Australia 2007

I’m going to skip the recap of 2006, and get right into what’s coming up in 2007. Brian and I are about to embark on a trip we have been planning for years— a great Australian adventure. We will be there from January 17 to February 28; six weeks of traveling, visiting colleagues, and seeing as much wildlife as humanly possible. We will be spending a couple of weeks in Melbourne while Brian does a research project on greater gliders, a week in Tasmania, a week in Queensland, some time in Canberra and Albury, and about a week in and around Sydney. Any suggestions about places or activities not to be missed would be much appreciated. Also, any tips on dealing with a US cell phone over there and not paying an arm and a leg would be great. I’m looking forward to this trip immensely. It has been a long time since I have been out of the country, and a long time since I have done any fieldwork. I will probably be taking a break from blogging while I’m there, except for trip updates for my friends and family. Between that and keeping Bite Size Standards running, I’m guessing that I won’t have time for much else. When we get back, I have a week before I leave for SXSW, so I will be pretty swamped until the middle of March. So, have a great first few months of 2007.

Web developers for science

Jeremy proposed setting up a web ring of Humanist web developers. Count me in. His microformats example on 24ways made me smile when I read it, and his blog post will have me and Brian grinning all day.

Bite Size Standards ressurected

As John announced yesterday, I have taken over Bite Size Standards. We relaunched yesterday with a new format for article submissions and a streamlined editing process that will hopefully allow us to keep this resource running smoothly.

Why I wanted to Bite Size Standards to continue

Tips for a successful university site redesign

Karine has just posted an interview with me on this topic at collegewebeditor.com. Be sure to read the responses from the other university web folks interviewed for the series— some really good suggestions there.

Textpattern vs. ExpressionEngine

Peter recently asked me if I prefer Textpattern (TXP) or ExpressionEngine (EE), and I thought this would make a good subject for a post to bring this blog back from oblivion. There is no short answer to that question. I love both CMSs, and lately have been choosing between them based on the project at hand. I recently switched HSU’s site from TXP to EE because the latest versions of TXP wouldn’t work with the configuration of our server. If TXP had still been an option I would have stuck with it. But partway through the project, I realized that EE was really better for the job, due to some of the project’s parameters. I haven’t abandoned TXP though— I just finished a project for HSU’s Vertebrate Museum that uses it. So, here is a quick breakdown of what I see as the strengths of each.

Textpattern

You flicker and you’re beautiful

Ok, this has been bugging me for years now. Am I the only one that hears The Cure every time I hear or read the name Flickr?

Flickr Flickr Flickr Flickr Flickr Flickr Flickr Flickr
Here you are
Cata cata cata cata cata cata cata cata
Caterpillar girl