Category: Uncategorized

I was approved for AdSense, so I’ve spent most of my morning messing around with the account options. I’m going to use the text-only ads, and I’ve made it so they’ll blend in nicely with the color scheme here. I’m not going to use those horrible animated ads, or the gigantic graphic ones, because I think they suck.
Right now, I don’t quite know the best place to put the code. Should it just go at the top of the main page? Should it go into the sidebar and replace the TextAds box (which has to go away, per the TOS, anyway I think) or should it go somewhere else? I think it makes sense to put something different into the archive pages, because those will probably be the most relevant results, right?
I don’t want to get all link-obsessed, and let the AdSense stuff impact the content of my blog in any way, but I figure if I’m going to have AdSense here, I should at least do it the best way possible. I’m pretty sure that there are at least a few WWdN readers who have experience with AdSense. If any of you guys are willing to help this noob out, I’d appreciate hearing any advice you’d care to share. Thanks 🙂
Afterthought: My friend David Lawrence just pointed me to
10 Quick Steps to Making Perfect Google AdSense. Holy crap, what a valuable bit of writing it is! In about ten minutes I’ve graduated from noob to lamer. Next stop: genius. Or . . . something. Heh.
So it gave me this idea . . . because I am pretty sure that there will eventually be a bunch of good and useful advice in these comments, when it reaches critical mass, I’ll put it all together into a file for all WWdN readers to read and use.
I’ve been thinking about doing a WWdN Wiki. This could be a cool place to start.

Ah, it’s funny because it’s true.
Updated 2005-03-28: I asked Cheyenne (the artist) if he’d make the strip available on a mug (I think it’s a nice companion to my Klingon Convention Trauma store at CafePress), and he was kind enough to do do it. Thanks, Cheyenne!

Couple of news things that don’t really fit anywhere else:

1. I’ve taken the Amazon links out of the RSS feed. They were never relevant, and I don’t think anyone was clicking them, anyway. I’m sure feedburner will figure out an algorithm which will make the links more relevant, and when they do I’ll put them back in.
2. I’ve been thinking about adding some Google Ads or something to the site. The vet bills for Felix and Sketch have climbed up well over $5,000, and we’re starting to feel the pinch.
3. I’m working on updating the rest of the site, especially the FAQ, which hasn’t been touched in years. I plan to use MT to control those pages, so they’re easier to update. Using Quanta is fun and all, but hand-coding everytyhing is getting old.
4. If I have set it up correctly, the WWdN RSS feed will now include images from my buzznet photoblog.
5. I’ve added a link to the hilarious webcomic Diesel Sweeties over there on the left. If you like WWdN, I’m pretty sure you’ll like Diesel Sweeties. Be sure to check out their T-shirts.
6. In my back yard right now, it’s breezy and 64.6 degrees with 52% humidity under partly cloudy skies. The barometer is steady at 29.56.

Overheard in New York is one of my absolute favorite sites on The Internets, especially when they share things like this:

“Yeah, I like to eat out every once in a while.”
Coffee guy: Good morning, sir.
Sir: Medium coffee.
Coffee guy: Milk and sugar, sir?
Sir: Yes, please.
Coffee guy: …you go down, sir?
Sir: Excuse me?
Coffee guy: You go down? Down the town?
–Roach coach, Franklin & Church
Overheard by: Bailey Wier
New Yorkers: As Seen on TV
Woman #1: Excuse me, does the N train stop at Central Park?
Woman #2: Lady, go ask a fucking cystal ball, or learn how to read a damn subway map.
–Union Square station
Overheard by: Craig D
A truck driver is parked on the side of the road, honking at what appears to be nothing at all. A female pedestrian shoots him a dirty look.
Truck driver: Nobody’s honking at you, you dumb bitch!
–Bay Ridge

New York is more than a city, it’s a character in our National Mythology. These individual voices that emerge from the cacophony of the city tell an incredible story, and you don’t have to be a New Yorker to appreciate them.

If you’re reading WWdN via RSS, you may want to actually click into the entry from time to time, and check out the comments, because if you don’t, you’ll miss cool things like Letterboxing. Letterboxing, as far as I can tell, combines the treasure hunt of Geocaching, with the mystery of Codebreaking. It appears to be primarily an English thing, but according to the FAQ, it’s spreading across the USA.
It looks like fun. Has anyone done this in the Los Angeles area?