Blog

Day 3 – Favicon Image Formats
Monday, October 10th, 2024

Today I found a contact form plugin for my website and started watching a tutorial video to install it.

I’m learning about the different image formats that can be used to create a favicon. And for those who don’t know what a favicon is, it is that tiny logo/icon that displays in a browser tab when you are navigating on a website.

Image Formats

Below is what I’ve learned so far. These are some of the most common image formats used for favicons. These formats below are named after the three to four letter acronym you’ll see at the end of their filenames.
- ICO format (icon): This is the most common format for favicons and it is compatible with all common browsers.
- GIF format (Graphics Interchange Format): This format is rather gimmicky for a favicon and will be difficult for users to see clearly.
- JPG format (Joint Photographic Experts Group): This format is rarely used for favicons and not one of the highest quality formats.
- PNG format (Portable Network Graphics): This a common format but it has the drawback of not being visible to someone using Internet Explorer as their browser.
- APNG format (Animated Portable Network Graphics): This format is a PNG image that has been animated like a GIF and it shares the same drawbacks as the GIF.
- SVG format (Scalable Vector Graphics): This type of image can be resized while maintaining high image quality and not slowing down a website it’s used on.
Final Tips

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has some recommendations. It suggests that favicons should always be named “favicon.ico” and put in the root directory of a website. A little redundancy can help favicons appear correctly on all browsers. Accomplish this by using both an .ico and a .png version for your website.
October 31, 2024
Day 2 – Learning to Say No

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Photo by fauxels

I have a lot going on in my home today. A visitor is staying over for a couple days. While he’s here, we’ll host a dinner party for more people than we can seat this evening. I had a friend invite me over for supper this coming Wednesday evening. And my beloved wife would like to enroll us in Salsa classes every Tuesday evening. Then Friday is Family Night. Don’t get me wrong. I love my family and friends and I enjoy my time with them. But what I’m trying to say is that finding just a single evening per week where I am not booked for some sort of activity that prevents me from focusing on my side-hustle is a real challenge.

One of the things I will have to struggle against in order to take control of my life is my social calendar. While I enjoy connecting with friends and loved ones, it will be hard to be husband, father, full-time employee, socialite, and successful entrepreneur.

So, I will have to fight for this optimization of my life.

October 30, 2024
Day 1 – “Beginnings are such delicate times”
Saturday, October 26th, 2024

Self-discipline is the ability to pursue what you think is right despite temptations to do otherwise.

I have reached the ripe old age of 53, and finally I’m going to deal with some things I haven’t paid attention to for 5 decades. In particular, self-discipline is an area where I want to improve. So, for starters, here are some key metrics in areas of my life that I expect to change over the coming years. Obviously, I’ll have no control over the first three but I’ve included them for some context.
- Sex: Male
- Age: 53
- Height: 5 foot 11 inches
- Weight: 211.8 pounds
- Flexibility: fingertips about 3 inches from toes in front bend
- Pull-ups: 8
- Hand-stand push-ups: 1 (on floor)
- Bar Dips:
- Push-ups: 37
- 1-legged squats: 4 (good form on right, only 90-degree bend on left)
- Spoken Languages: English and French
- Written languages: English and French
- Chess rating: approx. 1100 (according to Chess.com)
- Employment status: Employed
- Side hustle income: 0% of salary
Reading

I have begun listening to what some would call a “self help” book, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, on Audible and my goal is to continue reading these types of books and reporting on my observations here. One thing I’ve taken away from chapter 2: “How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa)“, is that habits that are based on goals, generally don’t last whereas habits based on beliefs (the type of person we believe ourselves to be) do. Therefore, rather than focus on the desired outcome (the goal), we will have better results if we focus on the process (becoming the kind of person who gets the results we want).

Fitness

I will be using the “grease the groove” technique to increase my reps in the exercises I listed above and working daily on my flexibility.

Language

I am using Duolingo to learn Spanish as my third language (I currently speak, read, and write English and French)

Chess

I am learning how to play chess at a level that would make me comfortable to sit down with any stranger at a board and have a friendly match without fear of being humiliated.

Side Hustle

And this blog will be one of my side hustles.

Habits

I am also breaking some bad habits. Until this week, I would go to bed late, sometimes after midnight and waste time playing mobile games and scrolling social media.
- As of October 26th, I am going to bed as soon as possible after washing supper dishes and putting my stepson to bed.
- Also, I am avoiding mobile games except for educational ones like chess and geography quizzes, etc.
- And finally, I am also making a conscious effort not to doom scroll social media. I will look up posts that are shared with me. And I will use social media to support my side hustle. But I won’t use it for entertainment.
October 30, 2024