Blogger Hackity Things

How-to: Host Template Images on Blogger
As I'm sure Bloggerites know, Blogger gives you 300MB of image hosting per blog, for free. Thus, if you wanted to change your template, it would seem economical to store the several kb of images on Blogger's infinite bandwidth servers, rather than your own limited-storage / limited-bandwidth / we-charge-you-for-stuff webspace. Really, it's barely even a hack, and I'm not sure why I haven't seen more people explain this in detail. So, here it goes:

1. Create a new post.
2. Click the little picture icon in Blogger's editor (both "Edit HTML" and "Compose" modes have the image icon). A new window will pop up, asking for a file.
3. Click the "Browse" button and select whatever image file you want to upload.
4. Click the "Upload Image" button. The layout and size options do not matter.
5. When the upload is finished, press "Done."
6. If you are in "Compose" mode, switch to "Edit HTML" mode now. You should see some code at the top of your post, with a link surrounding an image, and some Javascript.
7. Copy the link's href - everything between the double-quotes after <a onBlur="..." href="copy all this"> -- that's your full-sized image's location on Blogger's servers.
8. Click "Save as Draft" on your post. The images will not be displayed on your blog (that would be unsightly!), but they are available for public download via the link location you just copied.
9. When editing your template, or making another web site, or whatever it is you're doing, you can use that image link to go to your hosted image. The images on this template are all hosted in this manner.

So, hope that's useful to somebody. Now there's no need to steal image bandwidth - you kids all play nice!

Technorati Tags: Blogger, Hacks

Steal This Template!

Something I meant to do when I started this blog, yet somehow never did. I wanted the theme to be a universal theme - something open-source that other people could use if they wanted to. So, as a small contribution to the internets (or interweb, if you prefer), you can download the template code and both images right here. It's CSS-based, works on all browsers (that I know of), and is blogger-formatted.

Right now, all the image URL's are pointed to the ones used on my blog, but if you want to, the images are included in the .zip and you can host them wherever you want. I don't think this blog is going anywhere anytime soon, and Google doesn't regulate bandwidth, so you probably don't have to worry about it. Next post: how to host template images on Blogger.

Anyway, have fun!

Technorati Tags:Template, Freeware, Blogger

Bush Things

While I couldn't access my NIST email account, I got this:

President Bush sends the following Holiday Message to the Employees of the Federal Government:

"I send greetings to all Federal employees and your families as you celebrate this holiday season.

Federal service is a high calling and an expression of responsible citizenship. By working to improve lives, advance prosperity, and protect our homeland, you strengthen our country and help many realize the promise of America. Your spirit of professionalism and dedication reflects the best of our society and contributes to the success of our great Nation.

Laura and I send our best wishes to you and your loved ones during this season of hope and joy. May God bless you, and may God continue to bless America."

Signed George W. Bush

That last bit reminds me of the Chris Rock movie Head of State, where Chris Rock runs for President. His Republican opponent's sign-out is always, "God Bless America, and no place else!"

Technorati Tags: Bush, Government, Christmas

Christmas Things!

Merry Christmas!
Originally uploaded by agius.

To all those celebrating the holiday of Christmas on December 25th (and the associated evening of excitement tomorrow night), I would like to extend a merry Christmas. To those of you who are not celebrating Christmas, but have a similar holidy within the general timespan (Winter Solstice, Chanukah, Saturnalia), I wish you good tidings and blessings on your holiday of choice. For those of you (possibly including Pastafarians) who are celebrating a merry Festivus, I wish you a drunken and merry Airing of Grievances. For those of you who (for religious reasons) are forbidden from celebrating any holidays, I wish you a merry end of the year, and hope the start of the new one finds you well.

This is my nephew, Quentin, being indoctrinated into the family-related joys and decorations of our chosen holiday.

All the best joy and tidings!
~Your blogger, Agius.

Facebook Things

So, Facebook just added a new feature that social networking sites have been lacking for some time: connection descriptions. Most social networking sites have a friendlist or some similar feature which shows that you are connected with someone. But until now, virtually no one has attempted to further define that connection. I tried to do something like this back when I was coding SocialFurs, but I stopped working on that before it really got anywhere.

Facebook has a bunch of different ways to define how you know somebody, and allows you to sort your friends list by those contact methods. This is awesome, and I spent yesterday sorting through memories of people I have listed. It was a lot of fun, and a little nostalgic.

Now if only they would integrate their photo-sharing service with Flickr...

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Social Networks

Rejected Things

From the inbox:

We received your resume and would like to thank you for your interest in Google. After carefully reviewing your experience and qualifications, we have determined that we do not have a position available which is a strong match at this time.

Thanks again for considering Google. We wish you well in your endeavors and hope you might consider us again in the future.

Sincerely,
Google Staffing

Hot damn that was fast!

In other news, I got my grades from this semester back today - they were better than I expected, but overall still craptacular. I'm guessing the rejected letter from Google and the crappy academic scorecard have something to do with each other. Ironic that they should both arrive on the same day, though. Purdue at least had the courtesy to wish me a Merry Non-Religious Winter Holiday, though.

Technorati Tags: Rejected, Google

Christian DDR Things

There is no way any reasonable God would allow Christian DDR. Faith in humanity: -700 hp.

What's really sad is that it's a for-pay COMPUTER game... I have enough trouble getting Stepmania to run with my cobalt pad, and I'm pretty darn tech-savvy... How are ordinary Christian consumers supposed to get this stuff to work?

Technorati Tags: Christians, DDR, Gaming

Hat tip: Digg.

Famous Things

Social Commentary, or Just a Dog's Opinion? - New York Times:

"Animal Crossing promotes piracy," declared xandertheblue at a LiveJournal site, directly above an image captured from the game in midplay (snipurl.com/xandertheblue).

It's neat when one of your friends gets mentioned in the New York Times. I think part of the attraction of blogging is that every now and then you see a name dropped and think, "Hey, I know that guy!"

The closest I ever got to the mainstream media was when I was writing for Ex-gay Watch (which is a fantastic blog, by the way, and highly reccomended) during the latter portions of the Zach story. Certain CNN shows and other MSM outlets were looking to pick up a little exgay action, and the blog got a fair amount of calls from reporters and other media folks.

Anyway, congrats to Xander for making the NYT.

Technorati tags: nyt, piracy

Cute Things

Though I generally prefer to leave linkblogging to my de.icio.us account and sidebar, I felt this was worth particular mention. Cute Overload collects and publishes the most insanely cute pictures on the interweb. Seriously - it's been identified as a leading cause of brain melting in the United States. I mean, come on! Sugar gliders!

Comment Things

Reasons why I should respond to comments:

• Blogs are a conversation. They're about a guided two-way discussion. Failure to respond to comments is a refusal to engage in that discussion, which is silly on a blog I've set up to facilitate said discussion.
• It might encourage people to comment more... not that I need comments to encourage me to blog (look! it's a verb and a noun!), but it certainly makes things more fun.
• Now that the Semester of Ultimate Doom is over, I actually have time to do so.

Reasons why I haven't responded to comments yet:

• I was afraid of that.
• Sometimes (once so far), there are too many.

Anyway, if you comment from here out, I promise I will do my best to respond.
Technorati Tags: Comments, Etiquette, Response

Rant Things

tonypierce.com:

dear the congress of the united states,

if you cant figure out how to impeach this sonofabitch after this bullshit then you have absolutely no right to even run for anything above dogcatcher because he is saying that spying is cool and you have to tell the president that its not cool.

he went around you, he went around the court and unless you want to prove to the world that even you acknowledge that youre a rubber stamp for the administration, a pajamas media jeff guckert insta footballs towel boy and kneepadded girl for the Good Ole Boys, you're going to have to stop letting him continue to go around the constitution

so if you dont do anything about this, youre basically saying that youre too stupid to figure out that you've become the greasy hole for the fist of the executive branch.

you should all be fired.

Yes, it's a rant. It made my day. Via Republic of T.

Technorati tags: politics, stars, president

QotD Things

I'll decompress from the semester later. For now:

Mom: Okay, Quentin, now say your prayers!
Nephew: God is great, God is hot dog! Amen!
Mom: ...
Mom: Well, at least he's on the right track.

Technorati Tags:Quotes, Family

API Things

Google Homepage API - Overview:

The Google Homepage API is our effort to open the Google homepage to developers. Use it to turn your web content or application into modules that users can add to their personalized homepage. You can also develop features that affect other aspects of the page, such as font and color schemes.

Hmmm... Google's competition for widgets, gadgets, and Yahoo's thingies? Since the browser is partially replacing the GUI in computers these days, it seems logical that the homepage might replace the desktop, to an extent. Methinks that is part of Google's goal -- a complete integration of computer and internet.

Now I have a new API I have to learn. Time to do some of the Javascript reading I've been putting off. Or maybe study for exams.

Technorati tags: google, api

Google Things

I've been telling friends for a while that my objective is to be an intern at Google next summer. Well, last night, I took the first step - I sent an email to the address mentioned on that site. I've read a lot of scary things about Google's hiring process. I've also read a few interesting stories about the essentially random ways people have found their way into Google. I've heard a lot about how insanely hard it is to get in.

I guess overall, I'm hopeful. I have a couple good things going for me... I have a comparatively large body of actual workplace experience behind me. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the technologies Google uses (though I would probably need to improve my Javascript and AJAX fu). I feel like I jive with Google's design sense. And, apparently this is pretty important, I'm a total fanboy.

The intense rounds of interview begin in January. When the Google Team stopped by, they said to expect 2-3 phone interviews, and that would be it. I'll have my fingers crossed.

Technorati Tags:Google, Jobs

Posting Things?

I just passed by a gentleman outside my office who was so lost in his iPod that he could not hear the obnoxious ringer to his own cell phone.

Technorati Tags:The End of the World

Art Things

So, my final project for CGT 211 turned out like this. It's pretty amateur, but that makes sense considering it's the third picture I've ever tried to color and shade. I wish we would have learned more about the process for that - I don't even understand how people can keep their shading values constant when brushing over something multiple times. I guess I should have looked through more tutorials online.

But in any case, if you asked me two years ago whether I would be trying to paint in Photoshop for one of my classes, I probably would have responded with a resounding "HELL NO!" And as it is, I'm somewhat confident in my grade for that class. So go figure.

Technorati Tags:Art, Classes

Tracking Things

Things I have failed at this week:

• Management 323 - at least, until I hear back from my professor.


• Music Theory exam #3 and Piano exam #3.


• Starting a diet.


• Not blowing all the money I saved from my vacations.

Things I have suceeded at this week:

• Progress check & two studies in CGT 211


• Progress check & evaluation assignment in CGT 256


• Watching 40 episodes of Naruto.


• Passing Hybrid on Expert (a 10-footer!)


• Going to all classes & work except one (I didn't miss anything) despite being uber-sick on Tuesday and somewhat sick the rest of the week.


• Remaining cheerful in spit of list #1 above.

I thought it would be handy to take stock of exactly what I have and have not succeeded at this week. I thought I was doing really badly, but looking at it, I can't help but feel a little bit better about how things are going. And since I'll probably be appealing and trying to fix the MGMT 323 thing, maybe I could even scratch that off the list.

Technorati Tags:Goals