Monthly Archives: February 2008

Changed Themes Again, More MNML Style

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The pendulum has swung back again, and thus I changed the theme of chrismlindsey.com again. New visitors might not know my history of changing themes. This time I am going with a minimalist theme called MNML, by Ian Stewart of ThemeShaper.

One of the neat features of MNML is that the homepage actually allows me to make new posts, much like the amazing Twitter-like Prologue theme from Automattic, the people behind WordPress. Btw, I love the Prologue theme, absolutely amazing, I wish I had a virtual team to use Prologue with, and someone already came up with a chat bot for Prologue. Amazing. You can add this functionality to your WordPress site as well, by simply following this tutorial.

The MNML theme also has built-in CSS support for asides, which means I can more easily post links to the site for readers.

MNML is also close to being a tumblelog, a short-form weblog that allows different kinds of posts. Think Tumblr, which I have been messing around with but don’t want to use in a production environment. I think tumblelogs will become the new form of blogging, allowing people to more easily make shorter posts on a different variety of subjects (like videos, photos, chats, quotes, etc.).

MNML is named for the look: extremely minimal. Just what you and I need, and nothing else. Search, RSS, Twitter (added by me), Pages, Popular Posts, Categories, and Archives. Also, the theme comes boxed with an archive and a links page template (already put to use in my archives page). I also like the minimal look of the header, or in this case, the footer. I had to customize the pages on the right in the footer, but that was cut and paste WordPress stuff.

All in all, I like this theme. We’ll see how long it lasts, and if Ian keeps the theme updated (especially when WordPress 2.5 comes out next month). I always hate to see developers not update their themes so they work in the latest version of WordPress. But that is a different rant for a different day.

If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or complaints, as always feel free to leave a comment or reach me through the contact form.

PS – I’ve tested the site in Firefox 2, IE7, and Safari (on Windoze). Let me know if anything looks funny in your browser.

Fantasy Racing 2008 Starts at Daytona

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Daytona. The international home of motorsports. Superspeedway. I love it. And you should love it too. It makes for some great racing on those high-banked historical turns.

But Daytona is not easy. Restrictor plates are mankind’s, and racers’, worst nightmares. So they make driving at Daytona and Talladega one dimensional. That one dimension is momentum.

All it takes is one wrong move and you are sent to the back of the pack. And recently we have learned it is all about the guys behind you, and whether or not they stick with you or dive to the top or bottom to pass you.

Also, all it takes is one big wreck to take out 10 or so drivers, and your whole team might be needing tow trucks to leave the track.

It comes down to momentum, and a little luck, at Daytona.
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Introduction to Fantasy Racing

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Ok, so I think most of us know how much I love stock car racing and Nascar. Few (if any) know that I used to write articles previewing the race each week on a fantasy sports site. Yep, that was like 3 years ago (my first article is here).

I’ve done fantasy racing for a while, and last year a UGA fantasy league on Yahoo! Sports started from scratch. My old roommate (Paul) and I started a league of 4 people, and at the end of the year he and I were the only participants. This year we expanded and invited quite a few people and we hope to have a good time (if you want to participate in our league, UGA Fantasy Racing, get in touch with me).

Most of the folks in our league haven’t done fantasy racing before, so I’ve decided to crank back up my old fantasy writing skills and provide an overview for the Daytona 500.
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US 78 Suicide Lanes Gone on Thursday

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For any of those in the Stone Mountain, Snellville, and Loganville areas, the reversible lane system on US Highway 78 will be gone this Thursday morning. Here’s a little more information, from Brett Harrell’s blog:

Sometime after 7 p.m. and before 5 a.m. on Wednesday evening, February 13, 2008, C.W. Matthews Contractors will begin re-striping the travel lanes on U.S. 78 so that beginning Thursday morning, Valentine’s Day, Section 1 will have three permanent lanes inbound to Atlanta and two permanent lanes outbound to Snellville. The striping will also include a center turn lane the length of Section 1. Once the paint drys, the overhead lights will be no more.

For some of my previous coverage of Highway 78 and the improvements, look here and here.

This is quite a momentous occasion for the Snellville area residents, and especially for the Evermore Community Improvement District. The reversible lane system is a hazard for everyone. A close friend of mine, his mother died in an accident on Highway 78. The current mayor of the City of Snellville, Jerry Oberholtzer, suffered a broken sternum and a bruised heart in a collision on Highway 78.

Let’s all hope that this construction is finished quickly, and remember to keep supporting the businesses along US 78.