trying to make sense of it all

Client side scripts (JavaScript) run in your browser after the page from the server is loaded.

Server-side scripts (e.g., PHP, ColdFusion, Python, .NET, Java, etc.) deliver the content (HTML, javascript, css) to be rendered by your browser.

Until AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript And XML), these were clearly defined: if you hit the refresh in your browser, the server would deliver updated content; otherwise, it was probably client-side scripting that would result in any user interaction, content changes, etc.

With AJAX, you can fetch pertinent data from the server and modify portions of the page (via the client-side Document Object Model (DOM)) based on the server data. The AJAX process of fetching data from the server and updating the current page can be triggered by clicking a button, leaving a text field, or a number of other predefined “events”.

So what does this have to do with jquery? Jquery is a library that sits on top of javascript and, for one thing, removes a lot of browser-compatibility issues. Over the years, I’ve developed libraries to abstract the compatibility issues, but a.) they did it better and b.) what happens when the next browser comes out?

So that, in and of itself, is an argument for jquery, but what really gets me about it is how it’s affected my entire approach to code organization. I mentioned “events” earlier. My standard practice in the past was to assign events in my HTML code. Jquery has taught me (even if I stop using jquery) the benefits of assigning a class and/or id to an HTML entity and then binding events to that class/id via javascript.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are the optimal way to style your document. You can declare that all paragraphs (or all paragraphs with a given class) have a yellow background or purple text or various other (extensive) options. You can also assign style via HTML attributes or inline styles — and there’s a place for these — but having a good, well organized style sheet is ideal.

Clear as mud? I don’t care. I’m not trying to be obtuse. It’s complicated and has taken me years to even talk on this level.

Previous version of the main header (images/title) had
4 lines of PHP
0 lines of css
70 lines of javascript

Current version:
14 lines of PHP (also load the images on the server side and merely move them around on the client)
13 lines of css
14 lines of JS.

Even beyond the raw numbers (74 vs 51 lines), there’s a better balance between technologies and it’s also more maintainable, in my opinion.

I’m just looking for jHealthcare/insurance and jStewardOfTheEarth, ’cause I’m not clear on how government appropriation of healthcare or cap and and trade are going to help this indebted nation 🙂

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Man, I am so proud of/thankful for this page:
http://andyhill.us/new/index.php?view=/news/

Choose your channel (via the tabs), hover over the links, … I am so thankful to God, jquery, etc.

I need to add caching — it’s currently grabbing the feeds live every time. I think hourly would work.

What do you think about the choice of categories? The order of categories? Same for choice/order of feeds.

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http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
Checked the U.S. National Debt Clock: Over $11.5 trillion. That may be out of date, but I doubt it’s gone down. I’m somewhat reassured that my part of it (as one in an estimated 306,542,822 Americans) is only $37,634.05. I mean, that’s pretty heavy, but a trillion is such a big number (excepting stars, atoms, and stuff like that), I expected it to be more. Really, though, when you think of it in terms of the way debts work, like my mortgage or student loan, it could take me 20-30 years to pay that off. On top of (or I guess integrated into) ~30% taxes.

What’s the interest on our loan anyway?
This site says in 2006, it was ~4.6%. Never seen the site before, I have no idea what the interest rate is.
http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2005/11/interest-on-national-debt.html

How big is the Military? This is one site’s opinion:
http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm

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True story. Still trying to figure out how to record it. Might have to pick up a web cam or something.

Chord spacing is messed up. The Em should be above Fourth, etc. I’ll try to fix at some point, but it’s a little tedious.

Liberty Drive

verse 1
G
I drove down Liberty Drive
Em
Day ‘fore the Fourth of July
C
Yeah, Independence Day
Am
I nearly lost my way

verse 2
I drove down Liberty Drive
Passed by the BMV
Do they have a thumb scanner yet?
What does that mean to me?

verse 3
I drove down Liberty Drive
Stopped by at Menard’s
Picked up some posts for the deck I’m building
In my back yard

Refrain
C G C G Walk up to …
I don’t wanna hear any more bad news
C D
Hopin’ and prayin’ we’re not screwed

verse 4
I drove down Liberty Drive
Stopped for a cigarette
I’m not smoking in my car
But that’s by choice and not by threat, yet

refrain

verse 1

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Tried to sound fairly sane and reasonable. Save the ranting for later.

I probably should have spelled out the bills. HR2454 is Cap and Trade, S.607 and HR1207 are both in the interest of auditing the Federal Reserve.

Full text:

The Honorable Baron Hill:

The Honorable Richard Lugar:

The Honorable Evan Bayh

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I’ve had issues with the medical industry for years. I think doctors often over-prescribe and pharmaceutical companies, well, they’re tv commercials make me sick, so let’s just say that for now.

I’m not saying advanced medicine does not have a place,

The Drugging of Our Children ~2hrs
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3609599239524875493&ei=R21SSu7YCZHgqQKggdEI&hl=en

Vaccine Nation ~1:30:00
“I think we really need to do more research before we give all these vaccines to our children” — some person in this video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6531447125053615129&q=source%3A002333234812045693176&hl=en

quackery — no way!!!
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/spotquack.html

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Intense. Titled “How to Survive What Is to Come” 10 min.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QppVtw_zzWU&feature=related

4th, Rage ..,
I think I typed “4th of July nwo” or something like that into a video search on July 3 and this came up. Proposes a worldwide protest against the NWO on 7/4/2008.

Agenda 21 and the Club of Rome: Environmentalism seems like such a good idea. Still believe in constitution, local economy, organic, free range, non-GMO, renewable energy, stewardship. I would say, “sustainable development”, but it looks like they’ve completely perverted and co-opted that term.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4aD3_tJNsc
pt 2: Population Reduction for a Global Nation: Further down ye ol’ rabbit hole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWMszO2HaJY

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