Dates on Websites

Earlier this week I had a neighbor call me asking about getting his amateur or ham radio license. I explained the 3 levels of licenses and privileges associated with each. I then pointed him at some study resources as getting a license requires passing a test. Next he wanted to know where he could go to take a test. I did a quick Internet search only to find significantly outdated information. When I got my license over a decade ago, you could reliably count on a test being administered on the last Tuesday of each month at a local emergency operations center or EOC. COVID must have put an end to that and the latest information I could find seemed woefully out of date.

This underscored the importance of making sure dates on a website being updated regularly. You may have a website that advertises an event in the seemingly distant future. You send people to the site to provide information about the event as that saves you from having to say the same thing over and over. The event comes and goes but what happens to the website? If it is still up after the event, people get confused. It might be easiest to update the page letting everyone know about the success of the event. Then the site can continue to exist in digital perpetuity.

My preference for dates on websites is to store events in a database and populate the website from it. Then if there are no longer any future events, you have a message that says something along the lines of, "No events are currently planned." It is also fairly easy to add new events to the database and you don't have to worry about deleting old ones as the database logic should not show past events on an upcoming events page.

I continued searching for my neighbor and eventually found an upcoming exam session in March. That seems to be a long time away but it will be March in no time at all. That also gives him plenty of time to study.

Learning React

If you ever find yourself looking for a new job, you will soon discover that you need something other than job hunting to keep you busy. I have started a project to build a graphically pleasing website that is also database driven. I am amazed at how much happier I am now that I have results I can see from my day's efforts. I also spend an hour or two looking for the perfect job, but it isn't all encompassing like it has been.

Right now I am focusing on building the front end or the user experience (UX) part of the website. I did a bunch of research and discovered that all of the cool kids are using React. I found a great tutorial on YouTube that is forming the basis of what I want to build. Of course there are a number of other graphical elements I want to add that are not covered, but that is what Internet searches are for. Those searches also help with figuring out why my version of the project isn't working. The tutorial I found was created over a year ago and the React libraries have changed since then. When something doesn't work, I just have to query the Internet and I have a fix.

Last night I worked on the project for hours and didn't notice the time passing. This morning I awoke early and eager to continue my journey of learning. This is in sharp contrast to the depression I felt after getting one more rejection from a job where I expected to receive an offer. With the general shutting down that is happening at companies due to the Christmas break, I am glad I have something that energizes me and keeps me excited. At the end of the break, I hope to have a fully functioning demo that I can show.

Software Define Radios

I have found my new favorite website. It is www.websdr.org and allows anyone with a Java and Javascript enabled browser to tune into a personal ham radio. You don't have to have an FCC license to use it because you are only allowed to listen and not transmit. However for someone interested in learning about amateur radio, it is a great tool.

The technology that allows each user to individually tune the radio is a software defined radio (SDR). That means that there is an antenna connected to an analog-to-digital converter. The converter listens to the entire frequency band and the user uses software to focus in on a small section of that band. Otherwise it would be impossible to listen to all of conversations at once.

One nice thing about SDRs is that you can create a waterfall display. That makes it really easy to see where others are talking and tune in. On a conventional radio, you are stuck tuning yourself or using an automated scan. It is cumbersome and noisy, not to mention it takes forever to find anyone having a conversation.

When I came across the website, I thought the waterfall display required expensive radio equipment that I couldn't afford. Then I looked into one of the sites and saw that radio receivers are only $20. Now that is really amazing. I may have to get one.

Scout Troop Websites

Last night I attended the monthly Roundtable for the Boy Scouts of America in the Pacific Skyline Council. The focus of the meeting was websites for scout troops. It was well done and I learned a lot.

The first presenter came up and showed his Troop's website. It was done using Adobe's Dreamweaver several years ago and looked pretty good. Unfortunately it was very technical and none of the Scouts even wanted to learn how to modify the information. That means that it is a task for Scoutmasters, assistant Scoutmasters, or technical parents.

The next presenter had two sites: one for the Pack (Cub Scouts) and one for the Troop. The Pack's website was more mature and done using Joomla. It was very functional and looked like it meets the needs of the Pack quite nicely. He then showed us the Troop site that was doine using WordPress. While it didn't have the depth of the Joomla site, it looked much easier to administer and there was interest by the boys in being able to maintain it.

The third presenter showed us his site which was created with Troopmaster. It was impressive because it integrated with their software to keep track of the boys advancements. As everyone knows, an Eagle Scout is a big deal and anything that allows parents and leaders to streamline the process is very welcome. Of the 4 technologies shown this far in the evening, this was definitely my favorite.

The fourth presenter showed a site created with Google Sites. It lacked the Scout tracking integration found in Troopmaster, but was very easy to use. I came home and recommended that my wife might want to consider it for her small custom sewing business.

Before the meeting last night, I had heard about all of these products but hadn't really given them much thought. It was a real eye-opener to see them in action and how people are using them to send out scouting information. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Volunteers and Websites

I was able to take close to two weeks off during Christmas and am just now finding time to get back to the blog. It was very nice to be at home for two weeks and not have to worry about anything but skiing. Other than a very mild case of frostbite on the end of my nose, it was a great vacation.

Next week Snowbird will be hosting its first race of the season and I am responsible for coordinating volunteers. Once I get everyone lined up, my wife takes care of them during the race to ensure everyone knows what they are doing. Last year, the Snowbird Ski Team implemented a website to enlist the help of volunteers. If you want to help with a race, just go to the team's website, click on the "Volunteer" link, pick a race, and sign up. The site sends me a message and I put your name in the appropriate place.

The website is a great idea as I have the ability to recruit volunteers long before the race happens. It does have a downside though. People will often sign up early to reserve a spot at events. Then as the deadline approaches, they discover that something else has come up and they can't make the race. Yesterday three different people canceled on me. Now I have to try to find replacements at the last minute. Anybody out there going to be at Snowbird next week and want free passes?