Pugwash gets RSSified, Blogs fixed, and more little touches
Pugwash RSS
In its first day of being online, Pugwash's homepage has had over 400 hits. Which is nice.
Thing is, we know that not everyone is going to be inclined to check back for updates every day, complete with bated breath, so I've collated a handy set of RSS feeds for Pugwash readers. The main one we're promoting is the announcements feed, which pops up a new article each month letting you know there's a new issue of Pugwash mag online. We also have a further seven feeds with different flavours of Pugwash goodness, so if you're just interested in the features, or only want to read gig reviews, you can sign up using our RSS feed – and an RSS aggregator – and not have to worry about checking back to look for new information. See the full list of feeds on our about RSS page.
More bugs, all my fault
While reviewing Google's site report for UPSU.net, I noticed a very large number of “page not found” errors for the blogs section, which turned out to be an oversight in the SEF engine related to my earlier post about the forums being broken. That's fixed now, but I have to apologise lots and lots for not spotting it before – sorry!
Related articles
The latest little touch which might make it easier to browse around the UPSU site's news pages is our “Related articles” box at the bottom of all news articles, for example at the bottom of this page. This widget looks for news articles in the same news stream, and related news streams, and lists them, along with a short list of latest news and blog entries from the article's author.
Adverts. The best of a bad bunch? ;o)
I'm also trialling Google Adsense around the site. You shouldn't spot it on the site, but you might notice it if you take a look through the site's HTML. That said, if you're looking around our code, you must be really really bored indeed. Why not take a look at Pugwash mag instead ;o)
Posted by Alex on Sat 25th November 2006
Thank fook Pugwash is done… For now…
After 3ish weeks, many many late nights and loads of arse-ache, the first online issue of Pugwash is up. Please – make me happy by clicking through it. You never know, you might even enjoy the read ;o)
The next issue is almost going to print as I write, so Fraggy's going to have to pull his finger out if he wants the second issue to make it online as well: (please excuse me blowing my own trumpet a bit here) although I did almost everything to get the first issue online, from designing the layout templates and figuring out how everything was going to make it online, to putting the articles online and slicing and dicing the images (although Fraggy did pitch in and help out a fair bit on the last few articles with this side of things), I've begged Mr. Fraguela to sort me out some help if he wants issue 2 to make it onto the interweb – I can't do another load of 60 hour weeks!
There's also a poll on the Pugwash homepage – let us know your thoughts by voting. It only takes a minute and we're interested in your views to make sure Pugwash online is something you'd all like to read :o)
I'm off to catch some Jackass. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, but it's ok – my housemate put the channel on, not me, so I don't have to look like I enjoy watching grown men injure themselves ;o)
Peace out /al
Posted by Alex on Fri 24th November 2006
Ever had a penalty charge from the bank?
(Off topic fun. Isn't it always these days?)
I've just been reminded by a friend that you can apply to reclaim any bank charges you've had in the last 6 years. For example, a direct debit for
Posted by Alex on Wed 22nd November 2006
Never lose your keys, toys, car, laptop, whatever, again?
(Off-topic. This isn't an endorsement or recommendation by UPSU – I just happen to think it's rather cool. And yes, I'm a gadget freak… ;o)
I've just seen this mentioned on BBC news.
It's hand-held gadget that lets you home in on a postage stamp-sized tag which you can stick on to anything (or anyone) valuable. Handy for finding lost keys, laptops, kids, cars, and I'm sure there's at least one stalker and/or private detective out there who'll want fifty of these…
Posted by Alex on Tue 21st November 2006
Publicity you can’t buy. Thankfully…
With an eerie sense of timing, just as Alexander Litvinenko – the former Russian spy with an outspoken hatred of Russia's spying tactics – finds himself in the news after his apparent poisoning, this month's issue of Pugwash carries a story on the subject of the similarities between Russia's long-standing spying culture, and Britain's apparent move towards such a culture in the name of fighting terrorism.
Alexander Litvinenko claims his poisoning attempt – which has resulted in serious illness, and appears to have been caused by a poison formerly used as a rodenticide until its use was banned due to health fears – was the work of his former KGB employers, who are apparently somewhat underwhelmed by his criticisms of the Russian government.
You can read Agnes Smedley's “Under Surveillance” in this month's Pugwash online, or grab a copy of the magazine from the Union.
UPDATE: According to BBC News, Litvinenko has died of a suspected heart attack shortly after 9pm, Thursday 23rd November. Doctors believe he may have been poisoned with radioactive Thallium. Not a nice way to go!
Posted by Alex on Tue 21st November 2006
Pay As You Drive
An unnamed bright spark at the University has suggested the idea of a pay-as-you-go car rental service to try and reduce car usage.
What worries me is the likelihood of this scheme – which sounds like it's going to be marketed at students – all going a bit wrong.
You see, I know it's a requirement of using a hire car that one should attempt to set the land speed record, followed shortly by an engine endurance record, and then (if the vehicle survives), to attempt several variations of the Top Gear handling tests – using a variety of Portsmouth's bumpiest roads – to see who can destroy the car in the shortest time.
Surely combining students (or any other group of young people) with somebody else's car equals a very low survival rate for the cars…?
If they choose a Ford, some of these acronyms might be appropriate…
- Fixed Or Repaired Daily
- Forever On Ramps, Dismantled
- Found On Rubbish Dumps
… and if they're Fiats: “Fix It Again Tomorrow” would suit.
… I'll get my coat…
Posted by Alex on Tue 21st November 2006
“Energy” by Even on Flickr
I know putting this pic on here is verging on the cheeky, but this (Italian?) photographer has some amazing photographs in his Flickr photostream – check it out.
Posted by Alex on Fri 17th November 2006
Broken it – sorry!
I've just spotted a fairly major bug in my code, which seems to be affecting certain URLs on UPSU.net.
I reckon I can have it fixed for 5am, but I'm not 100% sure…
Sorry!
—
Update: 05:39 – it's fixed, with knobs on. Panic over, normality returns to the streets of Portsmouth. Small babies smile again. The sun's out, birds sing in the trees.
Or not – y'know, whatever…
Posted by Alex on Fri 17th November 2006
A bit of common sense
I was interested to read that the use of the so-called “Date Rape” drugs is a lot less widespread than the hype would suggest, with the ACPO study suggesting that the biggest cause of alleged sexual assaults being alcohol.
I'm the last person to blow the Union's trumpet, but I think it's fair to say that UPSU and UPEL have gone – and hopefully always will go -
Posted by Alex on Fri 17th November 2006
Congrats to Bloc Online for 2nd-best Student Website 2006 in the Guardian Student Media Awards
Just a quick entry to congratulate Bloc-Online for coming 2nd in the Guardian Student Media Awards for Best Student Website.
Two things about their site I really, really like – one is that it runs on Mambo – same as UPSU.net – which is a scarily-customisable content management system. The best bit about that is that it's free of course ;o)
In a slightly-less geeky way though, the aspect of their site I like the most is how everyone is encouraged to submit articles, and the site is updated regularly with this new content. In Geek-speak, it's (I think?) a very refined and effective Web 2.0 model for a student magazine, and it's something I really, really want to see on UPSU.net, but before we can see that happening, I need to take some of the fear and confusion associated with working on UPSU.net out of the equation.
Put simply, it's a daunting task to add an article, news feature or web page on to UPSU.net. I want to change that, and I want this change done yesterday. The problem for me is that there are loads of other things I also have to be getting on with, so this job keeps slipping further down my to-do list until it's merely a speck in the distance (yes, I know what time-management is. I just don't like the idea of having to expend any more brain power than is absolutely necessary on trivial gumph like – oh, I dunno – thinking. And stuff…).
Thankfully, with my latest toy – the toolbox – created and alive, I can start adding little toys onto the site now without having to hack existing code about – now I can make my mistakes all in the same file. Woohoo… I think… ;o)
Pugwash magazine's print deadline is coming up, and with it looms the first episode of Pugwash online. Fraggy's just sent over an e-mail containing all the articles to go into the magazine, so now it's up to me to figure out what order they're going in, put them online, add some pretty pictures, and make up a front/index page.
If any of the Pugwash team would mind terribly offering a hand, I'd be really, really grateful… Hint hint, nudge nudge… ;o)
Anyway, back to my original point. Check out Bloc Online. It's rather superb :o)
Update: I've just been (jokingly) told off by Fraggy for singing Bloc's praises since UPSU.net didn't win anything this year. Credit where credit's due to Bloc, so this article stays :oP
Posted by Alex on Tue 14th November 2006