Considering the posting speed of the past years, I've done a virtual Speedy Gonzales since January 1st, getting this site switched over to a new framework and tweaking it here and there. This is just a quick update to also let those readers who access this site via a feed reader know about some changes they might not have noticed and everyone else about some additions and future posts.
Before I get started though, this: I will probably be absent from this site for four to six weeks starting some time in February. I have asked one of the regular readers here to keep an eye on any spam that might make it through my defenses (not much does) and I might be able to post this or that from wherever I'll be those four to six weeks. If I have the time, I might pre-write a few posts that can then just be switched to a "live" state from far away. Plans for this haven't been finalized yet. So, if you are wondering about missing updates during that away-phase, don't worry ... they'll roll in once I'm back.
On to the changes that have happened around here these past two or three weeks.01. "Living With Music Gallery"
At the top of the page you'll notice a new menu item, the gallery. I'm using a simple Wordpress plugin to upload photos relevant to posts or my collecting habits and to file them away into albums. I have regularly updated my January 2010 acquisitions, have moved some older photos from the old (non-Wordpress) gallery over and have a few more albums planned (like one for the way I set up my IKEA Ivar shelves to work well with my CD collection). The photos are usually between around 100k and 190k in size so if you have a slow connection and nothing seems to be happening when you click on a thumbnail, give it a few seconds. The gallery itself is pretty much a bare-bones affair, nothing fancy at all. It does offer the ability to automatically add thumbnail images from the gallery to posts, based on specific tags, but I haven't utilized that feature yet. For this to work, the gallery still has to be expanded and everything needs to be retagged. Eventually, all of a sudden, this feature will be implemented.
02. "Discographies and Lists"
The new framework used for my site allows me to automatically group new pages (also posts) I publish into drop-down menus. After some moving back-and-forth of some pages, I have created this new section which will collect some important reference pages such as the ever-popular "Mosaic Discographies" and "Jazz in Paris" pages. There are more in the works (one is almost done) ... see below. Please note: These pages do NOT show up in my feed that you have maybe subscribed to, although they are updated frequently. You just have to drop by once in a while to have a look. The same goes for the third new section, ...
03. "On Sale!"
That page isn't up yet, but it'll pop up in the menu at the top-left of my site when I'm done. I have quite a few items I'm thinking of selling and you might be able to get something like "The Complete Glenn Miller" (Japanese boxed set, basically "as new"), "The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles: Volume 3 (1972-1975)" (shrink-wrapped 10 CD set; I have two extra sets of this one) or single CDs cheaper than elsewhere on the Net. You won't be able to make a killing as I know what these are worth, but I'll make them cheaper for regular readers of this site if they should at all be interested in anything I have on that list. You'll notice when it's up.
04. "Twitter Feeds"
In various places on my site I've included two different Twitter feeds: One that I update with newsworthy stuff and one which links to CDs or larger sets I'm currently listening to ("Enjoying Now"). Please note that the links in that list are Amazon associate links and make me some money if you buy something after you reached Amazon.com via a click on one of those links. If you want to do me some good, you can also then continue searching on Amazon for other stuff to buy and I might get a minuscule amount of money in commission.
05. Other Changes
I have decided to streamline this site in a major way, deleting some older posts, combining some and reordering them by imposing a new tagging system on the whole lot. That does mean that addresses might change and some Google searches will end up on a "404 Error" page because the material has been moved, but I don't care (and will not install any redirects for these items. The plan is to post one or two lengthy new items (blog posts) each month and to keep updating and expanding the head of my site (pages) with more lists, updated lists and discographies. I'm also going to be adding a wishing list menu item just in case there is a person out there who likes this site enough to send me something from that list.
06. Upcoming Posts and Additions
- a) More Mosaic Discographies
I haven't been adding new Mosaic discographies because I screwed something up and lost what I had saved. "Lost" is not the correct word, but the whole shebang has disappeared from my PC. I do have backup copies somewhere and just need to find them amongst my nearly 20 terabyte of external harddisks. Give me another few days and we'll be rolling there again as well. - b) "Verve Elite Editions"
I'm almost done with a very long page which will include each and every reissue (track listing, iextra info, small cover image, brief reviews from AMG, Amazon, etc.) within the Verve Elite Editions series. This page is done down to the last four CDs. It should be up early next week. - c) "Benny Goodman: Carnegie Hall Concert (1938)"
Motivated by a lengthy exchange with various people about this lkandmark concert and the various (re)issues, I've nearly completed a lengthy post on this which will include a discussion of some of the better or more controversial reissues available today. I'm waiting for the delievery of one item I purchased today and when it has arrived (from the U.K.), the post will be up within 24 hours.
07. Further on Down the Road
I chose "Elemental", the framework for this site because for over two years, I've had a redesign of my own flying around that I would like to implement one day. It looks quite different and would change this site from a regular blog into a different beast. I have no idea when this might happen and I already know now that it won't be easy, but I've started working on refining that design again. Being the restless fellow I am it does mean quite a lot if I still like a design almost two years after I first completed it (my avareage time is usually a few hours or days until I trash an idea again). That design is minimalistic to the extreme and text-based, with one image for each post, it includes registration (plus benefits) for this site and other stuff. Let's see if I'll ever get around to it.
***
That was it for today. By the way: It is these kinds of posts and other less relevant ones from the past that will be deleted in one fell swoop one of these upcoming weeks. When done, I want to have the better posts left and all of these update and other posts in the trashcan. If we consider this to be spring cleaning of sorts, spring would be a good idea to get it done.
Have a nice weekend everyone ... and don't forget to listen to some good music!
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