Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Scrolling Sections & New Blogger Templates - HOWTO

I decided to add a keyword for the name of each artist/band I've blogged. When I finished my 'Group by Keyword' section was a mile long. My solution was to make that section scrollable. Here's HOWTO do it yourself.

1.) Log into your Blogger account
2.) Go to 'Edit HTML'
3.) Save your current template
4.) Click 'Expand Widget Templates'
5.) Search for the section title 'Group by Keyword'

Note in blue below I have shown the beginning and end of the 'Group by Keyword' section.

6.) Add the two lines shown in green


<b:widget id='Label1' locked='false' title='Group by Keyword' type='Label'>
<b:includable id='main'>
<b:if cond='data:title'>
<h2><data:title/></h2>
</b:if>
<div class='widget-content'>
<!-- KEYWORD SCROLL begin --><div style='height: 200px; overflow: auto'>
<ul>
<b:loop values='data:labels' var='label'>
<li>
<b:if cond='data:blog.url == data:label.url'>
<data:label.name/>
<b:else/>
<a expr:href='data:label.url'><data:label.name/></a>
</b:if>
(<data:label.count/>)
</li>
</b:loop>
</ul>
<!-- KEYWORD SCROLL end --></div>
<b:include name='quickedit'/>
</div>
</b:includable>
</b:widget>

7.) Save your template

What this does is it encapsulates everything between those two green lines onto a 'div' then forces that div to a fixed height. In this case I chose 200 pixels (200px).

The 'overflow: auto;' is what tells that div -- if there is more data than can be displayed then slap a scrollbar on it.

I left everything else to default (width etc.) but you could, if you're feeling fancy, customize the scrollbar (color, style, etc..) using further CSS. Explore that on your own.

DO NOT place those green lines within a loop. This widget has a loop -- shown in red. I didn't try it but I suspect you'll get a 200 pixel high div for every single keyword and no scrollbars. That would be bad.

Though I did this for my 'Group by Keyword' section it should, in theory, work for just about any section. Again -- explore that on your own.

-frank-

--

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Lou Dawson - Cold Coffee and Advice

by Frank Gualtier -- 10/06/07

Lou Dawson
I
listen to the music of Lou Dawson and one thing I always hear in her voice regardless of the lyric is strength.

It's a strength that's tangible. A strength that makes you think.

You want to know how it got there, how it works, how it found you and how you can find it.

All that and at the same time you're just loving the song sans complexia in some bizarre twist of 'action versus reaction' neutrality.

Very difficult to explain.

They say "a picture paints a thousand words". I believe music is much the same so I included her song 'Cold Coffee' to go with some words she sent out this morning.
--


"late night musings

"happiness and success" is not something you are OWED.. it is something that you EARN.. every day of your life.. even after you "achieve it".

this is not something you can buy in a book or watch in a movie you heard about on oprah.

just be nice.
don't talk about it.
don't read about it.
don't think about it.
BE IT.
otherwise it doesn't count.

got it?

and by nice i mean EVERYONE, servers, elderly, cashiers, addicts, the homeless, and even those misguided unpleasant ones with unrealistic expectations of the aformentioned. they are the true challenge.

know why? because all of them are someones son or daughter, someones brother or sister. which in turn makes them YOURS.

for some reason we have been led to exist in selfishness. with no consideration for the unfathomable [amount] of life that [exists] outside of our own minds.

live like it means something.. because it does.

stop judging, stop hating stop complaining..


no religion here... i don't $buy$ into that.

love is free.

just like you.
" ~Lou Dawson




Friday, October 05, 2007

Cherry Pick: Paris

by Frank Gualtier -- 10/05/07,10/06/07

Paris
A
top an outright deluge of incredibly good music on the independent rock, pop, electro, dance and indie scene these past few years ride those incredible Scandinavians hanging ten and sounding like a million ...uh... Krona? Kroner? ...

From Swedens' capital city of Stockholm I find Paris -- a group who's been around since 2003. They're practically antiques by today's standards but I swear they sound as fresh as ever (I wanted sooo bad to say "as an eighteen year old on prom night.")

My introduction came via their indie pop song called 'Captain Morgan' from their 2005 release 'Secrets on tape' in which you'll find mention of several people including 'Barry Gibb' with a request to come sing some tunes in his falsetto -- I had to sit down I laughed so hard. All that aside it's a great song and so are their others.

My only shock is that they'd name themselves "Paris". Doesn't that bury much of heir press beneath that of Paris Hilton? Then again perhaps it actually does just the opposite and snags them a lot of good wrong turns. Hmmm... In truth I'm betting they hadn't thought of this at all -- I only mentioned it because my searches on them were nearly burried to the hilt-on... and also clumped with the rap artist Paris.

They released a third album this year (2007) 'The Landlord is kind enough to let us have our little sessions' on their own indie label Parismusic and I'm thinking I just don't get around enough that I missed them by a four year swath! KeeRipes...

Better late than never.
--


(2003)
Streetlights



(2005)
Captain Morgan



(2007)
When I Laid My Eyes On You




[ website | myspace | discog ]

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Cherry Vid: From a Tower by LoveLikeFire

by Frank Gualtier -- 10/04/07

LoveLikeFire
H
ere's a great song by LoveLikeFire called From a Tower.

It's from their EP 'An Ocean in the Air' which you can order here.

I just found them myself so you know almost as much as I do - they rock.

Hit their myspace profile and you'll know exactly as much as I do - they consistently rock.
--

From a Tower by LoveLikeFire




[ website | myspace ]

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Trespassers William - Chords - Different Stars

by Frank Gualtier -- 10/02/07

Trespassers William
T
his is my transcription of the title track from the Trespasser's William album Different Stars (2002-2004 SR, Bella Union, Nettwerk).

I originally posted it to ultimateGuitar.com back in march of 2006 but it has since been picked up by many other sites and tabcrawlers.

To date it is, by a huge margin, the most popular transcription I've ever posted. I still get regular emails about it.

A very loved song.
--

Different Stars by Trespassers William

G# 466544
E x76454
B x24442
F# 244322
G#m 466444
C#sus2 x46644


G# E B F# (2 times)

G# E B F#
so you'd sing a lul ---- laby to get me to sleep
so it's no surprise my eyes are never heavy
for i've not seen you in the flesh for so long
that i'm not sure we would know each other at all

C#sus2 /

(2 times)
G#m F# C#sus2 /
oh the weight it must be light wherever you are
and i know you don't think twice wherever you are

G# E B F# (2 times)

G# E B F#
so i will hum alone too far from you
all that i say now is nothing to you
we will lie under different stars
i am where i am when you're where you are (you are...

C#sus2 /
you are)


G#m F# C#sus2 /
oh the weight it must be light wherever you are
and i know you don't think twice wherever you are
and i'd ask if you're allright wherever you are
and do you think of me you might wherever you are

G#m F# C#sus2 / (3 times)

G#m F# C#sus2 /
la da da, da da, da da da
la da da, da da, da da da
la da da, da, da da
la da da, da da, da da da

G#m F# C#sus2 / (2 times)

[ website | myspace | blog ]