Tag Archives: site design news

Whoo! I’m still a programmer!

Posted on by

I wrote my first plugin, or rather significantly modified someone else’s plugin, to offer better comic navigation for the comics. If you’re on the homepage, you still have to click the “navigation links” link under the current comic to get to the nav links, but once you do that, you can now navigate through the archive by category — so if you just want to read the Get Outta My Head comics, you can do that, or just the Sketchy Theater, or just the Idiocy on the Internet. And the Comics category stays there so you can navigate through all the comics as well. This makes me happy :)

Next three orders of business: fix the left nav up because one of my images keeps stepping on it (might be “fix the image” instead) and then add some big ole buttons to access the forum and the store to the top somewhere.

But not right now. This programmer’s going to go get some sleep.

whew!

Posted on by

Okay, so, here’s what I did:

  • Changed the colors, font sizes, etc. obviously.
  • Added navigational links underneath the comic on the homepage.
    • Click “first comic” to get to the first comic.
    • Click “navigation links” to get to today’s comic, only in single-post view, which is where I’ve been hiding the “first/next/last” links all this time.
    • Click one of the archive links to get to the list of comics under that category. (Each comic is in both Comics and a subcategory.)
  • Changed the category links for the comics in the left nav, so that they go to a list of comics, not the comics themselves. That way you’re not trying to read the archive backwards anymore.
  • If you want to read the archive, click the “first comic” link when viewing a comic and then use the “next comic” link to move yourself forward. You know, like any normal website would.
  • Left the Ideas (blogposts) archive alone. It’s a blog, it should read like a blog.

I think that covers 90% of the feedback I’d gotten, but feel free to comment.

And yes, I could apply almost everything I did today to the old layout, if you prefer “manilla folder” to “blackboard”. Let me know.

So much to say, so little energy

Posted on by

I was going to post a lot more tonight – on comics, on life, on how I’m continually baffled by the power of music – but I took two Tylenol Sinus Nighttime about an hour ago and not only can I now breathe, but I can barely hold my head up. Ah, sweet sleep! I long for your embrace!

So you lot are getting the short-short version.

First: I’ve updated the Daily Comic List to include some new comics, including the incredible Anywhere But Here. I also threw in some new blogs I’m reading, and threw a bunch of old favorites down into the “sporadically updating” category because they all *said* they’d be back after the holidays, but they’re not yet….

Second: I found the song “Storybook Love” from Princess Bride on iTunes over the weekend. It’s not the version from the soundtrack, but it’s the same artist.

And let me just say for the record that yes, the lyrics for the song are stupid as shit, and yet, I’m left in a puddle of romantic ooze every time I hear them.

Third: Forum. Updated code. Running better. Feel free to check it out.

Forth: I’m going to Virginia Beach over Martin Luther King Day. I’ve got one of the two comics staged, other will go up this weekend. Lots of plans for the comic, including a new character (NOT a freaking dragon) who needs to have the most vanilla boring name I can come up with. Feel free to post suggestions on the forum… somewhere… to tired to go make a thread right now.

‘K, that’s it, go to bed. thanks!

Milestones

Posted on by

I’ve had a weekend where I didn’t actually complete a single project I started.
I’m sleepless right now and I have a long week ahead of me.
I’m angry because I’m tired and I’d like to be asleep,
not failing at writing poetry, failing at working on the novel, or failing to check my email.

December 5th marks exactly 1 year that I’ve owned the kirabug.com domain.
The various incarnations of my website are much older;
my geocities site was started 5 years ago, though none of the archives are still there.
from there, to Earthlink, to Comcast, and now to here, my home

through two moves, three or four blizzards, various car accidents,
experiments with html, experiments with php, experiments with javascript
experiments with poetry, fiction, comics, forums, more poetry, more comics

I’ve changed. The site’s changed. We’re getting 1500+ readers a month
(that is, if I’m reading my logs right, but even so) it’s an odd feeling to think someone’s listening
especially at 2am on a monday which promises to be a very long day
when i feel like the whole world’s asleep, and i’m alone

I’ve been a little too quiet lately; I’ll try to remedy that
not that I’m sure that’s what you’re here for – the logs point to a strong
possibility you’re here for the comics, but hey
i’ve been babbling on for a year here and you keep coming back

thank you, all of you, for giving me an anchor, and a milestone to achieve

Site redesign take two!

Posted on by

It’s been, what? Six or seven months since a redesign? Anyway, hope you like it… I’m not happy with the comic navigation myself, but that’s because I’m fussy fussy fussy.

New features:

  • having your browser window too small shouldn’t cause a big empty white space at the top anymore.
  • the “links” list (fastest way to get to the forum) won’t spontaneously rearrange itself. the order you see is the order you get.
  • it just plain looks nicer than that boxy thing.
  • number of items in each category is posted in the category list
  • if you click the title of a given category, you can use “first / previous / next / current” links to navigate – this is especially handy for the comics, which are usually navigated that way everywhere else. (note: you’ll get all the comics – there’s no way to do this by subcategory yet… i’m still looking for one though.)
  • changed the RSS feed so you have to actually VISIT the site to view the comics. I miss your smiling faces!
  • code validates!

So, seeing as my stomach still hurts, sleeping’s going to be an interesting challenge, but i can’t miss work two days straight, so it’s off to bed I go.