audience on basic interior design.  Can you imagine throwing a feed out there from your business website that pulls from your video and audio tutorials? At least I think its possible to do that,

 

Mish Mash API Mashups

According to the wikipedia “a mashup is a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool; an example is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real-estate data, thereby creating a new and distinct web service that was not originally provided by either source.”

I can only imagine that with this technology, there is an infinite number of combinations. I believe that one day , it will be necessary to employee and train mashup techs as it were. In the very least, the ability to understand the mashup process will be an attribute to employment.

I have noticed that there is alot of different technical support for mashups. Intel has a page that guides you through the mashup process and even gives you hints and tips for better service. Even youtube has got an explanation on the mashup process.

The Google map mashups seem to be the most popular. I found a website called Force.com  that defines mashups as the reuse software culture. This is an awsome website in that it goes outside the popular mashups. It is an in depth artical in how to organize and your thoughts and make them user friendly.

 

Researching research….

The digital age is nothing short of remarkable. It has brought about so many changes and allowed the world to communicate with each other. Minute by hour by day by day, information is constantly being added, stored, changed. Most importantly, information is discovered. We would be crazy not to take full advantage of the internet.

To start with, I wanted to know what the definition of a search engine is. This led me to a web site called  Techterms.com. They define search engines as such;” Google, Excite, Lycos, AltaVista, Infoseek, and Yahoo are all search engines. They index millions of sites on the Web, so that Web surfers like you and me can easily find Web sites with the information we want. By creating indexes, or large databases of Web sites (based on titles, keywords, and the text in the pages), search engines can locate relevant Web sites when users enter search terms or phrases. When you are looking for something using a search engine, it is a good idea to use words like AND, OR, and NOT to specify your search. Using these boolean operators, you can usually get a list of more relevant sites.” 

Search engines come in different flavors. They can be very general to very personal. Omgili is a website that is dedicated to help you find blog forums.  You can get relationship advice, business advice, talk about your own personal experiences and so on.

In the previous weeks , I have learned the importance of RSS feeds. They really do play a vital role in web use. However, it is a tool that I could use some practice with. While I can appreciate what they do, I dont use them as I should.

I know for myself that in order to do real research, it has to go beyond the google page. Google is fantastic, but you must be willing to seek out information from other links that google gives you. Dont stop at the first page. There will be something out there that gives you more information.

The great thing about the web is that we are allowed to be selective in gathering our information. Its not a book we have to buy. We are not stuck with the same pages to limit ourselves.  We are free to go an infinite distance. It is like space. I dont believe there is an end to digital information.