Site Design Revamped
Hey folks,
as you probably have noticed, the overall look of the design has changed.
This design, however, is not completely done yet. It's an early alpha version of the final site.
But I would like to get your thoughts/ideas on the new design! So, if you have any ideas or suggestions on what to change, etc. feel free to comment and share your opinion with us!
Things that have yet to be done:
- Adjust styling so it gets properly displayed in Internet Explorer (lol)
- Style the Sidebar
- New footer (current one is not very nice)
- Custom comments display
- Banner: Feel free to create your own custom one! I'd love to add it if it's good! Dimensions are 998x123 pixel
- Language bar in the top right of the banner (Yes, there's going to be localized versions of OFF THE LOCK)
Things that I will be working on in the future:
- Tak and Koshi Profile / B'z Profile
- B'z Database
And also, if you encounter any errors, please let me know!
Server Problems
Apparently there are some problems with the host server, which is why OFF THE LOCK or BNP are sometimes not reachable due to reboots or maintenance of the host system.
I find this annoying as much as you do, but there's nothing I can do since it's provider related.
Cheers,
Tobias
Server Updates and The Like
Hey guys,
you might have noticed some strange things happening to OTL or BNP in particular as I was moving the data from one server to another.
The reason for this is that I have upgraded my server once again. The monthly fee won't change at all, but now I have 1GB memory, 25GB harddisk space and 5 TB traffic at my disposal. I hope I didn't mess anything up, and there will be more updates (website/forum related) in the future. Finally I have the time at hand, to fix all the problems that have been around for so long. A good example would be the messed up smiley set on the forums.
On a related note, I have upgraded WordPress to version 2.9, which came out today.
Also, I want to use the chance and announce a project that Jd- and me have been pursuing for some time now: The B'z Wiki
I know, we came up with an idea of building up a huge database about B'z but it didn't work out in the end because the whole project was just too huge for the two of us to handle. A few months later, I thought that perhaps we could use the MediaWiki software to get the job done, dropped the idea later though because I didn't have spare time to work on it seriously. Now, that I have some free time, I'd like to introduce you to it, and it's not completely done yet -- not by a long shot. To complete this task, we need your help!
I'll announce details in a few days, so stay tuned.
Cheers,
Art
OFF THE LOCK moved to a "new" server
Hey there!
If you're reading this, then your DNS already got updated and you're looking at OTL on the "new" server!
"New" you ask? Yeah, I added the quotation marks because it's not really new. I only upgraded my plan to the most recent one which includes an up-to-date OS and a cheaper price. That way, I save 3 Euros a month. Other than that, everything's the same.
If you encounter any problems, just let me know!
Tobias
OFF THE LOCK Webmaster
Translations Update
It's been a while coming, but we're finally going to get more B'z action translated. Right now, for those that missed it, you can catch Tobias's translation of Itsuka Mata Koko de, as well as our subtitled videos of the CLOSE-UP interview the band did for ACTION and the interview they did for NEWS ZERO to promote Eien no Tsubasa's release.
We'll be aiming to do the half-hour Bokura no Ongaku special from 2005 as well (with cooperation from Kienai-Niji on the karaokes). Others are in the works as well--hang in there.
Flash Video Plugin
Hey there, it has been quite a while since I posted something on here. Now I got some spare time, so I decided to update the blog a bit. I have added a Flash Video Plugin for WordPress and intend to test it with this post. The video has been taken directly from Kienai-Niji.com's DDL page. So here it is, enjoy LOGIC by B'z.
B'z Wiki Now Open For Public!
You all probably remember the idea Jd- and me have come up with a couple of months ago: The B'z Database. Unfortunately, I personally had to drop this idea because I got pretty busy with other stuff I have going on right now, and I wouldn't be able to do all the programming work alone, anyway.
So, in order to make this all happen nonetheless, I thought it would be a nice idea to just create a wiki for everything B'z. In other words, you'll be able to contribute content yourself, check out new articles written by others, or just enjoy some translated song lyrics.
Right now, the B'z Wiki doesn't contain a lot, and it still needs a lot of customization, but if you want to help out, there's a lot you can do.
Here's a list of what information you can post:
- Profiles for Tak, Koshi and all the support members
- Explain certain terms (e.g. LIVE-GYM, Showcase)
- Complete Discography (Articles for every album, single and compilation, including solo releases)
- Articles on every LIVE-GYM including set lists
- Articles on every place B'z ever played in
- Articles on every song ever played including lyrics and translation
- Translation of Be With! issues
- Complete Videography (DVD, VHS, LD releases)
- ...and a lot more!
So if you really like B'z and would like to help, then immediately help us out by visiting http://bzwiki.offthelock.com!
OFF THE LOCK Now Running WordPress 2.6
I took down the site in order to update OFF THE LOCK to the latest version of WordPress, just to be up-to-date with the latest security and bug fixes. Not to mention the new features that come with 2.6.
Sorry for the inconveniences caused.
Arthuro
OFF THE LOCK Webmaster
OFF THE LOCK & B´z Net Party URL Changes
As you have probably noticed, I changed a few things. OFF THE LOCK now uses a new URL scheme for pages and posts. But don't worry, old links should still be valid.
However, if you were linking B'z Net party to www.offthelock.com/smf, it does not exist anymore. Please update your URLs to http://bznetparty.offthelock.com as other URLs will not work anymore.
Also, I would like to point out that the B'z Net Party forum member yukari_chan designed the new banner you're seeing there. Thank you very much!
Arthuro
OFF THE LOCK Webmaster
OFF THE LOCK In Multiple Languages
Perhaps you've already noticed the new language bar at the top in the header. Yes, that's right, you can read the latest B'z news in your own language soon. The only thing is, that I don't speak every language in the world, so we need people to help us translate it to other languages. If you want to help us, please read the detailed description below.
Your work would involve:
- posting news / translating it from the english page
- keep content up-to-date in your language (Pages, etc.)
Requirements:
- excellent writing skills in your native language(grammar, spelling)
- a decent knowledge of english (to be able to translate the news / communicate with us)
- willing to spend 1-2 hours a week to update the blog
- hanging out in our IRC channel regularly would be a plus
Note: We've already got English covered. So you may apply for any other language.
If you want to apply, send me an e-mail in english to arthuro[-at-]offthelock[-dot-]com or you can contact me on IRC: #offthelock @ irc.rizon.net
The subject should be "Off the lock job application" and please include the following info:
- Nickname
- Your native language
- 3 reasons why you want to join our team.
- Where you live(timezone...)
- Age
I hope to hear from you soon!
Arthuro
OFF THE LOCK Webmaster