Anne Kowalski - Blog

Moving from ExpressionEngine to WordPress

2008-05-11T22:34:00Z

Want to move your blog from the ExpressionEngine platform to WordPress? This is a great tutorial on how to accomplish this. I used this technique to convert my other ExpressionEngine website back to WordPress, and it worked amazingly well.

Bulletproof HTML

2008-04-16T19:00:00Z

Bulletproof HTML: 37 Steps to Perfect Markup gives tons of answers to some of the more technical aspects of HTML - validation, encoding, and writing semantic markup.

Cross Browser Custom Scrollbars

2008-04-14T17:26:00Z

If you want to replace the ugly default OS scrollbars fixed width and/or height boxes in your CSS layout with custom scrollbars, fleXcroll is definitely the way to go. I also tried jScrollPane, but found fleXcroll simpler to implement. Also, Safari 3.1 did some very strange things with jScrollPane - the scrollbar placement was off, and the overflow: auto; property seemed to be ignored. (This was one of the most compelling reasons for me to go with fleXcroll - the website project I am using this for has a fairly high percentage of Mac users.)

New Laptop!

2008-04-02T02:28:00Z

I finally upgraded my nearly-3 years old Compaq R4010US laptop today to the HP tx2113CL. I got it at Costco for $1000. My new laptop is about half the weight as the old one, and has a touch screen (this should be nice for Photoshop work, despite the 12.1” screen). I can’t say I’m exactly digging Windows Vista though. It is a huge PITA to do just about anything that took me 2 seconds in XP.

One thing that is irritating me so far about this laptop though is that the two touchpad buttons are extremely stiff, and rather far away from the center of the touchpad. Also, the DVD burner does not seem to close as easily as on my other one. Other than that, so far I am pretty happy with it.

ExpressionEngine 1.6.3 Title Issue

2008-03-23T23:42:00Z

I noticed after installing the latest version of ExpressionEngine that I had some very strange issues going on with my title tag. It seemed to be reading an extra tag not as a tag, but as part of the entry title in the browser. As advised in this post, putting in rdf="off" within the exp:weblog:entries tag fixed the problem.

Strange.

25 Rounded Corner Techniques

2008-03-13T12:25:00Z

CSS Juice has a page devoted to the many tutorials and methods for creating those ever-popular rounded corners. They range from pure CSS/HTML to script-only methods. Lots of different options out there no matter what look you are going for with your design.

Rounded Images using JavaScript

2008-03-06T18:56:00Z

SitePoint has an article on how to use JavaScript to create rounded corners for website content images. I’ve noticed that Burda uses this on their website for their gallery images. Neat little trick that can help not only minimize time spent in Photoshop/Fireworks, but also help preserve as much of the original content as possible for use in future redesigns.

Back to Drupal

2008-01-22T14:34:00Z

I’m thinking about working with Drupal again, in the form of a personal web project journal. I want it to be web-based, so I can update and access it from any computer.

In the UNIX/Linux System Admin class I’m taking right now, the instructor starts off by stressing the importance of documentation and keeping good records on all projects. While I consider ExpressionEngine to be the ultimate content management system for the types of projects I do, I also think it would be good to have experience with an open source solution too. Obviously I would want this journal to be for my viewing purposes only. I was thinking of making a private weblog in my ExpressionEngine install for this purpose...but then again, I thought, why shouldn’t I use this opportunity to give Drupal another try? (I must not have enough going on in my life with interviewing for a full-time job, taking five classes, working on a freelance project, starting a relationship with a new boyfriend, and trying to find the time to sew a work-suitable wardrobe .)

Kittens “Adopted” by Pet Rabbit

2008-01-21T04:03:00Z

Warning: cuteness overload. (Especially the video.)

MySQL Sold for $1 Billion

2008-01-21T03:48:00Z

I’m surprised I didn’t see this on Slashdot (perhaps I missed it) but Sun has bought the open source database company MySQL for $1 billion.