NEW Old Weird Herald Web Site!!!

[oldweirdherald]

Well... it's been in the works as a spare time project for about a year now... but the all new Old Weird Herald web site is finally launched - live and online! :)

http://www.oldweirdherald.com (http://www.oldweirdherald.com)

These past few weeks I have been working day & night to finally get it ready to launch, and just when I had it ready to roll out the red carpet... I broke something, and thought I was going to have to completely rebuild it. After completely reinstalling the whole thing at least 3 times, I finally figured out what was wrong and got it fixed!

We'll still have OWH Slot Car Talk for all the benefits a forum has to offer, but it's also nice to have a main web site where articles and resources can be more easily found, that wind up getting lost or buried on a forum.

The new web site is powered by Wordpress, which makes it easy to update and maintain, plus offers tons of whistles and bells, plugins and widgets, to add features and functions as well. It makes navigation and reading much more ore organized, while automating all the geek stuff, making my life just a little simpler.

It also serves as a hub for various resources of OWH, so they are much easier to find and use:

http://www.oldweirdherald.com/images/OWH_logo_125.gif (http://www.oldweirdherald.com/)
Old Weird Herald - for articles, resources, and info.
http://www.oldweirdherald.com/

http://www.oldweirdherald.com/images/owh_scgallery_logo_125.gif (http://www.oldweirdherald.com/galler-3-3-5)
OWH Slot Car Gallery - tons of photos of slot cars, tracks, race events, and racers.
http://www.oldweirdherald.com/galler-3-3-5

http://www.oldweirdherald.com/images/owh_raceway_dir_logo_125.gif (http://www.oldweirdherald.com/owh-raceway-directory)
OWH Slot Car Raceway Directory - an all new revamped Raceway Directory! Now with added features, like category based search, so you can narrow down your search by scale preference, or to find drag or club tracks.
http://www.oldweirdherald.com/owh-raceway-directory

http://www.oldweirdherald.com/images/owh_slotcartalk_logo_125.gif (http://www.slotcartalk.com/slotcartalk/)
OWH Slot Car Talk - Slot car forums - still under the separate roof, but right next door just a click away.
http://www.slotcartalk.com/slotcartalk/

Please check out the NEW Old Weird Herald web site, and take it for a spin!

http://www.oldweirdherald.com

It's far from done, with much more to come, but the groundwork is done, with much more cool stuff in the works.

While you're at it, if you like what you see, and if you enjoy checking in on the OWH Slot Car Talk forums for slot car news, info, and socializing with fellow slot car enthusiasts, then please consider hitting the ol' "Donate" button and making a contribution towards helping keep Old Weird Herald and Slot Car Talk online.

The server bill is due every month, and there are still many software and hardware items on my wish list that are needed to continue to maintain and grow the web site. While I'm living on peanuts for pesos here in the islands, I truly enjoy sharing my slot car hobby with fellow enthusiast here online... Unfortunately my server hosting company is operating under a slightly different economic model - and back on a much steeper side of the exchange rate. They still like to get paid in American $.

Please help support Old Weird Herald & Slot Car Talk by making a donation today. Consider it as a subscription or dues - and as always any and all contributions are greatly needed and appreciated!

Just hit the "Donate" button on the right sidebar on the main page, or at the bottom of the forums.

Thanks to all who contribute, and let me know what you think of the new web site!

Paul Kassens
Old Weird Herald / Slot Car Talk

[oldweirdherald]

Thanks for the kind words!!!

The race articles and reports are much better served here on the forums, but I plan on "recycling" some info from posts and threads into more permanent articles on the OWH site, that are more timeless in nature, and serve as good reference material.

I have updated my "OWH's Guide to Motor Services" and made minor updates to my "Racing Without Agony" articles, since most of the content is still currently applicable. More of the "How-To" type articles will be harvested and edited that otherwise tend to get buried on the forums, as well.

I still have tons of photos from previous Photo Galleries that I still need to get migrated into the current Gallery, plus many photos that I have collected on my PC.

I'm a bit disappointed to see only a couple of comments so far, but the site stat reports show a steady number of visits and page views.

I'm a bit more disappointed to have received only one donation (thank you for that!) since launching the new site.

I have now reached the limit of my visitor visa here in the Philippines, so I have to leave the country and come back, to get a fresh 16 months. I scored an awesome deal on a promo ticket to Kota Kinabalu Malaysia for about $20 each way, but via Manila, so I'll be gone for several days. I'm leaving on Jan 1, New Years Day. While this is all my personal stuff, and little to do with OWH or the forums, my plan here has been to support myself from web site design & hosting, with help from the Google ads, while OWH and Slot Car Talk are self-supported from slot car sponsors and donations from readers. Since my personal finances are in the toilet... I would like to cover the server bill before heading out of the country, if at all possible.

I know it gets old, when it seems every month I am once again banging the drum for donations, but sponsor & reader support is a necessary evil to paying the server and related bills that keep OWH & Slot Car Talk alive and online.

So for any of you who enjoy reading OWH and Slot Car Talk - please get off your butts and hit the old "Donation" button in the right side bar or bottom of the main page. Consider it a subscription, consider it dues, consider it a personal sponsorship, consider it a contribution, or consider it a donation... but please consider it, and then do it! :)

Happy Holidays & a Joyous New Year!!!

Paul K @ OWH

[oldweirdherald]

Thanks John!

Now where are the rest of you freeloaders hiding??? :p

There's a 31% discount on my server bill if I can pay it today!

[oldweirdherald]

Thanks to Jeffry K!

Your contribution definitely helps to keep this site online!

Hard to believe that out of all the people reading & posting on OWH, that only 3 people have contributed since the OWH site overhaul... :(

In spite of (or because of?) my rather repetitive begging and nagging, only two more since I decided to go "telethon" in this thread.

Kinda ironic how so many people jump onto any controversial thread like flies on... well, you know... but when the collection hat comes around they suddenly pull a disappearing act.

For those of you who happen to pop back here to check for the latest heated debate and accidentally stumble across this thread, I hope you will consider tossing a few coins in the coffer to help out.

I hope everyone is having a very Happy New Year's!

Paul K @ OWH

[oldweirdherald]

Thanks to Rodney S! One more contribution to add towards the server bill.

It seems now that each time I post another nag... one more person hits the "donate" button. Yet there have been a couple dozen new posts!

Well... I'm headed off very shortly to Manila & Kota Kinabalu Malaysia. Normally, that might be kinda fun... except I'm going it alone (not so much fun without my honey), and still not over this stupid cold bug.

I went ahead and paid the server bill last night - just in time to take advantage of the promo... but I had to dip into my travel money to do so. I'm hoping there will still be more donations come in before I run out of hotel & food money while abroad. As I stated earlier, I really do need OWH / Slot Car Talk to be somewhat self-sufficient, while I'm living on peanuts for pesos here.

I read online that Manila International Airport is not only ranked as the worst airport in the world, but the worst to sleep in as well. So... hopefully another few people can chip in so I don't have to personally confirm that esteemed credential.

Happy New Year!

Paul K
Whirled Traveler

[oldweirdherald]

Once again I must bang the drum and ring the bell to ask for support towards keeping OWH / Slot Car Talk online.

I received a couple donations in the last couple months, and those donations are very much appreciated! Unfortunately, the server bill comes up every month, and any and all donations are very much needed to cover the costs.

If anyone out there has thought about making a donation, but has not done so yet, or if it has been a while since you donated - please consider it like a subscription or membership, and consider making another contribution.

It seems as though I am spending more and more time online lately, with maintaining OWH and Slot Car Talk, and unfortunately the advertiser support has not been enough lately. With no sponsors renewing this month, and the server, internet, and electric bills all past due, it has been a rough month and the budget is shot. As much as I hate asking for donations, I must ask for help from readers once again.

If you enjoy reading OWH, and if it has provided information and entertainment, as well as providing contact with a large community of fellow slot car enthusiasts... then please do what you can to help out.

The donation button is at the top right and below the forums.

Thank you!!!

Paul K @ OWH

[oldweirdherald]

Thank you Bonzi!

We are now back up to one donation per month...

anyone else reading this???