random and opinionated thoughts by Jennifer Zelazny

Random Fridays: Happy Fourth of July!

Jennifer Zelazny — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:39:27 PDT

I have had an insane week. Three big site launches (only one made it), a huge QA project (14 sites), my first released WordPress theme (not quite released – I still need to get the about pages together for my company site), major rush jobs from all fronts, babysitting two additional greyhounds, Michael Jackson’s death,and too many conference calls. Phew. Time to take a half day and trim the bushes in the front yard Disney style…or at least thinking about how cool it would be to have a dinosaur shaped bush in my yard

Anyways – hopefully next week will be a little better with more posts!

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-27

Jennifer Zelazny — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:15:00 PDT

Live each day the Gummi way – Gummi Bears sign from episode. Perfect! #
@amymmuller Hopefully you will learn something cool to share! in reply to amymmuller #
I have seen it all…a police mini van…with a woman driver…talking on her cell phone. Wow! #
Is it too much to ask for the mailman to actually take mail from my mailbox instead of shoving in incoming mail? Apparently so… #
We all make choices…time to start realizing your choices have consequences. #
Getting ready for a big server migration. Let's hope all goes smoothly! #
@KellyColligan hey – I am actually going to meet up with some of my old managers for lunch. How does the rest of the afternoon look? in reply to KellyColligan #
I was thinking this morning about the concept of choices – and I came up with – you can easily choose to hate, but can you choose to love? #
Michael Jackson dead? Wow! #
Battling with project deadlines…yuck and on a Friday! #
@KellyColligan Hey – I cannot get down to the city today – what are your plans tomorrow? in reply to KellyColligan #
@amazingamanda congrats! #

Media Mondays: Hulu Desktop

Jennifer Zelazny — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:28:47 PDT

If you have a laptop or computer near your TV, hate paying for cable, and have a way to hook up your computer to the TV – it is time you check out Hulu Desktop. I downloaded Hulu Desktop, hooked up my MacBook Pro to my TV (DVI to HDMI), and within a few minutes was watching episode 2 of 24 – and was able to use the remote that came with my computer to boot!

You can use Hulu Desktop to view TV shows, movies, trailers, etc and you can even use your Hulu account to queue up shows/movies so when you use Hulu Desktop – you do not need to search for something to watch. Simply login while you are using your computer, mark a show/movie as something you want to add to your queue and you are set.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-20

Jennifer Zelazny — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:15:00 PDT

O'Hare calls… #
You just can't go wring with Whole Foods burgers #
Another beautiful day here – about to take E for some "art in the park" time. #
Conference call central over here, I wonder when I can take an actual summer vacation? #
@htoddcarter I thought you did not have TV/internet access? in reply to htoddcarter #
Finally got around to customizing my background and colors to match my web site http://www.jappler.com. Feels more like home. #
(Switched my twitter name from superjank to "thejappler" since Jappler was already taken…and I wanted a more cohesive online presence. #
@amazingamanda big turkey leg (on a stick) in reply to amazingamanda #
Did I really see a commercial last night for a FDA approved product (with crazy side effects) for making eyelashes thicker? Wow! #
Getting ready for a busy day! If you need a mindless activity for the day – give http://www.marrybopdump.com a try. #
@1tb that is great! Gotta love pets and their behaviors in reply to 1tb #
Not too many things make me as happy as a painless import of data. #
Working on yet another bbPress theme. Time to release one of my own! #
What is it with find and replace that is tripping everyone up? Find x, replace with y. Text editors are your friends… #
"unattended children will be given expresso and a free puppy" – sign #

Thursday Linkfest: June 18, 2009

Jennifer Zelazny — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:16:30 PDT

This week flew by – but I actually found a number of links very interesting over the last seven days.

Chicagoland fishing information and reports
How to ditch cable but still have quality TV programming options (thanks @htoddcarter)
TV.com – TiVO again and again proves it is the coolest thing around. You can find shows available on TV.com and send them to your TiVo.
ESPN 360 – Oh my – I am so close to canceling my $100+ a month cable. This becomes available for Comcast high speed internet subscribers on August 1. If it proves to work well for two weeks worth of programming – look out!

WordPress Wednesdays: Where to Begin

Jennifer Zelazny — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:44:09 PDT

A lot of people want a web site or a blog but do not know where to start or what all WordPress has to offer. If you are looking for a great, easy to use system to publish content on the web – I would start here:

Start Free. If you want to simply check out WordPress and see what is made of – sign up for a free account at wordpress.com You can choose from several free themes (look and feel) and have no worries about backup, hosting, etc. This will allow you to focus on the content and not get frustrated with installation/set up and hosting.
Read. Take 10 minutes and read through some of the documentation.
Play Around. Familiarize yourself with WordPress widgets (sidebar) and start taking control of your content.
Customize. Once you are ready to move your site to a host so you can customize your theme, your plugins, etc – start looking at some free plugins before doing any custom development. It is most likely you will be able to find something free that fits your needs.
Add. Check out the themes and plugin listings on wordpres.org (Extend).
Learn More. If you get to a point where you have a site up, you have content, and you want to find out more about what all WordPress can offer – I would suggest either buying a WordPress book or pay for an hour of consultation with a company that specializes in blog consultation (like my company) so you can really maximize your web site presence and efficiency.
Small Steps. Most importantly – start small and build on it. Blogging and maintaining a web site is not always fun or easy – but taking small steps (one new plugin at a time, or a slight change in a template) will ensure your web site will continually develop into something great!

Just remember – you do not have to be a graphic designer or a programmer to have a great web site – you just need patience and a willingness to learn!

Media Mondays: Radio 538 iPhone App

Jennifer Zelazny — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:28:07 PDT

This week I recommend anyone who enjoys listening to Radio 538 (I love the Dance Department) – to download and use the Radio 538 iPhone App. (Julie – this means you). You can get the application for free using iTunes. Even though the controls are not in english – it is easy enough to figure out within a few seconds. With this app – you can listen to a variety of Radio 538 radio shows at any time – using WiFi or not. This app definitely made my first screen of apps on my iPhone.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-13

Jennifer Zelazny — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:15:00 PDT

Last day of school – look out – the ice cream truck will be running non-stop and so will that tune it plays in my head. Great #
Check out my latest pet project: Marry Bop Dump Still a work in progress – but finally in beta. http://www.marrybopdump.com #
@crystalchappell – Thanks for making GL something I look forward to every day again! Keep up the great work!! #
Startups are hard – but not starting anything is harder. #
Anyone have any good advice on cutting shrubs? I grew up with plans to trim mine like Disney – but I cannot seem to make a rounded edge #
Seriously – can we band together and stop companies from using that hideously bullet proof plastic for our electronic cables, toys, etc? #
Finally have the right setup so I can watch 90% of TV not using cable. If only sporting events would be available online… #
Man – some days are better than others. @htoddcarter – let me know what games you are interested in – I have a stack just sitting around #

Linkfest Thursdays: June 11, 2009

Jennifer Zelazny — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 03:55:23 PDT

This has been a hectic week, but there are sites I wanted to highlight.

Marry Bop Dump This is a web site I have been working on with a friend of mine (Brett). Our goal was to make an addicting rating web site where you could upload your own photo and see how you rate. Once we have a good assortment of pictures – we then have additional plans If you have any feedback – we would appreciate it.
Happy Tiffin Lunch Boxes Wow – these are super cool. I am definitely going to get one for Amy next year when school starts. If you bring a lunch – check this out!
jQuery Tools Check out “the missing UI library for the web”. Very slick!

CSS Tuesdays: Fun With User Agents

Jennifer Zelazny — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:55:04 PDT

If you are going to do any serious CSS development and/or troubleshooting – you need to be able to see the site on as many browsers as possible. Generally – we have several browsers on several operating systems going at once so we can make sure our bases are covered.

Last week I built a mobile theme for a client and after a few refreshes on my iPhone – I decided I needed something easier and more developer friendly (I needed to view source). I use the “Develop” menu in Safari (Preference > Show Develop menu in menu bar) – and with that, I was able to choose my user agent (iPhone) – and then view how it would look using Safari which was much faster then using my iPhone – and I could easily view the source. If you need to do any development that depends on the user agent – don’t forget about this little trick!

Choose Your User Agent