Reviews »

We all have our favorite programs, the ones we use constantly and have arranged precisely in order on our desktop. Well, I’m no exception. I have thirteen programs that I use non-stop. I use them so much, I’ve recruited a program just to give me easier access to them: RocketDock object bar. We all use our computers for different things at different times. Here’s the contents of my object bar: my favorite, non-stop use programs.

1.
Program: RocketDock
Function: Application launcher

In order to make the use of my favorite programs easier, I’ve installed a fisheye-esqe dock on my computer. RocketDock is one of the best application launchers I’ve found. It’s easy to use and functions similar to its MAC OS counterpart.…

Reviews, Useful Tools »

A few weeks ago I got an email from Anton, explaining a new service he’s started called Taggify. After checking it out, I was thoroughly impressed, and I think you will be too.

Taggify, a one-man startup, is a service that allows you to enhance your website’s online photos by inserting Facebook-esque tags. Below is an example from Taggify’s website. To see the live demo, click here.

A photo that you’ve added tags to will look like any other image.

However, after the user mouses over a predefined area, the Taggify tag pops up.

Taggify is actually a widget for your website. It generates a small javascript link which you paste into the HTML of your website. You can…

Useful Tools »

So today I finally got around to upgrading my Wordpress admin theme. Steve Smith over at OrderedList.com has a killer theme for the Wordpress admin called the “WP Tiger Administration. It has over 40,000 downloads, and I can see why! The theme is visually a huge improvement over the default admin theme.

There are a few quirks with the theme. It uses CSS2, which is not compatible with all browsers. No worries, though. If your browser doesn’t support it you’ll just see the default theme. Overall, I’ve enjoyed using it. It takes some getting used to, as it changes the location of your menu. But with the much better visual appeal, it’s easy to get used to.…

John's Plugins, Useful Tools »

Back in November I gave a tip on how you could edit one of the Wordpress administrative php files to give your WP-Admin console it’s own favicon. That works great, until you update your version of Wordpress and it overwrites the changes you made (thanks to Miriam for the reminder). To fix this annoyance, I’ve written my very first Wordpress plugin, aptly named “Admin Favicon”. It’s simple. It’s basic. It gets the job done.

Admin Favicon

An original Wordpress plugin by John Kolbert
Version: 1.2
Tested and working on Wordpress 2.5.x*
Official WordPress Repository URL: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/admin-favicon/
Page last updated: April 28, 2008

*This plugin’s functionality works fine with WordPress 2.5. It has not been updated to reflect WordPress’s new stylesheet yet but will…

Tutorial/How-To, Useful Tools »

At the start of this year, I stated that one of my goals for 2008 was to create a mobile friendly version of Simply-Basic.com. Well, January isn’t even over, and I’m proud to say I’ve fulfilled my goal! Simply-Basic is now mobile device friendly. When you point your mobile device to the blog, it recognizes it automatically and displays a simpler, mobile friendly version.

Why make a mobile version? With the growth of mobile devices that are Wi-Fi enabled, it is becoming more and more essential to have your website accessible to mobile users. I often read blogs on my phone that runs Windows Mobile 6. Sites like Gmail and CNN automatically redirect the browser to a…

Announcements »

Today Simply-Basic reached 1,000 blocked spam messages! Not a huge number, but a milestone nevertheless. In the five months of Simply-Basic’s life, only one spam message has ever gotten through. That’s a pretty impessive filter that has saved me many hours time. Thank you Akismet!