About this Site
danandsherree.com is run with Movable Type, a content management system and is hosted with HostPC. The site’s design, Scrapbook, is a ground-up design of XHTML and CSS. Quite a few Movable Type plugins are used to build this site:
- Acronym: Adds a tooltip for abbreviations and acronyms you’ve defined.
- ArchiveYear: This plugin author’s website has kind of disappeared, however you can download the plugin from Movalog and read about how to use it on Learning Movable Type: Yearly Archives.
- Better Entry Preview: A plugin I wrote to make the Entry Preview screen a bit more useful.
- Better File Uploader: A plugin I wrote to make uploading files and creating photo galleries much easier.
- Kill TrackBack Spam: I don’t know where this plugin came from. It’s very simple and effective, though: if the TrackBack’s site and title match, it must be spam so it’s thrown away. Download Kill TrackBack Spam, change the extension from
.txtto.pl, and upload to yourplugins/directory. - MainMenuRecent: Shows the x most recent entries on the list_blogs page of the admin interface. Great for quick access.
- MT-Notifier: A recent addition to this site, this plugin allows for e-mail-based subscriptions to comments.
- MTCollate: A complex plugin that allows you to sort entries, comments, etc any way you want. Used to build the Site Map.
- OtherBlog: An older plugin that let’s you combine data from multiple weblogs. It’s been superceded by MultiBlog, but since I’m only using it to build the Site Map I’m in no rush to upgrade.
- PreviousNextInCategory: Just as the name says, it allows you to see the previous or next entry in that category. Essential for the Photo Galleries.
- RateIt: This plugin lets readers rate an entry; see it in action below. By default, there are no image indicators, but I solved that.
- SimpleComments: Combines TrackBacks and comments and sorts them all by date. The linked version supports MT 3.2’s Junk Status capability.
- SmartyPants: Essential for typographically correct text.
- SpamLookup: Part of MT 3.3, it does an excellent job of blocking spam.
As well as plugins, there’s a fair bit of PHP that makes this site work the way it does, some of which is detailed over at Eat Drink Sleep Movable Type.
On the desktop side, Adobe Photoshop is used to edit photos and build graphics. Just about everything else is done on the server with Movable Type. Occasionally, though, some other tools get used: Adobe Acrobat, Notepad++, and FileZilla, to name a few.
Comment from Viresh on November 24, 2005 at 10:18 AM
Hi, I would love to find out how you implemented the search dropdown mechanism on your site. It looks like an ajax implementation which I am finding difficult to get my head around! I could not find an entry on your site so i assume that you have not blogged on this?
thanks viresh
Comment from Dan Wolfgang on November 24, 2005 at 11:10 AM
Actually, I wrote extensively about the search suggest feature--it's just been moved to its new home on Eat Drink Sleep Movable Type: Creating a Google Suggest-Style Search.
Comment from Brenda Jackson on March 25, 2006 at 8:26 AM
I stumbled across your webpage with a google search for pictures of Daffodils. I am on a quest for daffodil pictures to send to my parents who are having a long difficult March in New England. Is there anyway to purchase your daffodil picture?
ps: great website and love story. Inspires me!
Comment from Gary Jones on May 29, 2006 at 4:18 AM
Nice site.
I had an idea that has worked quite
well and would like you to pass it on.
I bought a ceramic floor tile at the
Home Depot, and some peel and stick
rubber gel protective bumpers things.
Put the bumpers on the corners of the
notebook, and the tile. Stack them up.
Pulling the cooled air across the tile,
(which is a great heat sink), dropped my
overall temperatures by 5 degrees Cel.
Great at home, nothing to carry around,
but with average battery life, who gets
their laptop hot before it goes dead in
a mobile situation anyway?
Beats $40 for a fancy cooling pad.
Looks pretty cool too.
If you want a photo, let me know.
Comment from P. Victor Fosmer on January 7, 2007 at 8:14 AM
Hi Dan and Sherree, I was searching for Klondike Derby , and came across your site. Very nice! As a Scoutmaster and father of three I wonder how you have time for all you do? Time goes by so fast , the week starts and then it's gone! God be with you both! VIC
Comment from Bryan D on February 14, 2008 at 1:01 PM
I want to do green screening and one site suggests 2 600 watt lights in front on each side, a 2k soft light and bounce card and a 200 watt backlight. How would the umbrella fit into this scenario? It looks like the 2x 500 watt lights are going to fit the bill to replace the 600 watt lights. Do you have any photos to share on how to use the items you are suggesting as a complete package? Thanks for the awesome lead on the lights. Some sites recommend the 1000 watt work lights but I do not have the space for two of those. Your suggestion looks way better.
Thanks