LocalPCGuy, Author at Local PC Guy

Setting up WordPress for a simple blog

Looking for a place to post your thoughts? Want to distribute information about a hobby or something you are knowledgeable about on the web? Setup a blog using WordPress. I don’t generally recommend someone just go to WordPress.com, although that is obviously an option.

No, I recommend an individual learn a little bit about the inner workings of their website by setting up WordPress on their own domain and with their own hosting. You also get invaluable experience which will be important as a website owner. It is a simple process these days, even those without a lot of Internet knowledge can follow the instructions and steps to get this setup.

Warning: If you are running a business, you probably should consult with someone who builds websites for a living. For a blog you do for fun, it doesn’t matter if you mess something up and it is down for a few days, but in your business? Inexperience can cost big dollars in lost sales and lower reputation.

Now on to the steps you need to take to get your first post online:

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By LocalPCGuy on JavaScript, Web Development

JavaScript Resources

There are a ton of free or low cost resources for learning or improving JavaScript skills, and since I had recently gathered some together, I wanted to post them here for anyone to benefit from them. So without further ado:

Short introduction to JavaScript from Mozilla (creators of Firefox)
Another guide from Mozilla (probably some shared info between this and the above link)
JavaScript Essentials (free online book)
Eloquent JavaScript (free online book)
Learn.AppendTo (videos)
Essential JS Design Patterns (free online book)
JavaScript Enlightenment (free pdf ebook)
http://ontwik.com/category/javascript/ (lots of JavaScript videos, probably not for first-time learners, but great for expanding knowledge)
JavaScript in 24 Hours (almost didn’t list this one, it is from 2002, so beware some techniques have been updated. But if you like the “in 24 hours” type books, it’ll teach the basics.)

jQuery (definitely learn JavaScript first, don’t make the mistake of jumping straight into jQuery)

JQuery Fundamentals (free online book on jQuery)

By LocalPCGuy on Personal Development, Web Development

Become an Iconoclast, be irreplaceable. Self-Engineer.

Two of the takeaways from the 1DevDay Detroit conference 11/17/2012.

I wrote up my thoughts and takeaways on the 1DevDay Detroit conference for the Enlighten blog, and you can find the post here:

Enlighten 1DevDay Blog Post

I just wanted to expand for just a moment on the keynotes. They weren’t technical. You probably didn’t learn anything that would significantly impact your coding ability. But they were, in many ways, the most important thing that was presented at the conference. Both keynotes, if the principles are applied to our daily lives, would impact our life success far more than a little tip on the newest coding language.

So I urge people to take talks like these to heart. Apply the practical points the speakers give, and continue to appreciate self-improvement just as much as technical detail.

By LocalPCGuy on Web Development

Ann Arbor Give Camp

I spent last weekend at the Ann Arbor Give Camp, hosted by Washtenaw Community College, creating a website for a local charity, along with 60 other web professionals. I posted a full write-up of my experience to the Enlighten blog: http://www.enlighten.com/2012/09/hacking-for-charity/.

By LocalPCGuy on CSS, JavaScript, Web Development

Border radius inset or inverted rounded corners

At work today I was asked if it was possible to make inverted rounded corners on an element using CSS3, and it was a fun little challenge. I thought maybe I would find that border radius has an “inset” property that can be applied, and the W3C probably should have considered adding that. Ah well, it still turned out to be relatively simple, and I thought I’d document in case it can help anyone else.

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