Ninedays Blog

Need to block tracking scripts in your WordPress Template when you preview your entries. I have just the way! Just a few lines into your functions.php file and header/footers and you can block Mint or Analytics in WordPress previews.

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Assigning variables is a core part of any PHP script but there’s many different ways to work with assignments. Assign multiple variables on one line, dynamic variable and references can change the way you think about using variables.

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Using the Prototype JavaScript library it’s easy to apply, add or remove a class to and from an element. Just few simple lines of JavaScript and you have a whole new interactivity at your fingertips.

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It’s easier than ever to apply the classes ‘first, ‘last’, and ‘active’ to your navigation lists using the Prototype Javascript library. Of course this will only work for a JavaScript enabled environment but if you have a list that is out of control, or already requires Javascript, this might be your best solution.

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Hiding and showing elements using Prototype is super easy. We’ll walk through from the most basic hid and show functionality to slightly more complex functionality where you can change the toggle’s text or image.

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My most common mistake with Prototype is not defining elements before i call them with my JavaScript. Using event listeners I can ensure I don’t call on an element until it, or the whole page is loaded, amongst many other reasons.

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Some great handy PHP functions for dissecting file paths and getting full paths for how they relate to the file you are in. Never again shall we explode or split a string on / or .!

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After killing my computer a quick upgrade might be just what the hardware doctor ordered.

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I ordered my very first set of Moo mini-cards and I’m so excited. They should get here next week and I can’t wait to see how awesome they are!

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Thinking about giving back, would the Peace Corps be for me? Probably not but I felt like I really ought to think it out from both sides before making a decision about whether this is a realistic goal of mine.

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My first self portraits with the new Impact 500w Brolly Kit I purchased. One light, black and white portraits.

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Exploring 3 Wordpress internal search plugins to see if they help fulfill my needs to track internal searches, as well as making lovely search query URL’s and ensuring that all content is begin searched.

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In my site wide update to improve usability and search engine optimization I have devised a plan to audit and maintain my tagging problem. Hi my name is Terri and I have a tagging problem.

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A code snippet update to a Wordpress 404 template that immediately redirects to a search if a tag no longer exists. It even re-directs with a 301 code to ensure search engine’s follow.

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Swap two variables in one line without using a temporary variable. The all-time popular interview or “I’m more programmer than you” question: swapping two variables without using a temporary variables.

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My Wordpress plugin to add a main image to your Wordpress generated RSS2 and Atom feed.

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Mint pepper Myspace tracker gets my update. Now it actually works for me which is pretty awesome. I can track Myspace visitor’s IP addresses and now with the link to my blog maybe I’ll even get new referrers!

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Getting too many 404 requests because you’ve deleted a post, or moved it/changed it’s name. Well there’s an easy way to make your Wordpress 404 page redirect to whatever page you need it to!

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My guide to evaluating your category structure. I got 27 categories down to 12 mainly to help users get the most out of the category structure and to help try to stop myself from over complicating my sorting systems.

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I’ve got a big overhaul in the makes coming up, though before I do that there’s a number of changes that need to happen around here!

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Writing text directly into images using PHP and the built in GD library is really easy, even using a custom TTF file for the font doesn’t complicate anything too bad!

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It’s hard being a D list blogger.

Always trying to develop better content to get those links in.

Me with only 1 links back in 180 days, it’s sad. Check to see your listing here: Are You an A-List Bloglebrity? Popularity: 16% [?]

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Using Scriptalicious’s fade effect with a simple JavaScript timer you can send a message to your visitor . A great an effective way to increase usability and provide useful feedback after your visitor has made some action. Oh…and it looks good!

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I’m not turning into a movie review blog, don’t worry, but I have to share this with you.

Not a spoiler review, promise!

It’s just past 1am. I just got back a bit ago from the 10:00pm screening of Steven King’s The Mist and to be perfectly honest, I am a little anxious about sleeping. [...]

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Ninedays Blog is looking at a moderate overhaul before the new year. There’s a number of things I really need to clean up around the site. I need to do a solid re-evaluation of all these Wordpress Plugins. I begin to think that so many of them are slowing the site down [...]

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Back in August I went on a B&H shopping spree and got myself a new tripod legs and ballhead.

This was kind-of a big deal for me I went from my since I went from my old $40 Walmart Tripod that I was ashamed to use in public to my new beautiful $200 Bogen/Manfrotto tripod legs [...]

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Are pogs back in style?

Photojojo seems to think so!

If you have no idea what a pog is, clearly you were not a 90’s kid. Pogs @ Wikipedia

I remember I used to be one of the cool kids that conned their parents into getting the make your own pog kit. Where you’d cut out [...]

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We’re always seeing it on DIY shows like Trading Spaces, Design on a Dime or anything on the DIY Network where these designers take something old and make it new for cheap.

Well it’s my turn! And that’s right folks you read it here first, for under $20!

Steps to Updating Your Old Lamps

Step 1: Start [...]

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Cool new feature on Flickr now is that places have pages! A great reason to start geo-tagging, or get a device that geo-tags for you such at the Sony GPS-CS1KA GPS Unit Kit.

Go to Flickr Places and search for where you want to go. Or you can read more about the new feature [...]

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I was excited when I stopped by Scott Kelby’s Blog this afternoon and saw that The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2 was available for pre-order on Amazon.

I really enjoyed his other book The Digital Photography Book. Though his humor is a bit tiresome in writing, the book still successfully communicated so many great [...]

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Got in a little more than a fender bender today :(

Missing a chunk of my back bumper cause I got hit.

Basically got a day off of work tho.

45 minutes on the side of rt128 15 minute ride from tow truck #1 1hr 20 minutes waiting for AAA (tow #2) 1hr and 30 minutes on an adventure from Wellesley [...]

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Track back your own blog…tacky? I think so. Lame…probably but I did it to establish relationships, no matter what y’all think about me!

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Went and did a quick shoot today with a couple of my friends today. They’re part of the Blackout Racing car club. All-in-all they <3 their Mustangs.

It was chillier than I had anticipated and now I know I am reminded to put “shopping for photo mittens” on my list of things to do [...]

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It’s really easy to make sure that a file downloads rather than load in a browser, here I walk you through making it happen with a .pdf file as well as a .jpg file.

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I’ve been seeing these reusable canvas grocery bags for a while now and I kind-of support the idea. Though the ones you can purchase at the store are ugly and quite hideous. When I hit the market I usually only end up with two or three bags of groceries since I am only shopping for [...]

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After reading the Strobist article about Home Depot (cheap) photography solutions I gave dying my own backdrop a shot. It’s not a 100% successful attempt but I learned a lot about what I should do next time.

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Time for some learnin’ & JavaScriptin’

One thing I had to do for a client a while back was create a JavaScript body mass index calculator.

She just wanted 2 fields:

Height (inches) Weight (pounds)

On that same page she also had a table displaying the translation of BMI calculations from the CDC Website.

[...]

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Our topic today: JavaScript pop-up windows.

I have a quick and dirty method I usually use to create JavaScript pop-up windows. I use it because it allows the user to still access the page if they have JavaScript turned off and it centers the window on the screen. The function accepts 3 parameters the URL, window [...]

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Got home Monday and ran to my front steps to grab my Chumby!!

I’ve been so distracted by it for all my hours at home that I had completely forgotten to blog about it. Silly me!

So I’m still working on my first widget for my Chumby, hoping to see that come to completion by the end of [...]

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So for Halloween I bought Revlon 18′ Hair Extensions from Sally’s, but since the hair was in a box and wrapped in a dark hairnet I accidentally bought a shade much lighter than I could really wear with my natural hair color.

So I improvised. I clipped the extensions across the top of my head, [...]

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Spent some quality font time today, specifically decay and scripts. I was looking on behalf of a project I might be picking up soon.

Since this project needs to be on the trendier, more media driven, side of design than the “corporate” content-driven I found that these fonts would probably be my most likely candidates [...]

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Tu quieres Taco Bell? Well, today’s your day

“I ain’t Got my Taco”

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Constalator

Wanna learn about constellations? This flash app. is going to teach y’all about constellations.

Before I even start I need to write out some guidelines for myself.

Stars

Learn to make a star sparkle Learn to make a star sparkle randomly Learn to control the randomness of a star sparkle (for multiple stars to ensure they sparkle differently) Optimize the sparkle. [...]

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So I checked my email just a few moments ago and low and behold there was the email I have been waiting for…my username and password to hop on over and order a Chumby!

Widgets I have found for my temporary Virtual Chumby

Moon Phases Flickr Photo Viewer Daily Horoscope Weather by the Weather Channel

So excited! Can’t wait till [...]

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Now I’ve always been a true Massachusetts resident, when the Sox are doing good, I’m on the bandwagon, but still never watched the games. When they weren’t doing good, I’d shake my head in disappointment with the rest of the folks who actually knew what they were talking about.

But this year has been different, [...]

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Took a drive this weekend. Instead of goign to King Richards Faire again I decided to be hungover in bed. That’ll happen. Here’s some pictures from the weekend’s drive to Wachusett Reservoir.

If you were cool enough to have a browser that could view frames there would be a lovely slideshow here waiting [...]

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Special characters like MS Word’s smart quotes can muck up a good custom piece to CMS work. First we’re going to go over using a regular expression to make sure that & and any character code starting with & can always be save, and displayed in a form or webpage.

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Getting emotionally ready to get childlike.ninedays.org back up and running as a photoblog.

It’s been forever and I’ve got a lot of people to re-connect with via photoblogging.

I was about to unpack Pixelpost and get to going until I stopped and thought to myself about the pros and cons:

Pro

PixelPost is made special for photo bloggers, it [...]

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After my smoothie shoot I got to thinking about how the garnish in food photography is probably more important than the food (or beverage) itself.

I am by no means a master chef, so I figure that any future ventures into food photography will likely involve beverages or deserts, so I’ve looked up some articles and [...]

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I’ve now got some tutorials prepped and ready to be published and initially I had intended on putting them as part of www.ninedays.org which will soon be my portfolio, but blog.ninedays.org has really turned into a good home for my more personal than professional content.

I really think my tutorials fall under that category.

So if they [...]

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From an old email my mom had in her inbox from 2004 (pre-victory might I add)

Food for thought from the Boston Globe

The Patriots are like the new boyfriend that you really like-he’s awesome but almost too good to be true, so you worry. The Bruins are like the guy that you just casually dated and you [...]

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I have recently become addicted to smoothies. Well not really all smoothies but in general the idea of smoothies.

After perusing All Recipies I found a lemon berry smoothie recipie, and I absolutely had to try it. I’ve read through a smoothie book or two while perusing Borders before and one thing I know [...]

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In an effort to take a picture today I have decided that tomorrow I will post a recipe for the smoothies I make on almost a daily basis.

How will that help me take a picture? Well my dear, for one: there is no photo posted for that recipe on the website the original came [...]

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I just completed my very first official WordPress Plugin that I am going to release to the public. It requires that the authors login to the blog before they leave comments to have the appropriate style applies.

commentisauthor

The Comment Author plugin is a simple one, it just involves one function that takes 3 parameters, 2 [...]

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I’ve started a new habit, ‘cept this time it’s a good one this time!

I’ve started keeping my notepad with me wherever I go. Before bed at night I write a list of thing I can do tomorrow to feel better about me it’s not entirely a self-improvement list but also a lit of tasks I [...]

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Went on a drive yesterday. It was so sunny and beautiful and around 3:30pm I found myself on my couch, working on my computer, staring at the sunlight streaming through the curtains and I had to get up and go!

So I took a quick drive down Route 9 from Park Ave in Worcester to [...]

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So I was thinking, you know, about how I Sally-ed out at King Richards Faire, well photographically speaking. so I’m strongly considering giving it one more try this next weekend. It’s about an hour and a half drive, $24 at the gate but in an effort to face my fears maybe this is [...]

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There’s nothing better than new toys for your camera. Here’s a list of new toys I’d love to get for my camera, great toys I already have, as well as any cost-less DIY alternatives.

Lenses

LensBaby (Pictured on right) - Amazing lens that gives you a different kind of control over your photograph the likes of [...]

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In an attempt to expand my photography portfolio and get some great photos to edit I’m going ot start shooting my friends and their tattoos. I’ve found some inspiration on Flickr for tattoo photographs and I am excited to get started with the project.

Using my friends has major benefits

They’re free, I mean a lot [...]

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As of lately I have become, well, obsessed with the Prototype JavaScript library. There is, as there always is, heated discussions across the internet of the benefits/strengths/weaknesses of many readily-available JavaScript libraries. Such as:

Prototype MooTools jQuery Mochikit Dojo Toolkit Yahoo! UI Libray Google Web Toolkit

But for the time being, all those libraries are irrelevant. It’s great how easy they are [...]

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I had almost forgotten why I hadn’t bought a new alarm clock.

Then I remembered it’s cause I’ve been waiting for a Chumby which according to the ChumBlog insiders are getting invites to order them now! I signed up early October 2006, I’m hoping I might get insider information before November, which is when they are [...]

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I am creative.

In problem solving, in troubleshooting, in work-arounds But I am not visually creative.

Don’t get me wrong; I really want to be. It’s just not my forte. Give me a camera and I can get visually creative, but a pen and paper? Mouse and monitor? I’m visually useless when I start [...]

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Toll collectors on the Massachusetts get a bad rap, for what seems to me to be no reason. The ones I interact with every day really are just a joy to deal with. The gentleman I almost always see in the morning, getting on the pike in Auburn (RT 290/395/20 entrance) is always so happy [...]

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In my continuation to revolutionize my own version of Hemingway Reloaded I became curious to know how many versions of Hemingway are readily available for theme downloads. Of course I’ll tell you how I feel about them. Quite entertaining coming from the girl whose own theme is in shambles!

Hemingway Wordpress Theme Remixes

Hemingway The original Hemingway [...]

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As I take my all time favorite, uber simple Wordpress theme Hemingway Reloaded and manipulate it/mold it to my liking I keep discovering all these other fantastic Wordpress Themes I never imagined existed.

Wordpress Themes

WP-Polaroid

Very cool design. I like the way it has places for ads that are well designed, well placed and unobtrusive. [...]

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I am a disappointment.

I forget how scared I am of people when I go out to do street photography. I always tell myself “I’ll be cool with talking to strangers, asking to take their pictures” but I never am. You think it’d be extra easy especially with people all Renaissanced to the 9’s but no…still [...]

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I’ve used ‘em all. And yes, I am showing off, I went from Greymatter to B2. Then it was Wordpress, dabbled with B2Evolution on the side. Gave Movable Type a shot, then played with Textpattern. Fell in love with Expression Engine but in the end I decided to come back to Wordpress. [...]

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So I’m torn, last night I invited Mom to come with me on an adventure to the Topsfield Fair. We used to go every year growing up but then my brother and I “got lives” and we stopped going as a family. But this morning Mom calls and throws out the idea to [...]

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Back from the island and some of the photos have been edited. There’s still more that I’d like to get through soon but I’ll post up the sideshow anyways. It was an amazing little vacation. Especially when I came home to a 47″ TV in my living room!

Update

Here’s some of the pictures:

If [...]

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This weekend I finally get to head down to Leetes Island. I’m so excited. All summer all I have wanted to do is head to the island for a weekend. Working on the house or some planned activity has been the major stopper in the drain clogging me from my mini vacation. Popularity: [...]

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Did a senior photo shoot with my friend Kristina’s boyfriend’s little sister, Jessica, yesterday.

Loaded the photos onto my computer and I am so happy with what I got. Some of my lighting could use a little work. I was using sunlight (It was a very HARSH bright sunny day, and filling with my [...]

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My move back to my parent’s house was on June 22. Since then my desktop computer had not been turned on, let alone unpacked until now.

First thing I did? Well it’s not like I’ve been starved for computer time these past 2 weeks, I work on a computer, I have a laptop….you know. [...]

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I wish there was an easier way to scroll through my inbox & sent text messages on my phone. Why? After a lengthy incident of the dangerous drunk texting I had no idea what I said and it took me nearly 30 minutes to retrace my steps through the conversation today to try [...]

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So Brian and I went to the fireworks in Webster last night. They were good. And we even missed the first 5 minutes: you can’t see the fireworks behind the trees at Waterfront Mary’s. New life lesson right there.

So all in all with Rutland on the 3rd (Only got ~30 pics there) [...]

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Free hallways soda…anyone?

I’m excited!

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