Click here to support the Daily Grail for as little as $US1 per month on Patreon

Grail Modifications

By Gregon

We are currently working towards a major upgrade of the Daily Grail backend software, and part of that job is reworking the page design to fit the new code. At the moment, I’m trying to mimic the current look as much as possible, but I’d like to put out a request for any comments or suggestions before I finalise it. Feel free to add a comment if you’ve got an opinion, not only on the site design but also the functionality. Please keep in mind though, that I am calling for suggestions to help me move towards the best site possible for all – so not every request (probably not even a majority) will be implemented.

Greg
Editor
Greg is the owner-editor of The Daily Grail, as well as the author of a number of books including Stop Worrying, There Probably is an Afterlife.
Related

39 Comments

  1. Grail modifications
    Oh goody – the yearly site upgrade.!!!

    Thanks for the advance notice. I’ll phone my doctor tomorrow morning, and have him call me in prescription for at least a month’s worth of Xanax.

    >>…not every request (probably not even a majority) will be implemented.

    How about a new poll in regards to the negotiable changes?

    Kat

    1. Sure
      Just give me some options for the poll and I’ll set it up. Don’t look at me for suggestions though – you think I’m looking for extra work?! ;P

      Peace and Respect
      Greg
      ——————————————-
      You monkeys only think you’re running things

  2. Suggestions
    Hi Greg,

    since last year a number of satellite websites have sprung up (Red Pill, Stream, Solomon Key etc.)

    I don’t find myself going to these sites much – don’t know why, I guess I’m just familiar with this site.

    However, what would probably increase your traffic to these satellite sites would be a sidebar link menu (much like the ‘Latest Articles’ or ‘Recent Blog Posts’) which gave quick links to currently popular content or new articles on those sites.

    Also, what happened to the ‘User Stats’ link that used to be up, showing who the biggest forum whore was, most prolific blogger etc.?

    Another one – is it possible to have the individual links in a “Daily News” posting available in the RSS feed? My feeder only has the “Latest News” as a link. Hovering on it only provides some of the links, not all, especially when there are a lot of items.

    yer ol’ pal,

    Xibalba
    (This post was brought to you by “Realm of the Dead”)

    1. Re: Suggestions
      [quote=Xibalba]Hi Greg,
      However, what would probably increase your traffic to these satellite sites would be a sidebar link menu (much like the ‘Latest Articles’ or ‘Recent Blog Posts’) which gave quick links to currently popular content or new articles on those sites.

      Also, what happened to the ‘User Stats’ link that used to be up, showing who the biggest forum whore was, most prolific blogger etc.?

      Another one – is it possible to have the individual links in a “Daily News” posting available in the RSS feed? My feeder only has the “Latest News” as a link. Hovering on it only provides some of the links, not all, especially when there are a lot of items.
      [/quote]

      Hi Xibalba,

      I can probably add RSS feeds from the other sites to a TDG sidebar. The ‘Hall of Fame’ module was a bit buggy so I took it down (plus some got embarrassed by the numbers they racked up)…if it becomes workable again I might add it as an ‘optional’ module which members can add to their page.

      I know what you mean about the RSS on the individual news briefs, but that is probably a bit unworkable as it would mean entering each story into the database individually. I think the other admins would probably string me up over a hot fire before I managed to do anything like that…
      😉

      Peace and Respect,
      Greg

  3. hire: backend
    hi
    re: backend software:
    hope it works or you may get comments like “Backend Software Backfires”
    regards
    The Matrix
    PS avoid the white background

    1. Re: hire: backend
      [quote=matrix]hi
      PS avoid the white background[/quote]

      I was actually thinking more along the lines of a fluoro orange look, just to keep it fresh. It’s the new black apparently…

      There will still be two themes, the default black background, and white version for those who get headaches from the white text on black. Hopefully we can add some new themes as well at some point.

      Peace and Respect,
      Greg

          1. well i was convinced this
            well i was convinced this man existed. I am crushed. This should of been front page news, hell with 9-11.

          2. A novel idea
            So if I wrote a novel now based on the idea of a time-travelling stock-broker (I could invent motives for him doing so, e.g. to help fund a resistance movement against the world-wide government), could I be sued for copyright infringement (or plagiarism) by the World Daily News (or by Michael Baigent)?

            yer ol’ pal,

            Xibalba
            (This post was brought to you by “Realm of the Dead”)

      2. (quote) I was actually
        [quote=Greg]I was actually thinking more along the lines of a fluoro orange look, just to keep it fresh. It’s the new black apparently…[/quote]

        But! But! I heard on E! the other day gunmetal was the new black, orange is so last season!

        😛

        Babylon067

      3. dont change too much
        If you change the look, then people will think that they got to the wrong site. They will suspect a conspiracy or something of that sort. Phishing probably.

  4. TDG Modifications
    Hi Greg
    My minor wish is for the News Briefs links to open in a new window. To avoid leaving TDG behind when I nip off to read an item I always right click to ‘Open in New Window’. This minor change would save me precious femtoseconds :0)
    P&R
    John

    1. I like it now just fine
      I don’t know what you mean by back end, and all of that, but, the way it is now is fine for me. I may be misunderstanding, but are you thinking of putting up a orange background?

      I hope not, I mean, the black is easy to read because teh text in white is big enough, I do not experience head aches from the black.
      With my visual problem andtunnel vision, uummmmm….I am worried aobut you changing teh size of teh text. And I think I would go nuts and my brain get fried if I had to read over orange.

      But, maybe I do not understand.

      C

      Dr. Colette M. Dowell ND
      Circular Times
      http://www.robertschoch.net

      1. Joke
        Hi Colette,

        The orange thing was a joke.

        Peace and Respect
        Greg
        ——————————————-
        You monkeys only think you’re running things

    2. Suggestion
      Hi John,

      I’m not a big fan of being forced to do things, so I don’t really like forcing new windows upon people. The best suggestion is to use a web browser such as Firefox which has the capability of opening links in new tabs within the browser via a simple middle-mouse-click (or, if you a two-button mouser, via an alt-mouseclick).

      Either that, or you can hang around and wait for Microsoft to catch up with the real browsers – I think they are putting tabbed browsing in Internet Explorer 7 (a few years after Mozilla/Firefox did it).

      Peace and Respect
      Greg
      ——————————————-
      You monkeys only think you’re running things

      1. I second that
        I’ve been using Firefox now for nearly 2 years and I can recommend it to anyone.

        It’s quicker that Internet Explorer (IE), it’s got fewer security flaws than IE, it’s got tabbed browsing (incidentally you can configure the options in Firefox so that links are automatically opened up in new tabs), it’s got a pop-up advert blocker, oh, and it’s completely free!

        Get it from here.

        Give it a whirl, it won’t cost you anything, and you can always uninstall it if you don’t get on with it.

        yer ol’ pal,

        Xibalba
        (This post was brought to you by “Realm of the Dead”)

  5. Re: Grail Modifications
    Well, since you asked…where is the ask a question section? Or possibly the Daily Grail for Dummy’s section? FAQ maybe? Whatever you call it, I can’t find it so if it is here maybe bigger signposts for people like me?

    1. Question list?
      Hi,

      Sounds cool – got suggestions for what should be covered in the FAQ/TDG for Dummies? As in, how to do things on the site, or an FAQ to the subjects covered? Sometimes it’s hard to see things from a starter perspective when I’ve been doing it so long.

      Peace and Respect
      Greg
      ——————————————-
      You monkeys only think you’re running things

  6. Mods
    Greg,

    Several years back one was able to hover the curser over the blog titles and see the number of responses without opening the blog. This was useful especially when you had read the blog and were checking for member feedback.

    This ability stopped about 18 months ago. Maybe its a browser issue??

    The current format of the site is good and already busy enough. When you’re on a good thing…..

    AAiek

  7. suggestions
    Hi Greg,

    I like your current color scheme of black with blue and orange. I would say it could be refined a little with more appealing variations of these colors (bolder orange and desaturated blue for my taste). Also, I think a very very dark blue background (almost black but not quite) might give things a different feel while preserving your mood.

    I like your organization of content with 3 columns, etc. I think this is where the color refinement can help differentiate content areas a bit. Maybe the shade of the background changes a bit in the side or center columns.

    The main visual improvement I would like in the design is a more vertically condensed header so I don’t have to scroll immediately to get past all the ads by google and such. Also, your logo seems all over the place. Pyramid, grail, symbology, geometry, etc. The only thing you don’t have in there is a crop circle.

    1. Re: suggestions
      [quote=elfin]
      …so I don’t have to scroll immediately to get past all the ads by google and such.[/quote]

      Ads pay for server space and food – I’m not sure the sponsors would like it desperately if the site was redesigned with the intention of bypassing the adverts.

      yer ol’ pal,

      Xibalba

    2. TDG’s logo
      [quote=elfin]Also, your logo seems all over the place. Pyramid, grail, symbology, geometry, etc.[/quote]

      If you understand the symbology – and know how to spiral – TDG’s logo tells a story! Two stories, actually, since the main story explains why Greg started this site to begin with.

      [quote=elfin]The main visual improvement I would like in the design is a more vertically condensed header so I don’t have to scroll immediately to get past all the ads by google and such.[/quote]

      Humm… Sounds like you’d really enjoy having a bigger monitor. Baring that kind of financial investment, you might try changing your screen resolution. (Start> Settings> Control Panel> Display> Settings tab> Screen resolution)

      Kat

      1. Logo
        Actually, I’m a bit over the old logo (and it is old…in its original form it was designed 8 years ago). I’d change it, but I keep getting members telling me that the logo is half the spirit of the site. Perhaps that would be a good subject for a poll – should we change the logo? (and do you know someone that can design a new one).
        ;P

        Peace and Respect
        Greg
        ——————————————-
        You monkeys only think you’re running things

        1. 8,000 eccentric roommates
          >>Actually, I’m a bit over the old logo

          We know that.

          >>I’d change it, but I keep getting members telling me that the logo is half the spirit of the site.

          Sorry – I’m in that camp, myself.

          >>Perhaps that would be a good subject for a poll – should we change the logo?

          Man – are you a glutten for punishment, or what? Do you really want confirmation that 90+% like the old logo? haha

          >>do you know someone that can design a new one?

          I just attempted to send an email to an old friend of mine who happens to be the best graphic artist in the US – imho, of course. If the email actually reaches him, etc., etc., I wouldn’t be opposed to an updated version of the old logo. Probably not what you had in mind, but it may be the most we’re willing to let you get away with. 😉

          Ahhh – TDG. It’s kinda like having around 8,000 eccentric roommates, isn’t it? — Roommates who don’t want you redecorating the house or rearranging the furniture without at least consulting them.

          Yeah, we know we’re a tough bunch to live with, but what can we say – you gotta dance with the ones who brung you.

          Kat

          1. Re: 8,000 eccentric roommates
            [quote=Kat]Ahhh – TDG. It’s kinda like having around 8,000 eccentric roommates, isn’t it? — Roommates who don’t want you redecorating the house or rearranging the furniture without at least consulting them.
            [/quote]

            Yeah, and by the way, we’ve noticed that you haven’t done the washing up for over 3 years now! There’s a pile in the sink for you, and don’t throw away that 4 day old pizza – I’m not finished with it yet!

            yer ol’ pal,

            Xibalba

          2. 8,000 eccentric roommates
            >>and don’t throw away that 4 day old pizza – I’m not finished with it yet!

            Don’t get your drawers in a wad. I didn’t throw it away – I just shoved it under the couch so Shadows’ parrot wouldn’t wade around in it, picking off all the black olives.

            Kat

      2. Thank you Kat
        Yes, I can figure out how to set the resolution on my 23 inch monitor.

        Really, I don’t care if the site looks fantastic or not. The value to me is 100% content. But since Greg asked… I figured I would give some feedback.

        So let me expand a bit to avoid misunderstanding. I can see the intent you have in the logo… my criticism of it are from a visual standpoint (not the substance within). It looks disjointed to my eye. Too many different styles that don’t make a cohesive (from a visual standpoint) whole.

        It is entirely possible to keep all your current symbols and blend them into something that works together. Go to http://www.caduceus.org and look at the logo there. Circle of life, seed of life, caduceus staff, serpent/dna strands, etc. The point is they are working together to form a bigger whole. Not competing.

        Just a thought. Lets move on.

        1. Thank *you* Elfin
          >>Thanks You Kat. Yes, I can figure out how to set the resolution on my 23 inch monitor.

          You’re welcome. ***laughing***

          After checking out caduceus.org, best I can figure, you’d prefer that TDG’s logo (whether old, new, or just revised) be shrunk down to the size of Greg’s book ad. But that’s only about 4 lines worth of space. Sorry – don’t mean to be rude or anything – but I can’t see how that’s going to help much with your scrolling annoyance, especially on a 23-inch monitor.

          My next best guess is that you’d prefer an intro page – sort of like Graham Hancock has – and after that, a straight news page, by itself with no logo at the top, so you can just bookmark this 2nd page and go directly to the news.

          My third best guess is that I’m still confused. haha

          Kat

          1. well
            suddenly my 19″ LCD seems very small……..I think I might get one of those overhead projector do-dads……and paint a wall white somewhere……..the cat won’t be happy though. He hates change!

    1. Please keep the black too – please –
      On my monitor the ‘orange’ that people are referring to looks like a mustard yellow – which is just fine. If it were really orange – as in orange-orange or tangerine – good god, it would flare and be hard on the eyes. If it were bright yellow it would do the same, and distract from the text. Your eyes would go to the brightest object, and they would flicker back and forth due to the white text and bright outlines.

      The muted tones, for me I feel, are worth keeping. I can’t stand to see websites that get all fancy with colors and bright lights, and flashing ticks and stuff. You would get (or I do) all confused, and not know what is going on.

      I think the titles, everything, is perfect – easy to navigate. And well, it is good. I am afraid of you changing it – and I say that with truth. I am one of those people that gets stuck in a comfort zone. Once I know how to work with something, it is easy for me. But trying to figure it out again – well, it is hard. I can not read directions well. I have to hunt and peck, so I will get very lost if there are directions on how to use the new site.

      Also, I checked out Foxfire, the other browser that Mr. X posted about. What about all of your original bookmarked favorites? When I switched from Earthlink to Verizon (just my server), it took all of my favorites and placed them in a folder that is separate from the new favorites – which is a pain in the butt. Is there any way I can save all of my bookmarked pages under the different folders they are in?

      I am in the process of switching things around. We may have to get some new computers, and then move all the programs off of the old ones, due to hard drive space and graphics. So Robert was talking about an external drive to suck everythng up. In the mean time I am copying over folders and such on CDs. But what about my software programs?

      What does Foxfire do with that sort of thing – and Ipswitch FTP programs and all of that? Are they affected? Do you know? And I would like some info on the favorites folders – how to save the favorites, and keep them as they are.

      Oh, another thing… When I went from earthlink to verizon, and redid my mail (to Outlook), I had to reconfigure everything. All of my precious mail was lost, that I needed for files. What happens to your mail programs with Firefox? Do they change?

      I would not ask these questions if I knew. But I read the post, and went to the Firefox link you posted, Mr. X – and it did not answer these questions.

      Sorry if this is wasting your time, but, hey, I am trying to move on with the flow, and keep up with what is happening. If things change and I do not know what to do, or get very dyslexic with it, it could highly hamper me.

      Also, changing over computers and sucking up all of the info, I need all the programs and such. We have two locations (well actually 3 we work from) so we are also on remote. Is any of that affected with Firefox? Or should I ask a tech over there about such things?

      Sorry Mr. X, but you got my mind going. The orange freaked me out bad enough. Now I read about Firefox, and my world can’t handle this stuff.

      I do not think the google ads are distateful, the way they are placed. They are there for a reason – to help supoort the Grail. They are not popping up, they are to the side. And they do not have to be dodged – popping up in the middle of an artcle when you are reading it, so that you have to scroll down to bypass the advert.(at least not on my monitor) Also, the adverts are placed with relative awareness to the topic subject of that particular page. It is not like you are reading about Megalithic sites, and suddenly there is an advert for underwear thongs next to it, or the latest method of collagen implant for lips, or PED. I can’t stand that stuff.

      God, Help. I do not understand the comment about the logos and icons and such. On my monitor I just see a heading – that is all of the art work I see. I do not see anything else on the top of the page. And then below that are ads, which are quite tiny, and not obtrusive at all. There are also some ads on the sides that do not interfere with the rest of the postings. Am I missing something here?

      Sorry for all of the questions, but things have been addressed that got me thinking about my computer setup and the changes.

      I thank every one for the hard work they do to make the Grail the best site on the internet for the type of things we’re all interested in.

      Dr. Colette M. Dowell ND
      Circular Times
      http://www.robertschoch.net

      1. Some firefox help
        When you install Firefox it should convert all of you links and favorites from IE over and be under the bookmarks option I believe. Firefox should not interfere with you e-mail client such as outlook, I know what you mean about loosing e-mails, outlook tends to be a little tempramental at times, I’ve lost e-mail a couple of times using outlook, although now I’ve switched to Firebird and so far have had no problems. As to your other questions on Firefox I can’t help you there maybe someone else could.

        1. Thank you
          Thank you Kat….

          I don’t know. I am worried about changes on my programs, and that would affect my bookmarks and emails and things I have to manage. And I am afraid of changes that will affect my dyslexia. So I ask all of this, as I have been on the Grail now for a while, and I am trying to learn. I learn quick on some things, but I cannot just switch over to a new program like Firefox if it means that I may loose emails and bookmarks that are essential to my work. I do save my email, but I may have up to 2000 in a week to read, and if I can not get to them, they have to be back-logged. So, I have many concerns.

          To me, The Daily Grail is a sister site to us, and I don’t want to feel like I am loosing my connection because I do not speak to any other forum, and neither does Robert. So I just want to make sure that I know what I am doing before I change and possibly screw things up.

          Sometimes I do not think people realize that the Grail is a very important site, one that is clear and informative in expression. Robert would never be able to talk to you folks, and I wouldn’t either, if The Daily Grail were defunct. And I do not mean to be a snob.

          I found the Grail when I was looking to post Voyages of the Pyramid Builders. Now, to me and to Robert, we are like a family – sister sites. And it is hard to change once things are going. If I was normal and not handicapped, I could go with the flow. But I have deep concerns with changes, since they affect me so much. And then there’s Robert too. He is a friend to the Grail, and we are so rarely friends to anyone, I cherish our friendship.

          If I screw up because of technical reasons, I will feel really bad. Plus I don’t want to loose my contacts and connections on my computer. So, yes, I am paranoid. Sorry, but I am telling the truth. I do not know what changes are happening, but I hope they do not affect the over all view or image of the Grail. I think what you have is almost perfect now, and to change it if not needed may defeat the purpose. Unless you must for tech reasons, but for accessibility and all, and news and postings, the Grail is the best on the internet. You folks should realize that you have much respect and demeanor, and are well within the realm of being the most tolerable website in the world. And I say that from my heart, not in jest.

          Sorry for my spelling and typing [which you won’t notice because Kat is helpfully editing this]. ( Hello Kat, I am right behind you now…thank you) I am not on MS word now, and I am just responding. Sorry, I should be writing this on MS word, but I’m just too tired to open another program.

          So I’ll say goodnight. And I hope things resolve on the Grail to the best merit possible, and with the least amount of problems.

          Since Robert and I both suffer from agoraphobia, it is up to me to keep us in touch with the world – and we both really like the Grail. We hardly ever speak to anyone, but we speak with you folks because it’s like home here.

          I do not think I will download Firefox because it might screw everything up for me. I have to go with what I’ve got now so I’ll know what I am doing.

          Shoot, now I’m upset that things are changing, and I’m feeling like I’m going to blow it because of my disability. Well, sh8t happens, huh?

          I will do my best to keep up with you folks, just remember that I have a bad problem with words and writing. Not in my head – I know what I want to say. The problem is getting it out in words that make sense. So I just learned how to cope with the Grail, any talk of change worries me. Which is not to say that Greg and everyone else at the Grail isn’t doing a fine job.

          Ok, enough from me. Just pleaaaase don’t change too much.

          Love and respect, Colette

          And as Greg would say; You monkeys only think you are running things.

          Dr. Colette M. Dowell ND
          Circular Times
          http://www.robertschoch.net

      2. Firefox Q&A
        Hi Dr C,

        Firefox is just a browser, so installing it shouldn’t affect any of your email functionality. If you’re using Outlook as your email app then this will happily run along side FF. The important thing to remember is not to uninstall Internet Explorer when you install Firefox. There are a lot of program support files (code library files etc.) that are required by other components of Windows so best leave IE installed (just don’t use it).

        Firefox will very easily import all your Favourites (which Firefox calls Bookmarks). If it didn’t do it on install, open Firefox and go to the “File” drop-down menu; there should be an ‘Import’ option. Select this and it should prompt you through the components you want to carry across. Click ‘continue’ to the end and that should be it. Your IE Favourites will be placed in the ‘Bookmarks’ folder under ‘From Internet Explorer’ (or ‘Imported IE Favourites’ depending on FF ver. no.)

        Regarding moving programs, this cannot be done in the way you are proposing. When an application (such as MS Word, Excel, Outlook) is installed there is a whole bunch of activity that goes on like Windows registry entry, driver file installation, DLL file installations etc. which all support the program to function correctly. Copying over just the program directory to a new PC will not make the program work on that new PC. You will need to reinstall the application from the original source (CD or DVD) or, if there was an ‘Install’ file (for example from downloaded software) then you will need to run this on the new PC. This will ensure that the additional activities are carried out and the program will work.

        Data files can be copied to your heart’s content between machines so long as the relevant application (program) is there to read it; but you probably knew that already.

        BTW – the FireFox logo is orange – I hope this doesn’t affect you too much 😉

        Hope this helps – if you need to know anything else just ask, or I can be contacted through my TDG profile (my profile is set to ‘Contactable’). Just click on my user name.

        yer ol’ pal,

        Xibalba
        (This post was brought to you by “Realm of the Dead”)

  9. Greg….
    the site is great and unique…..always has been.

    If anything….I would say to put a ” do not hit your back button when you have just posted a comment”.

    This, I think, may be the cause of a few peoples missing posts.

    Just a thought!
    I love it as it is….if anything else, maybe a bit of animation in the logo.

    Either way….when your on a good thing….stick to it!!!

  10. News items
    Greg – when you are NOT logged in and are reading the news items, clicking on the back button returns you to the news list where you left it; when you ARE logged in, you return to the top of the main page and have to scroll down to find where you left. Could this latter be changed to return you to the spot you darted off on a side-track? This would be much appreciated.

    Love the site as it is – don’t change it too much please.

    Regards, Kathrinn.

  11. Link to appropriate post
    I don’t know if the changes are supposed to affect the format of posts but I would like to either have a more efficient way to show them and their correlation or, a small change perhaps, for each post that specifically answers to another post the addition of a link to the post to which it refers.

    Could say something like ‘Replay to ‘post subject”.
    Post subject would be a hyperlink to the actual post for quick reference.

    Long threads are hard to follow because it is not always obvious who is talking to who.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mobile menu - fractal