I've been working on getting the design of the website to my liking in the past couple of weeks and have been tweaking some display issues along the way. Although the site is designed for 800x600 resolutions and above, it should also resize okay in smaller windows.
I've changed the look of the navigation so that it looks clearer and better then before.
The main challenge now is to prepare the rest of the content for the new site. I haven't touched the World Media section in a while now, and I need to be making progress on it.
20040623
20040602
World Media
Having completed the Travel section aside from images and photographs, the next priority is the World Media section. I'm going to modify this section to reflect how my own listening to international broadcasters has altered recently. This will give focus on broadband internet content, which I'm currently exploring, but will continue to feature shortwave information and developments with Digital Radio Mondiale.
New site design update
Due to the number of pages this site has and the amount of time I've spent updating the site in the past, I've made the decision to use frames in the new site design. Although I'm quite aware that many in the web design community aren't keen on the use of frames, until such time that I'm able to create a database driven site, frames will allow me to ensure the whole site is kept current as efficiently as possible.
So far I've been testing the site in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox with good results. I'll be trying out Opera as well soon, so most of the major browsers should display the site as it is intended.
So far I've been testing the site in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox with good results. I'll be trying out Opera as well soon, so most of the major browsers should display the site as it is intended.
20040518
Website work in progress: Travel
So far the travel section of the website has been updated for the new site. Note, however, that the new site will only go live when all of the pages of the site have been updated. Going through the travel section provided a good opportunity to streamline the content, and to rewrite and update the pages. The new travel pages are currently without images, but I'll look at better integrating these into the text in due course.
20040516
Site updates
I'm currently working on revamping the site. Things are busy with other things too, so it'll probably be a few weeks before it goes live. Updates will be posted here as work progresses....
20040419
Broadening the scope
I've not put much in this blog for a while. I've been meaning to pay tribute to Cooke and Ustinov, but things have been busy of late to say the least.
For a bit of added motivation I'm going to add general technology topics to this blog, to spur me on to add more frequent entries.
For a bit of added motivation I'm going to add general technology topics to this blog, to spur me on to add more frequent entries.
20040328
Broadcasting House
BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme today came from New York, and was duly greeted by the cries of listeners who are apparantly fed-up of specials always coming from the US and featuring something trivial. I can sympathise, and it makes me wonder if the media has the same fixation with the US as the poxy Blair government.
In any case, this morning's BH did include an interesting feature (dumbed down or not) on 'Air America Radio', a new liberal network of stations to take to the airwaves in the currently Republican dominated Mediumwave band. Clearly timed to influence the Presidential Election this autumn, the network is aiming to be an antedote to the extreme-right voices such as Rush Limbaugh.
In any case, this morning's BH did include an interesting feature (dumbed down or not) on 'Air America Radio', a new liberal network of stations to take to the airwaves in the currently Republican dominated Mediumwave band. Clearly timed to influence the Presidential Election this autumn, the network is aiming to be an antedote to the extreme-right voices such as Rush Limbaugh.
20040322
Feedback
It should now be possible to leave comments on each of the entries in this blog. Your thoughts are very welcome.
20040321
Moscow Calling
I've got back into listing to the Voice of Russia for the first time in quite a while. Most of my listening in recent times has been limited those stations relayed via WRN on my Worldspace receiver. Unfortunately the timing of the Voice of Russia has meant that I have rarely ever been able to catch it's one airing each day. So it's been back to the trusty shortwave set which unfortunately seems to be suffering from a bust speaker, and the bassy sound of the Sangean ATS 909 has now become a muffled mush, requiring an external speaker to regain intelligibility.
Nevertheless I've got it sorted, and have printed out the latest schedule from the Voice of Russia website. Sadly, VoR's long standing Science Correspondent Boris Belitsky died quite recently I believe, so the programme 'Science and Engineering in the Commonwealth' is for the time being no more.
A new programme I noticed, however, is 'Moscow Calling'. From it's name I thought it might be a listener mailbag programme, and although the edition of the programme I heard did feature listener's comments, it's in fact a rock show (using the opening of the Gorky Park song of the same name as an intro). This seems to be quite a revolution in the schedule of VoR, as here we have an energetic show hosted by young presenters on modern, popular music. In my mind VoR has tended to err towards a more intellectual and classical type of programming, but Moscow Calling can only be a forward step in broadening the station's audience and appeal.
Nevertheless I've got it sorted, and have printed out the latest schedule from the Voice of Russia website. Sadly, VoR's long standing Science Correspondent Boris Belitsky died quite recently I believe, so the programme 'Science and Engineering in the Commonwealth' is for the time being no more.
A new programme I noticed, however, is 'Moscow Calling'. From it's name I thought it might be a listener mailbag programme, and although the edition of the programme I heard did feature listener's comments, it's in fact a rock show (using the opening of the Gorky Park song of the same name as an intro). This seems to be quite a revolution in the schedule of VoR, as here we have an energetic show hosted by young presenters on modern, popular music. In my mind VoR has tended to err towards a more intellectual and classical type of programming, but Moscow Calling can only be a forward step in broadening the station's audience and appeal.
US war coverage
Interesting feature on Channel 4 news this evening about the war coverage by the major US networks. Apparantly the viewers of Fox News were so confused by that channel's coverage that 30% of viewers actually thought that WMDs had been discovered in Iraq.
It's been clear for some time that the US networks have just unquestioningly supported the march towards war, and now that questions are being asked about validity of the reasons for invading Iraq the issue has got to be raised as to why the US TV networks weren't there and asking the right questions when it mattered.
It seems to me to be another clear sign of the excessively deferrential stance the US media takes with the Administration. Support the country after 9/11, certainly, but when it comes to war, a probing, investigative and critical eye is required to ensure that the direction of a government is the right one. In this the US media has failed, and the editorial line taken must surely be questioned.
It's been clear for some time that the US networks have just unquestioningly supported the march towards war, and now that questions are being asked about validity of the reasons for invading Iraq the issue has got to be raised as to why the US TV networks weren't there and asking the right questions when it mattered.
It seems to me to be another clear sign of the excessively deferrential stance the US media takes with the Administration. Support the country after 9/11, certainly, but when it comes to war, a probing, investigative and critical eye is required to ensure that the direction of a government is the right one. In this the US media has failed, and the editorial line taken must surely be questioned.
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