This weblog will essentially consist of the thoughts, feelings, and observations made during the construction of this website...and perhaps beyond.

Please feel free to jump right in and post your own comments, thoughts and observations as well.
   

Today, I decided to break this unproductive pattern and walked across town from the Trailways Bus Terminal to Albany Med.

For the first time, I noticed the incredible architectural diversity of this city. Sadly, many magnificent brownstones had been burned out and seemingly abandoned, eerily reminding me of of post WW2 Dresden, Germany.

I decided to relocate here from a very rural area of the Catskills...and to create this website dedicated to both residents and visitors.
   

I couldn't get inside to look around but was able to briefly check out the building from the outside. I called the realtor, put down a security deposit, and made arrangements to look at it on my next visit.

While not exactly Shangri-La, the price was right! I can always "trade up" later...if I survive!
   

To my surprise, I really didn't find too many other than the obligatory official government sites, a handful of relgious institutions, most schools of higher learning, and some cultural organizations. Inadequately represented were businesses of all flavors in the private sector.

Realizing that most pages for this site would have to be created from scratch, I steeled myself for this new challenge lying ahead.

Not to complain, there is something to be said for guaranteed job security.
   

Spent a lot of time selecting and compressing music to accompany the created pages. Songs were selected in an attempt to be appropriate for the category, and compression proved desireable in order for music to download more quickly, especially over dial up connections; however, the musical quality didn't appear to significantly suffer because of it.

Can't wait to get back up to Albany to begin taking my own photographs.
   

Assuming (usually a really bad mistake) that few businesses had websites, I went to Inktomi (another search engine) and a website popped up that turned out to have a lot of very useful links to area establishments.

That few individual websites turned up on Google indicated that either the websites had not been submitted to the search engines, or much more likely, that the website design had been turned over to the artsy fartsy crowd who didn't have a clue as to what SEO (search engine optimization) was all about.

While many of the sites were graphically impressive, the fact that they didn't show up on Google (at least not within the first page of listings) made them virtually useless for promotional and advertising purposes.

Since this website was submitted to the search engines yesterday, in a couple of months, we shall see whether I can put my money where my mouth (or more appropriately...pen) is!
   

Picking one business at random, I entered albany ny dakota as the search criteria into Google.

After going ten pages deep into the listings and still not getting a hit (how could this be possible?), I decided to investigated further.

While the Dakota Restaurant site was graphically impressive, the problem was just that. This website was created as one big graphic (composed of smaller graphics).

The problem is that search engines can't read graphics, only text. What a search engine can't read, it can't index...and if it isn't indexed, what good is it?

To further compound matters, the webpage wasn't titled nor were there an keywords for a search engine to latch onto.

This will be my last mini-rant on this topic...the problem is not mine...and is between these companies and their respective web designers.

Just another case of the inmates running the asylum, I suppose.
   

I finally got to take my first pictures which have been posted on the website. It was a pretty rainy two days though.

I hope to be moved up and in within the next two weeks...so let the games begin.
   

Today I had Road Runner installed...and received a Vonage Broadband Router by courier for internet telephony. I called Resnick Mattress from whom I had ordered a bed and it should be delivered tonight...no more sleeping on the floor pour moi.

I hope to finish unpacking over the weekend...and be able to start working on the website in ernest on monday.
   

To date, most of my postings to the website have been hit or miss; yesterday (Sunday), I decided to walk around town a bit to get a better sense of the city in order to make my approach more logical. My immediate rationale had been to go to the I Love NY Food Festival at the Empire State Plaza which I heard about on WGY that morning (unfortunately...I either heard the date incorrectly or "they" announced it incorrectly because it wasn't to take place until the 10th.).

Obtaining my directions from Google Maps

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I walked down Madison (past an empty Empire State Plaza), across South Pearl St. to Clinton Ave., up Clinton to Lark St., and then across Lark back to Madison.

One of the first impressions that came to mind was that you can tell a lot about the soul of a city by its green spaces...and by its architecture.

Albany has some of the most beautiful parks I've ever seen. There are many and they're beautifully maintained and landscaped. Practically every street has trees on both sides.

As to architecture, it's pretty obvious that Albany has a keen sense of self, and respects it history and traditions, unlike Manhattan which keeps frantically trying to reinvent itself by its endless rebuilding ever denser and higher albeit at the expense of its core humanity.
   

The food was great as was the music...and the event was well attended. As I was in the neighborhood, I tried to apply for a library card at the NYS Library; Since I had no i.d. containing my address, this project will have to be put off for another day.
   

While I had intended to go back to the library to apply for a card, this will just have to wait for tomorrow.
   

Today so far has been trying to play catch up in the graphics department. I managed to create home page graphics (with accompanying music) for God Bless Our Troops Sunday (tomorrow), Labor Day, 9-11 Anniversary, Grandparent's Day, and the Autumn Equinox.

Each graphic with appropriate music looks like it's taking about 3 - 4 hours, a lot of work but hopefully worth the effort.

While taking a break from the graphics, I decided to take a walk in Washington Park. Camera in hand, I stumbled across the Latin Fest.
   

The weather is great today so perhaps I'll wander over to Arbor Hill and take some pictures anyway.
   

On a more somber note, I changed the music which I heard on Imus this morning on the Home Page to reflect the current crisis down south.
   

I guess there's no denying it, summer has gone...and winter is here. Brrrrrr.
   

We'll probably resume expanding this site sometime in the Spring when the weather is more cooperative.