The new Lakeshoremen.org is live.
I still have some stuff to add, like the photo database, a forum, and fixing whatever random bugs the membership finds as they tool around the site… but it’s pretty much done.
Oh, and can I just say that Core FTP Lite would suck my ballzac, if I had one.
Thanks.
When I realize I’m neglecting a given website and think to myself (way in advance), “Gee, once I’m done redesigning this website, I should really go spruce up that other one.”
Then, right before I launch the redesigned website, and am almost ready to think about the neglected website, someone e-mails the mailing list related to said neglected site and says, “Hey. Why isn’t this site ever updated?” Then I feel like a schmuck, and publicly apologize for sucking, and share my plans for updating the neglected site. Other list members express their appreciation. I feel better about myself.
Then the person (I hesitate to call the person The Complainant) e-mails the list again, just to say that they didn’t mean to start a fight, but really, why is the webmistress giving lame excuses for neglecting the site?
Which, of course, puts me into instant “fuck you” defensive mode, partnered with an unnecessary depression. Not a good way to get motivated to finish the LSM site.
Sometimes I think I should just let someone else take it over. Sure, the entire website was my own idea back in the day (1996), and yeah, that was what made me learn HTML in the first place… but maybe it’s time for someone else to take over.
Maybe I will.
I’ll give it some thought.
Update, 10:05pm: I told the mailing list of my poor neglected site to give me six weeks in which to turn the site around. If they’re not satisfied with the site by Veterans’ Day, I will abdicate in favor of a new webmaster of their choosing.
Still depressed. Still haven’t done any work on the LSM site tonight. Still has to go live either tomorrow night or Saturday morning.
I hate being depressed when I shouldn’t be. I’m going to bed.
On Sunday, the day after I purchased the Argoflex 75, I found a Brownie Bullet camera for $1.99 at Savers. I saw that it took 127 film, and contemplated leaving it… but not for long. WTF, I figured, it’s only two bucks.
So, I thought I might be able to try 35mm sprocket hole photography with my new-old camera, to test the camera’s workings for much less than the cost of a roll of vintage 127mm film. Went out to the garage and located some foam to hold the smaller film canister in place, opened up the camera — and realized that 127 film is much narrower than 35mm. The camera wouldn’t even think about closing with that huge 35mm film cartridge in there. D’oh!
Damn… off to eBay I go, to purchase some 127mm film.
Maybe someday I’ll get saucy and learn to develop my own black-and-white film. Until then, I suppose I’ll just get butt-raped by Rocky Mountain Film Lab (who, incidentally, can also develop all my obscure rolls of Super 8 film). We’ll see if the Brownie’s worth the trouble after a test roll…
Bench, Eppstein Park, Maumee OH – 19 Sept 2005
I just spent 90 minutes to create a form with which the members of the Lakeshoremen will be able to correct any errors with their first name, last name, title, or e-mail address, and will be able to change their passwords.
I actually drew a flowchart.
And it helped.
…Actually, now that I think about it, there’s one more step of password validation I should probably add, that I had ended up striking from the aforementioned flowchart: allowing only alphanumerics. The passwords can be 6 to 8 characters, and I’d rather not go through the bother of unescaping HTML to figure out the “real” length, and whatever the hell else would be involved. As it is, could somebody break it? (That was a question, not a request, btw.) Basically, is this a major security issue?
Apart from that, though — holy crap, I made something that really, really goes! I might actually get to work on the photo database before launch. It’s on the “Nice To Have” list, while the password editing was on the “Gotta Have” list.
Comments and last-minute suggestions are welcome. The site goes live Friday night / Saturday morning, whether I think it’s ready or not. I promised.