Archive for February, 2009


Creative 404 Pages … Acorn Style

February 10th, 2009 by Chief Nut

The folks over at MakeUseOf.com wrote a great post on how to create a great 404 page … you know, those pages you get when you type the wrong URL. These pages usually say something really boring like “Server Error 404 - Page Not Found” or something equally dry and mundane. But NO, it doesn’t need to be that way. Read their post to get ideas on how to jazz up your site’s 404s.

We especially like their Example #7 because it’s … well, simply hilarious. HEY, THAT’S OUR 404 PAGE!!!! TOOO FUNNY!

Posted in The Web | Comments Off

Hofstadter Must Have Been a Web Developer!

February 4th, 2009 by Chief Nut

Hofstadter’s Law …

“It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take Hofstadter’s Law into account.”

— Douglas Hofstadter: Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, 1999, p.152

Posted in Einstein-esque | Comments Off

Sneaky, Linky, Spammy

February 4th, 2009 by Chief Nut

If you’re a blogger, you’ve probably already not only seen them but have taken measures to block, squash and delete them … the dreaded ‘comment spam’ message. But, like with all things nefarious, these tactics evolve not unlike a nasty strain of the ebola virus. A relatively new flavor of comment spam I’ve been getting many times daily is the “hey, very informative post” ploy. Here are just a few from the past couple of days;

  • As a Newbie, I am always searching online for articles that can help me. Thank you
  • Great post, while i as searching for blogs, i found yours on Yahoo , that was what i was looking for, great blog.
  • Great and Excellent article post, i was looking for this information on google while i found your info, definely i Digg your blog post ! Cheers , Collin - New York

Outwardly, these really aren’t that offensive except for a few points — hence this post;

  • The exact same comment is sent to multiple posts - grrr
  • The comment isn’t really engaging, informative or beneficial in any way to me or my readers
  • It just adds to the noise of the Internet.

My advice to you? …

  • Don’t fall into the same trap. Don’t spam via blog comments. Don’t spam at all.
  • Don’t add to the noise. There’s enough noise in the blogosphere as it is. If you have something to say, SAY IT, but please, please, please, consider the value of it.
  • View your comments on other people’s blogs as steps to a long-term relationship, NOT just a one-time passing comment to a stranger. Taking this view will serve you well in the long run.

If you have a comment on this post, please dive right in … with strong views, engaging opinions, ranting tirades, personalized support … ANYTHING but the spammy, generic crud I talked about above.

Posted in Blogging | No Comments »