Thursday, August 31, 2006

n00b

Right, it's been about a week since the glorious launch of the Ricardiblog, and it seems I might actually be getting the hang of this. Having said that, I will doubtless manage to erase everything in a minute or two.

After some thrashing around with colour codes, the blog is now a highly attractive shade of taupe with puce accents, which is more or less what I was after in the first place. Actually, the taupe is now less brown than before and the puce is less purple. Just in case anyone cares. It still amounts to merely poking and prodding a bog-standard Blogger template though. During the process, all of the sidebar titles shrank mysteriously to their current size. I kind of like them like that so I think I'll just leave them as is.

I tried to get Misty to implement a similar colour scheme when she was guest blogging over at the Duck's place, but no go. There's no accounting for taste, obviously. So you lucky people get this colour scheme instead. One world-famous blogger has already commented on how lacking in style it is. Certain other people preferred the original template with green sidebars, which it took me a while to figure out how to eliminate. They're now decomposing in the composter out back, along with various vegetable tailings, some slightly-dead potted plants and most of a dogwood bush. Good riddance to 'em. The green sidebars, that is.

Thanks to all of you for the help and encouragement... even if I did inadvertently send all of your comments to the purgatory that is Blogger's moderation bin for a while. With a little help from Dawn, we got that sorted out too.

That's enough shameless name-dropping for now, I think. All you in the back, stop muttering. The colour scheme is here to stay. For now.

--

In other news, I will be in sunny California for the last half of next week, investigating new genomic technologies and generally trying not to get lost en route from LAX to Irvine. If anybody has suggestions of what to look at while I'm there (apart from the inside of my hotel room, parked in front of the laptop and blogging away like mad), do let me know.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I rather like the color scheme, though if you get bored you can always change it up. Keep up the good work!

As for California delights, the first thing that comes to mind is a winery (or multiple wineries) tour. I lived in San Fran for a summer and found many wonderful wines. Dining in Marin County is exceptional as well...especially if you can find a lovely restaurant situated at the edge of a dock/on the water.

Have fun!

Rik said...

Now all you need to do is work out how to have a half tidy font, and not one that is quite thin and difficult to read.

Oh, and you didn't ask for my advice when it comes to templates. I am reasonably cheap, and have a wealth of experience (ask Misty, she'll testify to that).

Richard Wintle said...

rik - how 'bout I just boldface everything for you then?

I'm not married to Verdana or whatever TF that font is, I just haven't been arsed to change it yet.

If you're so good at templates, how come your blog is all black then, instead of the lovely shades that this one is? Huh? Huh?

WrathofDawn said...

I happen to like this colour scheme. And the font. Don't listen to Rik. He's Welsh. You know what they're like. (White text on black, Rik. Rikaitch, indeed. I'm just sayin'.)

vw - anflnods - Did you sign up for a special scientific-sounding verification word program?

Anflnods - A non-gender specific genus of nematode, well known for its love of puce.

And... have fun in sunny California! Sorry I can't offer any travel tips for CA. Never been there. Dick's winery tip sounds good, though *hic!*

WrathofDawn said...

1:38 - R'pus makes fun of Rik's blog.

1:40 - Wrath makes fun of Rik's blog.

Proving once and again that they do, indeed, share the same brain.

Canadian budget cuts, you see.

Richard Wintle said...

Ah, thankee. Just when I was going to change it all again... not.

I was going to torment you with an Oxford-comma-filled comment over at your place, but now I won't.

You're getting all the good wv's - mine's 'hbjdh' this time. I'm not sure it even qualifies as a 'word'.

Rik said...

Well just for reference Dawn, I made it black and dark just for you... It's like your mind.

Seriously, I like black with white text. It brings back memory of the old MS DOS days.

Anonymous said...

Sheep-shagger *and* pining for the MSDOS days?

Run! Save yourselves!

Kat Campbell said...

Easier to put on my shades than criticize your color scheme since I can't even become proficient enough to post links. As a native Californian now living in Ohio my advice is go to the beach. The best wine is in Boise Hot Springs and nobody should ever leave the state without visiting San Francisco. Have fun!

WrathofDawn said...

Rick, it is not all black and dark in my mind. It's all sunshine and daisies and little furry animals gamboling through the grass.

Which you'd know by now if you loved me. Which you obviously don't. I'm going home to mother.

zoe said...

well.

the graphics card in my work computer has burnt out and is presently festering somewhere at the bottom of the computer sending out vile fumes that remind me of each and every time that Q happens to fart. This is a lot.

this means that at present, the side bars on this blog are a dirty, pale pink colour with several stripes on each side. i don't like it.

tasteless, man, tasteless.

#Debi said...

"You're getting all the good wv's - mine's 'hbjdh' this time. I'm not sure it even qualifies as a 'word'."

I think it might qualify in Wales...

f:lux said...

Hello, I always wanted to know what puce looked like exactly. Interesting!

Richard Wintle said...

Wrath - "I'm going home to mother" made me giggle. Thanx. btw wv this time was 'okokykyu' which sounds like the refrain from a Hawaiian luau song or something.

kat - ta. Beach, yes.

Zoe - you wouldn't be reading blogs *at work* now, would you? Shameful, shameful behaviour, especially as you have a shiny new laptop.

[quickly closes office door]

f:lux - welcome. I cheated though, according to Wikipedia, which may actually be correct, puce is rgb(204,136,153) which is I think the colour I used when you hover over the links... so what I'm calling puce is actually a darker version.

More than you wanted to know I suspect.

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Man Ricardipus, I can barely blog because of slow this and slow that, and here you are, talking about things like puce and purple and style...sigh...

Rik said...

#debi: How did you know my road name?

Ricardipus: I have a good word, "ylmkqdn." It sounds like somewhere the British forces have bedded down in Iraq. It's also worth a fortune in Scrabble!

Someone once asked me what colour Fuscia is. I told them it's a sort of pale yellow, to which they told me it's more like orange. I disagreed, but eventually they stated their case "The Fuscia's bright, the Fuscia's orange*."

*may not be understood outside of the British Isles, but I'm tired and upset(see my blog), so I don't care.

Richard Wintle said...

I maintain that fusc(h)ia is a bright pinky-purply colour, but I'm conservative in my outlook...

Off to read your blog, rik.

Sir Findo Gask said...

I quite liked puce..

Rik said...

letter verification:"cwerbaz"

Sounds like the noise an Essex Girl makes as she throws up her kebab.