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Showing posts with label Layout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Layout. Show all posts

Friday, November 02, 2012

Retiring the Stop 114A Pop-Up

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Walski has made a decision to retire the Stop 114A Pop-up.

The Stop 114A pop-up

For those who have been coming here with some regularity - and not likely the target audience for the pop-up anyway - you're probably have gotten quite tired of it. 

Like most good things in life, the pop-up has served its purpose, and it's now time to put it to rest. The indefinite has been made finite...
(state of online freedom, and more, in the full post)

But has it done any good?

In truth, Walski doesn't really know. Perhaps it has. If nothing else, the outrage over badly written laws has been vocalized/visualized. The reality of it, however, is that this particular bad piece of legislation remains on the books.

He hopes that it will never be used as the sole source of "proof". At least, that's the guarantee that has been given by the authorities. We will certainly hold them to their word.

As has been revealed recently, Malaysia ranks poorly in the promotion of personal freedoms (via The Malaysian Insider), as indicated in Legatum's Prosperity Index.

And no, "personal freedoms" do NOT include stealing the property of others. It also does not include inflicting physical and/or mental harm on others.

Since the tragedy of Walski's PC getting stolen about two weeks ago, he's had some opportunity to reflect on life.

First of all, life is short. Certainly too short to hold on to a grudge, or harp on things  that one has absolutely no control over. Like legislations being kept on the books, for instance. Raising awareness - which the pop-up has helped do - is one thing, keeping the pop-up in place longer than a useful timespan is another thing altogether. It's time to move one...

Second, in life nothing is permanent. Getting his PC stolen is proof of that. Never mind that the motherfucker also stole 20 years of Walski's work, both personal and professional, in the form of articles, reports, resumes, presentations, photographs, etc. None of these are easily replaceable. But they can be rebuilt.

Third, the Malaysia we live in right now is going through precarious times, and along with his PC, Walski's unquestioning faith in humanity has been stolen as well. Gone forever. 

October 19, 2012 will be a date that Walski will never forget. That's the date of the theft, and that's the date when his life changed. He's certainly more careful, and a lot less trusting. If you find Walski to be more bitter and more spiteful from now on, you now know why.

And you can thank the bastard who stole from him for that. This is not holding a grudge, per se, but reassessing one's outlook in life. Suffice it to say Walski's view of humanity has changed forever.

It appears that Walski's gone on a tangent… so let's return to orbit, shall we?

The pop-up's gone, and this blog may be accessed without having to close the Stop 114A window that shows up. 

That's pretty much what Walski wanted to say in this post. The rest is the ramblings of a man embittered by a once-upon-a-time beautiful humanity that's utterly failed him, and shown its true ugly colors...

Click here for the full post......

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

The Tinypic Annoyance: FIXED!

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Visitors to this blog may have noticed this annoyance whenever the page starts loading. Heck, you must be blind to NOT notice. Apparently, this has been the case since September 2010, as Walski found out when he finally got down to fixing it last night.

Well, the problem’s been fixed. Finally. And the fix was just a matter of commenting out one stupid line in the blog template script. The root of the problem? A link to the image hosting service, Tinypic.

And that’s the risk of using a highly customized template downloaded from blog template websites, especially if editing HTML scripts isn’t something you’re comfortable with. In fact, Walski had no idea the link was even there to begin with. Until he got down to tracing the problem, and resolving it once and for all.

So, sorry for the possible irritation this might have caused, but the problem is now history… 
(root of the problem, if you’re interested, and more, in the full post)

Since Walski had some time last night, he decided to trace the problem, which he began noticing some months back, but didn’t really bother to do anything about, since the Tinypic error banner does go away once the page loads completely. However, he did notice that page loads were taking ages, but thought that it was either a slow Internet connection or something else in the template causing the delay.

Then, Antares left a comment asking what the heck was going on (in not so many words), and that the Tinypic thing was obstructing his view to the post text. This was about a couple of months ago, at the height of Walski being busy, so nothing was done about it.

And then Masterwordsmith called Walski a couple of weeks ago to “alert” him to the problem. Still, Walski procrastinated. Until last night.

Apparently, sometime last September, Tinypic decided to not accept non-US image uploads anymore (via BloggerzBible). And what probably happened is that the image to which a link was present in the template script was no longer accessible (probably deleted). Which then gave rise to the image not being found, hence the annoying display.

Finding the exact problem, once Walski knew the cause, was real easy – just a matter of doing a text-search for “tinypic” within the template script. The root of the problem? One line in the script that calls up the supposed background image:

All Walski had to do was comment out that line – problem solved! Bonus: the page seems like it loads faster now.

The moral of the story: small things can create big problems, or at the very least, major annoyances….

So, thanks for bearing with the Tinypic annoyance for the last 6 months. Incidentally, if you do find something amiss with the blog, all it takes is to leave a comment, and Walski will get it fixed. Eventually….

Click here for the full post......

Sunday, August 01, 2010

Changes are 12 inches...

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Update August 1, 2010: Massive changes planned have been put on hold for now. See full post for details.

And for most people, 12 inches make a foot...

So, look at the picture below, then do the math.


(explaining the obvious, and more, in the full post)

Kidding aside, Walski has decided that a blog makeover is overdue. It’s been, what, over a year since he’s done any major layout work? Well, whatever the duration, it’s high time.

So, over the course of the next few days, you’ll be seeing this blog transform. Not into Optimus Prime or an 18-wheeler, but transform into a new template. During that time, certain blog elements may seem askew and out of place.

Key thing is – DON’T PANIC. It will still be pretty much the same myAsylum you’ve grown to love. Or loathe, as the case may be. Except that it’ll be in new clothing.

And this time around, Walski has decided that the new clothing this blog wears will be something tailored by Blogger (courtesy of their recently introduced Template Designer). Just so that things Walski adds later work the way they should.

3rd party templates (like the current one) don’t always behave predictably when you add stuff, and quite frankly, Walski doesn’t really have the luxury of time to do troubleshooting these days. The last thing he wants is for visitors to have to put up with a broken, semi-functioning blog.

Except during this brief period of construction, of course.

Finally, in the interest of safety, kindly observe the caution signs while you navigate through the blog while it’s undergoing re-constructive surgery. And please try not to topple the side bars…

Update (August 1, 2008)
Having done some preliminary template tests live on myAsylum, Walski has found that there are a number of unexpected problems that have emerged in deploying a new template. That, and the templates he’s found just don’t reflect the feel Walski’s looking for. Therefore, after due consideration, he’s decided that there should be further testing and analysis done before going live with the new look. And the testing ground for this, as it has traditionally been, will be over at myAsylum reLoaded.

It also means that for the time being, you are gonna be stuck with this template for this blog. Which isn’t all that bad, all things considered…

Click here for the full post......

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Press Release: This blog has been cleansed

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We are pleased to announce that effective immediately, this blog has been cleansed of any subversive, anti-nationalistic or dangerously independent ideas.

HIDUP BN! HIDUP MALAYSIA!After months of attempting to re-educate the previous owner, an anonymous coward by the name of Walski69, we the new owners have forced our way in through the back door and taken over this blog.

The un-patriotic mutant Walski has been exiled, and we will soon be filing a police report to ensure that justice is served. Failing any action on the part of the police, we will lynch the bastard anyway.

In due time, we will be totally reformatting this weblog to be more in tuned with loyalty to Barisan Nasional, the true measure of patriotism for all peace loving and loyal Malaysians.

Let this blog takeover be a warning to anyone in the Malaysian blogosphere who dares to think that undesirable ideas such as equality and human rights will be tolerated in Malaysia, under the leadership of Barisan Nasional.
(remainder of this press release, in the full post)

We also soon be instituting a new commenting policy – any comments that have anti-BN (therefore unpatriotic) sentiments shall be deleted. Furthermore, the commenter leaving such offending remarks shall be banned from commenting again.

This move is necessary to preserve the patriotic new outlook of this blog.

To officially complete the new ownership, we The New Management will shortly be having an audience with Blogger, to obtain their consent. After that, massive changes shall take place, including the removal of any old posts that we deem to be subversive.

Berkhidmat untuk Negara!

The New Management

p.s. due to Blogger technical constraints, this post is still attributed to the old owner.

Click here for the full post......

Friday, October 31, 2008

Walski's Halloween Gift

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Actually, there are 2 gifts that Walski has given to y'all.

Image hosting by Photobucket

First, of course, is the Halloween-ish banner decor, which will change from time to time. Keeping with the season and all... subject to the important contraints of time, of course. The banner will stay Halloween-ish for a few more days, at least, or until Walski gets tired of it.

But the second "gift" is perhaps the one that you Anonymous comment-snipers will probably hate Walski for...
(a minor change in commenting policy, and more, in the full post)

Walski actually welcomes all kinds of comments, negative, positive, idiotic... on the condition that you at least have a paper trail (or cyber-trail as the case may be). And no, Walski has decided to not do the conventional comment moderation thingy. Instead, fulfilling either one of the three simple conditions below allows you to comment on myAsylum posts:

  • use your Blogger username/ID
  • use your Google account, or
  • use an OpenID

Sorry for the inconvenience, but this had to happen sooner or later. And it's happening for a couple of reasons. Occassionally, this blog (like many other blogs), gets hit by the Legion of Spam - someone, or a few someones, that have nothing better to do in life than to go around blogs and leaving long comments which are nothing but spam. Interesting spam, but spam nonetheless.

The second reason, commenters who are probably cyber-troopers in Anonymous clothing. So yeah, you wanna leave threatening and/or abusive comments, go right ahead, but you gotta do a little bit of work first. Fair, no?

This new policy change may just cause the number of comments to drop drastically, but hey... it's done, so don't whinge about it...

Oh, and about the comments that you leave... Walski reads each and every one of them, but of late, he's not really had the luxury of time to respond. So yeah, when he can, Walski will still respond via to your comments, but if he doesn't, rest assured that they're read.

Okie-dokie?

Click here for the full post......

Thursday, August 07, 2008

S.O.S.

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Update @ August 8 1:33pm: Walski, in respecting Mob1900's intellectual ownership of the poster (see comments), has updated said poster below to reflect right-side up amendments Mob had made. Apparently, many Malaysians feel that an upside down Jalur Gemilang is disrespectful, regardless of what an upside-down flag represents (see full post).

myAsylum, like a number of Malaysia-related blogs, would like to convey its feeling of distress. Until further notice, the banner pix you see at the top of the page remains. This initiative of visually displaying displeasure was initiated by Kickdefella, the original blog poster boy - and Walski is in full support.

Incidentally, a fellow blogger was arrested last night. On the grounds of sedition, it seems. He's the dude that broke the story on the secret talks between UMNO and PAS. Abdul Rashid Abdul Bakar, aka Bakaq aka Penarik Beca, last night was arrested from his home just outside Kuala Lumpur. His computer, it is believed, was siezed as well. Poster is courtesy of the current blog poster boy, Mob1900.

Image hosting by Photobucket

Add that to the many other things to feel distressed about.
(Walski is not being disrespectful, and more, in the full post)

Incidentally, flying a flag bottom side up is an internationally recognized symbol of distress - it is not meant to disrespect the Jalur Gemilang, in this case. The flag has done nothing wrong. The government, for which the flag purportedly represents, has. Big time.

The state of things in the nation are far from rosy...

Click here for the full post......

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Metamorphosis: Goodbye Kitty!

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As most of you probably guessed by now (but some of you... duhhhh!), yesterday's coup d'etat by Hello Kitty was an April Fools prank.

Image hosting by PhotobucketHello Kitty, Goodbye Kitty...

What you see here today is the actual new myAsylum look... pink is definitely not the new black. But grey is!

Walski thought he should go ahead and switch ASAP, before you people started calling for a boycott, or something...
(progressive tweaking still required, in the full post)

And since today has suddenly turned into a potentially busy Wednesday, Walski unfortunately has to leave the tweaking on the sidelines for now, and leave the layout as it is. There's still some work to be done, but what you see is pretty much what you're gonna have to live with...

Truth be told, Walski actually likes black... but realizing that some of you don't, he thinks that grey is a reasonable compromise...

Well, back to that grindstone called real-life work.. hasta la later, people! And please be a little patient while Walski irons out the kinks with this new layout... it's not exactly there yet, but definitely better than a pink on white you-know-who...

Click here for the full post......

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Metamorphosis: A kinder, gentler looking myAsylum...

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Well, people, as hinted in this post, the time came when the look and feel of this blog had to undergo change.

And this is it. Much more pleasant to look at compared to the drab and gloomy black, don't you think?

Walski hopes that you like the kinder, gentler look of myAsylum...
(kinder, gentler, but with a bite, in the full post)

But worry not... the quality of content remains as it always has... only the skin has changed.

With the new look, however, do you think Walski should change the name of the blog to myKittyAsylum instead?

Let him know, won't ya?

Click here for the full post......

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Welcome to the new myAsylum

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myAsylum is dead... long live myAsylum!

If you've not been by for the past day or so don't worry - you've not accidentally come to the wrong blog. One year on, and Walski thought that this would be a good time to unleash a new look.

Image hosting by PhotobucketSay goodbye to the old layout...

Onwards... to the new myAsylum!
(more on the new layout in the full post)

The biggest noticeable changes are, of course, are the new banner image, and the 3-column layout that is used. One of the biggest challenges in getting this up was to re-learn the new Blogger Layout-based template construction, which is what this blog now uses. In other words, the transition from the old to the new Blogger is now complete.

Another big change - this blog is now best viewed with a screen resolution of 1024 pixels across (or higher). Walski hasn't actually tested it with smaller screen resolutions, but what will appear is that the initial view will probably be cut-off at the sides.

Another difference you'll notice is the collapsible blog roll, which by default, is displayed in a collapsed manner, which in effect frees up a lot of real estate. Over the next few weeks, Walski will also update all the older posts to include the new Labels feature of Blogger (Post Categories, in other words). We'll try to keep the number of labels/categories to a minimum, but sufficient enough to cover the eclectic collection of subject matters that spans myAsylum.

Walski has added a new blog roll category - Ward du Bon Journo which contains a collection of blogs and sites of Malaysian journalists, as recommended by Rocky in one of his posts. The rolls need a little bit of cleaning up, so there is a possibility that there may still be some duplication for the time being.

Most of the stuff you remember from the old layout has been retained, at least for now. The availability of an extra side bar (on the left) gives Walski the opportunity to organize stuff a little better. The main post area is now also slightly bigger (by 100 pixels), paving the way for slightly wider pictures, which were previously limited to 400 pixel width.

The only thing missing now is the footer, which Walski will work on a tad bit later tonight. So, if you've been wondering why there have not been many posts of late, now you know why...

By the way, since there's tons of space in the sidebars, do let Walski know if there is some feature you'd like to see on this blog, and Walski will do his best to accommodate the request. Perhaps, a new feature that should be on in due time is a regular opinion poll.

Well, it's back to the drawing board and slave-driving the elves to complete the blog layout...

Click here for the full post......

In Transition...

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No, you've not chanced upon the wrong blog.

myAsylum is undergoing some major structural changes, so things may look a little odd - like missing things from blog rolls, or missing subscription boxes, etc.

Bear with Walski during this transitional period, okay?

One thing Walski found out (the hard way) is that test templates saved from a different blog do not reproduce properly once uploaded into another blog, so some remedial changes have to be made. Fortunately, these are nothing more than copy 'n pasting between two templates. It's just a pain, that's all...

Onwards... to the new myAsylum!

Click here for the full post......