Article archive made as a blog on a CD -- with comments? Nah... 

Some people... they think blog software can do anything. Maybe not so far from the truth if you use one of the more flexible platforms.

Had an out-of the-way idea for a work project.

The challenge is providing four magazine articles on CD-ROM in an interesting, slice-and-dice way. (Not PDF.)

I was wracking my brain trying to find some offline Windows database that I'd have to get help and budget to implement. Then I thought "Why don't I go with what I know?" So I grabbed Server2Go (WAMPP), a fresh copy of Expression Engine and set it up locally. Not even one glitch, it installed just like it does on a Linux web server. 15-minute deal. Isn't that cool? Then I wrote it to a CD-RW. Still works, server and all. Windows only, but our audience is almost all Windows.

I can chop up the feature stories, which consist of Q&As with CEOs, by question and year as categories. Let EE handle search. Make template pages for individual CEOs answering all the questions, and pages for each question answered by all the CEOs.

When I was trying it from the CD, I entered a comment, and it worked, because it's on a rewritable CD, and I thought why not provide it to users on a CD-RW, too, and recast the comment feature as "Your notes on this page." I can't recall ever seeing anything like that done before, so of course I'm wondering what's wrong with the idea. Maybe nothing.

Field of Dreams writer/director gives a history lesson on the WGA 

Phil Alden Robinson gives some background on the Writers Guild of America.

For more info, read What Makes Sammy Run, a novel by another pretty amazing screenwriter, Budd Schulberg (A Face in the Crowd, On the Waterfront). He's still with us; I'm glad.

More video, including speeches from the rally last week, here.

I can't say I've gone looking for it, but I haven't seen a lot of solidarity with the writers among internet types who oppose DRM and other intransigent big-studio robber baron stances.