Tag Cloud, March 2, 2010

On the border of this page is a “tag cloud” (assuming you are not reading this so far in the future I’ve abandoned maintaining it).  As I post articles, I “tag” them with words and phrases that help index them.

The concept is to only show the most frequently used tags, and to use a larger font based on frequency so that tags that are used the most are more prominently displayed.  It is a data visualization tool that allows you to quickly comprehend the topics most common on the site.

For a while, the cloud was kind of humorous as there wasn’t enough data to have any accurate conclusions drawn.  It’s starting to be a little more accurate about the topics that inspire me to write something in a public space with my name on it.

I captured the current state because I’m curious to compare it at some time in the future.

I’ll be catching up, and I have posted some things on the travel journal.

Also, I found this interesting.  In some ways, more useful than Facebook.  In other ways, almost frightening how hard it is to stay off the grid.

lschofield.net has been pointing to a machine in my basement for 4 or 5 years.  That machine was originally a home brew Red Hat Linux box, which eventually died.  It was replaced with an old Dell machine running Ubuntu Linux which is still running admirably and is only rebooted when the power drops.  However, I’ve decided a couple of things:

1. I don’t have time to perform the admin functions on the machine.
2. It’s probably cheaper for me to shut off the machine and save the electricity compared to moving everything to a hosting facility.

When you look at all the hack attempts in the log, point number 1 is the main point.

So, lschofield.net now points to a shared server account at GoDaddy.Com and not my house.  I’ve installed WordPress which I’m comfortable with, is very flexible, and provides a ton of features.  And the bandwidth and storage is more than enough for the family, friends, and stalkers out there.

Still a lot to do – skin, content moving, etc.  And, I need to figure out how Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others fit into the mix.  I’ll do all of this in my spare time…