Thompson Werk » Update

Site Updates

Robert — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:07:01 +0000

Today I have spent some time updating the look of this site. As always, I am trying to improve the readabilty of my posts through improvements in typography. Readers will notice the replacement of darker colors with more grays, easier to read font, and larger heading sizes. In terms of usability, site visitors can now leave comments simply by signing in with their Twitter account. Feel free to voice your opinions regarding the site changes.

Alterations

Robert — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:53:41 +0000

I decided to spend the last night of winter break updating the look of this blog. While I did not alter anything major, the changes I did make should help improve the readability of my posts. Readers should notice the increase in line spacing and some font formatting adjustments. The removal of unnecessary data, too, was an objective. When possible, I deleted redundant information, i.e. my name being attached to each post. Also noteworthy, the replacement of the popular post plugin with a far more statistically accurate variant finally took place. After a couple hours of work, and being fairly pleased with the outcome, I still envision making more alterations. Until I make-up my mind on what those additional changes will be, enjoy the improvements and keep visiting.

Quick Update

Robert — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:39:07 +0000

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I am in the middle of adjusting to my new life in academia. With a number of books to read and papers to write, I have not found enough time to gather all my initial thoughts on becoming a PhD student. Nevertheless, I can stress that time management is far more important now than it has ever been. Even though I have barely begun my studies, the fear of comps has already begun to plague my mind. That leads me to another point, stress. Yes, stress is back and more vicious than ever. Fortunately, stress can be countered with good time management and support from friends and family. Hopefully this short post will keep some of you content.

Update: The Keating Report

Robert — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:11:00 +0000

My friend’s site (www.keatingreport.com) went live yesterday and I must admit it is living up to the hype. I highly suggest reading his rebuttal of Drudge’s xenophobic messages.

Considering my friend is a political scientist, how does a historian fit in to all of this? I am inclined to believe that historians need to be just as political aware are our political scientist counterparts. Xenophobia transcends much of American, if not world, history. So it is no surprise that current fears of all things foreign is still used to get people to rally against anything perceived as different and new. More critical, however, is the idea that maybe mankind is inclined to fear what it cannot fully understand. Maybe this is a mark of intelligence, or just some deep seeded primordial function that we have yet to evolve away from.