As you can see Ogden2k.net has been updated, it’s been a over two years since I have actually implemented a new theme. I worked long and relentlessly on not only this theme but making sure every page used the same template and that the PHP was optimized for performance.

The primary colors are blue and green; blue being my favorite color and green matches well with blue. I kept the essential dictionary / notepad look and layout as it re-enforces the focal point of the site which is blogging and writing about Christianity. One of my goals was the give the site a Web 2.0 look and I believe that I succeeded as far as what Ogden2k.net offers for content and interaction. I have Robin to thank for picking out the logo from many that I created. If you’re using Internet Explorer 6 or less I suggest upgrading to Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox due to some of the CSS and PNG graphics utilized.

Here’s a quick overview of the changes since version 3.1.3:

• New theme that has a fresh clean look with consistent colors
• Inactive navigation tabs are transparent until hovered or select
• Selected and or hovered navigation tab shows the relevant “dictionary like page information” explanation
• Most images now use “lightbox” when selected
• Random content is pulled and loaded by AJAX / PHP in the Christianity section
• Updated WordPress (blogging software) to the latest version
  • Guests can now post without registering although anyone can register locally or log in with OpenID so please feel free to comment, I love to hear from my readers

The majority of the images and coding here were designed by me with the following exceptions:

• Most of the little icon graphics were designed by famfamfam
• Lightbox script and the effect that changes the “page information” when the mouse hovers over a tab was found at Dynamic Drive

I spend a lot of time on computers, the internet and working with documents. Naturally I find it necessary to access my internet bookmarks, documents and other miscellaneous data wherever I am. Up until a year ago this was mostly impossible unless I had a VPN to my home network which is not the most practical or efficient option. I mostly use Firefox for browsing the web due to a few add-ons that make it very beneficial for me, one of which gives me the ability to sync my bookmarks online and access them in any web browser via a website if the computer I’m using does not have Firefox installed. Foxmarks has really helped me out in certain situations are work and at a clients house when I needed to access a particular website. Another handy add-on that I use a lot is Toodledo, it allows me to create and organize tasks via their website/add-on for Firefox.

Microsoft has recently been working on a new product called Office Live, it allows you to upload, share and manage documents online, there’s even a plugin that allows you to access and save documents within Office which makes syncing much easier.

Synchronization is not where I’d like it to be, but the technology is progressing and in a few years I see the ability to sync everything such as web browser settings, bookmarks, profiles, documents, etc and have access to them wherever you go.

This week as been a mix of weather ranging from warm temperatures of 45-50 degrees to below freezing with snow and rain one after another. A little after a year I have finally started my exams to become a MCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Technician), not out of relentless studying but after finally getting myself motivated to take the tests. This morning I traveled to Waterville to take the first part of the MCDST certification, 70-271 which was very easy, I passed with a 916 out of 1,000. I plan to use the MCDST as a basis for other certifications such as possibly the MCSA, MCITP.

This weekend we are supposed to get more snow which I’m hoping is true as I will have a chance to get out and photograph snow-covered conifers which I have only had one other opportunity to which was on New Years day with Robin. I have not had many opportunities to use my newly purchased Canon 40d digital SLR camera.

David and his family, one of my co-workers, invited me to their home today to celebrate “Cinco de Mayo“. David was grew up in Mexico and moved to the US in his twenties, he’s been a good friend and I’ve enjoyed pr acting my Spanish with him and learning how to cook Mexican dishes. We ate Guacamole dip, chicken sautéed in chocolate mixed with pepper and tortias mixed with cactus, peppers, onions and cream cheese.

Later in the day I installed Microsoft SQL Server 2005, IIS, ASP.NET and Community Server 2007. I’ve wanted to learn ASP.NET which is a Microsoft based server-side web programming language. I am going to be attempting to convert Ogden2k.net over to ASP.NET on my dev server at home.

The weather has been fairly cool this spring although the trees are finally starting to bud and the grass turning green. I purchased bird feed for the feeder that mom had given me for Christmas along with a Golden Finch feeder that hangs on the outside of my bedroom window. The birds found the feeder last Saturday morning which was nice to wake up to them singing.

I now have a DVR from Time Warner, I have been wanting this for awhile now; it’s coming in very handy as I have many shows scheduled to be recorded and different days and hours of the week.

Today I woke up to a beautiful snow covered view outside my bedroom window. The pine trees where coated with fresh fluffy snow. On my way to work Howard Street is once again something to look twice at with the maple trees drooped and covered in a fresh coating snow. I am really excited after reading a bunch of reviews on CES 2006. I really love new technology, hardware, software and games. I recently finished upgrading the back-end for this blog, my clients and my forum message boards and had a good time doing it. I enjoy reading and experimenting with the new features, enjoying looking at the new coding also goes along with that excitement.

Some of the articles I read from CES 2006 is the upcoming Western Digital Rapter - X. I’m really impressed with its specifications. It has a hefty price of $350, something I would not spend on a hard drive for what I do. Another interesting yet discouraging topic at CES was the BluRay vs. HD-DVD war. I really hope that the new HD format for media settles soon because the consumer is going to lose. Who wants to purchase two DVD players to watch a certain movie? I know I don’t. All I know is that I am happy with what I have now, though I must admit I’m a little worried for the future of HD media. I’ll probably end up re-purchasing some of my movie titles in HD.