Adding a gallery of pictures to a website using Expression Web 2 or 4

This doesn't seem complicated I'm sure to most web designers but I'm self taught and I didn't understand what I wanted. First of all, there is a ton of free software that will accomplish this task for you to choose from. That is, if you want something Flash based or possibly Java based. They are easy to use once you understand the procedure needed. I speak from experience here and will try to provide a list of them if that's what you're looking for. After trying many different programs, I realized that I did not understand what I wanted. Maybe I should spend more time talking to myself. What I wanted was a gallery (actually, galleries) of thumb nailed pictures that would upon clicking the thumb nail, would lead to a full size picture. The purpose would be to offer some pictures free of charge (public domain) for use in whatever anybody had in mind. My motive is not entirely utilitarian as I run ads on the site but I, as many do, wanted to give something back to the Internet community. The existing gallery generating packages that I looked at did as advertised, they created some slick looking galleries that you could embed on blogs and websites but didn't solve my problem.

My solution was to use a table, which like I said, seems simple enough but I didn't see it. It seems that most gallery software wants to display your pictures but prevent the copying or free use of them. My goal was the opposite. I used the table solution in a site designed with a "dynamic web template". I created a table with 10 rows and 2 columns. You can then choose to insert pictures from files into each cell by using the menu driven solution or actually just drag and drop. After either action, the result is a large picture that doesnt fit, but a right click and "auto thumbnail" fixes this in a jiffy. This is the most elegant solution that I have found for creating pages that provide what I was looking for and hopefully may help others.

Cropping and Resizing Photos to Fit into a Certain size space

Recently I had to change pictures in an existing website that was template driven. It seems easy enough when you first think about it but actually doing it can be a pain. As an example, the first pictures dimensions were 380 pixels wide by 506 pixels high. I found an appropriate replacement and opened that picture inside of Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3. The original dimensions were 4912 wide by 3264 high. this is a big difference. I chose the cropping option and set the size to 380 by 506 and it was so small I couldn't fit what I wanted in that area. The trick is to set the target pixel size then making sure the "Maintain aspect ratio" box is checked, drag the sides or corners of the cropping box until you have the detail you need. Now you have the picture you want but its way to large. The second step is to re-size the picture to the original dimensions you need. I clicked on "Image" then "resize" and under "pixel dimensions" adjusted the size down to 380 by 506. I know that some people might say its easier and less steps to do all this within the web authoring package you use but that's not always the case. I use Microsoft's Expression Web 2 and Expression Web 4 and if you resize a picture the results aren't nearly as nice. This is one of the many reasons it helps to have software designed to one thing and do it well.

The original is here, the picture to the right.
The cropped picture is here, the top picture on the right

How to diagnose an IP conflict

I haven't posted for awhile but here's a good one. I just had a situation where only one computer could access the internet and not only that, but if any other computer was turned on, both or all got a message about an IP conflict. I think the message was something like "another computer has the same IP" and there was a yellow triangle. Now, the computer that was first turned on could access the internet but the second could not. In trying to figure out the problem I attempted to access the router (type 192.168.1.0 in the address bar and hold the Ctrl button and press enter) and came up empty "the process timed out". I tried different combination's of the last two numbers and got into the modem instead. Then I got smart and hit Start>all programs>accessories>command prompt and typed in "ipconfig" and saw that the IP issued to my computer was close to the IP issued to modem. This was a clue because the network in your house only has a couple of reserved address ranges and this was out of range. I decided to have a look at the router and found the power light blinking while Mary informed me that there had been a power surge or loss earlier in the day. I unplugged the router and waited 1 minute and plugged it back in and the power light quit flashing.
After this, any computer turned on was able to access the internet and go about their business.

Explanation: the router quit working and the modem went default and issued the next IP address to the first computer that was turned on. The modem is not a router and can't handle multiple IP's. Once the router was working again it resumes its duties. The clue was the abnormal IP address at the computer level. When behind a router you should expect an address starting with "192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x or even though obscure 172.16.x.x .

I hate Microsoft Even More!

Why do I hate Microsoft? Let me count the ways!

1. Windows ME
2. Windows Vista
3. Office(any version)
4. Internet Explorer (version 8's okay i guess)
5. Service Packs: XP has 3! Really! Was this software ready for release?
6. Adobe has Flash. Why Silverlight? Why not "Lightning"! Sounds catchy. Therefore, not Microsoft.
7. Did I mention Windows Genuine Advantage? Advantage = them! Us = not so much.
8. Nice website
9. Bill Grates on my nerves
10. All of the above

Actually, I do have a minor gripe with "the empire". I design some websites, not very well thank you, but still I do. One of the "tools" I use is Microsoft Expressions. I originally started with Frontpage only because I'm not notepad website hacker guy. I need WYSIWYG( pronounced "wisseewig" it stands for "what you see is what you get". Anyhow and whatnot, I use Expression 2 and noticed an opportunity to upgrade to version 3 and get a "free" upgrade to Expression 4! Being the dumbass that I am,  I jumped at the chance to go with a company with a great track record of providing quality software at a reasonable price. I bit, HARD! They got me!
The story is that Expression 3 sucked and sucked bad. Real bad! After installing, computers were crashing and nobody could get anything done. This was why they offered the "free" upgrade to version 4. Version 4 would fix everything, right? Wrong!
My situation is this: if I open a website designed in Expression 2 it doesn't look like what I designed, so I went back to version 2 and it crashes shortly after liftoff! What to do, what to do? I guess I may have to reinstall my operating system and the Expression Web 2 and try to hold it together until they tempt me with another great offer. Maybe if I buy Expression 5 they throw in a coupon to Dreamweaver so I can actually design instead of bitch, ya think?

I Hate Microsoft!

I hate Microsoft! And I've paid for that right! I have owned every operating system save for business related ones like Server and such. MS-Dos, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, I've owned them all and still do. The crux of this post is Windows 7 and the problems I'm having with it. Please let me explain.
The back story is that I beta tested it which involves installing an early release of the software and was successful and helped the program and other users.
The story now is that I bought a 3 license upgrade "Home Premium" pack from Bestbuy and installed it over a month ago.
The problem is that the other day I booted it up and got the message that my copy is a illegitimate bastard child! Ooh, I'm sorry! Let me use their terminology: "you may be a victim of software counterfeiting. This copy of Windows did not pass genuine Windows validation".
I'm sorry, I lost my cool there for a moment. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10!
I'm okay. Most other people would not be okay because of the key word "upgrade". If you upgrade your operating system and this happens, your computer will stop working after awhile. 
I won't be affected because the computer I installed this on actually can boot into three O.S.'s: Windows 7, Windows XP and Ubuntu. I still hate Microsoft, but after all this typing and explaining I realize that they are their own worst enemy. I can still use my computer but the average person, their core group of customers, will hate them far more then I do. I think they should call this "the genuine windows disadvantage".

Problems Opening M.S. Office files

Many people are experiencing issues when trying to open files that were created in M.S. Office. There are 2 sides to this issue.
If you are the creator of files, say your resume and you want to send them to somebody, try following these rules:

• Try to find out what program the receiver of the files is going to use to open the files. The reason is simple. Microsoft has a few versions of their office suite and there are incompatibilities.
• Save the files in the format that matches the target systems office product. (Office 2003. etc.)
• If there is a problem, save and send it in an earlier version. (Office 97 instead of Office 2003)
• Caution: saving a Word file(.doc) into a text file(.txt) will lose all formatting(fonts, color, etc.).
• Consider using the .RTF(rich text format). It's kind of dumbing down if you have Office, but it's kind of universal and if the target system has Windows it will be opened by Wordpad.(everyone has it)

If you're on the recieving end here are a few tips and links:

• Know the programs that are installed on your computer. This will possibly avoid any confusion.
• If you are going to have to change(edit) the files that are sent to you, you will need an Office program. Consider buying M.S. Office or using OpenOffice. It's free and on the Kiss List.
• If you're just receiving files and just need to look at them, go to Microsoft. Word, Excel and PowerPoint viewers are available and free of charge. (okay, there's a problem with this technique because my links from the kisslist won't work and curiously neither will microsofts, generated from there own website! Maybe they'll fix this, but I don't know). Oohh! I found it by searching with, you guessed it GOOGLE! Excel, Word and PowerPoint ! If these links break in the future just go to GOOGLE and search for "word viewer" etc.

In closing, remember to be careful when working with files that are important. Make a copy of the original file and open it with an untested program. That way you always have the original. Understand file formats. Files ending in .txt , .doc and .rtf are word processor files, files ending in .xls , .xlsx and .wks are spread sheet files. This link may help with understanding formats.

The Danger of Strangers and your Data

The issue: Data loss due to Microsofts inability to recognize it's customer base.

I realize that I'm weighing in a little late on this issue, but I have to say, "really?". I have a Sidekick, but her name is Mutzi and she doesn't need batteries, just bones. But I do have a Blackberry, so, I can feel some pain. No, I don't back up my data off my phone. I should. I just don't. And, nobody I know does it either. I had my "Blackberry User Tools" installed, but changed motherboards, hard drives etc. I liked the software because it had Roxio on it and it wasn't locked to an optical drive. Sweet! I backed up 1 time, after I installed it. It was a pain in the butt! I know better, but nope, not gonna do it!

Hey, seems the sidekickers didn't either. Seems funny, though, that the phrase "stranger danger" didn't pop into their little heads. After all, the company Microsoft bought to ensure the safety of their information is named, ahem, "Danger, Inc." I quote directly from Danger Inc.'s website "It is the business of the future to be dangerous" by mathematician, logician and philosopher Alfred Whitehead. I did not see a title like "datatician", "Supreme Protector of info" or possibly "Datadude". Weirdly, Al W. also said "Culture is activity of thought, and receptiveness to human beauty. Scraps of information have nothing to do with it". I'm thinking here that Danger Inc. chose the wrong mascot and the people who own sidekicks want their "scraps of information" back!

Microsofts customer base is the average person. They have trouble programming a remote, but they can use one. Too much technology too quickly has numbed a good many of us. We will not, as a group, back up much of anything. As we, the users, watch football and drink beer, this might cut into the opening kick off. We rely, as a group, on "you got that, right" to companies like Microsoft, cause they got that, right? Nope. They hired "Danger Inc.". (bought it) Yea, well, they decided to keep data "in the cloud". This means not on your device(the sidekick).

I don't mean to pick, but who in the marketing department thought "danger" was a good company name when your business was safe guarding data? And Microsoft was like, "hey, I like that, "Danger!", sounds edgy, buy that company!".

Then again, keeping your data in "the cloud" doesn't sound secure. Science tells us that clouds dissapate! In English, this means "go away". That's what happened to the data, it "went away". Microsofts idea of the cloud isn't even the cloud, it's "Mesh". They have a "SkyDrive"(25GB, free), kind of a thumbdrive you can't touch (but who can?). Adobe has "AIR", I think. At least it's closer to cloud. Did you know that Google has "Gears".

Here's the straight deal: data is the most important part of computing, period! Pictures, mp3s, resumes whatev, this is you. Any data is or should be transferable to any device or operating system! If it's important, yes, back it up! And remember, this can be done in an analog fashion if its a password or a phone number. This means pen and paper! Duh!

Just remember, if say, you're heading out to "One Microsoft Way"(Microsoft, Duh) and your "Gears" won't "Mesh" just take the "Skydrive" to Mountain View(Google) and as you climb into the "Cloud"s, don't run out of "AIR".

Windows 7 Launch Party

Sometime back, Microsoft sent me an invitation to host a window 7 launch party. I participated in their beta testing program for windows 7 and they must have felt obligated to extend me this courtesy. So I responded but on Wednesday got the email denying me my right to be a host. I knew the odds were steep but thought, what the hell. It's a good thing they didn't ask me for the list of people attending because we were going to round up all the bobble heads and other inanimate "people" we could find! We may still have one, haven't decided yet. My main attraction was the free edition of windows 7 ultimate anyway.