Skip to content

Question for a CSS wizard…

In writing this post, I wanted to include a centered image with four lines of text off to the side, like this:

centered block image

As someone who is struggling to move away from table-based layouts, I did my best to create that structure using only CSS. But after 30 minutes of fighting with divs, floats, clears, aligns, and google searches, I gave up and whipped out the table code. Two minutes later, the table was done and published. Yes, I gave up--I didn't want to spend my entire lunch hour on five lines of text!

My question is this: can someone point me to a site that explains exactly how to create the above look using CSS? All pointers appreciated.



A little (simulated) flying fun…

If you've been reading here much, or have ever seen me speak, you know that I'm somewhat of an aviation fan. I'm an instrument-rated private pilot (though not current, thanks to family, money, and Oregon weather!), and X-Plane is one of my favorite diversions. I love being able to pilot aircraft I'll never have the chance to fly here in reality, and to fly in weather conditions that I wouldn't dare to go near in a real airplane. X-Plane also features real-world weather, so I can fly around the Portland area in conditions that closely match what I see out the office window.

Yesterday, it was foggy here. Really foggy. Almost all day. So during lunch, I took the Nike LearJet (OK, the X-Plane version thereof) out from Portland International for a little spin. Take-off in foggy conditions is relatively straightforward--full thrust, max rate of climb, maintain runway heading (instrument departure procedure? Nah!), and I broke out into the blue skies above at about 3,500 feet above the ground. I flew off to a clearer airport for a couple touch-and-goes, then headed back to Portland. Given the fog, an instrument approach was definitely required. I chose the ILS for runway 28R, and maneuvered the plane towards the final approach course.

Then I got lazy, something I couldn't ever do when flying instruments in the Piper Warrior I trained in: I set up a fully-coupled autopilot approach, including auto-throttles. As pilot, my job was now reduced to system monitor--I only had to choose the desired airspeed on the autopilot panel, remember to drop the flaps and gear, monitor the system's progress, and then the autopilot would take care of the rest. Just for fun, I used SnapzPro to record the approach, from the ILS intercept to touchdown, and uploaded them in case anyone wants to see X-Plane, or what a really foggy approach might look like.
[continue reading…]



Timing is everything!

It figures; just days after getting everything together and uploading the first major revision to Robservatory, WordPress goes off and releases version 2.1! Sigh.

I intsalled version 2.1 on my local copy of the site, then ran the upgrader. That portion of the process went quite well. However, in trying to re-enable my collection of plug-ins and widgets, I found that many of them don't seem to get along with WordPress 2.1 at all--enabling certain plug-ins completely breaks the site's display, for instance.

So, for now, I'll be keeping the site on the 2.0.7 release until more of the plug-ins are updated.



Behind the scenes: plug-ins and widgets

A couple of people emailed me, asking about the collection of widgets and plug-ins I'm using on the site. I've also found that the links in the Plugins page of WordPress' management screen are often incorrect, so documenting the updated URLs seems like a smart thing to do.

So without further ado, you'll find the list just below the (now expanding-in-place!) jump...
[continue reading…]



Site upgrade completed

Welcome to Robservatory 2.0!

We're now running the latest and greatest version of WordPress, but the big news is that I've spent a fair bit of time digging for and installing useful add-ons. (I've also converted the sidebar to WordPress widgets, a cool plug-in that makes it much easier to add and remove things from the sidebar.)

Read on to see some of the new features, as well as some notes from the conversion process...
[continue reading…]



Some notes on 24’s sixth season

24 logoOn Sunday, the sixth season (see note below) of 24 started. In typical fashion, things started very quickly, and there were the usual plot holes and logical inconsistencies (just how quickly can one shave one's own beard off, cut one's own hair (perfectly), shower, and dress? If you're Jack Bauer, in about 10 minutes, apparently!). Despite these issues, I'm already hooked on the new season, and eagerly anticipating each week's episode.

Note: Although this is the start of the sixth season of 24, Jack Bauer is now at least nine years older than he was at the start of season one--18 months passed after season one, 36 months after season two, and then 18 months after each of seasons three, four, and five. Add it all up, and that's 108 months, or exactly nine years.

Caution: There are spoilers below, both for the current season as well as past seasons. If you're not current with season six, or you're working your way through prior seasons, you may not wish to read on. No plot details are revealed, however if you keep reading, you will learn the fate of some of the characters on the show. You have been warned...
[continue reading…]



Ten iPhone suggestions

Macworld logoEven though the iPhone won't ship for about six months, that hasn't stopped me from thinking about how I'd make it better--that is, how I'd make it more into something more of a myPhone than an iPhone. I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and came up with a final list of ten suggested iPhone improvements for Apple's consideration (because they always listen to me!).

Much of my list is influenced by my current phone--a Palm Treo--and the capabilities it provides. If the iPhone is to replace the Treo in my pocket, it's going to have to handle a majority of the items on my list. If it doesn't, I'd actually end up carrying one extra device, instead of one less device.

How realistic do I think my list is? Not very. But it's what I'd make sure the iPhone could do if I were building it just for me!



Rob talks! It’s a podcast…

Macworld logoThis afternoon, I sat down in a room with fellow Macworld employees Jason Snell (our esteemed leader; VP and Editorial Director), Philip Michaels (Executive Editor, Online), and Jonathan Seff (Senior News Editor) to talk about the keynote--what it was, what it wasn't, and when we think what wasn't might turn into what is :).

You can listen to our ramblings from the links on this page over at macworld.com--it's episode #64, in case there are others posted there as well. I haven't done much in the way of podcasting, either creating or participating. It was kind of fun, and I heard some ideas about things I hadn't considered, even though I sat and listened to the same keynote as the others. Hopefully you'll find it interesting as well.



How not to start an Expo presentation

Macworld logoToday was my first presentation day of the show. Although the presentations went well (I was asked to give my talk twice, to accomodate everyone who wanted to hear it), I had a bit of a misadventure in getting everything going.

You can read about exactly what happened over on macworld.com. First time (and hopefully the last) I've ever combined a workout with a presentation!



My thoughts on the Expo keynote

Macworld logoI took a few minutes yesterday to jot down my thoughts regarding the keynote. As described in the article, I was disappointed--not by the iPhone (wow, what a product!) nor the Apple TV, but by the complete lack of information on OS X, the lack of new Apple software, and the non-existence of any new Mac hardware (excluding a never-mentioned AirPort Extreme).

Don't get me wrong--I'm not negative on Apple, and I think the iPhone is truly revolutionary. It's going to spawn a full line of products (come on, Apple, drop a 100GB drive in there, remove the phone wiring, and sell the true Video iPod). I do think it will take Apple in exciting (and profitable) new directions, and I can't wait until I can play with one in person. But attending a Macworld Expo and not getting any new Apple hardware or software to play with is...disappointing.