Budget Remodeling

Every few months I get bored with the look of my home page, and because web design work is sometimes slow to arrive, I practice my html skills by completely redoing the look of it. The webmaster from AnythingWisconsin.com recently added my site to their computer and electronics page and commented that they liked my latest home page design. So, being on layoff again this week, I decided to apply the design to the other pages on my site. I think the design looks a lot cleaner than some of the previous versions I've had. For a while there, every other page had a different design, and things like that can confuse a potential client. Since I don't like to use templates, the graphic elements are very lean. The design does incorporate an external CSS file that should make future changes a bit easier.

I added several links to free movie sites to my recommended software page and added rounded corners to the Google ads. Time will tell if I pick up any new clients or ad revenue after finally taking the time to update my own web site. Other than that, while I'm unemployed this week, I'm working on client web sites and adding new shops to the recently completed machine shop network database.

Midwest Machine Shop Update

Just a quick note about an update to the MMSN. Over the last two weeks I have been working to convert it to a searchable database. The work is done and the new php coded pages are online. Over the next few weeks I will be adding more machine shops to the database. The submission and review process is the same in order to keep bad data out of the system. One new feature is the ability for a machine shop to have their listing appear on the front page or search results for a nominal fee. Visit the MMSN for more info.

Super Bowl XXXI Mini Bike

This past weekend I was at the cabin and took a picture of the mini bike that I restored. I'm not sure how old it is because we have had it in the family for many years. I think it came from the Sears catalogue in the early 70's. A few years ago, about the time that Super Bowl XXXI had taken place (1997), I decided to restore it with a Packer football theme, since they won the Super Bowl that season. This is pretty close to the original color.

The seat was recovered in dark green vinyl and you can see some of the Packer/Super Bowl decals that were applied. Mechanically, almost everything had to be replaced, rear brake, wheel bearings, tires, and the throttle cable. A brand new 5 Hp Tecumseh horizontal shaft engine and clutch were added to complete the vintage ride. We have had several different size engines on the frame over the years, some smaller and some larger. Unfortunately, after the engine was mounted, I found out that 5 Hp isn't enough power to get a 190 lb person moving very well. So, it sits in storage most of the time and gets treated more like a rare collectible.

This week, while I'm on layoff, I have been spending about 4 hours a day working on changing the Midwest Machine Shop Network web site over to a database driven site. So far, I've been making good progress. The modular php code should be useful for similar projects. The only piece that remains to be completed is the search and search results code. I will be populating the db with machine shops that I find in the public domain, but shop owners are welcome to submit shop info. I'm hoping that more people will find the updated website useful.