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September 5, 2000

Beneath the Surface

The Season Four episode "Beneath the Surface" just aired on Showtime last Friday, and it seemed a perfect title for this month's Editor's Note. Because, although there were no visible updates to the site during August, plenty was going on behind the scenes, beneath the surface.

As previously threatened, I've found a new hosting service (www.webpipe.net), one that has excellent customer service and that (most importantly) allows me to run PHP and MySQL for my account. With PHP (client-side scripting language) and MySQL (database), I can now serve up dynamically-generated, database-driven pages on the site.

What will that mean for the NNG? First, I've placed all of my nitpicks to date into a database table (and have started adding the validated submitted nitpicks), making it much easier to keep episode pages up to date. It will also allow me to create a nice query form that visitors will be able to use to search the db for specific types of nitpicks, submissions by specific members, etc.

Second, because PHP is client-side, I can use 'includes' for common page elements such as navigation. This will make it simpler for me to change layouts or navigation schemes. And by coupling those includes with session cookies, I hope to be able to allow visitors to select the layout they prefer (left column navigation, top navigation with drop-down menus, varieties in color schemes...).

So, basically, the reason there have been no updates to the site lately is that I've been frantically converting pages to PHP, creating database tables, and testing scripts. Fear not: episode analyses will resume shortly (travel permitting), and I think it will be worth the wait, as I unveil the 'new' site for its one-year anniversary, next month.

-- Meli

p.s. If you're interested in taking a look at the work-in-progress, it is currently available at http://www.sg1web.com (still deciding on the final URL). Bear in mind that some things may be broken as I work on the site, but feel free to check it out occasionally during the month and see how things are going.

The Book Nook

Two novels this month, both with strong female protagonists, doing their best to carve out a life in a possible future Earth. Both quickly find themselves caught up in pivotal events of their time, upsetting their regular routine and forcing them to reexamine their view of the world around them and their understanding of who they themselves are.

Friday by Robert Heinlein (September 2000)

Friday is a female "artificial person" who serves as a top-secret courier in this intriguing vision of a possible future. The novel is well-paced, with enough action, intrigue, and sex for most tastes (perhaps even too much so for some tastes).

Del Rey / ISBN 0345414004
Harmony by Marjorie Bradley Kellogg (September 2000)

I've always loved this book, which presents a highly plausible vision of a near-future/post-environmental disaster Earth, where cities are domed and gaining 'citizenship' is becoming a complex proposition.

Out of Print / ISBN 0000000000