Rants of A Coyote

As you all may or may not know, I run two main sites: quixjote.net and quixjote.com

Quixjote.net is my main business site and once again I am finding that the layout of what is there is not sufficient for my needs. This means that before long I will be going through another change on my site. The goal will be to allow some computer stuff to be easily loaded into inventory and sold, as well as be able to schedule, invoice and complete sales for the lawn care.

Or do I just do a basic site that has some information about everything and then people call/email me from there? I do enjoy things being automated as much as possible, but at what point is trying to make the site automated too much work?

For computer work I build web applications. This is the sort of thing that I do on a daily basis, so I understand how much work goes into them. Do I really want a whole "Solution" on my site or just something that will give the customer some basic information and then everything is handled via correspondences from there?

As far as quixjote.com is concerned, it is a home for this blog… and a testing ground for new ideas. There are all sorts of fun little gems here on this site that I would love to share with people when they get a little more fine-tuned, but for now, they hang in limbo.

Web based games have become quite the rage over the last few years. With all of the games out there it is getting a bit harder to compete with other companies. Almost all of these games have a common "feature" though: They are free to play, but have premium options.

Now, I know that there are a few of you out there that do not like this model, and I really just don't care. You all have given me your opinion already and while many of you have valid points, you are beating a dead horse. Incidentally a majority of you that do not like the premium features, also do not like the idea of subscription software, which is another story completely.

Over the last couple years I have been slowly working on couple games for the public. Of these, the most complete to this point has been http://quixjote.com/novarpg/ . It is a basic Web Based battle system that allows for multiple attributes. When I built this version back in early 2008 I implemented a premium currency into the system that allowed people to increase their energy and similar effects. The result of  a month long test: Over $250 worth of premium currency was purchased.

Well, I have started rebuilding this program, in PHP again, to see what I can add to it. I am going to incorporate quite a bit of AJAX to help keep the complete server load down a bit. The old system is and will remain active, and I may build/rebuild a bit onto it as well, but any Dabloons that are purchased there will go towards the development of the new system now.

So: This rebuild... what does it entail? Well, quite a bit actually. Utilizing AJAX there will be a simple 2-D map layout instead of just a text system. So... Arrow keys will be implemented! There will also be a button bar that players can assign actions to.

At this time, there will be no animations, but at some point I may incorporate some simple sprite animations. I don't know how much of a load that would put on the server though. As it is, right now I am keeping all my tiles to 32x32 to keep size down.

Have suggestions or ideas? Share them below! I would like to have a working beta up asap that people can start interacting with, but I will not be able to do that unless I get some more ideas.

Thanks,
-~=Q=~-

I thought I would take a moment to talk about my different web hosting companies: Dreamhost and StartLogic.

My Original Site: Quixjote.com is hosted with StartLogic. I went with them back in September 2007 beause the price was right and for the most part, they had all of the features that I needed.

Overall, StartLogic has done pretty well for what I need. Occasionally on my message board and such, the server would appear to bog down... I am sure a majority of that was my fault; Not knowing how to optimize and all.

Over time though I was wanting to work on some more robust programs and needed a better host for this. Enter Quixjote.net on DreamHost.com. While the layout for administration is slightly confusing at first, I found that I really like the efficiency of the administration panel.

The downside: I just found out that two main things are changing... The Administration control panel and their Support Team is going overseas. See, Dreamhost just got bought out by another, larger, company. And with that they are "Upgrading" to cPanel. I don't mind cPanel, as I work with it every day for some of my clients, but there have been some features within the Dreamhost Control panel that I am not sure will translate very well into the new environment.

The larger blow though is the support team going overseas. I have worked on many issues with the support team over the last couple years, and have always been impressed with the personalized service I have received. Now: I fear that if I have an issue or question that I may be dealing with "Bob" in India. More to the point, DreamHost is loosing their "Made in the USA" status in my book. I am becoming more and more of a fan of Domestic services and while I probably won't look for a new host over this, it is sad all the same that such a key aspect is being tossed aside like a dirty rag. So, who is this mystery purchaser of Dreamhost? EIG (Endurance International Group).

Well, here is hoping that they are not too big to pay attention to the littleman.

A few years back, Quixjote's Services opened up shop on the West end of Newberg, OR in a commercial location. Unfortunately, There has not been enough business to warrant keeping the office open. The last month at this location will be April, 2011. Quixjote's Services will still be operational, but seeing as it is primarily Programming and Lawn Care (I know... two opposite spectrum, right?) there is not a need for the commercial location right now.

This makes things interesting. First: I have to consolidate everything, and I don't exactly have a lot of room at my house. Two: I am going to have to get a shed for the lawn care stuff. I have been looking at different 8'x10' sheds and everything that I am looking is around $1000 to $2000. If I can avoid it, I do not want to get a metal shed. While I have heard mixed reviews on them, from really good to really bad... I just like the aesthetics more of the wood sheds. They are also a lot more customizable.

I still have quite a bit of stuff at the office. I am going to try to sell off as much of the extra stuff I can during april to help cover the costs of the shed. I have a lot of old computer components and other stuff. Some dividers and such. If anyone is looking for extra parts or such let me know. I will try to see what I have available.

Eventually a commercial location will become necessary, especially as the lawn care portion grows and we need more vehicles, but for right now... with just one vehicle, just a shed will do.

Okay, I know this is an odd one, but I had fun doing this and thought I would share. It doesn't really belong under money matters (at least not yet), but it may end up there one day.

Making Yarn Out of Plastic Grocery Bags

Sure, you can find tuts on this all over the place. It is often referred to as PLARN. The concept is rather simple and I was surprised at how strong the plarn is.

There is a few different ways to make it, and depending on the application you may choose one way over the other. If you just want a quick ball of plarn take a plastic grocery sack, fold it vertically multiple times. Cut off the handles and the bottom.

Now cut off about every 1/2 to 1 inch. The result, you will end up with about a dozen or so giant "rings" from the bag.

Here is the quick way: Remember connecting rubber bands as a kid to make a really long rubber band? Same thing, loop one through the other so that it forms a knot at the end. Keep extending the chain

in in this fashion. When you get the length you want, just wind everything up into a ball. Done and ready to use for projects. You will probably need larger needles for this plarn.

Next: Single wound strand.

If you have a spindle this part goes faster. if you do not you can make one easy enough. It is basically an inverted spinning top with a hook at the point. Take the chain you made from the first method and start twisting one end. When it is nice and tight wind it around the neck of the spinning top. bring the length around the head and through the hook. Now, spin! spin the top and let it wind the thread nice and tight. Keep working the thread till it feels right.

This part truely is an art. you can make the plarn as loose or tight as you like. If you want thicker yarn combine multiple sections of spun yarn together and spin in the opposite direction when they are together. It will help lock them together.

As you can see in my image, the finished product looks kinda like a shiny twine. This one was doubled twice and I was able to make this little crocheted out of one FredMeyer grocery bag.