Interesting, but not particularly productive (Playing with log-files...)
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Vindaloo.
I've been somewhat frustrated with the webalizer output I've been using to review my site. It only shows the top 30 or so pages on the site, includes the search-engine's crawling in the data-set, and doesn't provide any sort of information about what things are linked together, what people are looking for, that kind of stuff. Basically I want to know what's actually proving valuable to people so I can produce more of that :) .
So, I wrote my own little log-file analyser. It's nothing particularly special, it just loads up 3 days of logs, produces aggregate (and individual page) stats for each directory and file on the site, then produces a page for each viewed page and each viewer describing who viewed the page and what each viewer looked at.
Interesting things:
* This little blog had ~1100 unique visitors over the three days... that's more than I'd thought, I'd thought we were down around 150 still. Hi everybody!
* 97 people seem to be subscribed to the blog feeds, good peoples those subscribers!
* Half a dozen people showed up looking for rice pudding recipes Sorry peoples, suckered you into scanning a poem!
* 350 people came for the py3d collection, that makes it very high on the value/effort ratio (I did very little work on it, really)
* 115 people came for the /texts hierarchy (ranking poetry, stories, essays) considerable fraction of people coming for the texts seem to come from search engines (or other links), they come, they read (I hope), they leave. Essays may be dead last, but most of the essay content is actually on the blog, I'm guessing they'd catch up with stories if those were included (some day I may add a UI to allow interactive grouping of elements to answer questions like that, but not today)
* ~600 people came for the pictures, but only a couple of dozen of them came via the index pages, most seem to have come in from search engines
* 111 people came for the /programming stuff, about 60 of those for StarPy
Nothing earth-shattering, but it's what I've wasted much of my evening on (around a visit from Lara and Michelle, which was quite pleasant (they rearranged the furniture for us)).
I probably should have spent the time on something productive, but somehow I didn't feel like working on the real work this weekend. Tomorrow it's back to VoIP and the next stage in StarPy; making utility objects for e.g. option menus with automatic help, automatic review of options, automatic timeouts, chaining to sub-option menus, that kind of thing, and objects for handling recording of values or voice with similar review/abort/help functionality.
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Mike C. Fletcher, the VRPlumber, is a philosopher of design turned computer programmer based in Toronto, Canada. He works primarily in the Python programming language, and maintains a large number of Open Source software packages. You can reach him at: mcfletch@vrplumber.com.
Honey on 02/06/2006 3:42 p.m. #
No no, this is productive<br />
This is more than just fine<br />
Now you can...<br />
<br />
Shed Some Light on Phetermine<br />
<br />
Phentermine, oh Phentermine<br />
How I wonder about you<br />
You seem to turn up frequently<br />
What is it here you do<br />
Do you like to check on VoIP<br />
Or lines of verse to read<br />
Are you enthralled by Mikeyâs show and tell<br />
Or you just come to give us leads<br />
Is Plumbing Lifeâs Depths <br />
Just on youâre list of âthings to do todayâ<br />
Or is there something we donât know<br />
Of deeper wily ways<br />
<br />
You must be pretty thick with Mikey<br />
Coz heâll edit out your posts<br />
Something he wonât do for me<br />
So you have more right to boast<br />
At least he doesnât say your name<br />
That would be for me too much<br />
So howâs about it Phentermineâ¦<br />
â¦Care to join me in some lunch?<br />
<br />
Mike Fletcher on 02/06/2006 8:03 p.m. #
Friends and annoying spammers<br />
Finding friends and annoying spammers<br />
So it's all worthwhile in the end
Mike Fletcher on 02/06/2006 8:08 p.m. #
I assume that "Phetermine" is using an automated spamming bot, as they haven't noticed that their posts no longer appear on the site (i.e. we don't contribute anything to their page-rank even for a few hours any more). That little hack to CoreBlog was another of those not-particularly-productive little side projects :) .
Mike Fletcher on 02/06/2006 8:12 p.m. #
Interesting that the lady<br />
Would have her whole history excised<br />
For the anti-spamming brush is broad<br />
It's not fit to sketch a lady's face<br />
More to painting pig-barn walls<br />
Or to covering rough ties with tar
Honey on 02/07/2006 9:02 a.m. #
<br />
Out For the Count<br />
<br />
Oh no he didnât! <br />
I canât believe what it is I see<br />
He speaks the name of the spammer!<br />
While still he refuses me<br />
<br />
Also Iâm somewhat confused<br />
And seeking clarity<br />
Did my meal turn into a friend<br />
Or did I turn into a spammer<br />
Either way it seems to be<br />
This jest was a double whammer<br />
<br />
And then thereâs the excision<br />
Heâs happy to put words in my mouth<br />
On every other day<br />
And yet refuses me the only one<br />
Iâd have for him to say<br />
(throws her hands in the air)<br />
<br />
Signed off <br />
Honey in despair<br />
Mike Fletcher on 02/07/2006 2:28 p.m. #
Men too proud<br />
Or those playful<br />
Will resist what<br />
Were it not asked<br />
Would have easily<br />
Passed their lips<br />
<br />
They will wait<br />
Until the room forgets<br />
Then let it venture forth<br />
As from their mind<br />
It might have come
Honey on 02/08/2006 2:55 a.m. #
<br />
A Rose by Any Other Name <br />
<br />
A dish of fragrant rose petals<br />
On the shelf does lie<br />
A reminder of the beauty<br />
That once would draw the eye<br />
Such short a life she had<br />
Displaying her array<br />
Moreâs the pity it would be<br />
That through lack of regard<br />
She should wilt away<br />
While in her glory day<br />
<br />
Her exquisite bloom<br />
Shall not again adorn the room <br />
Honey on 02/08/2006 2:57 a.m. #
<br />
Oh come on Mikey<br />
Iâm asking nicely<br />
Swallow your pride<br />
Resign from the game<br />
I need to hear you say my name<br />
Should you hold any esteem<br />
For this poetry lover<br />
Youâll dig down deep<br />
Into your heart<br />
Searching intently to discover<br />
A motivation to restore<br />
The once congenial rapport<br />
Honey on 02/08/2006 3:08 a.m. #
<br />
âNow why do the words <br />
'Venus Fly Trap' <br />
Remain sttuck in my mindâ<br />
She says,<br />
As she picks from her pearly teetth<br />
The fur thatt is enttwined<br />
<br />
<br />
well looky seeâ¦i scored a pen today <br />
he he<br />
oh yeah, rocks to be me...tottally :)<br />
Honey on 02/08/2006 6:28 a.m. #
Apology to Pearl Jefcoat. <br />
The statements I made that related to your comment were intended to be understood purely within the context of the running dialogue between Mike and myself, and were in no way intended personally or offensively. It was on my part an error in judgment to make such reference. <br />
<br />
And Mike<br />
I also apologise to you Mike for the abuse of privilege. <br />
<br />
I have no desire to monopolise the comments section of Mikeâs site and sincerely regret if my manner of late has caused anyone intimidation. <br />
<br />
Honey<br />
Mike Fletcher on 02/09/2006 1:29 a.m. #
Well, dear reader, Honey<br />
You'll have your name bespoke<br />
So, dear writer, Honey<br />
You'll have it or be sore broke<br />
<br />
What's a simple man to do<br />
When he'd rather play a game<br />
Bouncing words and jumping jacks<br />
Along the lilting twisting tracks<br />
<br />
It seems he must resist it<br />
Lest the game screech to a halt<br />
And the spices that make life<br />
Be reduced to the dullest salt<br />
<br />
So no! I shall not bend to pleas<br />
There'll be no names thou to please<br />
Never shall I say it, Honey!<br />
It shall be forever barred from slipping out<br />
<br />
Indeed it is not something I can say!<br />
My mouth could never utter forth<br />
A capitulation of such grand form<br />
I'm a man of whimsey to the bitter end<br />
<br />
Tooth and nail I will defend<br />
The right playful messages to send
Honey on 02/10/2006 12:27 a.m. #
<br />
...MMMM...<br />
((( ~ ~ )))<br />
( )* ( * ( )<br />
( ) . = . ( ) <br />
))';..,,..;'(( <br />
<br />
<br />
My Helen, did you hear his reply?<br />
His words run smooth and yet so wry<br />
<br />
In such denial of my name<br />
A hollow win he would bestow<br />
Negligible forfeit of the game<br />
To keep his opponent close in tow<br />
<br />
His track bound vision does ensure <br />
There will no share in my spoils be<br />
Now NEVER from my lips heâll taste<br />
The sweetness of my victory<br />
<br />
His guile forfeits his recompense<br />
The loss of fields which could have been <br />
Exchanged for grueling consequence<br />
Mock turns him adversary of the Queen!<br />
<br />
<br />
My Queen;<br />
What concern of him should beset<br />
Is such feigned yield as hollow so?<br />
Perhaps too quick he does forget<br />
Your destined hand brings blood to flow <br />
<br />
Yes Helenâ¦. <br />
Tooth and nail he will surely pay<br />
When his jacks to my hands do find their way