louisgray.com: Site Redesign Details

If you've visited this site more than once, you may have noticed a somewhat radical change overnight. The site's dominant color has morphed from a dark purple to a light blue, the sidebar has switched sides, from right to left, and a number of under the hood changes have taken place.

So why the change?

Given the Web site has my name in the URL, I am going to constantly tinker until I find the ideal way to deliver content. Though happy with the ability to post new items quickly with RapidWeaver, I have been disappointed with some elements of the program - most notably how the theme I was using handled subpages or permalinks.

Ideally, when visitors come to read a specific post or page, they should see that the page is part of a bigger structure, and not orphaned. It should retain elements of the site, such as the title, directory or sidebar. The old theme didn't do this, so I had a lot of visitors to permalinks who had nowhere to go, and left. Now, with this newer theme, the permalinks retain linkage to their category, and the all-important sidebar and navigation. It's much, much better.

For example: A permalink page before the change | How that page looks now with the new theme

Does this mean the end of change? Of course not. I'm not sure that the light blue is ideal, or that the fonts are perfect, etc. But now, I have a better platform to start from to make continued changes. Stick around - we just might get it right after a while.

Listening to ''I'm a Big Sister, and I'm a Girl, and I'm a Princess, and this is my Horse'', by Underworld (Play Count: 3)

Google Says: Features, Not Products

Over the last year, it has been well-chronicled that Google has spawned a wide variety of new products, many emerging from their engineers' 20% flex time to work on projects outside of their core focus. But as the new products have gained press attention and passing interest from users, they haven't vaulted to take the #1 spot in market share, as their search platform has. Instead, they've contributed to added confusion over what initially was a very simple company that took a lot of credit for its spartan design and laser-like focus.

Now, it looks like the rumblings of discontent are being heard in the glass house that is Google. The LA Times reports that Co-founder Sergey Brin is promoting an initiative called "Features, not products", where engineers are encouraged to make products that are already released best of breed, rather than introducing an increasing amount of diversity that has already seen the development of more than 50 Google-branded offerings.

For some, this is seen as a sign of maturity, that the company is moving beyond it's dramatic startup phase, and more to being a full-fledged industry leader. But on the flip side, it's not as if Microsoft has reduced its product array and focused on features, and Apple, while initially focusing on a famous quadrant of four hardware products for professional and consumer, laptop and desktop, now has expanded into the consumer gadgets arena. This indicates that established companies do see product creep, but the baseline must first be set, and at least for Google, that time to do so is now.

In other Google news, the biggest rumor of the day is that Google is in talks to purchase online video giant YouTube for the staggering price of $1.6 billion. That unlikely consolidation would be a market shaker, but I don't know that Google wants to acquire a headache - one that would be guaranteed once slighted copyright owners determine they want a piece of Google's massive cash pile. YouTube is a great resource for copyrighted material, and has become the Napster of video. Right now, they don't have enough cash to shake down. Google would change all that.

Listening to ''True (Vocal)'', by John Digweed (Play Count: 5)

A's Deliver a Day Of Celebration

For the first time since 1992, the A's are on their way to the American League Championship Series (ALCS), following the club's 8-3 victory and series sweep of the favored Minnesota Twins. In front of a sellout crowd nearing 36,000, including my wife and me, the A's pushed out to an early 4-0 lead, and padded on when the Twins tried to answer back. When Huston Street got the Twins to pop out meekly to left field to end the game, the team's players rushed the mound for a frenzied celebration that continued into the clubhouse, their second such celebration in a few weeks, with hopes that two more may be coming soon - through the World Series.

3rd basman Eric Chavez' homer really set the tone of the day. He didn't just hit it hard, he CRUSHED it, putting the A's on the board first. Following an RBI by pesky shortstop Marco Scutaro to make it 2-0, right fielder Milton Bradley CRUSHED a two-run homer to center making it 4-0. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Dan Haren battled through, keeping the lead and stranding guys right and left, leaving after six innings.

And Marco Scutaro wasn't nearly done. Even after seeing him make clutch hit after hit during the season's stretch, his heroics never get tired. With the bases loaded, and the score 5-2, he clubbed a double as the sellout crowd chanted his name. You KNEW he was going to do it, and then he did it. From our seats, we made sure section 114 chanted Marco (boom boom) Scutaro (Boom Boom Boom) until we were all hoarse. Every single A's player running back on the field during the inning change had to pay homage to his hitting prowess, including his new double play partner, D'Angelo Jimenez.

I loved the energy. I loved seeing the celebration in Oakland, the first time I've ever seen a clinching game. I loved our being given towels to wave during the game and seeing a handful of friends from Athletics Nation. I love the fact that Thomas didn't have to hit a home run for us to win. I love the fact we're in the ALCS and can rest up while the Tigers smack around the Yankees. They can go the full five and go extra innings in every game until they should both quit.

THIS TEAM IS GOING PLACES. We are IN IT TO WIN IT and WIN IT we are doing. Go A's!

Game Recaps: Athletics Nation and Yahoo! Sports

A's Aim to Clinch ALCS With Victory Today

Today, my wife and I are not going to work. We stayed home. The reason? Our Oakland Athletics are taking on the Minnesota Twins in game 3 of the American League Division Series at McAfee Coliseum, at 1:05, with the opportunity, if they win, to move on to the American League Championship Series, where the club has not been since 1992, having lost a record 9 straight potential clinchers.

As we've already seen, this year's A's squad is different than those who struggled to finish off Minnesota, Boston and New York in previous years. Frank Thomas, Barry Zito and Mark Kotsay came up big at the Metrodome and have powered the A's to a 2-0 series lead. Today, with Dan Haren taking the mound against veteran Brad Radke, we will be in our usual seats, cheering for the green and gold, camera poised for potential celebratory bedlam.

Going to the game? Find us at section 114, row 28, seats 5 and 6. Go A's!