A small update and plans for the future

// An update

First thing's first, the blog now has RSS up and running!! For those who know what that is, you know how great that is. For those who don't, it's actually pretty cool. RSS stands for "really simple syndication". Basically, there is a small file hosted on the site that in inaccessable to human beings. "Well what's the point of that?" I hear you asking. Well if you would stop interrupting I will tell you. RSS files are scanned by looking through the metadata of the website's homepage, and they will notify you of a change in the site every so often. This kind of program is called an RSS-reader. While doing a lot of the research I did today, I actually learned that Mozilla's Thunderbird e-mail client has an RSS feature, which is just another reason I want to switch to Thunderbird, but I can't because it's fucky with icloud emails and I don't have the time to port over my entire life just yet.

Anyway, that all sounds really complicated, but it just boils down to: you get an app, you give the app my home-page link, and the app yells at you every time I post more incoherent ramblings. Of course, even my longer-winded explanation was a gross oversimplification, but I don't really care. RSS is a pretty unique tool, and you can do WAY more with it than I will ever imagine. Its most common application is actually with the distribution of podcasts, which is pretty interesting!

Also, I got the mobile site working again! It's... not great per se, but it's getting there. I have ideas for it, I just have no idea how to implement them, or really how to make a mobile version of a site in the first place (which is probably why most self coded blogs just make a layout that works for both, but I'm not sacrificing here. Depending on how I feel, though, I may switch it back to the less mobile friendly version just because its not THAT inconvenient, you just have to scroll a lot.

// Plans for the future

I also decided that right here, right now, I am going to make a list of things I want to get done for this site. It's not in any order, and I don't know when any of it will get done, but I'm putting it out into the universe now.

  • Fix mobile version
  • Find a way to automate RSS scripting and posting. My good buddy lego jjk mentioned something like that in this post a while ago, but she has probably forgotten about it/given up.
  • I have mostly reorganized my site for at a minimum an RSS script, but I would like to figure more out.
  • Take a look at the Zonelets scripting to see how theirs works and maybe if I can copy their homework.
  • Fix my css more whenever issues arise (aka get the list bullets to work).

Ultimately, I'm okay if smaller tediums like updating the "recent posts" section on the home page, or the next/prev buttons on the blog posts don't get automated. It's mainly the big stuff (pretty much just rss) updating that I would like to get scripted. Until then, however, I am stuck doing it all myself.

Goodnight all. // Forks signing off