If you are looking for free tools, tips, and tricks to customize almost every aspect of your Blogger.com blog, look no further than BetaBlogger (http://betabloggerfordummies.blogspot.com/). This site is filled with tutorials, samples, and how-to's to get your blog looking exactly the way you want. It's amazing how much you can do to customize your personal blog.
There are tips on here as simple as adding an image to your title bar to more complex things like building your entire site template (colors, fonts, borders, backgrounds) from scratch. Want to add an automatic footer message or script to the footer of each post? They have it here: http://betabloggerfordummies.blogspot.com/2007/01/customize-post-footer.html
There is another site I came across with less content but I like the formatting and writing better. You can find a lot of good details on the new blogger features and some great widgets to add to your page for free (http://blogger-templates.blogspot.com/).
I will be spending the next couple of weeks trying different things to see what I can get working. Blogger is a powerful tool and I am interested to see how far I can get in customizing the site and adding unsupported features. Keep you posted...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Book: Mouse Guard - Fall 1152
I picked this up on a whim at the local comic shop. It caught my eye because it just looked like something different. It was hardcover, great cover art, and when I picked it up and flipped through, the art inside was great! Without knowing anything about it, I read it in one sitting and I am pleased to report that it was a wonderful read.
The story follows 3 mice who are guardians of hidden mice cities. They are sent on a secret mission to defend their capital city against predators and an even worse threat, treason.
I read this in one night and then I realized that the kids would really love this story too so we spent the next week reading a chapter a night together. They were totally into it. The art is absolutely beautiful! The story isn't too hard for a 5 year old. Clean, exciting, and has a little depth to it. Something like "The Little's" if you remember that old series with pictures.
This comes highly recommended if you are looking for something new to read for yourself or the kids or both.
The story follows 3 mice who are guardians of hidden mice cities. They are sent on a secret mission to defend their capital city against predators and an even worse threat, treason.
I read this in one night and then I realized that the kids would really love this story too so we spent the next week reading a chapter a night together. They were totally into it. The art is absolutely beautiful! The story isn't too hard for a 5 year old. Clean, exciting, and has a little depth to it. Something like "The Little's" if you remember that old series with pictures.
This comes highly recommended if you are looking for something new to read for yourself or the kids or both.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Review: Fantastic 4 - Rise of the Silver Surfer
2 & 1/2 - PG (Average, clean family film)
What can I say? Its better than the first but that ain't saying much. The best I can say is that the kids and I had fun for the 89 minutes we spent together in the theatre. It certainly isn't boring and it does keep the story moving.
What's good about it?
What's good about it?
- Michael Chiklis (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004821/) as "The Thing". Does a great job of getting The Thing right in terms of character and personality. Some of the dialog he has to work with is weak and the suit still looks horrible to me (looks nothing like rock).
- Chris Evans (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0262635/) as "The Human Torche aka: Johnny Storm". Lots of fun. Has the best lines of the movie. A bit over the top but makes it fun and the only one who really looks comfortable on screen doing his thing. BTW: The flame effects look great.
- Silver Surfer. AMAZING! The effects were the highlight of the film. Even made the lame parts better. Bravo to the effects team. It single handedly carried the film in many places. In fact, I would say that these effects alone are worth seeing it in the theatre.
What's bad about it?
- Ioan Gruffudd (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0344435/) as "Mr. Fantastic". He is hardly. Doesn't act like the leader, his stretching effects look terrible and there is just no charisma. The guy is a good actor, maybe he was mis-cast.
- Jessica Alba. I don't find her particulary attractive and her acting is so terrible that is probably a big part of my disinterest. She was absolutely horrible and her died blonde hair is distracting. Looks so out of place on her.
- Julian McMahon (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0573037/) as "Doctor Doom". I don't know this guy's other work but this is freakin' horrible!!! He was so pitiful as the evil villian. Made his first movie look amazing in comparison. He fell flat on his face in this one.
- Too Short - 89 minutes! Come on.
- Ridiculous story. Guy that flies on a silver surfboard around the cosmos? Ludicrous but fun.
- Galactus. Why does he have to be a cloud? Didn't they know EVERY fan was going to freak out about that? Why build in that kind of hate?
All in all, a good time for summer movie. I did not hate it and that is something to be said because I had pretty low expectations. I still don't think Tim Story is that great of a director but improvement I will give him.
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