No, not a clever play on words, I’m simply linking an audio file to this post. And hoping it works.
Here it is, presented in a cheap and cheerful manner. The link, that is.
Why?
Because I can. It’s not a podcast, for I am not a podcaster.
I may have mentioned my programming days are >30 years in the past? Well they are. It’s not to say I haven’t dabbled in the last few years. Because I have.
My GitHub Pages site is a prime example; personal, trivial, offering not much mass-appeal; yet requiring a fair degree of time and patience to create.
And I’ve learned new skills too!
My pages are hosted at GitHub.com; the design (the technical aspects, not necessarily how pretty it looks) is based on a forked version of the poole/hyde repository (repo.) This is where the more in-depth instructions are located. Essentially it’s a Web site in a box, free from the shackles of self-hosting and server security concerns.
Getting it personalised in the first instance was surprisingly easy. Take a look at http://github.com/bazbt3/bazbt3.github.io for my site’s files.
I’m assuming here that you want to create a new site and want to do it the easy way, as did I. There’s a learning curve of course, but there’s no compelling reason to step outside the GitHub.com site along the way.
The executive summary:
CNAME file and save it back to your repo. This forms one half of a redirect from a domain external to GitHub Pages._config.yml file and save it. This effectively personalises the new site._data folder. This is to test whether the basics are working.[your GitHub username].github.io - and you should see something superficially like poole/hyde and my sites, but with your content.If you don’t see what you like, it’s not a massive amount of work for anyone with any previous programming (at any level) or HTML background to work stuff out. Knowing a bit of Markdown - to edit and format your posts - will help.
I’ve changed stuff and added a few things to the basic ‘framework’, such as:
Once you get into this, the ideas flow quickly.
But, despite all this enthusiasm, faffing about… my primary blog still resides at Jason Irwin’s 10Centuries - here.
Why?
Because there’s more to blogging than fiddling with site nuts and bolts, SEO, testing, etc. - it’s all about the writing for me.
Besides, [10Centuries v4] (http://10centuries.org/) is due soon (currently in invite-only beta) and that’s an entirely different ballgame!
Despite my what it states in my App.net bio I am #NotADeveloper.
But it helps to have a basic understanding of what it takes to be one.
A clear mind.
If you’re not following me on App.net you’re missing out on the occasional post about Ruby - our dog.
Ruby’s lovely. Approaching her first birthday, as she’s grown she’s lost none of her puppy enthusiasm; as she’s become more accustomed to our commands, we’ve tempered none of that quivering anticipation of awesome things about to happen.
Here’s a flavour of her impact on our lives, just my posts:
Planning required:
“@pme Aren’t the little buggers great? A good thing it’s nothing like Ruby ‘Chomp-all’ Dog. The rest of my family hadn’t quite understood the importance of putting things away. But there is an expectation that adults can put stuff in a safe place, right?”
Not quite according to plan:
“@indigo @rabryst I made sure that, if my wife was going to get a dog, said dog would be hypoallergenic, smart, and would not shed fur. Ruby has not let us down once, she’s awesome. A mutant compared to all the others round here, but awesome. :)”
Conflict:
“@matigo The cat woke me, I went downstairs to feed him and his sister - and Ruby dog - only to find she’d emptied out the contents of a box all over the living room floor. Hairbrushes, broken crayons, spectacles, pencils, paper, card, sticky tape, lipgloss…
… a plastic troll too! All chewed, damp. :/
My wife can sort it out when she comes home from work; she’s the one who leaves stuff out, allows the girls to, then complains when the dog chews.
Yeah, I just threw it all back in & stomped upstairs. :/”
Striving for an uncomplicated existence:
“@hazardwarning @hutattedonmyarm I didn’t go looking deeper, Ruby dog wanted me to play with her ball. Simple things… :)”
And, this self-referential #QuoteSunday post:
‘“Ruby dog, GET OFF MY PENIS!!!”*
- @bazbt3
Slightly* disconcerting #QuoteSunday quote.
*I mentioned my hedonistic lifestyle earlier in the evening, never thinking it’d come to this!’
True joy arrives unbidden in life, often unexpectedly, and in many different forms. Whilst bent over cleaning the cats’ litter tray, wearing a gaping dressing gown with the dog nuzzling one’s man-bits, trying to not startle Ruby ‘Chomp-all’ Turner though‽
Yeah, why not.
FYI: I am @bazbt3 on App.net.
My youngest daughter is a Ladybird (a member of the local Rainbows - pre-Brownies.) Every week her mummy takes her down to the church hall, she participates, and then I collect her at the end of the session.
Just like did with her sister, now a Brownie.
She’s usually made something, like a hat or a hanging thing, or a paper plate with paper poppies stuck around its periphery - for Remembrance Sunday.
This evening the things on the table at the end of the room defied my attempts to categorise. Unusual.
The leaders explained, for the benefit of the more dim-witted parents, what they were.
Sock monsters!
Not one alike, each the product of a child’s imagination, all amazing.
Ah, but glittery glue. Lots of it.
It gets everywhere, no matter how carefully it’s applied. I hate slimy sticky viscous things. But the inevitable beckoned so I picked the thing up, and immediately an antenna dropped.
Oops! I never was the most graceful individual. Clumsy, though age is improving me.
I was more circumspect when we left for the car park, not trusting my littlest offspring with the task of moving the monster from hall to car.
Me: “Er… can you please reach into my trouser pocket and get my car keys?”
We chose a safe spot on the back seat for the glue and sock, and waited for her big sister to finish Brownies.
All the while I gave a running commentary, ostensibly for my daughter’s benefit but a safety blanket for me. The pressure inherent in such situations is probably beyond the understanding of a non-parent. I’m sure it would have amused any adult within earshot.
We always chat about stuff during lulls between life and life, my daughter’s and I. Stars & planets, cars, condensation, school lunches and their friends and creations. Today not much chat, aside from a few words about her new thing. It’s got rice and lavender inside it and smells lovely. We’d best not let Ruby dog anywhere near lest…
Daughter 1 emerged a few minutes later, we buckled up and drove home.
Home, tea, change, ready for bed, tidy, teeth, night-night…
Though I know she wants to take it to school tomorrow, I’d forgotten if she’d told me the most important thing, so I just woke daughter 2 to ask her what the sock monster is called.
A frown, obviously. “I haven’t named it.”
And that was that.
Where do I start?
Perhaps I need a list for that.
I’ve had list managers, todo managers, GTD task managers and have even flirted with full-blown project management software. In all-but-one case I’ve eventually and habitually snoozed, or edited-to-postpone, tasks.
That one piece of software: Omnifocus for iOS.
I slated its developers for a bug-ridden update after the transition from iOS 6 to iOS 7. Every piece of useful software eventually breaks, but…
On Android now after a sidestep to Windows Phone, I must say I miss Omnifocus with its rich feature set and calendar integration.
Thats my personal productivity mentioned, there’s something important to note…
I use no productivity software at work.
I have a yellow Sigel Conceptum A5 squared notepad in which I write important things using a Fisher Space Pen. But the writing thing and the thing on which I write aren’t that important; what I write is.
I have a system.
I recently started allowing entries to span lines. It took 5 months; I was afraid of compromises, dilution of effect.
2016 2 January 18th ↪[ ] Tidy desk [✔] SolidWorks Vault deletions [ ] Catch up with previous tasks ! 🔺 Change (size on component) 🕒 Sick: 11:35-
I’ve been using this system since June 2015; it’s a keeper!