Love is Pain

I lost my true love...
She was my queen , campanion, soulmate and best friend...

There is no way to describe the pain.

Here is a song to download that does a pretty good job..
I'm sure Zimmerman wouldn't mind.

I am getting better by the grace of God...
Thanks everybody for the awsome support and prayer.

The Lights

I took this picture on vacation.... Now I'm on a overtime frenzy.... Have mercy...

Search Engine Optimization

Getting a site with high rankings in the search engines has been a fight for me for a long time... I do the best I can and sometimes I am very successful... Sometimes I'm not. I try to suggest many of the same techniches for all of the folks I design for but I am still waiting for many of my sites to get a good position... And, it's frustrating when I don't ever get there...

I use many of the techniques suggested at this SEO forum thread.

Here is my own short list:

• Meta Tags
• Keywords in title, headers and text
• Links (Backlinks)
• Clean Code
• Site Map (text links)
• Limited Flash
• Keywords in ALT tags of images
• Submit your site to directories
• Anchor Text in links to and from other sites... (Free Web Design) Keywords
• Content and more content.. The more the better...

I'm sure there are plenty of people who disagree... People fight all the time on those fourms ya know? It's lile the wild wild west...

Top 10 Web Design Mistakes?

I love these kinds of things... The Top 10
I often agree with those guys... They are ALWAYS very down on Flash but you must know that almost everybody I encounter wants something moving on a page... Normal people LOVE flash.

That's just the way it is...
Some things will never change.

Editing your own website

So you got a template somewhere (maybe from me) and you want to tweak it and put it up on the web? Or maybe you just want to be able to update your site whenever you want and don’t want to get me to do it… You wanna learn to do it yourself?

I have blogged about this before… And decided to do it again and refer people to this post when they ask about it… (And they often do) Here are some options:

• WYSIWYG editor like Dreamweaver or FrontPage (What you see is what you get)
• HTML (tweak the pages in the code)
• CMS Content management system

There are pro’s and cons for each of these methods…And they all require a learning curve. Dreamweaver works best… You can use FrontPage or something but once it gets ahold of that page it tends to do bizarre things to the page but the site still works (usually)

I tried a free one before too: http://nvu.com it worked OK but when you “publish” the site it scatters the files all over the server instead of neatly into folders like Dreamweaver does… I have had a few people use it but they couldn’t seem to understand the program and how it “publishes” the pages.

It looks like they have a new version so it may work better now…

Some people have installed a WYSIWYG editor that works from a browser… http://www.wysiwygpro.com/

I think it works OK but I know it has mangled one of my sites and I’m going to cut them loose after the 1^st of the year because of it... They never gave me any money and I’m hosting the site for free but can’t use it on my portfolio.

Some folks try to use “site builder’ tools that are offered by their host… Those things are not compatible with the software I use…. People often already have a site they designed with those things but want me to fix it up... When I do that it is hard for me to get them to understand they no longer can use the “site builder” tools because it will overwrite everything I have done.

My server has an area where you can log into the server and view your files and actually edit the pages from there either with html or with a built in WYSIWYG but I have never played with that stuff on my server before…

A Content Management System is a “web portal” that is all managed from a “backend” of the site… There are many sites that use these things. You basically install it and then “skin it” to try to make it look like you want and then add content in the backend… I have played with a few of these things and used to try and get folks to use them because many of them have lots of “interactive” features and stuff. But they can be quite confusing too… And buggy… I had a personal one up before but hackers kept trying to hack into it and I just got tired of fighting it… Still, they are pretty cool.

I do use a very small CMS on many of my sites for “editing news” articles and it works right along with existing pages… http://www.cutephp.com/ it used to be free but now they want a link if you don’t register it.

This personal Christian site is using it: Grapes of Grace among others of mine.

Good Grief… Isn’t that a lot to take in?

Black Friday

The Day after.... Happy ThanksGiving

Remember... I'm a busy man... If ya need some stuff done or you are waiting for me to get to something you can always drop an email and ask what the deal is... I tend to forget stuff and get sidetracked...

I may be working TONS of overtime at my real job next week too... Can ya dig it?

Blogg Caution

I was reading in the newspaper about blogging the other day... It was interesting what they had to say… Bloggs are not private... If you blogg it is wise to write stuff that any boss, future bosses, wife, mother or grandmother could read and not be offended… The same could be true of Email because it’s so easy just to forward that crazy stuff you may write to all the people in your address book... And then they do the same ETC.

I used to blogg during the election and had some political views that I made public. Many of which were not very popular in this part of the country but I felt the need to do it… Now I don’t even know if I want to go there at all anymore. I just want my blogg to have some interesting stuff. But the fear in writing stuff that is controversial? Hmmmm?

Anybody can read what you write at anytime- That’s just the way it is.

But then blogging can also help you with employment .Future bosses can read your blogg and learn a lot about you and your abilities and interests. I guess this saves them time on the interview process… You got it all laid out in front of them…

Come on…Be a blogger… I dare ya!

Downtown

Downtown Tulsa at nite!
I'm kinda proud of this picture I took during mayfest 2005

Contact Forms Hacked

I have recently been fighting hackers with my contact forms on many of my sites…They seem to send some kind of robots to “activate’ the forms and then send some kind of gibberish to my inbox.

I keep looking around for some kind of solution for this… I’m not sure if there is one without some kind of custom written script. My siteowners may just have to live with it until I can come up with something that works or take down the contact forms altogether.

I shall keep fighting but it robs me of my web design time that grows shorter daily. If anybody knows of a good script please let me know!

I was reading recently that this hacking virus writing spyware stuff is getting so crazy that it may some day compromise the internet itself. Isn’t that bizarre?

StairWay

I used to play in a band called "Hutto Hippies"
We had a song called "Downward Spiral"

This could have been our albume cover.

Whattya Say?

At The Cross

Refrain
At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away; it was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!

My daughter took this picture..
Pretty cool huh?

Do it Yourself Web Maintenance

Lots of folks want to have a website they can get up and running and just get in there and edit stuff themselves very easily… And it is possible… But there is always a learning curve with anything related to computers... Even playing a new game has a learning curve…

Lots of times folks want me to design a site for them and then want me to just hand it over to them to just add and delete stuff to at any given moment… They ask:

How do I just log into the site and change a picture or something?

Here are some options for doing this:

• Learn HTML… Edit your pages with notepad or another text editor and then upload the pages using FTP
• WYSIWYG software – Get FrontPage or Dreamweaver or another editor, tweak the pages and them upload them via FTP
• Use a Content Management System (CMS) to handle all of your sites functions.
• Use a web based WYSIWYG editor or site builder tools…

Here are some things about the above methods:

• HTML is great... If you learn that you can become a designer just like me...
• WYSIWYG editors all have steep learning curves to work to their full potential... And FrontPage can be a nightmare of bizarre code and having a very messy file structure on a server…
• CMS’s also have learning curves and are basically “pre designed” and are often hard to “skin” to your liking... They can also be buggy and have to be updated because of evil hackers out there that are always roaming the web causing havoc
• Web based tools are very limited in what they can do. They also write dirty code and can be quite buggy as well...

I have looked high and low for an easy way to enable people to edit their own sites... It just aint that easy... (Sorry)

Conclusion:

I have had lots of folks take some of my designs and get in there and totally hack it up to where it doesn’t look like my design anymore… To folks that have done this is fine but if I am hosting your site and you do this I am no longer able to have you on my portfolio and will be asking you to find a new host after the first of the year… Just thought I’d blogg about this while I had it on my mind…

Free Software Part 3

Got Passwords?

I do... Over 200 and counting... And I can't remember any of them ya know? :)
Passwords are a major pain...

That's why I use Any Password! It is the easiest and simplist way to manage tons of passwords.. And if you have trouble thinking of good strong passwords it will make em up for you with one click...

Get Any Password - You can thank me later.

Dreams

I dreamed that this was my datacenter...

Dream on, dream on,
Dream until the dream come true...

-Steven Tyler

Ya know he visits here in Tulsa a few times a year... I hear he married a Tulsa girl...

And he wears that "pitbulls on crack" T-shirt in one of their videos.. I guess he's a fan...
Are You?

Flashlight Kid

Kid's like Flashlights
Kids like Flashlights
Kid's like Flashlights
Kids like Flashlights

The future Web WannaBe
DaveStuff

Free Software Part 2

So you wanna be a programmer? Naw…Don’t do it. To much math. But you want to be able to read your code or write some html pages from scratch and don’t want to use that boring ole’ notepad program to do this..

I have been using Araneae for years to tweak scripts and other text stuff.. It is lightweight, very stable and color codes the code so it is easier to follow. And of course it’s FREE!

Just downloaded and intalled another free program. It is a “color grabber” which enables me to get colors from anywhere on the screen and use them in any graphics program I want… I’m trying to get used to it. It is a bit confusing but I think I’m getting the hang of it… Check it out here.

Free Software Part 1

I am always looking for free software to help me and others have a full toolbox for web design or other tasks... I have heard it said that there is no more free stuff on the web.
Those days are over -

Not true... I am always running into somethig that is pretty cool...

I have raved about Irfanview for years for photo editing and optimization... So many people put up pictures on their sites or bloggs and stuff that are super huge... Or they have been resized using html and look funky... You have to "optimize" images for the web... Ya know I'm always going on about this.... I know you love your dog and he desirves a big space on your website... But if the picture is over 500kb in size and stuff people will not wait around for that image to download... Over 70% of surfers are still on dialup ya know?

Yesterday I discovered an awsmoe web developer toolbar for the firefox browser... If you are not using firefox which is also free then I highly recommend it for surfing the web... It is a very secure browser..

This toolbar has TONS of features to be able to test and see all types of web design aspects... It is really cool... I can't believe I went for years without having it. I love firefox but now with this new addon I'm almost IN love.

FireFox Web Developer Toolbar
Irfanview

Overtime

• Overtime
• Overtime
• Overtime
• Next time…

I just get swamped with new stuff to do and old stuff to change…

I am working so much overtime at work I simply don’t have enough hours in the day to keep up with what is going on with my web design projects…

I know I have probably forgotten about people I was supposed to do a site for too...
It's just gettin' pittiful...

Now what can a poor boy do…
Except sing for a rock and roll band…
-Mick and the boys…

Young is Fun

Was it so long ago?

D and G Arts?

20 something and a budweiser brunch?

When I think of all the good times that's been wasted - Having good times....

-Eric Burdon

Get Rich Quick

DaveStuff the web guru wannabe is building the biggest web design portfolio on the web… I do this to either get into the Guinness World Book of Records or so some computer wiz headhunter will find me and offer me a part (or full) time job to supplement my income… And of course because I like it…

It’s like building model planes or working in the tool shed. It relaxes me and of course is hopetully bearing fruit for the kingdom...

I know I blow away the competition because of decent skill levels and the willingness to design for free… I’m sure that just aggravates so many other designers out there but then again I could be wrong… (There are other “free web design services")

Not many of course because anybody that happens to get any ole version of MS FrontPage and understands how easy it is to put a page up decides they can make a lot of money and open shop…

Be your own boss, make tons of money with little cost to start your business…
YOU CAN DO IT

Sounds like a spam letter huh?

Boo Ha Ha

This is our sixth year ...We don't miss it...

Brookside Tulsa

Purse Snatchers Beware

A friend of ours got her Purse snatched right from under her in a grocery store parking lot. She had her 3 year old grandson with her so you can imagine this was quite the ordeal. Fortunately God was with her.

Susan had just finished grocery shopping at Reasers Food store with her grandson and was ready to load her groceries into the car. She was using her car keys to unlock the door.

Right about this time a guy drove up close in a pickup truck and reached out and grabbed the purse out of her hand. But - incredibly her phone and wallet fell out on the ground. This left only some lipstick and other makeup in the purse.

Then, with her car keys still in her hand she reached out and scratched the living heck out of the side of the truck as it was driving off. The Police were amazed… So were we.

This can only be God folks… -And that’s real...

Who's Web Project?

With so many web requests I get all the time it is hard for me to keep track of which project I am working on. I often get confused on so many things it is just pitiful.

• Who’s project am I working on?
• Who contacted me first?
• Who has promised me some money?
• Who gave me some money?
• Who sent me the latest content?
• Who was that who wanted a site?
• Who’s project do I enjoy working on?
• Who’s project is the most demanding?
• Who was the last in line?
• Who am I waiting on content from?
• Who is the best free website designer?

The “Who” is one of my all time favorite bands! Dig it?

Bottom Line – If you are wondering where I am on your site you may want to email me and bug me because I often just get confused… Who are YOU?

Happy Halloween

I thought it would make a great Haunted House.

Feelings

Some Ramblings from my online animated quiz.

• "Feelings" have nothing to do with what Christ has already done...
• We are completely saved by Christ one time only.
• We have eternal life because of what Christ has done. - Not us.
• God’s forgiveness and love is omnipotent...
• We are completely pardoned of ALL sin and stand before God as a righteous Saint!
• The act of purchasing back something previously sold - Our Righteousness
• Our 'best effort' just isn’t good enough folks. We must have grace.
• We are completely pardoned of ALL sin and stand before God as a righteous Saint!
• Resistance often seems futile no matter how devoted to God we are. We fail miserably
• Stuff and more stuff- We want it all and we want it now. And we go to any lengths to get it.
• No, but we do have a source of power to call upon for help.
• Believers know who (the devil) to resist to get success. But we all struggle.
• Believers are redeemed.
• No, but we do have a source of power to call upon for help.
• Without faith it is impossible to please God.
• We are judged on Christ's behavior - Not ours.
• Justified by Faith through Grace
• There is never enough of what we think we want.
  

Amen?

Busy busy busy...
Never had so many people wanting websites... Going to try and find some time to do short bloggs here and there for the fun of it however... And of course to rant and rave about nothing and everything...
Web Design Guru WannaBE

Sweet Home Oklahoma

I used to think it was OK to play sweet home Alabama. Of course you know I never been there. No, sir. Not one time.
I suppose it is OK to play Gloria.. Like Jim and the boys but looking back on it now It was really stupid. That's just the way it goes.
Jim was a Drunk.. I was a drunk.. But that's OK too..

I remember playing a small club in Disney Oklahoma. I was involved in a rather intense party situation but was feeling a little empty-
If you know what I mean... So I was asking around the club a little bit to see what was going on and sombody informed me that the FBI was there.
Or was it the DEA? Anyway, needless to say I was a bit on edge for the rest of the Gig.

It seemed as if this guy just kept looking at me.. He was'n't looking at anybody else.. Just me. This was going on for the rest of the night..
Was that the DEA agent? Hmmmm I guess I will never know..

At the end of the evening I was out in the parking lot and came across a young woman. She was looking at the moon..
"Ain't that moon intense"? She said.. She looked at it the entire time we were loading up the gear.. Or actually the rest of the band was.
I decided to look at the moon too!
I guess it was intense.. It's all a state of mind.