Windwright's Narrative We(b Log)book = Blog

Web Site Design: An experiment in progress

By Robert K. Foster

If you stopped by our company blog, Windwright’s Narrative, around the date of this post then you probably assumed that something is broken. You would be right except that it was deliberately done by yours truly. I’ve grown tired of the poor visual design of the blog and decided to start over from scratch with the CSS. What you are seeing, at the time of this post, is little to no CSS style on the page. I will be updating the CSS for the redesign over time and working the page back into something more appealing.

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News: Updates to the WCo Web Site

By Robert K. Foster

Windjammer Company LLC is in the process of updating our web site. We hope to better convey our more recent projects and integrate more fully information about our availability on freelance hiring services like Elance and oDesk. We are updating our portfolio page with more links to sites we have created, updated, or enhanced.

If you have need of our Web Design services you can get in touch with us on oDesk, Elance, or through the “Contact Us“ page of this web site.

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Nature: What is Latitude and Longitude?

By Robert K. Foster

Latitude

The Equator is a line around the Earth that is the same distance from both the North and South poles and is the Latitude line given a value of 0 degrees. There are 90 degrees of Latitude going both North and South from the Equator. All lines of Latitude are parallel to the Equator and are sometimes referred to as “Parallels”. Lines South of the Equator are given negative values if the direction name is omitted. Lines to the North are given positive values.

Longitude

Longitude lines, also called Meridians, are perpendicular to the lines of Latitude and run through both poles in what are called “great circles”. By international agreement, the meridian line through Greenwich, England, is currently given the value of 0 degrees of longitude; this meridian is referred to as the Prime Meridian.

The Earth is divided equally into 360 degrees of longitude. There are 180 degrees of longitude to the east of the Prime Meridian; when the directional designator is omitted these longitudes are given positive values. There are also 180 degrees of longitude to the west of the Prime Meridian; when the directional designator is omitted these longitudes are given negative values. The 180-degree longitude line is opposite the Prime Meridian on the globe, and is the same going either east or west.

Source: National Atlas, http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/mapping/a_latlong.html

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eBooks: eBook News Overview February 9, 2009

By Robert K. Foster

There’s lots of news and information today about Amazon’s new eBook reading device the Kindle 2. Below are just a few of the articles available from Computerworld.

Initial reaction is positive for most of the improvements but there are no major shifts or changes in the overall nature of the service and device.

* * *

Amazon unveils thinner, lighter Kindle 2
Improved battery life, text-to-speech also boost the company’s new e-book reader
Matt Hamblen (Computerworld)

Some basic details of the new device are outlined in the article:

“The Kindle 2 has a 6-in. diagonal display with 600-by-800-pixel resolution. In all, it is 8 by 5.3 by .36 in. in size and weighs 10.2 oz. Internal storage is seven times greater than the earlier model, with 2GB.“

Read the full article here:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9127600&source=NLT_MW

* * *

Elgan: Here comes the e-book revolution
Six trends are conspiring to drive electronic books into the mainstream
Mike Elgan (Computerworld)

“At what temperature do electronic books catch fire? We’re going to find out sometime this year. E-book sales are about to ignite.“

A very good article about how eBooks may finally become mainstream. The points made seem well on target. The trends outlined are:

1. The worsening U.S. and global economy.
2. Use of paper is environmentally wasteful.
3. The antiquated nature of the current Publishing industry.
4. New methods of marketing such as social media.
5. More books written specifically for electronic formats.
6. The decline of the Newspaper Industry.

Read the full article here:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9127538&source=NLT_MW

* * *

Amazon introduces the Kindle 2—will it save “long form” reading?
Barbara Krasnoff (Computerworld)

Covers some of the issues that will need to be resolved before the general public will accept such devices.

“It will be interesting to see how well luxury items such as the Kindle do over the next few months—and yes, in these days of cautious consumers and mass layoffs, something like the Kindle—which does one thing very, very well, but cannot be considered a necessity by any means—will do.“

Read the full article here:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/amazon_kindle?source=NLT_MW

* * *

Product Purchase Link: Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)

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News: Web Site Design: New web site: Elect Corbett Edge O’Meara completed

By Robert K. Foster

Windjammer Company LLC has completed a new web site for a candidate running for office in the Detroit, Michigan area. The online campaign headquarters for the Committee to Elect Corbett Edge O’Meara for Wayne County Circuit Court Judge in 2008 is now available at http://www.corbettomeara.com

Please stop by the site and take a look.

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News: Web Site Design: NEFARIOUS - Tales Of Mystery has a new look!

By Robert K. Foster

This week we updated our online Mystery/Crime fiction “webzine” NEFARIOUS - Tales Of Mystery to a new visual page design. We think the web pages will load faster with this new design and pages will be more readable for the great short story fiction on the site. We also have plans for more updates and features on the site. Please stop by and take a look at www.nefarious-tales.com.

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