Category Clouds

Posted on April 6, 2006 by Paul — 1 Comment ↓

I’ve been asked how the technorati-like cloud to your right is achieved. Being something of a gadfly, I had already upgraded my WordPress install to use Widgets, which I believe all the cool kids are using nowadays. The instructions to install the basic widget setup are pretty good, so long as you actually follow them rather than doing half of them and then assuming you’re done (but who would do that?)

After that I found the Category Cloud Widget on the Widget Blog(widgr.com, anyone?). Installation was again straightforward, the only trick to keep in mind is that you have to activate the widget just like a plugin from within the WordPress admin pages.

Once installed the parameters to make it work are straightforward – I set it to scale from 70% to 250% of the standard font, which seemed best suited to this theme as it uses relative sizes rather than absolute values.

The widget code was taken from this normal plugin. This is probably a bit easier, but lacks your RDA of AJAX I’m afraid.

Health & Efficiency

Posted on April 6, 2006 by Paul — 1 Comment ↓

Here’s a disgusting idea: a replacement toilet cistern lid that lets you use the water that’s about to refill the cistern to wash your hands first. How disgusting is that?

Well actually it’s not. The water is just water, clean, fresh, drinkable water, so why not make use of it first? In fact the disgusting thing is using drinking water to wash away our waste, when most of the world (including the US) either can’t get enough clean water, or can’t sustain the usage levels it currently enjoys.

There are practical problems with this, most significantly that there’s a toilet in the way when you try to use it. But perhaps that would encourage more people to put the seat down and reduce the toilet aerosol effect in the process.

(Hat-tip: Lifehacker)

Apocalypse

Posted on April 5, 2006 by Paul — 2 Comments ↓

Macs running on Intel? Check (oh sweet, sweet check)
Windows officially running on Macs? Check
The hippo lies down with the tortoise? Check

This is it folks. End of Days.

Science for Schoolboys

Posted on April 5, 2006 by Paul

Just to show that little boys are natural scientists:

The scientists’ hunch that the ants’ movements, not their body shapes, chiefly dictated their gliding paths was confirmed when they started chopping off appendages to see if the insects could still soar.

Creme Egg Rich

Posted on April 5, 2006 by Paul

With thanks to whoever clicked by last night, I’m now rich. Not rich rich, nor indeed even double-shot mocha latte rich, but certainly Cadbury’s Creme Egg rich.

I used to work with a member of the Cadbury family and … wait, I just need to point something out. If at some point in the future I can ever be referred to as ‘a member of the Harris family’ and it be a good thing, not like a Manson family kind of thing, then under no circumstances will you be working with me, unless ‘working with me’ covers bringing me ice-cold Fanta Limon* on the beach.

Anyway, we worked in Social Services for a local government, which I guess is a worthy calling, but Mr Cadbury decided it was time to leave and do something even more worthy. On his last day he brought in a basket full of Creme Eggs that his son had swiped from the line that morning. So I have been given a Creme Egg by (a) Mr Cadbury. And even better, I also stolen one from him, cus they’re gorgeous.

PS. Did you know that Creme Eggs are so cool they even have their own podcast? That’s cool, right, having your own podcast? It must be cool, cus I don’t have one and I’m not cool.

*It’s a thing – I go on vacation somewhere hot, I drink Fanta Limon.