thirtyonethree

Last week, I bought CSS Mastery by Andy Budd. I have been working with CSS for page layout for about 3 years. The first year was mainly learning through tutorials from Macromedia and trial and error. I also spent time away working on fund raising for my ministry role with Campus Crusade for Christ. About a year ago I implemented my first site using CSS and XHTML for layout. Since then, I have done about 5 more designs including several for this site, now using version 2.5. I would consider my CSS knowledge and experience as intermediate. So I was excited to get this book and improve my skills.

And I have not been disappointed. I have only read a couple of chapters of the book, but it has already been very helpful. The first chapter alone was worth it for me. I went back and rewrote the code for a site that I have been working on. Because I had a better grasp of some foundational principles, I was able to implement better coding which cut down on the amount of code and needless div tags. I appreciated all the tips that Andy gave on structuring, planning, organizing and maintaining stylesheets. I learned so much from only 25 pages. And I was able to immediately implement what I learned.

This morning I read the second chapter on the visual formatting model (box model and positioning) while waiting for new tires to be installed on my car. I was restless with ideas as I gained a better grasp on these foundational concepts. I can’t wait to start using this knowledge to build better layouts and implement better solutions. I just barely got into the next chapter on background images and image replacement. My mouth is watering with anticipation of what I am going to learn next. I can’t wait to learn more and using it in practice.

This is the most practical book on CSS that I have read or looked at. I have tried to work through some others books that are mostly exercises. I gain some insights here and there. But this book has taught me so much and really filled in my foundational knowledge so that I can take my CSS to the next level. This is going to be one of the books that stays on my shelf for quick reference.

Yahoo has a new look for their homepage. You can preview it at yahoo.com/preview. I like how they are using AJAX to make the page interactive and to change the content in the first “box” (with headline, ‘Make Yourself at Home’) without the page refreshing. When you click on the four different tabs, different content comes up in the box. It gives me some inspiration of how I could highlight different content for GodSquad.com. I would like to learn how to do this.

Barna did research on the book, The Da Vinci Code.  I found several of the findings interesting:

• Roughly 45 million Americans have read the book - 1 in every 5 which makes it the most widely read book with a spiritual theme other than the Bible
• Only 5% said that the book changed any of their beliefs or religious perspectives

“Before reading The Da Vinci Code  people had a full complement of beliefs already in place, some firmly held and others loosely held,� explained George Barna, the author of numerous books about faith and culture. “Upon reading the book, many people encountered information that confirmed what they already believed. Many readers found information that served to connect some of their beliefs in new ways. But few people changed their pre-existing beliefs because of what they read in the novel. And even fewer people approached the book with a truly open mind regarding the controversial matters in question, and emerged with a new theological perspective. The book generates controversy and discussions, but it has not revolutionized the way that Americans think about Jesus, the Church or the Bible.�

But what I also found interesting was this quote:

“On the other hand,� the researcher continued, “any book that alters one or more theological views among two million people is not to be dismissed lightly. That’s more people than will change any of their beliefs as a result of exposure to the teaching offered at all of the nation’s Christian churches combined during a typical week.�

Ouch, that hurts.  But I believe it is probably pretty accurate.

I have heard Josh McDowell say that this story only feeds skepticism.  I am more concerned about how it affects Christians than those outside the faith.  I think Brown does a good job of mixing in fiction with fact and it is dealing with Church history which I believe most Christians are not well acquainted with. I also fear that it is more of a subconscious thing that Christians will have some doubts regarding how we got the Bible in its present form and things very subtle that will plant seeds of doubt and skepticism in their heart.

I am interested to see what is going to happen.  My prayer is that this movie will give us a chance to talk about Christ and expose the fiction in the story. I have been thinking about it a lot the past several months as I have worked on GodSquad.com.  There is a special section on responding to The Da Vinci Code that I put together and have been evolving to prepare for this week’s release of the movie.

I have been working on several design ideas recently. The tension I have felt is between minimalism and coming up with a visually appealing design. As I have tried to minimize the visual design using CSS, I have produced designs that I am not too excited about. I want to find a balance. I like having some visual appeal to the design without it detracting from what the user is coming to do, get good content. I was inspired by a couple of designs on CSS Zen Garden and was able to use that inspiration in a design I am working on.

A survey released in October by market research company GfK NOP found that Hungarians are the least happy people. This only serves to support what I have observed in over 16 years of ministry involvement in Hungary. The survey sites some of these factors as reasons why Hungarians are not happy:

• the worst tobacco death rate in the world
• widespread alcholism
• high amounts of pollution
• the 5th highest suicide rate in the world

I think these factors point to the greatest reason, a lack of spiritual hope. Hungary is a hurting nation and this is one of the reasons that my wife and I continue to have a heart to see Hungary reached for Christ.