Long before the HMS Beagle set off on its current voyage, we had decided to start and maintain a ship’s blog, Stardate 2016. Really, what could be easier? Little did we know that Kent would spend countless frustrated hours at the computer, completely clueless as to how to proceed, desperately Googling questions and videos that might help him find his way out of the blogmorass. And shirking his kitchen duties.
Kent’s journey began with a video called something like “web site construction for dummies”. Since that time, he has watched several similar videos, all with much the same title. Yes, these give you the very basics about how to register a domain name (hmsbeagle.net), how to purchase web hosting services (take your money), and finally how to download “WordPress” a free software that one can use to create a web site or blog (make you crazy) without having to know how to code in html (whatever that is). After that, however, the world gets really complicated. It seems that, according to the web guru on the video, an existing WordPress “theme” is not good enough. After all you want the really professional looking web site. So down the rabbit hole you go.
The last time Kent came across the word “widget” was in Economics 101 and Jose used it to write an electronic composition in 1976. Kent understood it as a theoretical unit of production while Jose’s composition treated it as a mechanical device that made unusual sounds. But it seems that in the brave new world we now inhabit there are entities called software widgets, without which one cannot possibly hope to build a web site that measures up to the standards set by the guru, even those set solely for dummies. We are not sure where this will all lead. We have a non-Wordpress theme, (whatever that means) but without all the special “code” that would give us access to wonderful fonts and font control. We have a blog page that was supposed to have a special format but Kent can’t find that format to save his life. We have widgets that we can sort of understand but the “really cool ones” completely elude us, and none of them make unusual sounds.
These are alien waters for the HMS Beagle, Terra Incognita. Will we find our way through the uncharted channels of the internet? Will anyone be able to make sense of our web site and blog? Leave comments? Play the embedded videos? After all, why are we on this voyage if we can’t bore all our friends and family with the details of our daily life aboard the Beagle? As the Sailing Master of the HMS Beagle, Kent can only say that the charts are exceedingly difficult to read and that we are both very certain that There be Dragons!
Jose and Kent. Thanks for the Blog. It is great to see you successfully navigating your route, complete without the IT department you were no doubt used to calling. (I am missing them as you can see). Wishing you continued fair winds and new discoveries.Ron
Thanks for your well wishes Ron. We will try and keep the ship’s blog going as best we can on our next excursion across the USA.
Kent, star date 2016.02.18.2.25
Am replying to you on your blog “Voyages of the HMS Beagle” and am going to fill in a little info with what is transpiring without you. There has been a disturbance in the force causing strange weather patterns to appear, human behavior running a muck. As of today the park has only had myself and my little friend George to carry on. Paul is busing himself with a new femme fatale, and has not been able to reach the park because he is vehicleless at the moment.
Win and his paramour are sailing the warm waters of The Bahamas but due to return soon and lend some sanity and life to the situation here until you can get back and regal us with stories of your adventures. there is more but I will let someone else fill in the details. Best of Luck and enjoy!!
Hey Ed, Good to hear from you. Tell George that you two are the stalwarts of the Dog Park. I hope you enjoyed the video of the Homestead dog park in the Cavorting Canines post; a lot nicer weather for dog park visits! Take care and keep warm. Say hi to Win and Paul for me if you see them.
Take heart- we in cyberspace can not only understand your words, but can play the cool videos and hear the carefully choosen music that accompanies the videos..we don’t need no stinking widgets…whatever they are…just saying
Barb, Thanks for your review of the posts and “spell Check”. I have tried to remedy most of the items you pointed out.