Archive for January, 2009

Confirm Boxes in JavaScript

Posted by mcgelligot in Uncategorized on January 23, 2009

It is easy to create a confirm box in JavaScript. Suddenly my mind is in a ferment over how these boxes might be used on webpages. Of course, just having had bean soup, I first thought of creating a confirm box for my famous lima bean soup recipe. It asks the reader if they are ready to rumble. If yes, then it says that they have been eating too much bean soup. If “cancel”, then there is an alert box telling them that they need to eat some. Yes, just another example of my juvenile sense of humor.

Anyway, here is the code I placed in the header:

<script type=”text/javascript”>
function confirmfunction()
{
var rumble = confirm(“Are you ready to rumble?”);
if (rumble==true)
{
alert(“You have been eating too much bean soup!”);
}
else
{
alert(“You need to have yourself a bowl of bean soup!”);
}
}
</script>

With the body tag looking like this:

<body onload=”confirmfunction()”>

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New Years Resolutions

Posted by mcgelligot in Uncategorized on January 10, 2009

The new year is here, and I am still toying with new year’s resolutions. Last time I made one, it worked! I actually resolved to floss every day, and I did it, and still do. So don’t let anyone tell you that a resolution made on the new year always fails. The new year is a time to evaluate the past and figure out where you intend to go in the future.

For me it has become clear that the business model I have used for the last five years or so is starting to show signs of strain. With the rise of Google Adsense, I thought I could simply create informational sites and derive revenue from readers clicking on Google ads. This worked quite well for a while. I like to think that the articles I have written are informative, and helpful. I could remain aloof and let other people try to sell their wares.

Unfortunately, ad revenue has declined steeply, in spite of the fact that my traffic is up. Yes, quality articles do bring traffic. But in order for them to be economically viable they must have a supporting revenue structure. This can no longer be simply conveying good information. It must also be helpful to the consumer in a way that helps him or her to make buying choices.

What is funny is that this change is actually a throwback to my original revenue model, which I developed before the advent of AdSense. Probably my site that best illustrates this idea is BreadInfo. It exemplifies all that is good (in my mind) about the internet. It is information intensive, well-written, with an attractive layout (which I worked many weeks on). The author (your humble blogger) is enthusiastic about the subject, plus it helps people make economic decisions. Of all my websites, this one has been one of the most successful. It is easy to see why.

So, what is my new year’s resolution? I still haven’t made up my mind, but it goes something like this: to beef up my current websites with even better information. To work on a revenue model that emphasizes helping people to make economic decisions, and to practice my Tae Kwon Do every Friday.

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Audrey Hepburn vs Cameron Diaz

Posted by mcgelligot in Uncategorized on January 5, 2009

I recently watched two very different movies and found that they both had one thing in common, a completely captivating lead female character. First, I saw Audrey Hepburn in “Funny Face”. This is a movie that I actually found relatively inane, and even dull. Without Hepburn, I probably would have switched off the television before the end of the movie. However, it was the anticipation of getting my next glimpse of Audrey that kept me glued. Those eyes just seem to stare into your very soul as you watch her, and as they do, it is as if they find something about you that is worthy of love. It is this ability to reach out beyond the flat screen that makes her so alluring.

My wife watched some of this movie with me. She knows somewhat of my feelings for Hepburn, but I don’t think she begrudges me them. She has an analogous feeling for Harrison Ford.

Then, last night, I watched “Something about Mary”. I consider this the second funniest movie I have ever seen. It is hilarious to watch as all these guys find Mary so irresistible that they will do anything to have her. And Cameron Diaz makes this part believable. Here, as in Audrey’s case, it is the eyes. But with Cameron the projection is less soulful, but more joyous. There is a sense of fun about Audrey, but Cameron seems to be more comfortable with humor. Of course, playing in a comedy certainly would accentuate this side of her.

Of course, eyes are not everything. Both women have an athletic sense about them. They each have a sense of presence. Both are beautiful. If I had any complaints about them it was their thin-ness. Which I found gave them both an etherial quality, a fragility. But the fragility cut two ways for me. Watching them was like drinking coffee from a precious china cup. The coffee goes down well, but every time you set the cup on the saucer, you are afraid of taking a chip out of it.

I do not usually watch movies for the eyes of the female star. It is normally the wit or humor or drama of the work that rivets me. I consider Something about Mary the better film by far. But If you want to watch a great movie in which Audrey Hepburn stars try “Charade“. It is both funny and entertaining.

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