Girl of 2012

Evening Bloggerati,

well the polls are closed, the votes counted and it looks like Zooey Deschanel has well and truly beaten Anne Hathaway....taking revenge for the last round when Anne beat her twin sister Katy Perry.

I'd like to say it was a close fought contest but Zooey took the lead early and then disappeared into the distance.

For some it was a protest vote for the perceived travesty of the preceding round...

The Angry Lurker - People are mad or blind, Katy was the prettiest....
The Angry Vegetarian - Fa real Angry Lurker. I strongly dislike Anne. Zooey definitely gets the vote, for multiple reasons.
Ray Rousell- Anne who??????? A travesty has occurred!! Zooey, Zooey, Zooey!!!! If only I were 10 years younger!!!

For other's it was her choice in photo shoot attire:-

T. Roger Thomas - Zooey wins for showing up to a photo shoot bottomless.

While others were just fans:-

Tracer Bullet - zooey is soo cuute omg :) she is adorable! 

A Beer for the Shower- See, Zooey and Katy look similar, but Zooey doesn't sing terrible pop music, and she's never had ugly old Russell Brand inside of her, which makes her ten times as hot by default. Vote for Zooey!

So onto the next round...Zooey Deschanel  or Jessica Alba....

    vs

Peace

G

Copyleft Images...

Evening Bloggerati,

It seems that 2012 is the year that big companies try and flex their corporate muscles and try and stop the free-wheeling fun of the internet.

So what are your options for not falling foul of the copyright laws when searching for images?

Google Advance Image Search allows you to search under a number of different 'Usage Rights' options:-

• Labeled for reuse - Your results will only include images labeled with a license that allows you to copy and/or modify the image in ways specified in the license.
• Labeled for commercial reuse - Your results will only include images labeled with a license that allows you to copy the image for commercial purposes, in ways specified in the license.
• Labeled for reuse with modification - Your results will only include images labeled with a license that allows you to copy and modify the image in ways specified in the license.
• Labeled for commercial reuse with modification - Your results will only include images labeled with a license that allows you to copy the image for commercial purposes and modify it in ways specified in the license.

Flicker - Lots of kind people on Flickr offer their work under a Creative Commons license and the site allows you to browse or search through content under each type of license:-

• Attribution means: The author lets others copy, distribute, display, and perform their copyrighted work - and derivative works based upon it - but only if given credit.
• Noncommercial means: The author lets others copy, distribute, display, and perform their work - and derivative works based upon it - but for noncommercial purposes only.
• No Derivative Works means: The author lets others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of their work, not derivative works based upon it.
• Share Alike means: The author lets others distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs their work.

You can also use Compfight.com a Flickr search tool that eases your hunt for Creative Common licensed images.

Some other options for finding pics:-

• AnimalPhotos.info: Thousands of free to use animals photos divided up in to easy to browse categories.
• CarPictures.cc: This site contains thousands of Creative Commons licensed photos of cars, easily divided up by manufacturer so you can find exactly what you are looking for.
• Creativity103.com: An archive of over a thousand abstract backgrounds you can use for free or just for inspiration. 
• Geograph.org.uk: This is an attempt by some enterprising souls to photograph the entirety of the British Isles, and they are being kind enough to release all of the photos as Creative Commons. 
• PhotoEverywhere.co.uk: A photo archive resource filled with travel and location photos from all around the world that are free for your use. 
• Sevenload.com: Sevenload.com is a mixed media hosting site, but within the image portion you can find a clearly makred directory of Creative Commons licensed photos.

Or you could just chance it and see what happens....

Peace

G

Flavio@Flickr

Getting organised

Evening Bloggerati,

following on from the Desiderata post last week I was thinking of all the advice I'd never taken and how my life would be a lot easier if only I'd only listened. The problem with not listening is that now I've no clue how insightive that advice probably was....but the one piece of advice I do remember was from my biochem Professor in Uni:-

"One day G you're going to have to get your shit organised."

Which over the years I've spectacularly failed to do in mostly every area of my life.

However one of the reasons I blog is to develop myself so it's time to get my blogging life in some order.

I love it when a plan comes together!
I tend to try and blog most days either here or on my other blog (shameless self promotion) and in fairness this gets scattered around everything else that is going on in my life. Which often leads to me staying up until the early hours reading blogs, commenting and trying to write a new post.

Tiredness and creativity seldom mix for me.

So in an effort to focus myself I've developed an editorial calendar.
Sounds posh but essentially I'll alternate my efforts between my two blogs, with a day off on the weekend.

Also I'll break up my blogging activities into three separate areas allowing me to fit these in half hour segments around the rest of my life.

• Time to Blog - brainstorm, write, research, draw
• Time to follow - read, comment, support
• Time to promote/find new blogs - explore traffic sources, hunt out new blogs, catch-up on all things new and cool.

PPPPPBP -  Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Blogging Performance
Ever got writers block? ...me too
...so in an effort to overcome the almost weekly head in the hands moment of 'God what am I going to Blog about' I'm going to try and get prepared.

Essentially this involves brainstorming a list of categories that I'm going to blog about and then for each category a list of topics.

This should give around 7-8 primary categories each with 5-6 topics for each category - so around 35-50 post ideas.

Next for each post idea I'll plan the style of post, i.e. How-to, Top 10 List, Q&A's, Interviews, etc

Which should hopefully help with the writers block...fingers crossed.

Anyway that is the plan...I'll keep you posted on how I get on...

Peace

G

400 thank yous!

Evening Bloggerati, 

just a quick post tonight to thank those of you that follow, comment and support.

Peace 

G

Evening Bloggerati,

Well Katy Perry was popular... but not as popular as Anne Hathaway.

Anne is this weeks winner by a massive 60% to 40%

Katy was shocked...

So who can defeat the the mighty Anne maybe Zap McBlowfist's suggestion of Zooey Deschanel?

Who wins....you decide....!

vs




...but then Zooey does look awfully similar to Katy Perry....

Peace

G

Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young

Evening Bloggerati,

For no particular reason I got into a discussion today about the poem Desiderata.
I think everyone I went to Uni with had a copy somewhere on their wall in a kind of homage throwback to the sixties.

Actually the discussion started at Chris Rock's "There's no sex in the Champagne Room" and ended at Desiderata, which for a late night conversation was all wrong.

Anyway here's my version of the famous poem for the bloggerverse:-

Go anonymously amidst facebook and twitter, and remember what power there may be in lurking.

As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all bloggers. 

Post your opinions regularly and clearly; follow all the blogs you can, even the dull and plagiarised; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and ranting bloggers, they'll just bring you down.

If you compare your number of followers to others, you may become a pain in the ass; for always there will be more popular and less popular blogs than yours.

Enjoy your awards as well as your drafts.

Keep interested in your own blog, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of the internet.

Exercise caution in your traffic sources; for the internet is full of paid-to-click scams.
But let this not blind you to what search optimised content can deliver; many bloggers strive for high adsense returns; and everywhere life is full of new ideas.

Be yourself. Especially, avoid copypasta.


Neither be cynical about the comments you get; for in the face of the nameless hordes of the internet it's nice to get to know people.

Follow tutorials from those that have gone before, diligently adding tips as your experience grows.

Nurture a good group of followers to shield you from sudden dips in traffic due to changes in search algorithms.


But do not distress yourself with thoughts of being banned.

Many fears are born of caffeine and insomnia.

Beyond a regular posting schedule, be gentle with yourself... we all have real lives.

You are a blogger of the universe, no less than the Huffington Post or Mashable; you have a right to post when you feel like it.

And whether or not it is clear to you, visitors will find your blog.

Therefore be at peace with your provider, whether Google or Wordpress, and whatever your page views and click rates, in the noisy confusion of your reading list keep peace in your soul.

With all its spam, piracy, and deserted blogs, it is still a beautiful internet.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

G

How to install a new blogger template.

Evening Bloggerati,

Bored of the standard Blogger templates for your blog?
Fancy a new look for a new year?
Well here's a few tips to getting a new funky design...

Step 1 - Find your new template
There are a plethora of sites out there offering every type of template you might ever need.
2 columns, 3 columns, vintage style, magazine layout... the choices are yours.

So the first step is finding one you like
Here are a few good sites:-

• http://btemplates.com
• http://www.bestbloggertemplates.net
• http://www.eblogtemplates.com/

They all have download links that should give you a xml file.

Step 2 - Safety First!... back that sh!t up!!!
In the absence of a big undo button on Blogger it's never worth taking the risk of not being able to get back your old layout. Also if you're anything like me you might just chnge your mind after a few days and want to get back your old template. So here's what you need to do:-

• From your Blogger Dashboard
• Click on 'Design'
• Click on 'Edit HTML'
• Click on 'Download Full Template'

Your xml template should then download...easy

If you're using the new fang dangled 'updated Blogger interface' then:-

• From the Dashboard
• Under 'More Options' select Template
• In the top right click 'Backup/Restore'
• Finally click on  'Download Full Template'

...and again the template should download.

Step 3 - Upload your new template
Now to upload your new look.

If you're keeping it old school then:-

• From your Blogger Dashboard
• Click on 'Design'
• Click on 'Edit HTML'
• Where it says 'Upload a template from a file on your hard drive'
  Select 'Choose file' and navigate to your new saved xml template
• Then click 'Upload'

Now at this stage you might get a warning about your existing widgets that aren't included in your new template. You have 2 options either keep them or delete them - pick one.

Again if you're the cutting edge sort and using the new interface then:-

• From the Dashboard
• Under 'More Options' select Template
• In the top right click 'Backup/Restore'
• Where it says 'Upload a template from a file on your hard drive'
  Select 'Choose file' and navigate to your new saved xml template
• Then click 'Upload'

Step 4 - Tweaking

Any new template might not quite gell with your existing set-up and widgets/gadgets might appear in different places...so you might need to re-jig a few elements to get everything looking just right.

...and hopefully if all has gone to plan you now have a new look for the new year.

Peace

G

Oh and Just for Zap McBlowfist here's Zooey Deschanel

Girl of 2012?

Evening Bloggerati,

well the polls are closed, the votes counted and it looks like the hot fave chick for 2012 is Katy Perry.

I'm not surprised.

It might be her recent availability following her celebrity marriage to Russell Brand or it might just be that 32-26-33 hour glass figure and 32D bust. Certainly she does love showing it off...but then again why wouldn't you. Plus she apparently kissed a girl and kind of liked it - score!

But not everyone's favourite celebrity was on the list so I'll be running weekly polls between  two celebs with the winner staying on to fight for another week....and we'll see where we are at the end of the year. In a very similar concept to http://www.alphabetwars.com/

So for the next contest (and just for Lost.in.Idaho) we have Anne Hatherway

Who gets your vote?

OR

Peace 

G

Not Forgotten... Duff's Master Plan

Evening Bloggerati,

Looks like Katy Perry is heading up the poll...Russel Brand must be an idiot to let her go.

Anyway time to remember fallen blogging comrades in the form of that great 70's/80's card game - Top Trumps.
So tonight I present you with Duff's Master Plan

Now Duff had a crazy blog full of references to girls he liked and a running cometary on his life.

Bizarre, weird but always entertaining Duff left us with just one post on his blog:-

may pick this blogging back up later... for now, final note.

Thank you to the fellow bloggers on here.  I may pick this back up sometime later.

If anyone from the university actually saw/sees this, I wanna apologize.

This Friday  is my last day there, assuming I can make myself finish up my 2 weeks notice.

~peace~

Which leaves so many questions...

Shine on you crazy diamond

Peace

G

Welcome to 2011s

Evening Bloggerati,

if Apple did years maybe they would delay the onset of the Mayan Apocalypse with a cunning twist

But what does 2012 have in store in the run up to the end of the world....?

• With the governments of Italy and Greece being replaced by unelected technocrats maybe 2012 will see the slow death of democracy and full take-over of technocratic governments?
• Will Europe bleed Germany dry?
• Iran....surely Israel will force the US to act?
• Will Facebook replace email and also allow you to sign up to sites using your facebook ID? 

But enough of the serious stuff...the real question for the 2012 crystal ball has to be who will be voted by the myopic media as the sexiest women of 2012?
Here are some front runners:-

Rosie Huntingdon Whiteley (Current odds 5/2 favourite)

Rihanna (Current odds 6/1)

Mila Kunis (Current odds 7/1)

Miranda Kerr (Current odds 8/1)

Katy Perry (Current odds 12/1)

Irina Shayk (Current odds 16/1)

Who would you pick....?

Peace

G