Search results for: wordpress

By Posted on Posted in Open Source, PDRater, Technobabble, Website Updates, Wordpress No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve already talked about how much I love using WordPress. Its easy to add new abilities to the program by uploading “plugins” into the program. Its also extremely easy to change the entire look of the website by uploading a new “theme.” Its basically as easy as swapping out a new faceplate for your phone.

I’ve already disclosed what a terrible designer I am. Its for this reason I’m looking for a new theme for this website. You know, something that isn’t a step-cousin to ugly. Take a look at the ones I’ve found.

Top Three Contenders

Since you’re here anyhow, you might want to look at the WordPress Themes page. Hundreds of free themes for every occassion. Just in case you’re a glutton for punishment, here’s a few more potential looks for this site.

Top Three Runners-Up

Let me know what you like and don’t like about them. While I’m no designer, I’m at least capable of chaning parts, combining parts, and putting in new graphics.

“Bonus” Material

These are some of the other themes I briefly considered. Some are just amusing.

  1. ParterProgram – Almost as good as Business-Style
  2. Nostalgia – GREAT menu system (which I may still use) but too monochrome
  3. Extend – A little too flashy for this site
  4. 8some – I’m just not a fan of left side menus or the layout
  5. Aspire – Good idea if this were a website in the Victorian era or it ran on steam-power
  6. Kitten – Everyone loves kittens!
  7. YAST – The theme is actually broken to begin with. Not a good sign.
  8. Company Website 001 – Another theme that just looks broken

By Posted on Posted in Calculators, Free, Open Source, PDRater, Technobabble, Website Updates No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In my never ending quest to build the world’s best workers’ compensation website, I’ve made a few upgrades:

  • Upgraded from WordPress 2.6 to WordPress 2.6.1
  • Infinitesimal changes to the theme
  • Adapted a new plugin for WordPress that redirects you directly to the calculator page as soon as you log in

Why keep upgrading WordPress?

Using open source software can be a two-edged sword. On the down side, anyone with the ability to read the source code can figure out the security vulnerabilities. The plus side is that people are constantly working to improve and eliminate those very same security vulnerabilities.

Since people are working on WordPress all the time, it will need to be upgraded all the time. Doing so allows me to take advantage of the latest features and security updates. So far I’ve used WordPress 2.3.2, 2.5, 2.5.1, 2.6, and now 2.6.1.

Why change the theme?

The theme (the “look” of this website) is completely user configurable. Since this website’s launch I’ve been constantly tweaking the look. Minor changes to the color scheme, menu at the top of the website, and how many posts are shown on the blog page.

I work on the theme in order to (hopefully) make the website more aesthetically pleasing and easier to use.

Why the new plugin?

I’d like to make the free registration process as quick and as painless as possible. I’ve had the opportunity to watch a few people go through the free registration process for this website. What I saw was that people were logging in for the first time and were sent to their user page – which looks totally different from the rest of the website. Unfortunately, this caused no end of confusion.

I modified an existing plugin to override website’s default settings to send users directly to the calculator page as soon as they log in.

By Posted on Posted in PDRater, Technobabble, Website Updates No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Warning! Technobabble! Warning! Permanent brain damage could result! If you’re not into technobabble, please just skip this post.

In order to put up the Articles page, I had to modify the WordPress theme I’m using. The WordPress Themer Kit is a really really great tool for the design-challenged. ((I think the bald guy is going to win.)) ((My wife watches the show. Sounds like a lame disclaimer, I know.))

You don’t have to have any special design skill, just the ability to tinker with cascading style sheets. ((I warned you! Didn’t I warn you about the technobabble!?!))

Melty calculators
Melty calculators

Up until now, I’ve tried to keep the theme modifications to a minimum. I’ve done this before – such as to add the nifty little rounded corners to the tops and bottom of each page. One little error and your entire blog looks like alphabet soup or, worse, a Dali painting.

Don’t get me wrong – I like Dali. I just think my calculators would be more difficult to use if they went all melty.
P.S. Don’t leave your website calculators out in the sun.

By Posted on Posted in Author, Free, Links, PDRater, Subscription Features, Website Updates No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today PDRater.com is one year old! You can click on the images below to see what this site used to look like.

PDRater.com circa July 23, 2007
Circa July 23, 2007

The very first version of this website was launched on July 23, 2007.

On a whim I looked up what else has happened on July 23. Birthdays: Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, Raymond Chandler mystery writer, Woody Harrelson, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, and Slash of Guns N’ Roses.

Thank you wikipedia!

This first version of PDRater.com only calculated old and new schedule ratings and generated reports. Pretty ugly, I know. At this point I was just trying to put together something that would work.

PDRater.com circa September 17, 2007
Circa September 17, 2007

I updated the entire website on September 17, 2007. I’m sure other important things happened on this date too.

This version of the website offered MDT (multiple disabilities table) calculators, CVC (combined value chart) calculators, lists of work restrictions, and a life expectancy calculator.

This was the first time that I offered a subscription version with additional features.

This is also the first version that had any kind of advertising. I started off with the ubiquitious Google Adsense you see everywhere. Then I put up ads from an independent certified impairment rating specialist SnapRater.com and a court reporter Janet Lombardi & Associates.

PDRater.com circa January 1, 2008
PDRater.com circa January 1, 2008

I spent WAY too much time developing the version of this site launched on January 1, 2008.

This version included a date calculator, temporary disability rate calculator, wage loss / total partial disability calculator, life expectancy calculator, life pension calculator, average weekly wage calculator, simple interest calculator, and permanent total disability calculator.

My goal was to offer more California workers’ compensation calculators than anyone else anywhere on the internet – and do it for free. I’m fairly certain that there is no other single source that has more calculators than you’ll find here.

PDRater.com circa July 6, 2008
PDRater.com circa July 6, 2008

The version of the website you’re now viewing was launched on July 6, 2008. I had been fiddling with WordPress as a website/blog platform for several months before this but didn’t switch over the main site until July 6.

Using WordPress as a website platform for these calculators has allowed me to focus on providing better content (links, downloads, self-indulgent blog posts) and on the calculators themselves.

When I launched this latest version, I took out all of the advertising so that I could focus on making the website look better.

That said, July 23, 2008 was a totally unrealistic and overly optimistic target date for totally revamped calculators. I really don’t know what I was thinking.