For some reason it’s necessary to point out what’s wrong and what makes me unhappy. To complain. Don’t read if you don’t want to. Actually, do read or there’s not much point me writing this. Just don’t be mislead by the tone of some of the blog entries.

Lastly, avoid inconvenience: load this into your feed reader.

So the new format is shorter entries on specific topics, and daily reports will go into a KML file viewable in Google Earth, perhaps the web browser also if I can make it work.

Instead of writing in a stinking net cafe, I am writing on A4 pieces of paper folded into quarters. So if the entries still aren’t interesting, then at least they won’t be too long.

My first blog used the Movable Type software. It was simple, easy, looked OK, and you could customize it slightly without too much trouble.

Now, for some reason I can’t remember, it got into my head that WordPress would be better. Perhaps it was because the themes looked better, perhaps it was the GPL license, perhaps some blog I saw and liked used WordPress, perhaps I thought this software is more flexible and would allow me to write some PHP to do amazing things.

So off I go into my shell account and unzip WordPress, set up the MySQL database, run the wordpress configuration script. Then I come up against the default theme… it looks OK, but exactly the same as the million other crap blogs on the Internet. Of course I can’t just visit the themes gallery and install a different theme. It wouldn’t be my own and besides they all look too tryhard.

Now is time to create my own theme that doesn’t look like a blog at all but rather looks like a nice photo-diary type web page. This is hard work. In the end I failed with this. There is too much stuff to customize and the WordPress API documentation isn’t very well organized. Multiply this by my only casual aquaintance with PHP and obsessive need to do write computer programs and web pages properly and in the end you have a Big Waste Of Time.

Wait four or so months and then you have the situation of last week. I was sitting at home twiddling my thumbs thinking wouldn’t it be good to write a blog about my boring life. So I log into the blog admin and change the theme back to default. Then I remember how averse I felt towards its appearance. At this point I downloaded and almost unzipped the Movable Type tarball, ready to start again, but decided against it considering how much time I had already spent with WordPress.

Somehow, a photo I had taken that morning seemed like it would make a good image for the header, and the default theme isn’t too obvious if you just change the colours a little bit.

After spending a little bit of time with the GIMP, and some fiddling around with the stylesheet, this is the end result. My main problem is that the look is such a cliché and it’s clearly a WordPress blog.

Anyway it’s not too bad and WordPress does have some nice plugins and the admin interface is pretty cool. In the end the thing for most web pages is that what you write is important, not how it looks. So just bloody start writing it. This might be obvious for some. But I’ve been taught this lesson too many times in different ways and I keep on making the same mistake.

Thankyou for reading. The next entry I promise will be about something interesting.

This is more difficult than it sounds, because often there isn’t much spare time in a hectic holiday schedule. The contiki bus doesn’t wait for you to finish your blog entry. Sometimes when you have the spare time you also have the most vicious hangover in the world. Then consider the paucity of usable and inexpensive internet access (if you would ever like some simple reasons for why not to use MS windows, then use a public computer), the hot and cramped conditions inside an internet cafe, the grimy keyboards with all the keys in the wrong place. These are not the right places to get writers’ block, when the € meter is ticking down.

Perhaps there is a computer at the hostel. If it works at all, usually they charge an extortionate amount to use it. Amazingly, internet access through WiFi is usually free! This is one of the great injustices. It simply rewards the antisocial nerds who bring a laptop with them on holiday¹ and use it to download Dodgeball II with bittorrent and send virtual drinks to their old school mates on facebook.

Anyway the lack of time and good internet facilities are two of the reasons I never blogged while on tour. However the following authors have beaten the odds and managed to type something in before the time ran out at the internet cafe, and most of it is quite good, probably better than anything you will read here.

Selina Peng went on exchange to Montreal, toured Europe, and visited the subcontinent. She has two blogs: selinastrip and Selina’s Travel Blog. Both blogs are action packed and hilarious.

Stu, Adam, and Mish went to Europe, did a contiki tour or two. A little bit sparse but I suppose this is because they needed quality time to appreciate the sights and culture, etc. Stu and Adam went soft and quit early leaving Mish holding the flame. The result of this is a couple entries of Michelle’s irresistibly innocent prose. Top stuff!

An anonymous friend of mine kept this blog while living in Chicago. This author knows how to holiday properly.

Daniel Hutchinson has written prolifically about his time on student exchange in Montreal, holidaying in Europe, around America, New Zealand. This sparkling travelblog is in my opinion the standout. It’s well written, his confident style is amusing, there are great stories, and lots and lots of photos.

Finally, Kev Leong documented his Europe travels in the way only Kevin can. The poses are gold, and if you don’t have time to read all the text, maybe just look at the Ibiza and Karps entries. Worth a look.

You can find these links on the side of the main page of my blog. So if nothing interesting’s happening here, give them a click. If you have a travel blog and I haven’t mentioned it, please drop a comment and I’ll link it in.

1. OK I admit to using a laptop in the Berlin hostel

I am writing this from Wrocław, Poland, where I now live. I got here from London on a bicycle, so I intend to say a few words about that and maybe put a few photos for those of you who can’t read. My main occupation while I’m here is learning the Polish language, working on free software for the GNOME project, looking around, and having a little fun. So hopefully this will provide some interesting material for a couple of blog entries.

Some of you may have been promised numerous detailed travel stories, posted frequently, in a timely fashion. Obviously I didn’t keep this promise — since the day I left Perth (12^th July 2007), there have been 0 blog entries. However the drought has been broken by this post and you can be assurred that a chunky stream of posts will spew forth from this day on.

If you are able to write a literate and well thought out comment then please feel free to do so. Otherwise, your inane ramblings, streams of conscienceness, anonymous slaggings, or other attempts at humour are also welcome in the comments box. I might even buy you a virtual drink on Facebook in return.

Until next time,

Rodney

1. amongst my direct family