ZipTies

Open letter to Stephen Smith: All Australians deserve to know the true picture in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Google the terms “placefulness” and “Drupal” together, and the top results all point to … Plone! As we move more deeply into our web site design, we are gaining a better understand of our site needs.

Placefulness: the Plone community makes frequent use of this term to describe how the system automatically retains the “location” of each new document one creates in the site. In end-user terms, the user clearly knows where he/she is within the site at all times. This makes Plone well-suited for sites with a clean content hierarchy. Contrast this with Drupal, in which new nodes have no location by default. The system only automatically assigns them a node ID number. Drupal developers use content types, menus, tags, views, and modules to create the illusion of place and hierarchical structure.

Many of our users, responsible for a particular school program, need to manage the hierarchy of article in their content area. If this process is difficult to use, it will challenge a lot of people and become an obstacle to content creation. We must also consider permissions and menus. Plone cascades editing privileges in a way that Drupal does not — if you can edit the parent, then you can also edit its children by default. Users may expect menu items to appear automatically in a hierarchical content structure.

Recognizing the need, the Drupal community has generated a number of modules that help automatically link new nodes to their location within a hierarchical content structure. Most obvious is the book module, distributed with core. Users may create child pages, and the Book Navigation feature automatically generates a book menu on the fly.

I learned that it is best to automatically display Book Navigation on whenever one is in a book. If one restricts the block’s visibility based on the URL path, then one has to specify custom URLs for all of the pages in the book or use PathAuto to automatically generate them. This quickly becomes a hassle again.

At first glance, it does not appear straightforward to mix book and non-book menu items in these menus, which could be a problem. We could create separate menus for structured content navigation and links to interactive pages (a.k.a., transactions). While that would work better within Drupal, would it make the site more or less usable to our visitors?

To further complicate matters, we want the landing page of each top-level section to show the news items for that category instead of a book page. Now we need to make the book navigation appear before we are actually in the book. This code snippet makes book navigation appear on all pages — we would have to modify it to display a navigation block to match the book one is about to enter. Another possible direction is to insert PHP code into the book landing page to manually query the database for news items related to that book. That may be more straightforward.

Good news: I just tried two new tricks (for me). I inserted PHP code into a book page to mix dynamic with static content. Drupal provided me the SQL query in the Drupal 6 View interface.

$sql = "SELECT node.nid AS nid FROM node node LEFT JOIN term_node term_node ON node.vid = term_node.vid INNER JOIN term_data term_data ON term_node.tid = term_data.tid WHERE (node.type in ('news')) AND (term_data.name = 'admission')";

}

And also used a redirect to send the user from a static page to a separate, dynamic one.

header('Location:http://ww2.catlin.edu/scripts/admission.pl');

(I know, I’m showing my novice Drupal learning curve. It’s my blog.)

We could throw in the towel and manually manage the menus. We really want the ability to post a single article to multiple places in the hierarchy, which seems to run counter to any automatic menu generation feature. However, if a user responsible for a small portion of the site needs to scroll through the entire site menu hierarchy to place their item, they will be stopped in their tracks.

Node Hierarchy appears to address our concern directly, allowing a user to specify the child relationship of a new node to an existing one. It’s unclear whether development on this module is sufficiently active to use on our primary, public web site. The Drupal 6 version is currently in alpha. I also question whether it uses a popup menu to select the parent node, which would be very awkward on a large site. Node Hierarchy is incompatible with book, which would mean that we were placing our trust in a module with less community support than Book.

I have yet to investigate breadcrumb navigation, which would also help strengthen the sense of placefulness of each node. I hope it will play well with the other hoops I am jumping through to make this work.

For classroom pages, it may make more sense to use Organic Groups. That should allow teachers to post articles, manually maintain a simple menu, and create items for other content types as we support them (image galleries, calendar, blog posts, etc.). This will also allow individuals to maintain both public and private content, which should help us both maintain visibility of classroom programs and protect the privacy of our students, teachers, and parents.

Amherst College developed their own solution, Monster Menus, to provide this functionality to their site. However, development was so extensive that they were not able to publish a module for this, despite recognizing the high levels of interest and expressing their willingness to share.

If we need to choose between Drupal and Plone, we may need to determine the core nature of our site. Is this a traditional content repository with some interactive features, or is it an interactive site with some hierarchical content? Will the interactivity be mostly one-way (collecting information from school community members), or will we really reply and produce lots of original, dynamic content ourselves? In other words, will we really have the kind of community site that Drupal was invented to provide? We don’t want to constantly swim upstream against Drupal’s core tendencies.

The ace up our sleeve is that we can set up a test site to experiment with different potential solutions before we commit to a development platform.

tags: drupal, plone, placefulness, menus, structured_content

The US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement - SOFA - is an exit strategy which presents a massive shift in the Bush administration’s stance on Iraq.

Countries facing unsustainable debt burdens need new and fresh ideas, not new loans.

Rich with uranium and desperate for control, the Burmese junta may find a nuclear option attractive.

The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) performs maneuvers off the coast of Southern California. Boxer is on a certification exercise supporting the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit in preparation for an upcoming deployment. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker (Released)

The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, The Blue Angels, has announced its show schedule for the 2009 season. Following winter training, the team begins the season March 14 at Naval Air Facility El Centro, CA and will conclude the season Nov. 14 at NAS Pensacola, FL. The Blue Angels are scheduled to perform 67 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Demonstration sites are selected in support of U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and Department of Defense objectives with safety as a primary consideration. Performances greatly assist in the recruiting and retention goals of the military services, enhance esprit de corps among uniformed men and women, and demonstrate the professional skills and capabilities of the Naval Services to the American public and U.S. Allies.

Members of the 2009 season U.S. Navy Blue Angels Team:

Flying Blue Angel No.1 CDR Greg McWherter (Commander/Leader)
Flying Blue Angel No.2 LCDR Paul Brantuas (Right Wing)
Flying Blue Angel No.3 Major Chris Collins (Left Wing)
Flying Blue Angel No.4 LT Mark Swinger (Slot)
Flying Blue Angel No.5 Major Nate Miller (Lead Solo)
Flying Blue Angel No.6 LT Frank Weisser (Opposing Solo)
Flying Blue Angel No.7 LT Ben Walborn (Advance Pilot/Narrator)
LT Amy Tomlinson (Events Coordinator)
Major Drew Hess (C-130 Pilot)
Capt Brendan Burks (C-130 Pilot)
Capt Edward Jorge (C-130 Pilot)
LT Manuel Sanchez (Maintenance Officer)
LT Johannah Valentine (Flight Surgeon)
CFO4 Adolfo P. DeMontalvo (Executive/Administrative Officer)
Capt Tyson Dunkelberger (Public Affairs Officer)
LT Anthony Robinson (Supply Officer)

Although the following dates have been approved, they are subject to change. For the most current schedule information, log on to www.blueangels.navy.mil.

The Blue Angels 2009 Schedule:

March

March 14 NAF El Centro, CA
March 21-22 Punta Gorda, FL
March 28-29 Tyndall AFB, FL

April

April 4-5 Tuscaloosa, AL
April 18-19 NAS Corpus Christi, TX
April 25-26 Seymour Johnson AFB, NC

May

May 2-3 NAS/JRB New Orleans, LA
May 16-17 MCAS Beaufort, SC
May 23-24 NAS Patuxent River, MD
May 30-31 Janesville, WI

June

June 6-7 Indianapolis, IN
June 13-14 Denver, CO
June 20-21 Pittsburgh, PA
June 27-28 North Kingstown, RI

July

July 4-5 Binghamton, NY
July 11-12 Detroit, MI
July 18 Pensacola Beach, FL
July 25-26 Sioux Falls, SD

August

August 1-2 Seattle, WA
August 8-9 Salinas, CA
August 22-23 Fargo, ND
August 29-30 Offutt AFB, NE

September

September 5-7 Toronto, Ontario
September 11 NAS Fallon, Nevada
September 19-20 Reno Air Races, Nevada
September 26-27 Redding, California

October

October 2-4 MCAS Miramar, San Diego, CA
October 10-11 San Francisco, CA
October 17-18 NAS Oceana, VA
October 24-25 Fort Worth, TX
October 31 Houston, TX

November

November 1 Houston, TX
November 7-8 Jacksonville Beach, FL
November 13-14 NAS Pensacola, FL

Don’t forget to checkout our tenth annual Air Show Guide that will appear in the March 2009 issue of Monitoring Times magazine. It will be loaded with the latest frequencies (for US and foreign teams), combined schedules, and radio equipment recommendations to make your air show experience an enjoyable and pleasurable one.

The web version of our March guide won’t be posted to the MT website until mid to late April. This is done as a courtesy to our subscribers and readers who pay the freight. So get your copy of the March issue before it sells out when it is released in the last week of February. Better yet, get a subscription and don’t miss a single exciting issue of Monitoring Times magazine.

Thanks Jack for the heads up.

Here are some excellent intercepts sent to MMP by our Maryland Mid Atlantic reporter Ron Perron. Ron, thanks for sharing them with our MMP readers.

(Times UTC, Freqs KHz)

09106.0 KBPNNN (Navy/Marine MARS): 1435 USB/ALE sounding.

09106.0 WWLNNN (Navy/Marine MARS): 1447 USB/ALE sounding.

09106.0 034MERCAP (Civil Air Patrol, Middle East Region): 1501 USB/ALE sounding.

09106.0 OARNNN (Navy/Marine MARS): 1519 USB/ALE sounding.

14396.5 AFA3HY (USAF MARS, Kansas-NCS) & NNNVUV (Navy/Marine MARS, CA-Alternate NCS): 1535 USB w/weekly SHARES admin net voice check ins–WGY9498 (FEMA); KHA908 (NASA, Moffett CA).

11108.0 FC8FEM (Communications Manager, FEMA Region 8, Denver CO): 1547 USB/ALE sounding.

11108.0 FC6FEM (Communications Manager, FEMA Region 6, Denton, TX): 1612
USB/ALE sounding.

08045.6 JES (unid): 1703 USB/ALE calling EDK (unid).

08045.6 GHM (unid): 1735 USB/ALE calling MHE (unid).

08045.6 RVH (unid): 1755 USB/ALE calling JES (unid).

08045.6 LXV (unid): 1849 USB/ALE sounding.

If you work in an office, chances are you don’t change the copier or printer cartridge because it’s too messy or you just don’t know how to do it. That’s according to a new Zogby survey, commissioned by Xerox, of more than 2,000 office workers across the U.S. aimed to better understand some of the reasons behind office printing habits.

Of those surveyed, more than 1,000 respondents said they have experienced a mess when changing a printer/copier toner cartridge.

The mess, plus a lack of knowledge on how to change a printer cartridge, is why more than 10 percent of respondents typically put off printing until someone else changes the toner cartridges.

And though environmental stewardship is on the rise, not everyone knows exactly what happens to the empty printer cartridges once they are removed. Nearly one in five respondents said the old office printer/copier cartridges simply get thrown in the trash.

Enter Xerox’s Phaser 8560 and 8860 Solid Ink printers and MFPs – devices that are easy to use, produce incredible color prints, and are great for the environment. At the heart of these devices are non-toxic, crayon-like sticks of mess-free, solid ink. Users simply unwrap the recycled packaging and place the stick into slots on the top of the device (This can be done even while the machine is on). The packaging goes into the office recycle bin, and the ink sticks are melted and sprayed onto a drum, which is rolled and pressed onto the paper for crisp, vibrant prints.

Gone are the days of having to roll up the sleeve and change bulky, messy toner or inkjet cartridges.

Solid Ink Fast Facts:

Easy Being Green
*The compact “cartridge-free” ink sticks do not contain plastic casings and are wrapped in recycled paper and plastic, reducing waste produced by the device by 90 percent compared to equivalent laser printers.
*After 192,000 prints, a color laser can produce 450 pounds of waste, while a solid ink printer produces only 23 pounds.

Color for the Cost of Black & White
*The Phaser 8860 printer and MFP make color printing the same cost as black-and-white and offer more consistent image quality page after page and on any media.

Quotes:
“After seeing a print sample from Xerox’s Phaser 8860MFP color multifunction printer and learning more about its affordable color pricing model, we knew we had found the right productivity tool for our office,” said Philip Berlin, attorney & mediator, The Berlin Law Firm. “Not only did the Phaser offer color prints at the same price as identical black and white prints – something we did not know was ever an option before – but the print quality rivaled what we had only seen from commercial printers. And with easy to replace consumables, our office has experienced increased efficiency over dealing with old, messy toner cartridge replacements.”

Copies.com

ShareThis

Don’t forget to checkout our tenth annual Air Show Guide that will appear in the March 2009 issue of Monitoring Times magazine. It will be loaded with the latest frequencies (for US and foreign teams), combined schedules, and radio equipment recommendations to make your air show experience an enjoyable and pleasurable one.

The web version of our March guide won’t be posted to the MT website until mid to late April. This is done as a courtesy to our subscribers and readers who pay the freight. So get your copy of the March issue before it sells out when it is released in the last week of February. Better yet, get a subscription and don’t miss a single exciting issue of Monitoring Times magazine.

US Army Golden Knights 2009 Performance Schedule
This schedule is subject to change without notice.

March
March 18-21 Panama City, FL/South Padre Island, TX
March 28-29 Tyndall AFB, FL/Kill Devil Hills, NC

April
April 4-5 Keesler AFB, MS/Tuscaloosa, AL
April 18-19 NAS Corpus Christi, TX/Ceiba, PR
April 25-26 Lakeland, FL/Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC

May
May 2-3 Terre Haute, IN/Robins AFB, GA
May 9-10 Branson, MO/Cape Girardeau, MO
May 16-17 Augusta, GA/Andrews AFB, MD
May 23-24 Jones Beach, NY/NAS Patuxent River, MD
May 30-31 Janesville, WI/Rochester, NY

June
June 6-7 Indianapolis, IN/Rockford, IL
June 13-14 Ocean City, MD
June 20-21 Quad Cities, IA/Sanford, NC
June 27-28 Helena, MT/Charleston, SC

July
July 3-5 Dubuque, IA
July 4-5 Binghamton, NY
July 11-12 Gary, IN
July 18-19 Dayton, OH
July 25-26 Milwaukee, WI

August
August 15-16 Chicago, IL
August 19 Atlantic City, NJ
August 22-23 Kansas City, MO
August 29-30 Hillsboro, OR

September
September 5-6 Cleveland, OH
September 12-13 Scott AFB, IL
September 19-20 Sacramento, CA
September 26-27 Redding, CA

October
October 3-4 MCAS Miramar, CA/Cocoa Beach, FL
October 10-11 Peachtree City, GA
October 17-18 Cape Canaveral, FL
October 24-25 Fort Worth (Alliance), TX/Pinehurst, NC
October 31 Houston, TX

November
November 1 Houston, TX