Finding Peace in the Inner Spaces of My Life
Hi, I am a techie and a person who is intrigued the message of Silo. His message of non-violence, inner peace, and disarmament are in line with my Christian upbringing. Since one of his trademark sayings are a take on the words of Jesus Christ, “Do unto others as you would have done unto you,” I am interested in the compatibility of the teachings.
One thing that Silo said that speaks to the Bible verses in the book of Ecclesiastes is “There is no meaning in life if everything ends with death.” It is true that our life meets with nothingness at the point of death, but I wrestle with the idea of “no meaning.” Can our life truly mean nothing? It only means nothing if our life ends in death. – I will continue this wrestling as we walk through this blog.
In the following selections I will be exploring my love of website development and my own inner journey. Come along with me as I walk down the road to finding peace in my heart and serenity on the web. Thanks!
Website Development and Keeping the Peace
Website Development is on track to being the fastest growing industry now that we are years into the recession. It has become the new form of interior designer for the retail space – but this time the retail shop is in cyber space.
The great thing about wed design is that with some forethought, it can amaze customers even before the website goes live. In ancient times, even around the writing of the Bible, models and plans were time intensive. But now mock ups are inexpensive. This is because web design first begins offline with the design of the sitemap. This process give the initial planning for how the website will be structured. If you think about it, building a skyscraper starts with a blue print, it is the same with websites.
Starting with a goal is crucial since getting all thoughts on the table may yield ideas not considered before. The Bible, especially in Proverbs, talks a lot about having a plan and a goal in place as a first priority. This is vital because late game changers can cost a lot of money to implement. One of the best places to start when brainstorming is nailing down the consumers of the website. With this in mind, it is important to keep your navigation the same throughout the website – this will help the clients. It is also important to identify all those that must sign off on the site to make sure you have their input. Make sure to bring in all the different components of web design to make sure you have it right: scripting, designing, coding, content, and graphics. Also look out for things like hosting, shopping carts, and merchant services, these all must be considered when you are building a website.
As you move through the design phase, keep in the mind that the Bible and even Jesus Christ talk about walking throughout the project with forethought. Bible verses talk a lot about seeking counsel before starting something and carrying it out with wisdom.
One thing to keep in mind as you work through the pre-launch phases of a website is to hype up the launch through sites like Facebook and Twitter. Building ownership in the site even before it is launched can bring a successful finish to a project that would not otherwise be there. As you move through the process of web design, make sure you remember search engine optimization, development of all aspects of e commerce, and having a content management system in place for non-tech people to use once you set it up. By making the right moves up front, you can make sure that you clients will be pleased right from the get go and years down the road.
Content Management System
Sometimes the question is asked: a generic content management system or a Drupal CMS? The solution is found in whether or not you are using your website for an e-commerce system or if you are using it for passive in income like Google Adsense. The thing to keep in mind is that a CMS or content management system should be tailored to you needs as you create your custom website. Using a generic CMS like WordPress is alright, but it is based off of a blog post system and can be cumbersome when producing web pages.
The great thing about a CMS is that it bypasses some of the difficulty coding each web page one at a time. Most of the time the bulk of the work is put into the content work when using a content management system. It is like the Christian faith, most of third work was done up front. So you spend less time implementing architecture and more time populating your site. One other perk of a CMS is if it is designed well, their system helps to organize the files of a site as well as makes it easier for non-techies to manage the site. Pastors of church websites can put Bible messages up each week, youth leaders can post their favorite Bible verses of the day, whatever you like.
A good content management system can also give you a competitive edge over some of your competitors. It allows the user to update the content on a regular basis which may help in search engine optimization. Having a custom content management system is useful for this, but not necessary. One thing to always make sure you have is an evolving CMS, simply because there are many threats that pop up. Even Jesus Christ mentioned that security is important at times.
One thing is for sure, a good content management system is essential for web design. It, in many ways, is the back bone of any good web site. It can mean the difference between your client loving the website because it is so easy to maintain or them just plain hating it. Having a content management system that is dynamic and interactive is crucial if you want your project to leap off the screen and make your client fall in love.
One of the best features of a good CMS, is that clients can put their post in ahead of time and schedule them to post on specific days. This enables them to do the work and then just sit back and relax. They can then have their clients subscribe to their RSS feed and have a way for them to reach out even when they are busy doing other things. Finally, it also gives you an opportunity to offer other services like SEO and upgrades as they become available. So get out there and find a CMS that fits your temperament and learn all the ins and outs, it may just rocket your business into the next level.
This has been a public service announcement of Silo.ws.
Statistical Complexity, Theoretical Information, & Measurement
Well, since statistical complexity is a measurement that is used to interpret data, we must look for a extensive definition of the whole system and a way to encompass the whole of the data set. Statistical complexity. So we should start by defining statistical complexity as the measure of structural complexity coming out of the computations which is derived from the data set. The complexity of the model can also give you a clue as to how many different data sets are being explained by the model that is set up. It can also perform the function of measuring the diverseness of a systems attributes over time. It also serves to describe any unobserved events that may have gone unnoticed at the time.
The theoretical information model is a measure to give one understanding of statistical complexity as the system shapes new areas of understanding. The theory has been found to be a powerful tool in automatically giving high compression and taking hold of critical information in the data set. It has also been found to equip functions that would otherwise vanish in other more disorganized systems as we have seen on many occasions. Since other systems allow the information to go unnoticed, we use statistical complexity to store the information and then observe it as a collective whole. The information gathered can look at past trends as well as predict future trend all the while tying the two models together.
The measures that we use for complexity is able to distinguish between the different data sets. And these same measurements are also able to sense the difference in the different data sets. Each measure should be able to distinguish between the structure of the different data sets. It must be a continuing function as each set of data evolves over time. As one set up the measures, the model should not be deterministic but it should be dynamic. The measure should be used like morality that is found in the Bible. When one looks at the truths contained in selected Bible verses, the standards of humanity go to higher and higher plains as time passes.
As a result of the model that is created, distribution of the information and the measures thereof must be done in a timely manner. Any distribution interruptions must be dealt with immediately. Additionally, we should design systems that get the information out to all affected parties. This is much the same ways missionaries will get out the good word of the Gospel and instruct others in the Bible verses that they want to teach.
For more information on the complex models that we have been describing, please stay tuned.