Just a quick note to mention I just rewrote two of the PHP scripts that run things around here. Specifically the script that runs the "My Collection" window which randomly displays a music album I own and also the title graphic at the top of every page received complete overhauls.

The "My Collection" window script is substantially lighter and uses less system resources in order to complete its task. I also added a link (view more ») which will spawn a pop-up displaying another album allowing a visitor to browse through a random sampling of my discs. Additionally, the albums that appear should theoretically be more randomised than before due to the algorithm I decided to use this time. The same goes for the title graphic with the attached tagline. I had been noticing that every so often one or neither of these items would display at all or throw an error message.

The speed increase may not be noticeable, but I am happy to have recoded these two scripts myself and hopefully increased overall site efficiency. As always if you do notice something awry, please let me know so I can check it out and beat the offender into submission.

There seems to be a new wave of spam, this time originating or purporting to originate from the political spin camps of the 2004 US Presidential candidates. Over the course of the past month or so I have noticed several unusual referrers. Upon further investigation I discovered these sites were the campaign websites for candidates such as Wesley Clark, Dick Gephardt, John Kerry and Dennis Kucinich. It is not unusual for me to find spammed referrers in my statistics, but at least they are for more traditional spam products like pornography and penis enlargement paraphernalia. If the world of politics has finally realised that the internet is a great tool in order to reach voters and possible supporters, they have simultaneously found surreptitious ways to garner attention to their movements. But then again it does seem somewhat fitting that I group politicians in the same damned bracket as porn and penises.

In other news, I am working on the new website for my side-business and am pleased with the progress I have made so far. This incarnation of Mount Sutro was the last site I developed, so it has taken me a little bit to get back into that groove. I also recreated my company logo using Adobe Illustrator 10 replacing the original I had created with Photoshop. This is my first experience with Illustrator and all I have to say is I wish I would have installed this program sooner. Day job-wise, between inventory (which came close to being a disaster) and the holiday season I have been very busy. Despite all that work has continued to be different, but enjoyable.



My New Year's plan of staying at home with a pizza and a raspberry cosmopolitan was up-surged by the request of a friend to attend the Parliament House's celebration featuring Jody Watley in concert. It was an all right time though I did get a little emotional and reflective, perhaps partly due to my having been just slightly intoxicated.

Finally, my birthday is coming up falling on a Thursday this year. This twenty-ninth I believe my plan will be to have dinner with my family and then head off to Southern Nights with some friends. This is all still very tentative and depending on my mood are subject to change at any time. I will try to get things settled in my head soon though so I can send out e-mail invitations to those who may be in town and wish to attend. Feel not badly about an inability to attend as I am sure come Friday the thirtieth I will not remember if you were there or not. Just kidding. And despite the flack I get from my mostly older friends, twenty-three is starting to feel older. I see people out at the club that I first saw when they were only fifteen and sixteen. Yuck. But oh well, unlike many people I do not (at least for now) view thirty or any other age as the seal of death.