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It’s been an eventful couple of weeks. As I reported in my previous post, I’ve had some major PC issues in the last couple of weeks. I’ve been able to get most of my needed files, etc. off my old hard drive. This has been a time-consuming task. Also my work schedule has changed dramatically in the last couple of weeks. I’ve gone from working nights to a day-time schedule.

Coming up is an updated version of the Fastway theme for Wordpress…..stay tuned.

I’ve had major computer issues this week. Apparently, the motherboard in my PC has “given up the ghost”. I decided to go ahead and buy a laptop. I’ve been considering getting a laptop for some time now, and decided to go ahead since I wasn’t sure just what the problem was that I was having. I do plan to get my desktop back up and running before long. Since I’ll have to buy another motherboard, I may take the opportunity to upgrade the processor as well and go dual-core. Anyway, this is my first post from the new laptop.

The thought of getting a Mac crossed my mind more than once, I just wasn’t quite ready to spring for it. I bought an HP Pavilion dv9000, which was way less expensive than a Mac Book Pro. I’m also a bit of an Ubuntu fan, so I’m trying this Vista thing out. My thoughts so far is that it’s OK. I haven’t really had any problems doing anything. It’s similar in my mind to XP, just shinier(I know I’m probably not telling anybody anything you don’t already know). The biggest disappointment to me is all the junk that comes pre-loaded…..all these icons on the desktop and in the start menu with their 60-day free trials. I got rid of all that junk first thing.

Here’s a quick overview of the specs on the laptop:

• AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TL-60
• 17.0″ WXGA+ High-Definition Widescreen Display
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 7150M
• 3 gigs of DDR2 System Memory
• 250GB Hard Drive (SATA)
• LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support

The first thing I did, after getting rid of all the junk that came pre-loaded, was to set up XAMPP for develpment purposes. You just can’t hardly do Wordpress themes with out having a local install. You can, it just takes so much longer. Luckily, I didn’t run into any problems there.

I’m thinking this laptop should serve me well for a few years. There are several things I’ll have to get used to though.

1. I’m used to a normal keyboard. This small keyboard will take some getting used to.
2. I’m not very good with the touchpad. Presently, I have a mouse hooked in. I’ll have to work on that.
3. 17″ screen…..When trying to code, I generally have at least 4 or 5 windows up at once. I’ve grown accustomed to having two larger screens to spread everything out. This will be the hardest thing to get used to.
4. Mobility. Of course, having a laptop will add lots options as to where I want to work. Not being restricted to my desk will be very nice.
5. If I continue using Windows Vista, I’ll have to get used to the annoying security measures they’ve taken. Seems like every time you click something, you have to click something else to tell the computer it’s ok…….quite annoying…….who does the computer think just clicked that icon in the first place?

Well, that’s been the biggest event of my week.

I’m not sure how many people actually noticed the mini-blog I had at the bottom of the page. I don’t think very many, and that’s why I’ve decided to get rid of it, and add the small mini-posts aka asides within the body of my blog. This only adds functionality to my site. Thanks to Daniel Denk for the great how-to.

As my current blog approaches it’s first birthday on February 1st, I’ve started looking at different ways to make it better, and to push it to a higher level in terms of usefulness and readership. One of the key components of this strategy is using social media in an effective way. This post will cover a few basics, so if you’re an old pro when it comes to mingling on the social web, feel free to add your knowledge to the mix.

For me, the term social media conjures up images of blinking neon MySpace profiles, but fortunately, there’s more to social networking on the web than what MySpace has to offer. In my opinion, MySpace is the trailer-trash of social media…maybe that’s a little harsh. I think it can be used in a positive way, but it seems to be more about keeping in touch with friends, connecting with musicians, and it’s a haven for very sleazy spam….and I truly hate spam, sleazy or not. On the other hand, there are a number of social media websites that offer a more concentrated purpose, and focus on content rather than your profile. Among the best I know of are Del.icio.us and StumbleUpon.

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My grandmother passed away Saturday morning(1-5-08). She was 85 and died as a result of a stroke she had a couple of weeks ago. I consider it a blessing that she had a long healthy life and didn’t have to suffer long. I won’t be online much for a few days…

First of all, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I hope this will be great year for all of you!

Available today is a 2 Column version of my Darkwater theme for Wordpress. I’ve actually gotten several requests for this, so here it is for you guys who asked for it. The original Darkwater has been my second most popular theme, right behind NetWorker.

I’ve made a few other changes and modifications besides just losing a sidebar. Here are a few things that were modified:

• Added the “search” feature at the top of the sidebar.
• Updated the comment form and comment area.
• Widened the post area.
• Re-Organized the stylesheet which will make it easier to customize.

I hope many people will be able to use and enjoy this theme. If the Wordpress Theme Viewer website ever allows uploading new themes again(I’m starting to wonder?), this theme along with updated copies of my other themes will be available there as well.