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Product Review: Artisteer / WordPress Theme Generator

April 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Artisteer - WordPress Theme Generator

I have been using Artisteer’s Theme Generation software for a few weeks now and I have to say that  I have been very pleased with it so far.  I use the WYSIWYG theme generator as a way to layout or brainstorm themes for client projects.  This is sometimes a lot faster than customizing an open-sourced theme or purchasing  a premium theme to use as a starter layout.

With Artisteers software you can also generate themes for Drupal and Joomla as well as WordPress.  This is pretty nice if you want to keep a consistent look and feel across multiple installations.  One of the things I like most about the code that Artisteer generates is that it’s pretty user friendly, and you can easily tweak the stylesheet settings using third party applications like Topstyle.  The php files generated by Artisteer are also pretty easy to get around in as well, I typically make a few rounds of modifications to both my header and footer files once I have generated my theme, and have never had any issues.

I know of a few other developers who have downloaded and been trying the Artisteer application since I first blogged about it a while back, and I have heard nothing but rave reviews from them in regards to the software as well.  If you are using Artisteer, I would love to hear your comments as well.  For more information or to purchase Artisteer software, click the link above…

Filed Under: Web Development, Wordpress™ Tagged With: , ,

Current Projects: NascarView (update)

April 6, 2009 By 1 Comment

Just wanted to post an update about our newest online property, NascarView.com.  Our number continue to soar for this website and we are in the process of putting together a media kit for any advertisers that might be interested in coming on board with us (stay tuned for links to the media kit).  We have also reached a milestone of sorts in that we picked up our 1000th follower this past week on Twitter for @nascarview.

Earlier this past week we added two new sections to the website as well that have been received very well by our readers.  Those sections are “Back in the Day” and “Flying Helmets”.  Our “Back in the Day” section takes a look at drivers from the early days of NASCAR and stock car racing in general.  Some of our posts that have gotten a lot of attention in this category dealt with drivers like Alan Kulwicki and Hooker Hood.

Our “Flying Helmets” category got it’s name from an incident that happened during a race when Robby Gordon threw his helmet at Michael Waltrips car while the field was under caution.  This section is geared toward those on and off the track fueds that sometimes give NASCAR fans a little drama to coincide with the races.  So far this season has been light in terms of altercations between drivers, but the season is still very young, and I am sure we will have some interesting posts in this category before the chase gets here.

Our message board has also been gaining popularity as of late, and I think that it’s a realistic goal for us to expect about 200 active members by the time Talladega rolls around.  If you haven’t already, I invite you to checkout NascarView.com!

nascarview-update

Filed Under: Current Projects, Sports Tagged With: ,

Current Projects: Lifepoint CA

April 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I have been working on a pro bono ministry project for a friend of ours this past week.  They are in the process of planting a church in California called Lifepoint Church.  Since they are in the planting phase of the project the website is going to be pretty straightforward starting out, but eventually as the church grows and starts holding services the content management solution (wordpress) will be scalable enough for them to add additional functionality as the need arises such as calendars, podcasting, and photo galleries.

I have been constructing the website on my sandbox to get the stylesheets all lined out so I don’t have a link that I can share at this time but here’s a screenshot for now.  Once the site is launched I will do a post announcing the website, etc.

screenshot-lifepoint

Filed Under: Current Projects Tagged With: , ,

Current Projects: HORAD

April 3, 2009 By 1 Comment

I just finished up with the second round of layout revisions for a new client today, HORAD (House of Refuge & Deliverance).  HORAD is one of our newest ministry clients and I am really looking forward to working with them on this project.  They are located just down the road from Conway in Mayflower and have a nice facility.

Since we are still revising the design w/ the client right now I can’t really link up anything for a demo, but here’s a screenshot below.  The featured content gallery plugin that is used on most of our ministry websites has been upgraded a bit since the last time I used it gives the client a lot more flexibility in terms of how the center images transition, etc.

screenshot-horad-update

Filed Under: Current Projects, Web Development, Wordpress™ Tagged With: , ,

Pleth Officially in Jonesboro

April 2, 2009 By 1 Comment

My business partner Stephen snapped this pic today w/ his iphone of our new sign that just went up at our new Jonesboro office.  Our offices are located right beside our good friends at Powell Creative.  Some of you might recall me announcing before the end of the year that we were going to be doing something cool in the first quarter of 2009, well this is it…

If you are in the Jonesboro area, be sure to give us a call and setup an appointment to meet with our team to discuss your web needs.  We are looking forward to servicing Northwest Arkansas’s growing web development, email, printing, and managed hosting needs. To schedule an appointment with us, please call: 1-888-276-0848, or email: corporate@pleth.com…

pleth-jonesboro-sign

Filed Under: Current Projects, Press Releases Tagged With:

For those that asked about the Worm

April 1, 2009 By 1 Comment

First, I want to clarify that while I sit behind a keyboard all day, technically I am not an “expert” when it comes to viruses and worms, etc., (I primarily write software and build web applications and websites) but being in this industry I have had to deal with issues related to malware, etc., and I have had dialogue with various government agencies including the FBI and CERT regarding issues related to hacking, etc.  I am also kept abreast of “trends” through various forms of direct communication from the Federal Government’s CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) in the event that something is brewing or is already in place.  All of this to say, that I am probably a little more knowledgeable about viruses, worms, and malware, than most people, but by no means someone you should rely on solely.  At the bottom of this post I am putting some links to products I recommend however, the one thing that I will advise is having one of these products on all of your machines.

I have received no fewer than 100 emails, text messages, twitters, and facebook messages since yesterday evening and this morning from friends asking “seriously, what do we need to do about this worm thing?”  So I decided that the best thing to do, instead of responding to all of these one at a time (which I attempted to do this morning but gave up) is to just post what I know about it on here in hopes that everyone will read this, so sorry if I don’t respond directly to your questions… (again, at the bottom of this blog post are links to some antivirus software that I recommend, you can click on the links directly and purchase these online securely)

  1. If you use a Mac, don’t worry…
  2. If you noticed that your Windows Update has stopped working automatically you might want to check into that, that’s a symptom that you have been infected.
  3. It is most likely to propagate itself through networks at large corporations and businesses but the casual home user is not immune
  4. It will likely force you to be unable to interact with a lot of popular antivirus websites that are out there, they might have this part fixed by now but I know that early on it was supposed to block you from receiving files from places that did virus protection and removal and all of that.
  5. It basically resides on your machine without you really knowing it and then at a certain point it interacts with about 200 (possibly 500) websites that more or less tell it what to do.  Now this could be used for anything, most likely a denial of service on a particular website (this happens when 10 million computers all login to one particular website or service at the same time and fry the gizzard more or less).  The serious side of this would be if it has also got some key logging components that could potentially harvest and send your passwords, credit card numbers, etc.

That’s basically all i know about the worm itself, now here is what we know this morning after it has officially turned April 1 across the globe.

  1. There might be more than they originally thought affected by this virus according to some things I have read this morning.
  2. The upside to all of this is that when these computers basically went out to these websites or services to look for instructions, nothing was sent to them.  So basically nothing happened, so far..

Those of you who know me know that I haven’t been too concerned about this one, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t something brewing out there that we should all be concerned about in the future.  I firmly believe that in our lifetimes we will see at least one global attack of some sort, attacks like these are just getting better and more elaborate over time.

In fact, the writers of this Conficker thing have actually gathered a lot of respect from inside the community (myself included) due to the complexity of the thing. 

Finally, what can you do to protect yourself or your network from having something like this take you down and potentially ruin your day?  The answer is the same answer I have been giving out for 10 years or more, use and update an antivirus program.

I have some recommendations if you are interested in solutions for your home or small business, the links below will take you directly to these products for purchasing.

  • Norton AntiVirus 2009 – complete package
  • Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus – subscription package
  • Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware – subscription package
  • ZoneAlarm Antivirus – complete package
  • ZoneAlarm Antivirus Small Business Edition – complete package

If you are looking for a more high-end approach to fighting viruses, spyware, etc., our friends at Tiger Direct also offer some options that include installation of the software by their team.  If you are novice computer user and would rather have someone install the software remotely for you, this is probably the option for you:

  • I-Team Install: Antivirus/ Desktop Security Suite
  • I-Team Install Option: Corporate Antivirus Client
  • I-Team Install Opt: Corp Antivirus (Symantec, Etc)

As a side note, I posted the message to twitter last night about the worm as kind of an inside joke to a room full of about 35 or 40 programmers I was meeting with.  Since Twitter also posts to my Facebook, I may have inadvertently created panic with some of you that weren’t in the loop, sorry about that…  While we were all joking about this thing, it’s still something that should always be in the back of our minds.

Happy April Fools Day though…

Filed Under: Cotton Recommends, Miscellaneous Tagged With:

Conficker Worm Reports Rolling In

April 1, 2009 By 2 Comments

Reports are trickling in about the impact from the Conficker worm, as infected systems passed zero hour at midnight and began downloading additional malicious components. 

Here’s a quick roundup of some of the more notable incidents caused by Conficker so far, according to published reports:

  • A nuclear missile installation near Elmendorf Air force Base outside of Anchorage, Alaska briefly went on a full-scale military alert after technicians manning the bunker suspected that several of their control systems were infected with Conficker. According to wire reports, the remote facility temporarily moved to Defense Condition (Defcon) 3 in the pre-dawn hours, but quickly backed down from that posture. An airman at the installation who asked not to be identified blamed the mishap on "way too much caffeine" consumed by occupants inside the secluded underground control room. The airman said the facility’s lead engineer became agitated and inconsolable after watching an Internet broadcast of Sunday night’s hard-hitting 60 Minutes expose’ on the Conficker worm entitled, "The Internet is Infected."
  • In Iceland, Conficker brought a brief thaw to the long economic winter that began last year with the government’s inexorable slide into bankruptcy. According to local news reports, shortly after midnight local time, an ATM in the capital city of Reykjavik began spewing 100-Krona notes. Banking officials there reportedly said the Microsoft Windows-based based bank system began disbursing the bills after a local prankster crammed an infected USB stick into the maw of the teller machine.
  • Londoners woke up to find the iconic clock tower Big Ben stopped at precisely one minute till midnight. The British tabloids blared that the giant timepiece had been felled by the Conficker worm. But security officials reasoned that the beloved landmark — legendary for its reliability — would have stopped exactly one minute later had the expected 12:00 a.m. updates to Conficker actually been the culprit. Several members of Parliament are now calling for a full investigation into the incident.
  • In Waukesha, Wis., Leroy "Mac" MacElrie, 64, turned himself in to local police, claiming he was the author of the original Conficker worm, and that all of the subsequent versions were mere copycats. According to charging documents, MacElrie said he wrote the worm to get back at Microsoft founder Bill Gates for "not stopping spam by 2008 like he said he would." The man was released on his own recognizance, but several hours later a local television station captured footage of the man standing on a nearby street corner repeatedly shouting "I’m the confickter!"

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In case you haven’t guessed it yet, APRIL FOOLS!!! Seriously, if something like this was going to roll out to the masses today my partners and i would not have been having sushi last night in Little Rock…

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With:

Twackle = Twitter on Your Website

April 1, 2009 By 2 Comments

image I just got off the phone w/ Jim from Twackle.com, they are the providers of our Recent Tweets application on NascarView and provide a great product for a lot of different sports as well. In terms of twitter applications and widgets that you can utilize on your website, there are literally hundreds out there, but there are only a select few that I would actually recommend to my clients for a couple of different reasons, this is actually one that I utilize on my own personal project, if that tells you anything… 

I spoke to Jim about possibly further extending what we are doing on NascarView and Twitter as well as a ministry idea that Bobby Shirley from the Ramp and myself were brainstorming on this morning. 

If you are unfamiliar w/ Twackle, I recommend checking out their website, http://www.twackle.com, also here’s a little bit of info I pulled from their Frequently Asked Questions section of their website:

What is Twackle?
Think of it as your online sports hangout with the latest Twitters about sports leagues, teams, athletes, events, and news in a single, easy-to-use destination. We’ve done the heavy lifting (and searching) and put it all into easy to use Twackle feeds.

Is that it?
Actually, no, it gets even better. You can respond back to any Twitter message you see on Twackle (just click on “Reply” next to the message) or add to any conversation right from Twackle.com (we call it the barstool). We also provide widgets to let you embed your favorite Twackle feeds on your website or blog. And there’s even a Twackle Facebook application.

So what do I do now?
Need some hand holding? Don’t worry, it’s easy. Just use the navigation bar on the top of every page to browse the Twackle feeds for your favorite league, team, athlete, or sporting event.

I’m kind of shy, do I have to write anything?
Maybe it’s time you break out of your shell, wallflower? But no, you don’t need to write anything. At Twackle, you can just see what everyone else is saying in the twittersphere about your favorite league, team, athlete, or sporting event.

OK, I’m feeling more outgoing now.
Good for you! See that “Reply” button under each tweet in a Twackle feed? Go ahead and click on it and you can add to the conversation. Or, if you want to add to the feed without replying to any one user, just click in the barstool and trash talk away (keep it clean, buddy!). By the way, all those messages you are writing in the Twackle barstool will also show up in your Twitter feed – we know, pretty sweet.

Can I still post a new message or a reply if I’m not a Twitter member?
Not yet (but soon), but maybe you should look in the mirror and ask why you’re not part of Twitter yet? All the cool kids are doing it. Go sign up. I mean right now, seriously. It’s embarrassing.

OK, fair point. But say I’m on Twitter. Can I post a message on Twackle from my Twitter page or mobile device?
What do you think this is, amateur hour? Of course you can. Just put “#Twackle” anywhere in your tweet and it will automatically show up in our “Latest From Fellow Twacklers” Feed. (For example: “#Twackle At the game, we’re down by 2 at half.”)

What’s the skinny on myTwackle?
myTwackle lets you have all your favorite feeds on one page so you don’t have to go hunting around for them. Just click on the “Favorite” button over any feed, or the “Follow On Twackle” link for any Twackler, and they’ll be added to your myTwackle page. For any Twackler that you follow, you’ll see any message they write on Twackle.com, and messages they send on Twitter that we pull in from the twittersphere.

I don’t see tweets to and from some of my favorite athletes. What’s up with that Twackle?
Unfortunately, we can only show tweets to and from athletes that are actually using Twitter. But, if you know about an athlete using Twitter that is not listed on Twackle, drop us a line and let us know.

What’s all this I’m hearing about Twackle widgets?
Say you love Twackle (a given), but you’re too lazy to come back to us every day and look at your favorite Twackle feeds (don’t worry, we don’t take it personally, everyone knows you’re lazy). Well, then a Twackle widget is for you, slacker. Just create a widget out of a single Twackle feed, or any combination of Twackle feeds, and we’ll give you the embed code to insert the widget on your website or blog.

Is it hard to get a Twackle widget?
Of course not. Just click on the "Grab This Widget" link for any feed. All of your feeds will pop up in a toolbar on the bottom of the screen. Once you have the feeds you want in the toolbar, click on the “Customize Widget” button in the toolbar. All you have to do now is choose a size and a color, and hit the “Generate Widget Code” button. All done.

Your colors are lame. How do I add a custom color to a Twackle widget?
(Ignoring insult) Know anything about hexadecimal color codes? If you do (showoff), just enter in the six-digit color code in the Custom Color field on the Generate Widget Code page.

Um, I don’t want to call you out, but you said I could add Twackle widgets to my blog, and it’s not working on WordPress.
Good news bad news here. First, the good news. If you host your own WordPress blog, you can download a plug-in that allows you to embed IFrame widgets onto your blog. These are general steps to install the IFrame plug-in:

  1. Unzip the IFrame plug-in file
  2. Copy the files to your ‘/wp-content/plugins’ directory where your blog is hosted
  3. Activate plug-in

WordPress provides further instructions on how to install and manage plug-ins that you have downloaded if you are not sure how to copy the files over or how to activate the plug-in.

And the bad news?

Unfortunately, WordPress does not allow IFrames or plug-ins to be added to blogs hosted on WordPress, so you may be out of luck until you start hosting your blog. But, if you have any ideas on how to embed IFrames on WordPress.com blogs, shout it out to us.

This is so cool, but I’m really social (I have like 700 friends on Facebook). Can I put the Twackle widgets on Facebook? If you’re on Facebook, Mr. Popular, then yes. Check out our Twackle Facebook application.

What’s in store for the future?
I can’t say, but get ready for tons of awesomeness.

Twackle – Frequently Asked Questions

Filed Under: Social Media / Web 2.0 Tagged With: ,
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