Part Time Webmaster Blog

Here’s something we ran into not to long ago. For some reason, if we put in 1/1/2009, the time was different from the local time. We couldn’t figure out why. Well, it comes down to this, the times were different because of the local time, more specifically daylight savings. The international date and time doesn’t change, but here in the US the time does change to account for the season. Make sure to verify, but your times will be off by one hour in the summer. Note, this error will not show up in the winter when we are not accounting for the time change.

Ever have to use a variable in the replace function? Here’s a good explanation.

http://tommcfarlin.com/2008/03/11/using-local-variables-with-javascripts-replace-function/

As webmasters, we register a lot of domains through JoesWebShack.com and other domain name companies. We also list ourselves as technical contacts. If the domain name information is public, 95% of the time, we will receive a letter from an unknown company stating we have to renew our domain name. The problem is, we never registered with them in the first place. The second problem is the cost is 5 times more expensive than how much we pay.

So, what to do? We just throw these mailings in the trash and verify our existing registration. The best thing to do in any case, is to set your domain name to automatically renew. If you do this, you’ll never be overcharged for your domain name.

The other day, my mother asked how she can block text message spam. At first, I didn’t know, my main reaction was to call her cell phone provider and have her cancel all text messages. She doesn’t text, doesn’t know how, and doesn’t want to learn. One thing she doesn’t want to do is pay for them!

High level answers:

• Turn it off completely
• Create an alias

So, after some research, here’s the best article I’ve found so far to block text spam.
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/how-to-block-cellphone-spam/

With the recession under way, it feels similar to the .com bust of 2000-2001 with a twist. Many are looking for jobs or are in fear of losing their existing jobs. During the .com bust employers easily let go many IT workers. A lot of consultants. They then pursued better cost alternatives which brought in a huge wave of offshore development that won’t go away.

So, how is this new recession effecting IT jobs. Well, I don’t know and can’t elaborate. But, here are a couple of things I’ve heard on the street.

• Companies are trying to find less expensive IT consulting companies. Sound familiar? If this is the case, then smaller shop may benefit from these times.
• As with most people now, everyone is more concerned about keeping their existing job instead of finding a new one.
• One recruiting company actually said they were booming. Apparently, contracting work is better than hiring full time employees.