chicus.com

Comment Spam    Feb 18, 2007
Spammers are getting more crafty. I've delayed adding authentication for submission of posts from users without passwords because I have what I feel is a more attractive solution than simply entering a string of text.

However, I've been unable to get the function I need to work and the spammers are relentless so I might have to go to plan b. In the meantime, I apologize for any spam that is coming up in the comments and I will do my best to manually delete them as they appear.

Comments    Dec 03, 2006
I've kind of let my site slip into disrepair. OK, it isn't that bad, but it isn't quite where I would like it to be. I've upgraded some areas without removing antiquated features that pose no problems. It's just a bit sloppy.

I don't have a huge desire to look at my code after work and there is something about warm air and sunshine that leaves me unwilling to sit inside and make changes on weekends. However, with winter coming, that is changing. The first change you will notice is a return of the Comments feature. I implemented a stop-gap method to allow comments to be added once again; if you see fit to add your thoughts. More comment changes are coming, certainly on the back-end and likely to the interface.

Another change is that I am displaying the entire article for each post on the front page. To keep page size manageable I have cut the number of front page articles to 7--a nice arbitrary number--from 15. I felt the cut-down post was a bit clunky, I hope this change is agreeable to all.

I am also looking to spend more time on the Current Events area. Hearing about my life is all well and good but the Current Events posts seem to be a means of more discourse. I'm trying to motivate myself to write two Current Events posts each week. I'm making no commitment, but it is a thought.

Thanks for your continued visits, let me know how I can make the experience more pleasant for you.

Spam    Aug 02, 2006
You may have noticed 20-ish messages regarding Viagra a few posts down. It is the second time I have been hit with such spam and I intend to remedy that in the near future. I will not be able to get to it in the next three days, but possibly on Sunday I can make a quick modification to block them.

Registration    Jun 08, 2006
You may have noticed I have added a new link to the left, "Register."

As of today, you can register for chicus.com as well as post comments for others to see. At the moment, registration provides no benefits. It is a launching pad for the planned improvements, so get your login while the getting is good! Umm, something like that.

Also, if you miss the note with the comments, you currently do not need to provide a password to post a comment. If I start getting spam that may change.

A Few Small Changes    Feb 20, 2006
I just wanted to notify you of a few small changes to the site. First, I've decided to load only the fifteen newest articles on the main page. You can access older articles from the 'older' links at the bottom. This won't affect most of you readers, since you check the site religiously and have the older articles committed to memory.

The other change is that I added 'feedback' links. There is one on the main page as well as one after each article. Currently the feedback goes only to me. You will not see your comment anywhere on the site. This is in effect a stop-gap measure to allow you some input while I create the logins and other scripts necessary for you to post comments for other users. I hope you enjoy it.

Also, I realized I misspoke. While I advertised a 'few' changes there were only two significant enough that you may see them. I should have said there were a couple of new changes. My bad.

I'm Stylin'    Jan 03, 2006
As you may have noticed, I spiffed up the site a bit. A nip here, tuck there and suddenly it looks as young as Dick Clark. Hmm, that was quite timely but possibly a bit crass due to his deteriorating condition. Maybe you would like a reference to Joan Rivers better?

Either way, I made some changes. I stuck with the same general color scheme but tried to add a bit more contrast. As I was showing the site to a few people for 'user testing' and the best description I heard of the old style is that it was 'one dimensional'. I whole-heartedly agree and I think the addition of a few extra colors adds quite a bit to the site, I hope you feel the same way.

Site Up    Nov 21, 2005
Heya. So after about a week of being down, the site is back up. Nothing quite beats stating the obvious, eh?

To make a long story short, my account is tied to a credit card. The CC expired, I forgot to update the info and it was suspened until I updated that info. Then I had some major headaches with my hosting service trying to get it all configured again.

The good news is that I have a few stories queued up, I just need to clean them up. Hopefully they will start to appear later today.