Check out the coolest new thing! This markup language, rather– a presentational, formatting syntax (for typing *one thing*, to have it _published_ in a particular visual style) capable of converting simple, readily available keyboard symbols into valid HTML.

This special formatting syntax, known as Textile, is targeted toward the countless web citizens who, while they are active in the most populated corners of the web (maintaining blogs, participating in community forums, social networking sites, etc.), they have little to no functional knowledge of HTML, XML, and XHTML, the basic– if not currently most common– building blocks required for publishing web content.

How is it that people, without knowledge of HTML, have been able to publish so much of it? The answer is in preformatted content management systems, like Google’s Blogger, or in the bbcode common to forums, where simple syntax is used to change text styles, enabling HTMilliterate people to breathe some life into chunks of otherwise plain text. From what I’ve seen of Textile, it looks as though the doors to web publishing will open a bit wider to empower more users, with more options, a less cumbersome syntax than bbcode, where a single character is used to indicate bold or italic type (such as the asterisk [*], underscore [ _ ], etc.) instead of the rather bulky, square-bracket, letter, square-bracket (i.e. [i]italic[/i] [b]bold[/b] ).

Maybe you don’t find this to be all that fascinating. Maybe you are excited, and eager to learn more. Please don’t let me hold you any longer! Try the Textile sample page. It just might open the door to your next web publishing project, while it takes care of writing valid code, served up in attractive style in what may be the most user-friendly option for the non-html-skilled web citizens.

THough It may not seem like it from your perspective, there is actually a lot going on behind the scenes of NoviceNotes™ right now. Allow me to fill you in with a brief run-down.

Habari - A Web Log Framework

[ stuff about habari here... ]

Habari -vs- Compatibility with Affiliate Advert Code

What on earth is Affiliate Advert Code, right? [ more on this concept.... ]
If my Affillates code is not compatible with Habari, I will first try to write my own code-workaround. To do so will be awesome (should it actually work) — for a couple of reasons!

1. Obviously, this is cool because it would mean that I can use Habari, and I can finally put behind me all of this indecision over how i wish to move forward with NoviceNotes™.
2. The best part about writing a patch for establishing compatibility between my Affiliate advertising agency’s code, and the Habari web log framework itself (see http://habarproject.org for more info ), if it’s not obvious, is the benefit such a patch will have on the Habari development / users community — so any of those users who also use the same affiliate agency as I, will have nothing to worry about! The benefit extends, of course, also to the Affiliate agency itself, since any users who are dedicated to publishing with Habari (i.e. instead of, or as an alternative to their current work with a another CMS, or server-side scripted web log framework, like WrodPress™, for example) would be able to rest assured that the platform is supported by their own affiliate advert code, adding more encouragment for the potential Habari developer to proceed with that sort of major server-side codebase change.

WordPress - Carrington Theme - CMS Alternative

A CMS-like approach to expanding the capabilities of WordPress, Carrington has, so far, proved to be much less friendly– for me, for the type of developer I am (vs artist, or designer) — than what I’ve experienced so far with Habari, however I’ve set nothing in stone just yet, obviously. It certainly helps to talk-it-out, even to myself, here in the public-space, if that’s what I have to do, ya know?

Most important to me is that progress; forward momentum for NoviceNotes™ is on the books, and the sooner the better!

I wanted to post, even though there isn’t much substance here, because I’ve been excited about how smoothly I’ve deployed Habari, so that’s all I expect any reader to take from this– maybe a bit of the vibe of excitement, for great things to come, man! I am ready to rock.^†

The URL points to the e-Nation artist site, on last.fm, which features an instrumental composition, written and performed by the guitarist. Your NoviceNotes™ editor is that guitarist. Enjoy!

^†E-NATION (Musician Ensemble), “z-28″ (LIVE from the Rathskeller, State College, PA), Last.fm, 2004, http://www.last.fm/music/E-NATION/_/Sabarese’s+Pieces (2009, May 07)

Ah, sweeet!

…well, that’s all i have to say ’bout that right now. as you might expect, there will be more; much more on this topic, momentarily.

for those who have been wishing for “that sort of thing”, i’ve got several Alt+Print-Screen captures going on here– all step-by-step sort’a, here’s what this looks like kind’a, what you should know ’bout’a, lemme save you some time, won’t-ya?– so, do return in a while to see what that’s all about.

for now, i have one word for any fellow windows 7 users who seek the primary operating system security software, such as an anti-virus solution, and a 3rd-party firewall: Kaspersky 8.

Actually, Kaspersky apparently have yet to officially name it version “8″– as it’s written nowhere that i see, upon going there to get the URL for you, but have a look at this file name. Instead (at the time of writing), the name is: technical preview of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Windows 7, and the word Prototype is used instead of preview at least once– so, clearly the name is indefinite.

Maybe you can see where i came up w/ that Kaspersky 8 business. Note: copying and pointing your ftp client, or web browser to this URL should invoke the file transfer you wish– that is, if you wish to transfer the setup file for this Kaspersky system security suite. ftp://ftp.kaspersky.com/beta/kavwks8.0_for_windows7/kavwks8.0.0.1015en.exe )

Click it. Reveal more rap [ Re: SPF ]

To write of bandwidth might be to jump on the bandwagon, as the topic is a popular focus of discussion, both on and off-line lately. Recent announcements by some major ISP’s indicate a change in policy which will subject customers to restrictions in bandwidth use. The issue hits close to home with many users, so it is worthy of some undivided attention, regardless of popular news overkill. Let us have a closer look.

Depending on the context, the term bandwidth can be used to refer to different subjects, which may be unrelated to computer networking and the the Internet, the contextual meaning of bandwidth as it is used here. I invite you to read on, as I attempt to answer the following questions:

1. What is bandwidth?
2. Does bandwidth affect me personally?
3. Bandwidth is the concern of ISP’s, big Corporate offices, and Web Server Administrators, isn’t it?
4. In terms of technology advancing rapidly, what about bandwidth might I want to observe?
5. How can I learn more about the relationship between bandwidth and my own interests?

What is Bandwidth?

It’s not this simple, or cut and dried, but the term bandwidth essentially refers to how much stuff goes through a modem– at any given moment, or period of time. In some instances, where two parties must have an equal understanding of their shared use of the very term, Bandwidth, I’ve recognized the terminology to be inconsistent, across the board, depending upon the context of its use, and what sort of qualitative / quantitative determination the assessment thereof wishes to make.

The connotative meaning of the term bandwidth especially tends to differ greatly, from author to author (i.e. To offer the most handsome of deals, ISP’s may be misleading consumers by inserting technically valid, yet misunderstood terminology, such as Megabit.)

[ Edited, 2009-03-09 :]When I first wrote this article, I wrote of my concern for ethical advertising, and whether public ignorance is being leveraged in favor of broadband service accounts, such that product sales could ultimately be attributed to a perpetuation of misinformation. But now, on reviewing this article some days later, I must reconsider my viewpoint in favor perhaps of a more relevant, if not more realistic concern. which may, or may not relieve the burdon of responsibility from the service provider. [: End Edit] Many Network Connectivity providers use MegaBit [vs. MegaByte] figures in advertisements, when touting the highest-of-speeds per package, per competitive products offered. Within the context of better understanding, it is necessary to consider that the unit, MegaBit, is in fact– historically speaking– probably the most accurate way of describing how broad is the band, so any other description might be regarded as a perpetuation of ignorance. The question must be raised, “To ensure consumers have a proper understanding of the cost of services available, vs– in this matter– the relative speed of that service, who must bear the responsibility of education?”.

To assess the question of ethics in service advertising, I believe we must first agree that there exists a disparity between common understanding, and technical knowledge of computer networking. To the geeks, and for the old-school professionals, a MegaBit may be perceived for what it really is, while the common broadband consumer will, most likely, never realize that there may be a bit, or there may be a byte, moreover whether to argue for the sake of ethics. It may be the burdon of the middle-ground to take up this argument.

If we should consider misuse, or misunderstanding of general bandwidth terminology, I believe it is reasonable to acknowledge differences between the actual, or technical meaning, vs. the perceived notion of a bit, and a byte of data, and moreover, how that notion is realized in the cost of its delivery. The issue at hand is not one of scientific proportions, however, but something of general customer satisfaction. The technical semantics in a service provider’s claim, such as Megabit per second, vs laymen familiarity with the popular term, Megabyte, in all practicality is probably irrelevant when it comes to a more tangible issue of satisfaction in the delivery of those goods.

It’s doubtful that anyone would become so concerned over the question of misinformation, whether a service has been provided under false pretense, that he or she would think it worthy of taking serious measures, or legal action. After all, a survey of grand proportions would have to be conducted to determine public opinion, furthermore, whether the general consumer is aware enough to have any opinion on the matter at all. For the general consumer, assuming he or she is not an expert in broadband technology, it is probably enough to simply experience a “faster” connection; that web sites load smoothly, and file downloads are fast, to have a sense of satisfaction in the service. I think I can settle on that notion as well.

How does Bandwidth Affect Me?

Personally, when I think of bandwidth, I tend to reflect upon sums of tender paid for bandwidth usage, or consumption of the broadband. For example, I can transmit as much as 6MB of data per second (as claimed by the ISP), which means I could– potentially– consume a fat ol’ band of the optic fiber. If I, or anyone on the network, were able to establish a connection with a remote host wherein the transfer rates maintain relative equivalence to 6MB / second, my own maximum Upload rate (even though the Network is actually capable of a much more broad bandwidth of data transfer). The 6MB / Second figure, therefore, is an apparent, reasonable allotment of bandwidth, as set forth by ISP contract, as well as any restrictions which may be imposed by limitations of technology in the Network chain.

One might wonder, “…Will I be able to put forth my own greatest effort in bandwidth consumption this afternoon, or will I be forced to live at 1MB/ Second all day?…”. Let’s assume such an ideal access point is unavailable– that is, as would be typical, a circumstance wherein the network connectivity is not capable, or will refuses to allow transferring 6MB of data per second (at any given moment); if a remote point with which I am interacting can not maintain a speed equivalent to my own, then my own ability to transfer ‘X-amount’ of data is limited, not by my ISP, but by the 3rd-party resource (i.e. my bandwidth usage is limited by the capabilities of my ISP, and any resources I desire to obtain, or share through my established network connectivity, the data transfer rate thereof, the duration of any transfers, the number of simultaneous connections I may maintain, etc.)

It hadn’t been an issue, but a limitation is being imposed as part of the contract with my ISP that I may use only a certain amount of bandwidth per month, however, to exceed or even come close to that amount; to consume enough bandwidth over a 30-day period that I might incur additional fees is a difficult achievement– as it is for any one average user– due in large part to the limited data transfer rates of available resources. Regardless of unlikely possibilities under current circumstances, a precedent has been set by which incrementalist pricing strategy becomes possible, thereby threatening to literally put Network Connectivity out of reach for lower-income households. Let us imagine that a reciprocal trend toward a diminishing availability of dial-up access points has already begun. Slower networking is certainly less practical for the requirements of the RIA– Rich Internet Applications. With RIA’s continuing to emerge, dominating a continually growing portion of the global web space, it is only reasonable to assume that dial-up access, not unlike analog television broadcast in Feb 2009, will eventually disappear completely.

I didn’t set out to write a book on broadband, but i’m afriad this article was slowly dragging on in that direction, so i’d rather close here– unfinished or not. Another day permitting, I hope maybe to come back to this topic when I am better able to put a concise summary together– but therein really lies the problem with bandwidth: it is not a topic which can be covered adequately in a single short article. For now, I’m satisfied having opened up the topic. Being possibly one of the more vast concepts of modern civilization, I recommend– if the reader’s interest is captured in this topic– continue to study it. Have a look at the Wikipedia on bandwidth, and try my search engine query as a starting point for exting your research.

What are your thoughts?

To me, the psuedo-elements — :first-line, and :first-letter have never seemed to be very useful. Their very conception, i thought seemed a bit whacky, and i never really understood it, nor had i found any regular use for them.

I had used the psuedo-elements, :before and :after in the original stylesheet for my first all-CSS original creation– but i think it’s safe to say i was doing so for little more than the purpose of practicing. Whether my use of :before and /or :after in that stylesheet contributed to the overall quality of the aesthetics of the web site is far within the realm of mixed opinion.

Applied Use of :first-letter

It has come to my attention lately, however, that there is perhaps a very fine use for the :first-letter psuedo-element. the technique i picked up came, not from any of the popularly designers’ venues, such as A List Apart, Berea St., or CSS guru, Eric Meyer (principal consultant of Complex Spiral, Enterprise consulting for web standards), but to my surprise, i picked up this technique straight from the horses mouth! The following reference demonstrates the intuitive design which lends insight into the manner of thinking exercised in harvesting the power of CSS. Follow the link below to learn how this practical use of the :first-letter pseudo-element may be easily appended to an existing stylesheet.

A Practical, Easy to Add Style

If you are interested in trying some new things with CSS– especially if you’ve got a few years of CSS under your belt, i recommend you take a fresh look at the official w3c.org CSS 2 Recommendation, or the revision of that standard, the CSS 2.1 Candidate– not yet to recognized as a normative reference (and as of this date^†, not to be cited as such).
Try out the W3C’s own suggestion for using CSS to emulate the classic typographical style technique, the ‘Drop Cap’. Don’t be afraid to continue beyond the section on :first-line and :first-letter– this is only the beginning of the great ideas presented by the w3c.

(a drop cap [or dropcap, drop-cap]) is easily recognizeable– as the first letter of a paragraph, signified as typically twice the size of the text which follows it. Enjoy this very easy way of spicing up your paragraph styles. Kudos to the W3C for publishing something practical!

Authored, 2006-12-23 - Published 2009-02

On 2009-02-20, this text was edited slightly from the original (recently discovered, previously unpublished), written on 2006-12-23