blogging

Update

Well it's been a long time since posting, partly because I took a long time to upgrade the site to the new version of Drupal. That's more or less done now. I've also installed Mollom, a system that only presents a captcha for comments if it suspects spam. And finally I've entirely rewritten the photoblog module. It's perfect except for one small thing: no photos. Ah well: I'll figure it out...

In the meanwhile, a Summer of writing and conferences is coming to an end and an Autumn of teaching beckons. So today's task is to write up a few module outlines.

And in the world at large? read the rest of this post »

Theming

As you can see, we're experimenting with new theming here. I quite like this port of the 'dark' theme for Drupal, but there's quite a bit of css tweaking left to do.

Thoughts are most welcome, especially if they are sycophantic.

This has all been motivated by the wish to put the photoblog in a better light, so to speak. Photos look better on a dark background. When we started on that course, though, it seemed a good idea to get a good match across all the elements of the site.

Update: Switched to green for the general site. More William Morris-ey. That I can see, the remaining problems are hidden in the back-end. Let me know if you come across something.

Also, future blog posts will go up on the front page, at least until we decide to put something else there...

Update2: Ah well. Nothing is ever definitive until you've looked at it on two computers. Built on the laptop. Tested on the desktop and the sidebar has become a bottom bar, plus the photoblog is less than wonderful. Back to Amadou until tomorrow... Update 2a: That was somewhat easier to fix than I envisaged. Still, I have to boot into Internet Explorer now. Not sure I'm looking forward to that...

Deliberative Spaces and the Internet

Mick Fealty has posted a reminder (for me anyway) that we're talking tomorrow as part of QUB's Institute of Irish Studies seminar series.1 Although I'm going to be more of a respondent to Mick than a substantive speaker, I have been enjoying a quick read of some good scholarly pieces out there on deliberation. read the rest of this post »

The Cookie Crumbles

Sorry to read that In Fact, Ah has bitten the dust. It's always hard to stomach the end of a great blog - and In Fact, Ah's posts really took the biscuit - but sometimes you just have to swallow it and move on.

Here's to the blog that never went stale. 

But for the Grace...

It seems that one nightmare result of blogging has manifested itself for a chap called Scott Eric Kaufman, who got into a flamewar over someone else's spot of irresponsible blogging, in retaliation for which another commenter sent an email to the members of his faculty and some politicians saying that he is a white supremicist. I'm not enthused about linking there for Google stats reasons, but John Holbo has all the relevant links over on Crooked Timber.

I suppose this is a major fear for an academic. Especially for a grad student. Even if we avoid the sort of daft public bitching about work that really ought to limit our pity, we risk ending up with someone deciding that it would be a great wheeze to gun for us through our employers.

Of course, this is a risk for anyone who uses their real name on a blog. But I think the risk is slightly more stark for academics. Our employment chances are largely rooted in reputation and, as Kaufman said, even if you're in the right, "there's a stain attached to someone who acquires multiple mentally unsound stalkers. People wonder whether they're really the issue, or whether it's you." Especially at the beginning of a career, if a potential employer takes a moment for googling you, you might be finished before you've begun.

I blog under my own name partly because it disciplines me to only say things that I won't regret (more or less). But as this particular piece of nastiness highlights, saying things you don't regret isn't a defence against a determined prick with a chip on their shoulder.

No Permission

Well after a two-day outage, a near-nervous breakdown and three hours of work, I've learned a lesson.

Being an ignoramous is a reason for not messing with permissions on a website.

I have decided to blame Kieran Healy for feeding my paranoia. 

Major PSd

Well, lots of people have mentioned it, including Twenty Major himself, and I certainly have nothing to add (except that this solves my what-do-you-buy-children-and-elderly-relatives-for-Christmas issues), but I think Gerry puts it best.

Meltdown

I hope never to get involved with Twitter.

Via Kieran Healy.

New Theme

Well, obviously, we've decided on a new theme for the blog: Amadou. read the rest of this post »

That'll Learn Ya

Larry Ribstein, scourge of pro-Sarbox academics (well, sort of), usually blogs about business law and politics.

Today, however, he has an innovative idea to employ blogging as a weapon against mobile-phone-bellowers. Personally, my long years in England have versed me in the attractions of silent loathing. This new approach wouldn't require a radical shift in my position, but might well be much more fun.

You enjoy making your private life public? Well here's a helping hand!

Content: © 2006-2008 Ciarán O'Kelly and Isabel Duggan. Site: Drupal, using variations on a port of the Wordpress's Dark theme.