WHAT WE LEARNT THIS WEEK

< themesong > < /themesong > (If I was using XML, this would be legitimate)

HTML: Hyper Text Markup language

CSS: Cascading Style Sheets

XML: Extensible Markup Language

Prior to this week’s lecture, it never really crossed my mind that these terms were in fact acronyms. I lived by the philosophy “I don’t care what it means, I only care what it does.” This was another lesson that was learnt.

What we learnt #1: Acronyms, the world is run by them. There is significant difference between HTML and CSS. XML exists.

I am familiar with html, if only, somewhat vaguely. I became acquainted with html because in my youth, like I mean pre-pubescent youth, I had no friends (I actually did have friends, but they hated me). Html and I would spend hours working, my creative mind and its construction skills together creating wonderful web pages and layouts. I must admit that I couldn’t code off the top of my head, no I copied and pasted codes from html referencing guides.

What we learnt #2: Copying and pasting codes is still the only way to do it. Though you’ll never actually learn what it is you are copying and pasting. (I.e. “I don’t care what it is, I only care what it does.”)

It was relieving when Michael related that html couldn’t really be broke, which makes sense considering it is THE FOUNDATION OF WEB BUIDING. Building webs, then I guess html is much like a spider, and I am a fly getting caught, wallowing and getting devoured by html, there is no escape. Since html is the foundation of web site building, CSS and XML are further building blocks in the construction of a page.

What we learnt: #3: CSS: why didn’t you ever think to research what it actually was? CSS is the foundation of design, not structure like HTML. I suppose HTML is like the skeleton of the whole thing, whilst CSS is a layer of skin and make up.

Elements of design should exist separate to the main structure, CSS can be over riding, an overriding design that can be applied to a co0llection html pages, linking to it through code. That was probably the worst explanation ever, but regardless of my explanatory skills I do understand this, even if my explanatory skills give the impression that I do not. ONWARDS AND UPWARDS. This point (the point I was previously talking about in my explanation of CSS) was truly, once and for all emphasised by The Zen Garden and it’s inter-changeability of layout due to separate and external CSS pages.

The time came to actually write code.

What we learnt: #4: When you fail CSS, (because let's face it, CSS really can't fail you. "It was all studpid CSS's fault." SURREE IT WASSS...idiot.) frustration, howling and broken moniters ensue.

With that I will conclude this very obtuse recount of WHAT WE LEARNT THIS WEEK.

< themesong >< /themesong >

The process of blogging: synonym of trying to march with concrete filled shoes...

Blogging is something that does not come naturally to me, is it something that needs to be practiced, like riding a bicycle? (...which on the record I can’t do too well either.)

Before this blog I used myspace and live journal to post thoughts, though they were hardly what you would call substantial or insightful. These posts consisted mainly of pictures and lacked any sort of authorial voice. I can tell you now that this particular blogging exercise has sparked an epiphany as to why that is: 1) I’m primarily a visual person, I like blogs filled with images for my own aesthetic pleasure (oh yes, pleasure indeed), 2) I find my authorial voice endlessly pretentious and irritating.

In week 2’s lecture Michael mentioned the importance of the authorial voice; it should be engaging and humorous. It should not drive people raging in the other direction, or rather in your direction hurling bricks and rotten tomatoes. I have the self absorbed paranoia that my words could provoke that reaction. In truth the worst my meaningless words, and endless strings of trying-to-be-clever-or-intellectual-but-end-up-looking-like-an-outright-knob sentences could do is provoke someone to roll their eyes and click the close button. The latter reaction is actually worse than the public uproar. If you did actually offend the world enough to put a bounty on your head, you have succeeded in impacting the world. This is the importance of the authorial voice: whether it’s quirky, charming or utterly offensive it will determine the success of your blog. People don’t want to read a blog that they don’t gain anything from.

I hope, my dear readers, that you will gain something, anything from my blog that prompts you to continue reading.

What I love about the internet, and furthermore blogging, is the anonymous nature of it all. Also the fact that blogging is an expression of thought through writing, not speech...which is yet another downfall of mine.

Scanning back over what I have just written, I have totally lost the plot. What was I trying to say? I don’t actually remember, and whatever I have written is obviously too far removed from the original point to actually be retrieved. Fail-sauce.

-Insert astute observation and witty conclusion here.-

Introductions served with a side of bad spelling:

The title is a lie, well part of it is anyway.

This is indeed an introductory post, but there will be no side serve of bad spelling, (sorry for all those hungry readers out there, ravenous for some literacy failure) I am, in fact, typing this out in Word. Before you scream cheat, although I imagine the vast majority are who have trouble spelling will be doing the same, I rather appear a cheat than a fool who didn’t listen to the good old primary school spelling lessons and who didn’t complete the good old primary school spelling homework. Believe me readers; I am paying for that mistake all these years later. How utterly macabre.

That was the introduction portion of my post. See, I revealed to you my life story, you already know the reason behind the existence of this blog, and now you and I dear reader have the foundations to be the best of friends.

Because I lack talent for the art of writing segways, I’m going to transition into my next subject of talk with a large and obnoxious title:

WEEK 2 LECTURE: KNOWLEDGE ABSORBED: Mmm I enjoy the subtlety

I'll offer a moment honesty right now, I am surprised how much I am enjoying the unit of Networked Media. It has simply broadened my perspective of importance of and within the web. Now, that is an incredibly broad claim, but let me further explain. For example, the concept of banwidth is now concreted in my mind with that darn ant analogy. Futhermore I've come to understand that there is a difference to copyright and trademark, something that my brain never particularly considered before (it's often too busy sorting through the desires to eat, sleep or stare at self in the mirror). So consequentially and in conclusion the past 2 lectures have heightened my insight into the very alive and functioning body of the internet beyond "OMGZ, I'M ON THE INTERWEBS!!11FACEBOOK.TWITTER.PORN." (Not really porn.)