Month: June 2007

  • Get your own website, take 2

    I just checked my blog history, and I wrote about how best to build a personal website back in December 2005. At that time, I suggested that there were sufficient free tools out there to build a site that would meet the needs of most users.

    So… what’s changed since then and has my recommendation changed?

    Let’s start with what’s changed since then:

    1. Web 2.0: There are a myriad of second generation web applications which have facilitated tremendous improvements in terms of information sharing. This has precipitated in an unbelievable number of mash-ups, community sites and other social-networking type tools.
    2. RSS: “Really Simple Syndication” has taken the web by storm. RSS is used to share data of all kinds between websites. No longer is data proprietary. Now, if you can’t subscribe to and obtain content for free, then it doesn’t exist on the internet. That’s the unwritten rule on the web today.
    3. Increased functionality for free: The free offerings that I mentioned in 2005 continue to be free. The only change is that they’re better. Increased storage space is a biggie. So are dynamic applications (most major email clients (like gmail or yahoo mail) are rich, dynamic applications that rival de facto desktop versions (like MS Outlook or Eudora). Other major attractions include plenty of professional looking themes, tagging, spell-check, previews, easier photo and video inclusion and robust stat tracking.

    I could go on, but that’s not where I’m headed in this discussion. Let’s look at where I’ve been over the last two years and what I’m using now for my websites.

    The Last Two Years
    Shortly after my last “get your own website” posting, I took an about face and again found a paid hosting service. I used textdrive.com. The service was fantastic and their included services were great. The main reason I went with paid hosting was for the storage space and the ease of using a bunch of open source applications on my own dedicated webspace. After a long period of experimentation, I soon found that I was using two main functions on my websites: blog and photo functionality. I toyed with using forums and other community type features, but found that an appropriate critical mass would be difficult to gather and if I did find a time when I would be hosting a large number of users, my next fear was scalability. So, without a need for anything more than blogs or photos, and nervousness over scalability should I grow a large website, I decided to go back to the world of free hosting based on my needs.

    My needs:

    1. Blogs: I run three sites: wirepaper.com, dowfamily.org and toddhdow.org. Each of them serves a different purpose, as you’ll see by visiting each of them.
    2. Photos: It is valuable to share photos with my blog visitors.
    3. Files: I have a need to share files like word or pdf documents with site visitors from time to time.
    4. mp3 files: I have a need to share mp3 files with some site visitors as well.

    My current setup:
    I am currently using two different blog platforms for different purposes:

    1. WordPress: I use WordPress for toddhdow.org and dowfamily.org. I really like the themes that I am using on these two sites and some of the features that are available for WordPress are quick and easy to deploy.
    2. Blogger: I use Blogger for wirepaper.com. Blogger allows for adsense and javascript, two features which the hosted version of WordPress currently lacks.

    Another competitor to these two products is Community Server(CS), which I am familiar with through my professional work. I am not currently using CS for personal use. The main reason I am not using CS is because of the increased hosting requirements: It runs on Windows hosting, and requires SQL Server. Most SQL Server hosts are considerably more expensive from a hosting perspective. And, since I’m trying to avoid large expenses on my hosting, CS is not currently in scope for personal use.

    So… this is where things are at for me. I am using WordPress and Blogger for my main website platforms. I use a few web tools to add additional content to my sites. I will address some of these tools in upcoming posts. So, for the short term, stay tuned as I give you some overviews, tutorials, tips, techniques and advice pertaining to building out a web presence on the web on the cheap.

    One thing to note: “building a website on the cheap” no longer means that a site looks cheap. In fact, the tools available today virtually guarantee that a professional image can be built for far less than what you’d have paid two years ago.

    Stay tuned for plenty of advice on how to build an effective site.

    One final note (and an important disclaimer): I am terrible from a design perspective so don’t expect beautiful artwork from me. I will provide you with some good advice pertaining to building the nuts and bolts and integrating everything together. But to make it look good, you’ll have to bring your own creative flair to things.

    Talk soon!

    Todd Dow

  • Just Ways to Repair an Unjust War by Marcus Borg

    Kudos to Marcus Borg for his brave piece of writing pertaining to the US political establishment and their responsibilities. This article, an many other like it, are just a sampling of the growing swell of uneasiness that are calling for change in the US’s foreign policy plan pertaining to war in the Middle East.

    If we really must call ourselves Christian and we look to Christ as our savior and our role model, then who better to look to for ways of living than the early Christians? Borg lays out the message well, reminding us how early Christians stood up for their beliefs, even if it meant martyrdom. If we are to call ourselves Christian, shouldn’t we at the very least try to model our behaviours, including our political and social behaviours towards others, after the Christian model of behaviour?

    And as for those that argue that Christians are responsible for all of this violence… well… I’ll agree that most conflicts are the result of religious intolerance, but I also argue that these conflicts are the result of people who have misinterpreted or misused religion for their own political gains. I see great value in faith. I see only criminal intentions in people that attempt to use religious claims, especially Christian claims, that violence is required to uphold a religious belief. Faith is a freedom that we should be afforded, but it should not trump the free thought that others have.

    And, for those Christians that think they have “God on their side” in committing violent acts, well, show me where Jesus allows violence in his name. I’m sure you’ll be hard pressed to show where Jesus supports killing in his name.

    My two cents…

    Todd Dow

    Links mentioned in this entry:
    Just Ways to Repair an Unjust War

  • A Tragic Picture of Death

    AP Photo / Karim KadimI stumbled across a heartrending picture of an 18 month old Iraqi boy who had been killed after being fired upon by US forces during a street battle in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood in June 2004. This picture, attached to an article in TruthDig, really hit home for me, as I have a young boy myself. It really put into perspective for me how I would feel if one of my loved ones was hurt or killed in such a manner. I debated on including the picture with this article, but finally decided to include it as it is a powerful testament to what happens in war. The picture is not nice, but it provides a jolt to those that feel disconnected from a conflict occurring far from home.

    While I would like to think that I would have the moral strength to turn the other cheek and to try for a peaceful resolution with those that I felt were responsible, I know that my initial response would be one of anger and seeking revenge. It’s tough not to feel that way with something as permanent as death, especially of the young and innocent among us.

    That being said, anger and revenge just continue to feed the violence and hatred that have spiraled out of control during the US-led “war on terror”. What needs to change in order to turn things around? It’s difficult to say, but the current climate of violence must end sooner rather than later.

    I’m sure I’ll be hearing from the hawks out there that say, “Well, what about our dead?” and you’re right. All sides have suffered in recent years through numerous tragic events that have been inflicted from all sides. Nobody is innocent in the current world makeup. Freedom fighters, terrorists, secret agencies, spies, guerillas, armed insurgents and legitimately identified armies all have been vying for top spot in political games of domination ever since the dawn of recorded history. What differentiates the good from the bad, the right from the wrong or the morally acceptable from unacceptable?

    All sides could easily justify their actions for their contributions to the current climate of violence in the world. Just War is just that… it’s justified. The question becomes: Justified by whom? The picture that I referred to above brought it to me in stark clarity: I could understand why any parent would feel the need for revenge against the US forces for what they saw was the reckless death of their young child. It doesn’t matter if the gunfight was only a small event in a much larger war on terror. The fact remained that it was a US bullet that killed their child. Numerous other examples of this abound.

    And to be fair, the US has plenty to be angry about. 9/11 is only one example of terrorism at its worst. There are numerous examples of the US being targets in other countries from embassy bombings to targeting killings of US citizens overseas. None of this should justify the killing of innocents though. Unfortunately, war is a blunt instrument that doesn’t always hit with precision clarity. And that is a shame indeed.

    For war is supposed to be the last resort in a politically charged game of cat and mouse. But in this case, in the Middle East, there are too many unanswered questions pertaining to the justification and causes of this conflict with no positive end in sight. In fact, there are few tangible facts to substantiate all of this loss of life. Looking back, the history books have been clouded with bad judgment, poor intelligence and hidden agendas. Conspiracy theorists are able to thrive in this market as there is no final answer or explanation for the cause of this war.

    The greater problem is the implications. For the parents that have lost loved ones, there is no easy way to put aside that hatred. There is no easy way to overlook the recent past and to move towards reconciliation. There is no easy way to recover what has been lost. That’s the problem with war: the finality of its actions. Not only does it leave terrible scars in its wake, but it also leaves no easy method of recovery.

    For war to be effective, there must be a way of measuring its results. In this, the US has failed miserably. There is no method of measuring success at this point. The US has provided few timelines and poor indicators of accomplishment. It would appear that the US is playing a game of whack-a-mole with no end-target with which to measure their progress.

    If only the responsible world governments would approach this in a more systematic way. There are numerous causes at play here, many of which are just as vicious and harmful as the “war on terror”, only they are more subtle. Economic sanctions in particular cripple nations and lead to massive suffering among the general population. While this and other methods are important tools in controlling despotic regimes, they do little to help public opinion in these regions in the long term.

    What are the solutions then? The October 2006 issue of Harpers contained an excellent article entitled “The Way Out of War” by George S. (George Stanley) McGovern and William Roe Polk that provided a detailed plan for leaving Iraq, along with some associated financial costs and benefits. It was an interesting read, as it provided some of the much needed answers to “what else can we do but fight?” The article defends strong investment in internal infrastructure as the US-led forces are phased out. The money currently spent on military intervention in Iraq would easily build a substantial infrastructure for further stability as the US pulls out. There are numerous other strategies suggested in the article, many of which mirror suggestions offered by Human Rights Watch and others.

    The bottom line here is that there are numerous peaceful approaches that will help build bridges between differing cultures. The current method of blunt force trauma inflicted through war is doing little to build relationships. The current US-led actions in the Middle East is further fracturing relationships, and this is likely to impact an entire generation of people, thus delaying peace for the foreseeable future. I know that I, for one, would have a very difficult time extending an olive branch if I were in the shoes of a parent who has lost a loved one in the current fighting. It is the right thing to do, but when the impersonal nature of war becomes personal, it makes it much more difficult to be emotionally fit to resist revenge.

    The way ahead must be one of peace and reconciliation. War has no place in settling disputes, regardless of the perceived benefits. Machismo and stubbornness will only continue to lead us down the path that the current US administration has been leading us down. Make a difference: Research the contributing factors into this conflict, identify workarounds or fixes to those problems that don’t rely on force, and help put them into action.

    Todd Dow

    Supporting links:
    Truthdig article: A Culture of Atrocity
    Wall Street Journal: Iraqi Death Toll Exceeds 600,000, Study Estimates
    The Lancet: Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq
    Human Rights Watch

  • The God Debate: does he or doesn’t he?

    Dear atheists,

    I’m elated that God is getting so much press lately. And even more surprising is who’s talking about God. Atheists! On the one hand, I’ve gotta say that I don’t agree with the current batch of atheists selling their wares: Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and others. On the other hand, I’ve gotta say “Way to go, guys!” You’ve definitely raised God’s awareness to levels not seen since the beginning of the War on Terror.

    Now, I know your goal is to convince people that God doesn’t exist. But I’ve gotta tell you, your arguments are weak. You’re relying on old arguments (Hey Dawkins, does Bertrand Russell’s Celestial Teapot mean anything to you?) And Harris, yes, your education does bring you some authority, but unfortunately, I don’t see how you’re tying your research interests in with your arguments? It would be great if you could use your neuroscience background to help prove that God doesn’t exist. But, I doubt that’s in your curriculum, isn’t it. In fact, I’m willing to bet that there’s plenty still unknown in your field. I’m thankful for the advances in medical science, but I also know that it’s not an exact science, nor is it a replacement for God.

    Now, I know that many of your arguments are against the inhumanities that are committed in the name of God. I’m right there with you. I don’t think that religion, and Christianity in particular, should motive the troops to go out and kill the enemy. In fact, I believe just the opposite: Jesus was a pacifist. Plain and simple. But, that doesn’t mean that we should discount the religion due to some misguided leaders of the religion. Should we abandon university campuses because of a few bad professors? I don’t think so…

    The beauty of faith is the positive life force that it gives to an individual within a community of believers (and even sometimes in solitary – just ask the monastic members of a faith). God truly does scale to meet the needs and challenges of each one of us in every situation on earth. No, God doesn’t always answer our prayers. But, perhaps those are blessings in disguise as well. Who am I to know? I don’t have all of the answers. And I know that science can’t provide any better explanations either.

    And speaking of explanations… where do we get our moral compass from? If we rely simply on rational thinking, what would a moral high ground look like? Would we align our good and bad impulses towards ourselves or towards the community of which we are a member? If there is no God, then what’s the point in being anything other than self-centred? In that case, do you become a threat to those around you? Or, do you think that there is some merit to community-driven moralism? And if there is some compassion towards fellow man, why would that be in an atheistic world? There are no rewards to be had. Aren’t you just wasting precious resources that you should be spending on yourself before your time runs out?

    Do you get where I’m coming from? You question my motives for believing, while living a paradox yourself. You really do confuse me… you come across as so smug and so confident in your knowledge that God doesn’t exist, yet you sit on the edge of a moral cliff, trying to convince yourself that your actions don’t really matter, all the while continuing to further your chosen field of study. Why bother if we’re just ashes to ashes and dust to dust?

    In any event, like I was saying earlier, thanks a ton for the great press you’ve been drumming up lately. Nothing like some star-studded name dropping to keep God in the news and to keep him on the tips of our tongues. It really is true… there’s no such thing as bad press, and guys, you’re doing one heck of a job.

    Thanks!

    Todd Dow