By the way, as you can tell, I’m already convinced that there are different fonts and font colors that I can use that are reader friendly.

With five exceptions, this site is finally at the point it was at before I changed the name and began to work on making certain that the links it contains, as well as a few other items, worked in conjunction with the new name. It was more difficult for a fledgling code writer such as I than I thought it would be. Hopefully, the links do work or I find any mistakes before the readers do to avoid any inconvenience to the readers.

I wrote that paragraph not too long ago. But, as life itself is dynamic, so must be those things we bring to life. One of those things that I’ve brought to life is this web site. I brought it to life for several reasons.

First, a bit of technical explanation for why this probably won't be the last time I'll change this site.

I learned HTML, the code language which is used to produce this site. I no sooner learned HTML and began to enjoy using it than different ways of using HTML started to pop up. I make use of tables in writing almost all of this site.

When I was about half done with the first draft, cascading style sheets (CSS) began taking the place of simple HTML or using tables to write HTML. Since I learned with tables, I actually find using tables simpler than CSS. CSS is supposed to be simpler. I don’t know, maybe I have the old dog new tricks syndrome going on here.

CSS isn’t the only new way to write code. There now is something called php, which I know very little about. There are other methods or versions of methods to write code for a web site.

I suppose I could spend the rest of my life learning every new method there is to writing code and I don’t doubt that each new method contains some improvement that I’ll miss out on if I continue to write code the way I know it.

In truth, some code is being deprecated by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the organization that sets the standards for what kind of language is acceptable for writing code. As far as I’m concerned, the word deprecated means that, ultimately, some methods of writing code won’t even be available in the not too distant future. So, many of us who want to maintain web sites are just going to have to learn to use other methods of writing code.

That’s sort of the technical explanation for this little update. My commentary is that I learned how to write HTML, the web site is viewable (more on that in a moment) and to deprecate methods of writing code just because “we’re the W3C and we can” seems typically exclusionary and an attempt to keep us running around in circles learning how to write code.

I learned to write code so that I could create a web site. I didn’t create a web site so that I could have fun writing code. Change is good and, as I mentioned, since life is dynamic, change is sometimes unavoidable. This kind of crazy change that replaces one thing that works with something else that works for the sake of change could have the result of making web site creation a fine tuned talent that only full time web site creators can do. Therefore, we who want to share ideas will have to pay for something we know how to do, but isn’t accepted. Capitalism excluding people for the sake of excluding people is what we have here and everywhere else.

OK, so I’ve explained a bit of the technical portion of trying to maintain a web site and I’ve given my very predictable response to it.

The changes that I’m about to make to this site don’t really have to do with the above technical explanations, not yet anyway.

I was, indeed, a “fledgling” code writer when I first put “The Mind Of Michael” together. I basically used two or three colors and a few, not many, fonts. I guess I fledged too far. I searched the web and found some neat sites that offered free backgrounds and fonts. I used certain animated backgrounds for the home page, the main pages in the different sections and, in poetry, for the main pages of each book and, in music, the main page for each CD.

Many of my readers are as old as I am and are beginning to have trouble with their eye sight. Consequently, my “cool” animated backgrounds and contrasting, bright colors have rendered me some fairly colorful feedback. I get it.

Life is, indeed, dynamic, and time moves only in one direction. While time gave us life and life gave us time, life and time are now working together to take away much of what they, together, gave us. Eye sight is merely one of those abilities.

I think that my messages are as important as anyone’s and I’ll not stop expressing them.

Of course, the more we dig ourselves into a social hole by following slick Clintons, Bushes, McCains, Obamas, Giulianis and the rest of The Corporacracy’s front people, the more important it is to have people notice it and report it, as I think I do. I’ve said that my goal is to leave the world in better shape than I found it and the way I do that best is through my writing. I know I’ve opened eyes and hope to open more before it’s all done. Of course if those eyes can’t read what’s on the page because what’s on the page is too “fancy”, it doesn’t make sense to put anything on the page. So, I’m returning to the keep it simple (KISS – you can use the last “S” as you see fit) philosophy.

I also enjoy making people feel close to their loved ones. I write, especially in my music and my poetry, about the kind of love we should be showing to those who love us and care for and about us in one way or another.

Finally, I hope that people enjoy the music I write enough to own some of it. If I continue to sell modest quantities of music, it can help me maintain my sites.

My new project is to make this site old again. Sort of “back to the future”.

For those who have had trouble reading some of this site, I apologize.

To Jamie, who, in no uncertain terms, brought the difficulty he was have reading this site to my attention, I offer my heartfelt thanks.

What I wrote after the above italicized paragraph doesn’t need to remain on this home page in full anymore.

For example, it’s obvious to those of you who visit this site on somewhat of a regular basis that the name is World Conditions and Action Items, not The Mind of Michael.

I then wrote “all five of my CDs are for sale at CD Baby

Well, the five CDs about which I wrote are, indeed, still on sale at CD Baby as well as at other digital music download sites.

The difference here is that all six of my CDs are on sale at CD Baby. Lights Over The Bar is now finished and on sale at CD Baby with the other five.

This, of course, means that I’ll be removing the music from this site, but the lyrics will still be here. It’s a good album and I had some expert help with two of the songs, “Crossroad Bridge #3” and “Streets Of Eden”. I thank Jim Bush and Alan Hodgson for those fine lyrics.

I wrote that “His Light”, a poem that was new when I last updated this site, was found on the Verses From Kingfisher Way introductory page. “His Light” is now part of MINUS THE MUSIC and can be found on its own page via the table of contents for MINUS THE MUSIC.

I think I should stop adding poems to MINUS THE MUSIC and begin another book of poetry as all I’m doing is filling MINUS THE MUSIC up with each new poem I write. Or, maybe not. Decisions, decisions.

Next, I offered reasons, legitimate reasons, to copyright my essays/rants/articles/opinions/bs, whatever it is you want to call them. I wrote them and I felt that I should be given credit for doing so. I guess I still feel that way, but it’s more important to me that when people read my opinions, that they see something they missed when they previously thought of the subject matter. I’m not officially copyrighting them anymore, although, from what I understand, if one can prove that one was the first to publish a piece, that person has a leg up, so to speak, if there is ever any question about the ownership of the piece. Nonetheless, getting the message out is important to me.

And though, because of infantile and even threatening remarks made through the comment section that I had on my web site, a comment section which was sent to my inbox but not seen by other readers, I took that comment section away from my web site, people can still and have still commented maturely on my articles when they’ve appeared on my blog or on OpEdNews.

I am sad to say that, because of the intensity with which I’m trying to get my music published before I lose all ability to play instruments and sing and also because of the time I invest as assistant editor for OpEdNews, I just don’t have the time to read and post at Studio Eight anymore.

Working with Doreen at Studio Eight was wonderful and I appreciate her giving me the forum through which I can express my ideas. But one can only do so much in a twenty-seven hour day and we don’t even have twenty-seven hour days.

I encourage all of you to check out Studio 8. There’s intellectual discussion, poetry, music, reviews, contests and poetry jams. It’s a fun place, for sure.

I’m going to end the writing on this home page with the same sentence that I ended it with the last time I updated it.

I’m not ready to stop trying to inject common sense and compassion into the human race.

To friendship,
Michael

“The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.” - Hannah Arendt