DVD List Returns

You may have noticed if you clicked through my DVDs & More link that the list for my DVD library was AWOL. That link has been broken for some time, but as of tonight it is working again. That being said the list of DVDs is a bit out of date. How out of date? Not really sure, that’s what I have to figure out next. The currently list is 283 DVDs long and I’m pretty sure I’ve not updated the list since last year at least. So, I may have a bit of work ahead of me in cataloguing the DVDs and now Blue-Ray disks I’ve purchased or received as gifts since then. Might be a good thing so that anyone looking to buy me a gift, has a place to look to see what I already have, one would think.

New RapidWeaver - New Site?

Well, today a new version of Rapidweaver was released. For those of you that don’t know, RapidWeaver is what I use to build my websites. It is the program that really got me to think long and hard about moving back to Macintosh. RapidWeaver makes creating a website, stupid easy. So does Apple’s iWeb, but the difference between them is that you can grow with RapidWeaver.

Anyway, today version 4.0 was released. While they haven’t added any major new features, they have rebuilt the entire interface and it’s gorgeous. It also seems easier to use. I really can’t pass final judgement as the Gold released was only today, but I was using the beta for the past few weeks.

In the past with each new version of RapidWeaver I have made some big to major changes on my website. The current version of the webside debuted a few weeks after 3.6; the last major upgrade. I believe that this current version of the site would be KellysWorld V3, or as software developers have begun to do --- KellysWorld ’06.

So, does this mean it is time for a KellysWorld ’08. Not sure. I have to say that when I do a new version I have a tendancy to update the site more for awhile; but eventually that comes to a hault. I’ve stopped storing photos on my website and have started using different sites in the past several months. Most recently posting my photos to my .Mac gallery. It’s the photos folks come to see anyway.

I don’t know. The fun is in the designing of the site, the graphics, layout and any new tools I can throw at the site. Of course after a month or two I go back to a minimilst approach as you see with KellysWorld in its current state.

Well, I’m sure wild horses couldn’t keep me from making at least some changes; and heck, why not. Change doesn’t always have to serve a high and powerful service, sometimes change can just be about trying on a new outfit; or a new layout.

I Promise To Do Better - Really, I Do!

Looks like I have failed again in updating my blog. I'm not sure why it's so hard to load a program, write a few sentences and then upload a page or two; but it seems to be bloody difficult. I'm not making excuses. I'm not saying I'm going to stop blog posting all together. I'm just saying I'm pretty lousy at regular updates. I'm not the only one out there, but then there are many who are much better than myself as well.

It's not like I'm the quiet one either or that I am without opinions. I'm sure anyone that knows me would say, "Kelly, I'm sure you can think of something annoying to say about something; you always do when I'm around." I'm sure they would say it in the most loving of ways too. Right?

Well, I again will make a promise to try harder, work longer, think broader and lots of other "ers," to make this a better blog and website. The whole site needs regular updates to be honest. I've got to find a way to get photos on-line easier too so that grandmas and grandpas as well as far flung family can more easily see the events that make up the lives of the Wylie Spores.

Again, I PROMISE!

Yeah, Yeah... Been Gone Again

Yeah, I know... Yet another long period of time has passed since my last entry. I've been involved in many different events and activities since Dec. 9. There was a little holiday called Christmas, then New Year's and of course working towards adopting a child. Lots of paperwork, classes and other necessary work that has to be done before we can even begin the process of adopting. More on that in a future entry. I've also had my time consumed by a little device called the iPhone. Yes, for Christmas my wife got me that one gift I just had to have but wasn't going to buy for myself. Apple Inc.'s well known iPhone. You've seen the ads. You've heard the hype. You've seen the news and maybe read a review or two. I'm here to tell you.... BELIEVE EVERY POSITIVE WORD. It isn't a perfect phone, but it is far more perfect than any mobile phone I've ever used or owned. It's actually better than any phone I've every used before. More on the iPhone to come later as well.

I've been busy, VERY BUSY, at work. I arrive each day around 8:00 and leave each day around 6:00 or 6:30. Long days that go at an incredibly fast pace. My company operates in 33 markets now, crossing every time zone in the country. Since most of our major clients are either medical or financial, our clients are fast paced operations as well. Since I am the Manager of Customer Service as well as one of the chief operation managers, I stay busy answering questions, researching problems and approving actions. I love every minute, even if I'm often exhausted by days end. I don't blog much about work, and I don't see that changing. Work is work, all that needs to really be known is that I enjoy my job and the responsibilities that come with my position.

This post is short and a bit "all over the place," but I promise to try and make at least one entry a week. That's not much is it, one post a week?

Tracy's Web Galleries

Tracy has created a couple of web galleries using .Mac and iLife '08. I have to admit, they are pretty amazing tools. The look of the galleries is simply fantastic.

They may not as be as functional as Flickr, nor have the same amount of inexpensive storage; but Apple graphical and design prowess are undeniable. When viewing photos you have several different views: Grid, Mosaic, Carousel and the ubiquitous slideshow. In "Grid" and "Mosaic" you can reize all the photos on the fly, with Grid being the default mode and Mosaic probably being the mode folks will enjoy the most for finding the photos they want to see. Then there are the two modes best for just watching photos, "Carousel" and "Slideshow."

Slideshow works exactly as you might expect, with play and pause. The look is fantastic. Then in Carousel you view the photos from left to right with the photos zooming into view; as if you were scanning through them on your desk. It's a view you have seen in photo programs, but not much on the web.

The entire album gives you a great deal of ability to customize your view, more so than Flickr or any other photo website. So check out Tracy's photos and enjoy the exceptional "Apple Experience."

Links to her web galleries are below:
Photography - Architecture
Photography - Nature
Photography - People

Website for Carlos - First Year

Tracy has created a website just for Carlos Jr. It's dedicated to his first year, and his very first birthday. I might also mention that this is really Tracy's first website. Visit "About Being Born." The site has a video that I created recently in honor of his first birthday, plus many, many photos.

Let Tracy know what you think of her creation by dropping line. Click here to e-mail Tracy. I'm sure we will be seeing many more web pages in the near future!

Photos of Carlos

As I continue to play around with Flickr, I've added photos of Carlos Jr. from 2006 and 2007. I basically pulled my favorite photos and uploaded them to Flickr. A link to the photos is available below. I will also find a way to add a link to the photos Gallery page. Remember, if you like one or more of the photos you can either download the photo or order prints. You have to be a Flickr member, but that's pretty easy and if you use Yahoo already, you are basically a member of Flickr.

Photos of Carlos Jr.

Eternal Magic - Magical Issues

If you happen to visit EternalMagic.net you might notice that the contact page and the gallery are missing. That's for two separate reasons.

The contact page was removed because I have begun getting a great deal of junk e-mail from that page. Apparently EternalMagic has been struck by the bane of the internet, web crawlers that use forms like my contact page to sell the wares and ideas of some moron hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. May they swim in the swill they create.

The other problem is an outgrowth of that problem, combined with the simple fact that I will have to resource the photos in my web authoring software. My software ties directly into iPhoto, but I don't use iPhoto anymore; a change that took place only in the past few months. On KellysWorld I've been working on moving my photos into a more archival friendly and web friendly format.

While the contact form probably won't return, the galleries will. I have no plan to remove the website anytime soon; although I don't see any updates to it of any major degree. It's a part of our wedding, a part of our history.