Wonky

I got an email last night that described the current state of styles on WWDN perfectly: it said that the styles were “wonky”.
My feelings exactly. I hope to have some time to work on it today.
If you happen to know of a really useful book about CSS, please let me know in the comments. I’m looking for something really useful, like an O’reilly or Peachpit Press-style book. Something that will teach me the underlying theory behind CSS, and how to set up div.classes (or however you say it) and the like. Moveable Type makes extensive use of the [div] tag, and I think I’m going to re-write the site to follow that guide…Imagine a world where the navigation menu looks cool! Someday, you may even be able to skin this site, like you can at domesticat’s.
I must confess, I never really fully understood how CSS worked…I was just able to make it go. Sort of like having a cool old car, and knowing how to do limited things like change the oil and stuff…now I have to rebuild the engine, and I don’t know how.
I think this is as close as I get to asking for help…unless you’re roughy or loren. Then you really get to hear me whine.
Thanks for the help 🙂

171 thoughts on “Wonky”

  1. “When the night has come
    And the land is dark
    And the moon is
    The only light we’ll see
    No, I won’t be afraid
    No, I won’t be afraid
    Just as long as you stand
    Stand by me
    So darling, darling,
    Stand by me,
    Oh, stand by me
    Oh, stand,
    Stand by me
    Stand by me
    If the sky that we look upon
    Should tumble and fall
    Or the mountains should
    Crumble in the sea
    I won’t cry, I won’t cry,
    No, I won’t shed a tear
    Just as long as you stand
    Stand by me”
    luv ya

  2. A Million Words Would Not Bring You Back,
    I Know, Because I’ve Tried.
    Neither Would A Million TeaRs.
    I Know, Because I’ve Cried.
    *Only The Good Die Young*
    R.I.P RIVER

  3. ::sob:: River!! Man, was he boss or what? I hope I don’t miss the A&E biography on him! Good luck with yer CCS webstuff, Wil.

  6. WHAT is it that you put on/in this site
    that keeps me coming back for more ..
    IT is a evil addiction and I am so afraid!
    WESLEY..ah WIL HELPPPPPPPP……………
    ok.. I got that out of my system. Thank you.
    Enough of this computer shop talk! Lets try
    another topic..say anything else as long as it
    does not include “the above” or cheese!!!

  7. Okey dokey. I know absolutely zilch about CSS or even HTML. But I want to learn HTML cause I have suspicions that it would be easier to use than geocities, and then I would be able to utilize the webspace that my ISP so courteously provided to me.
    Oh, and good luck with the CSS, Wil.

  11. Why had it taken so long for the Strokes to be the album of the month? Another case of you Americans starting to appreciate something when the rest of the world has turned off it!

  12. Um, I don’t know much about CSS or HTML or computers in general except that when I turn mine on and type in “www.wilwheaton.net,” I am taken to a delightful place.
    Anyways, just wanted to say much luck with the website, Wil, and keep up the good work.
    Oh yeah and one more thing– the only time I EVER watched Star Trek was for Wesley. No, really. I’m not even kidding.

  13. I have nothing to comment on. I don’t know how to do anything with a website but view it & click on the little buttons. I just wanted to participate. Yes, I am a bit odd. 😉

  14. So in hindsight, dont you wish that Wesley would have been executed for stepping in the flowers?
    It would have made for a better show.

  15. Hi Wil —
    I started using MT earlier this month, and I must say, it’s a work of art. I didn’t even BOTHER with CSS until I started using MT. Anyhoo, I referred back to my O’Reilly “Webdesign in a Nutshell”, which barely touched on the subject, but helped me learn the basics. I have a lot more to learn, though.
    BTW, can’t you post links in the comments section? Test. I guess this is the proof (or not).
    Any luck with iB3 for the Soapbox? I am also using that on my site, I really like it, it’s so much better than iB2. I love the Admin Control Panel, it’s really easy to use.
    Good luck with getting the site in full working order, amongst your job and family responsibilities. I hear your pain. 😉
    WONKY /wong’kee/ adj.
    [from Australian slang] Yet another approximate synonym for broken. Specifically connotes a malfunction that produces behavior seen as crazy, humorous, or amusingly perverse. “That was the day the printer’s font logic went wonky and everybody’s listings came out in Tengwar.” Also in `wonked out’. See funky, demented, bozotic.
    -court

  16. Will, Try using the Opera browser to preview your pages when using CSS, then you can see the page without CSS with one click, or use your own CSS on other webpages. Plus it has “validate’ in the right click menu. As long as you are using Movable Type, having WWDN available in a RSS/XML feed on amphetadesk would be automatic, yes?

  17. Teehee.. knew I could count on Uncle Willy’s comments to cheer me up after a day of slave labor.
    I’m also going to be that person who stands up and says “I don’t like the Stokes”. Sorry Mel! But you were right most Americans are way dumb music wise. Instead I’m plugging my love for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Wise Monkey Orchestra, Transmission, She Said Yes, Blindsyde and America’s favorite losing band- Soulcracker.
    ^_^;;;
    Good luck with the tech stuff Wil!

  18. Wil;
    Before I toddle off to beddy-bye land at two AM EST…. just wanted to alert you to next week’s ep of “Enterprise”. Three words for you: Detox. Gel. Scene. Two girls, and a guy, this time. Just thought you’d wanna know, man.
    ‘Night!
    -David.

  20. hey Wil… try putting the “justified” div tag in your blog.. it makes it look all nice and uniform.. 😉
    it’s [div align=”justified”]
    (with angle brackets, of course..)
    cheers!

  22. Actually, the Buckeroo Banzai quote is “Wherever you are, there you go.”
    But, erm, you probably knew that.

  23. Hey Wil,
    Y’know when I originally was looking (and I am a regular bouncing’by kinda reader) I was thinking it was my browser that wasn’t reading the info right. That’s why I tried the other two browsers before I wrote ya.
    I’ve made some sites… and only 1 of these (which was for my job) has css which I um, archived… (yah! that’s the ticket!) to make it work… so I felt your pain. In actuality since I neither understood whether it was a) my browser b) css or c) some kind of blogger thingie… which is why I said ’twas a wonky thing.
    Anyway… I’m glad so many have given some great sources to look at… since I am planning a revamp of a major site of mine this is a good thing.
    Take care!
    — B. Martin
    PS: The Buckaroo Banzai quote is: “No matter where you go, there you are”

  26. I was just about to recommend the book (Cascading Style Sheets: Designing for the Web) by Lie & Bos — but I see a couple folks beat me to the punch. It’s invaluable. 🙂

  27. (Hmmm… authors on parade!) I just wanted to thank everyone for their kind comments about my O’Reilly book, and say that while it was published two years ago, it’s still highly relevant in that the range it covers (CSS1 and CSS positioning) is what’s widely supported by today’s browsers. The bulk of the new stuff in CSS2, which my book only touches on in an overview, is either not supported by anyone or badly and inconsistently supported by a very few browsers.
    The text does go into the theory underlying CSS but backs that up with lots of practical examples– I think the book has around 450 figures, probably more the 400 of them screenshots. Otherwise, it’s probably like most O’Reilly books you’ve ever owned. The one thing I wish is that O’Reilly books weren’t grayscale, as CSS is a topic that really benefits from a good color treatment. (Which is why my next book will be in full color.)
    Of course there are many other CSS books out there– Dan’s, Lie & Bos, the new “CSS for Dummies,” and so on. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages. My usual advice is to find a bookstore that carries several books on the topic and flip through them. Find the one that looks llike it has what you want, and buy it. If it’s mine, great, but it’s more important that you end up with a book that’s right for you.
    There are also some good online places to discuss CSS, both via e-mail and NNTP, that other people have mentioned here. Plus most authors are usually up for answering e-mail sent to them directly– I know I am, or at least try to be when I’m not traveling, so feel free to get in touch. http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/ is the center of the CSS universe, but it can be a bear to navigate. Someone already mentioned http://www.meyerweb.com/eric/css/, which is my bare-bones assemblage of schtuff. I just recently made meyerweb “skinnable,” although my choice of “skins” is pathetic at the moment. I’ll get it more robust one of these days…
    Anyway, that’s probably enough from me for now. Thanks for putting up such a cool site, Wil, and have fun with CSS! It’s definitely a hoot once you get used to it.

  29. Welcome, Bronwyn. I read your comment, today, in the comments from yesterday :). Angie (UK) is back! Thank you Beverly Martin, you saved me correcting that BB quote :).
    Cartoon Beagle–that’s pretty scary stuff. How do you rate the credibility of the author?

  30. Wil, when it comes to things of a mechanical nature, I tend to call an engineer. I like to learn alot of things but when it means swimming in grease (engine or elbow), I grab a blanket and head for the shoreline. That’s the kind of ting that requires the right tool for the right job. Tools are not my bag. Unless they are the art tools. Those I can manage.
    Anyway, you guys who are wondering why you keep tuning in, let me offer this…a bit of honest, level headed comradery from the insane island of Hollywood. It is addicting.

  31. Jabbathebutt wrote something like this…
    “So in hindsight, dont you wish that Wesley would have been executed for stepping in the flowers?
    It would have made for a better show.”
    And I respond…
    No, I don’t think Wesley should have been executed. It would have taken away my entire purpose for watching the show (at that time). I was young & had a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge crush on Wil. In fact, I was really, really opposed to the “new Star Trek” when it came on originally. It took lots of Wesley watching to realize that it was TOS that I really hated!
    Laurie

  33. Oh, I have a resource that nobody else has mentioned. If you have a little bit of knowledge of css and want to build on it, using a css program might help you understand s’more 🙂 The best (IMO!) is Top Style (http://www.bradsoft.com). You can download a trial, and its great how it helps you through building a style sheet.
    Best of luck! 🙂

  34. This time it’s over,
    I’m keeping my heart,
    I’m gonna be strong & not fall apart ..
    It’ll get better, I’ll no longer cry..
    In a couple of weeks, I wont want 2 die,
    I won’t want 2 go back, I’ll be able 2 sleep,
    It won’t hurt so bad, & it won’t feel so deep
    You DoNt AlWaYs GeT wHaT u WaNt
    R.I.P. RIVER
    :'(

  35. Maybe it’s the way you grab my hand and hold it,
    or the way you kiss me, or maybe it’s the way
    you let me put my arms around you.
    Maybe it’s the way you look at me
    and your smile just makes me melt.
    Maybe it’s the way we can talk on
    the phone for hours about absolutely
    nothing, but I still feel like
    I just had the best conversation
    of my whole life. Maybe it’s the
    way that I want to break down and
    cry when I think about how you hold
    me up on a pedestal. Maybe that’s
    what makes me wanna b wit u so bad…..
    isnt that soo cute?!
    i just had to show everyone that one
    cute site wil!
    luv ya

  36. i’ve never had much luck with learning web stuff through books. they’re great for reference, but often not great for understanding. i learned CSS through one of the tutorials at webmonkey (http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/authoring/stylesheets/tutorials/tutorial1.html). it’s a few years old, but it will definitely help you create a solid understanding of what stylesheets are and how they work. then, once you have that, get a book that you can reference when you want to do something more complicated.

  38. i totally luv jessi’s cute quotes she wrote 4 river! i dont wanna do volley ball 2morrow lol. wil i don’t get y u wrote all over ur page that u think ur a nerd, cuz ur definitly not.
    R.I.P. Rio

  39. hey hun,
    mellie i soo agree! and that whole thing about everyone hating wesley – thats definetly not true because the only reason i like star trek is because ur in it wil! lol. good luck in volleyball mell! cute site wil.
    luv ya,
    _-*JeSs*-_

  40. CSS is great – assuming none of your visitors is using NS4.x.
    NS6 actually is pretty good with CSS assuming it does not crash

  41. you see, all the comments are about the css! lets talk more about wil! and stand by me and river phoenix

  42. how many comments did mel n jess leave here?! you know how this comments page thingy is getting to be like a chat room sorta? and yea i kno whats with the css i dont kno what it is duz anyone want to explain it to me… lol
    lyl

  45. Hey Wil! I really love ur site! i don’t understand the whole C.S.S. thing it confuses the hell outta me lol. and i don’t get y every1 else lyked the other charachters on Star Trek cuz i sure az hell didn’t. u were the only reason i even watch the show. me n jess watch it @ 8:00 on T.N.N. on weekdays, rite Jess? lol. i luv stand by me it’s my favorite movie. i miss river soo much i agree w/ u wil about the stupid jerks who actually new river wuz takin cocain n heroin. i hate those stupid losers. i really wanna c hiz biography. Wil i wanted u 2 win a golden globe award! o yea, jess, u missed dream a little dream it wuz on this morning.

  46. hey hun,
    omg mel really – did u watch it? and wil, u see, mellie agrees with me about star trek! evryone else is scary u were the nly cute one! and will someone please tell us what CSS is? what does it stand for? im confuzzled! luv ya
    _-*JeSs*-_
    tupperbabe)-lol!
    sound familiar WiL?? hint-stand by me

  48. there’s a great program called top style pro that is a css creator, the interface is nice and it allows you to see what the pages will look like. Books are best but this lets you see flooey and wonky things before you post them 🙂

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