Rubenerd

I'm surprised that "A Blog focusing on Web Design and Search Engine Optimization Services" is so poorly designed. Okay, it's really not that bad but for a site that's intended for blogging about good web design, I would expect above average. The posts have no formatting whatsoever. The post I'm about to discuss was even laid out as a numbered list, but instead of typing ordered or unordered HTML tags they just wrote it out verbatim. Not good lah!

Anyway, they do have a great post about rules in web design, boiled down into five points:

1. Do not use splash pages
2. Do not use excessive banner advertisements
3. Have a simple and clear navigation
4. Have a clear indication of where the user is
5. Avoid using audio on your site

I would stress though there's one more critical point: Make your site accessible. Use established web and usability standards so those people who are using atypical software or devices to access your content (such as screen readers for the vision impared or even mobile phones etc) can do so.

Oh yeah, and a dash of humour is always a good thing too… have to give points to "Intense Development" for this :).

Intense Development: Five General Rules in Web Design

I don't use Movable Type, but for the benefit of those of you who do:

Movable Type 3.3 is now available. Current users of 3.0+ versions are entitled to update to Movable Type 3.3 at no cost. Update today to get these and many more great new features:

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If you’re using an older version of Movable Type (2.0 – 2.x), now is a great time to purchase an upgrade. Save up to 30% through August 30th.

Click here to learn more about the new release as well as the new Enterprise edition of Movable Type.

I've been using widgets on the Rubenerd Show site which uses Hemingway theme for WordPress and they're a great idea.

Oh MyUniSA Student Portal, why do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.

IMAP Microsoft Outlook for Student Email

Whoever thought that was a good idea is insane. Not only does it limit native access to Windows users, but the web based Outlook is horrendously difficult to use, ugly and slower than molasses. And I don't care what anyone says, IMAP email that is stored on a remote server and has to be refreshed every time you do anything is not superior to POP/SMTP.

MyUnisa Slow as Molasses

Today to access the MyUniSA homepage after logging in took just under 2 minutes. On a weeknight it can be up to 7 minutes. This is unacceptable.

Enrolment Still a Pain

All the posters say that painful enrolment procedures are a thing of the past with their new internet enrolment system. Yeah, right. A counter-intuitive interface, the inability to see subjects as a grid before making final changes, and the dreaded "This subject you've chosen clashes with another you have already enrolled in". What a joke.

Believe me there's more, but I have real work to do now ;).

It's a bit outdated (latest version of Mac OS X discussed is 10.3 Panther) but it has lots of information for first time Mac users:

• Importing Windows IE Bookmarks into Mac IE
• Importing MP3’s into iTunes
• Importing images into iPhoto
• Importing Palm information into Entourage
• Converting From Microsoft Money to Quicken
• Installing Latex
• Transferring emails from Microsoft Outlook to Entourage
• Programming Function Keys
• Installing Windows XP on Virtual XP
• Installing MySQL and PHP
• Installing Matlab

All Too Flat: Apple Switch Blog

From the site: You've seen those Apple Switch commercials and they're pretty convincing. But you have questions. How does the Mac OS X really compare to Windows? How easy is it to switch? What's the deal with the one mouse button? The guys at All Too Flat have the same questions. Follow this blog as we explore the ins and outs, ups and downs (strikes and gutters) of switching from the PC to the Mac.

Podcast: Play in new window · Download

10:00 – Walking home from uni, pronouncing "Pooraka", stupid long hair that's stupid, being unfit, actually walking to places (winter, stress relief, getting exercise), the relaunch of the Rubenerd Blog, and Ruben's foolproof solution to the oil price/supply crisis.

Recorded in Adelaide, Australia. Licence for this track: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5. Attribution: Ruben Schade.

Great introduction into what files are processed when you initialise a Bash session. The finer details may vary from distro to distro, but good for getting an idea of what goes on.

SuSE 7.3 Bash Initialization

From the site:

This is an overview of what gets set where when you use a bash shell in SuSE. The process works a little differently if you are running a different shell (zsh, ksh, [t]csh, etc.).

Ever find yourself humming away to tunes by Huang Li Ling or Cai Yi Lin Jolin? I don't speak Mandarin but I live with two people who do, and this is a great site for lyrics:

Music Paradise: Online Chinese Lyrics

Don't worry about gratitude, you can thank me later.

 

My favourite blog to read is Make it Great, so when Phil told me he released a book my first instinct was to buy buy buy! Unfortuantely a university student's pockets are not very deep, but now I finally have enough to get it.

I noticed on the website where it is being sold, Booksurge, that they offer an eBook version as well, which would be great for me because I'm obsessed with eBooks at the moment and I'd love to have this on my virtual "bookshelf", it would be convenient because as a uni student I don't exactly have much shelf space constantly moving from place to place, and also I'd be free from the United States → Australia postage!

Before I rush out though and spend mu USD 7.99, does anyone know the format of the eBook? PDF? Microsoft Reader? If it's the latter, it would be useless for my Mac or *BSD boxes, for obvious reasons ;).

Typing as we speak in the Boat Deck Cafe in Mawson Lakes. Coffee is good.

Okay people, so I've decided to revive the blog again. Lets just say that without it for a few months I was missing being able to spontaneously add stuff whenever I want, instead of waiting till the next episode of the Rubenerd Show.

I am changing the direction of this blog though I think to be more of a link blog than an article blog, if you get my drift. I post all the time to my Del.icio.us link account and so often I find I want to write a longer description or add a picture.

If you found this blog through Google or Vivisimo (my new favourite search engine) or some other engine, you can find the Rubenerd Show at RubenerdShow.com.

Anyway, long story short, it's good to be back in the blogosphere :).

Ever wondered what the first series of Sailor Moon is in German? Neither have I. How prevalent are fansubs in German come to think of it?

Der Glanz der Juwelen
Die Wahrsagerin
Der Geheimsender
Die Abmagerungskur
Das neue Haustier
Der Held meiner Träume
Ein Star wird geboren
Das Genie
Keine Zeit
Der Tempel der Verliebten

Traumprinzessin
Die Kreuzfahrt
Drei gegen Jedyte
Der Tenniscrack
Der Park
Das Hochzeitskleid
Das Fotomodell
Puppen weinen nicht
Liebesbriefe
Das Geisterhaus

Großes Ehrenwort
Bunnys erster Kuß
Narus erste Liebe
Der Verrat
Die vierte Sailor Kriegerin
Die Splitter des heiligen Kristalls
Der neue Klassenprimus
Das Selbstportrait
Alle schwärmen für Motoki
Der verrückte Opa

Ein langweiliger Sonntag
Im Vergnügungspark
Die Doppelgängerin
Die Mondprinzessin
Die fünfte Sailor Kriegerin
Der Friseursalon
Die englische Gräfin
Bunny, die Skikönigin
Die Eiskönigin
Der geheimnisvolle See

Ryos Warnung
Liebeskummer
Die Falle
Am Nordpol
Der letzte Kampf
Schwere Verluste