Filling in toggle switch panel blanks

Posted on by Ian C.

When I ordered GBMINI back in March 2003, we were not allowed to have rear fog lights – but I did not want a gap in my toggle switch panel so I had ordered a fully populated UK panel (from MikeyTheMini)

Now of course we are allowed rear fogs but some people do not order them and still have a gap. One option is to replace the toggle switch panel with a new fully populated one (like I did).
Another option is to buy a single toggle and fit it into the blank space – some people will split their old panel into individual toggles, when they buy a new one:

Individual toggle switch

Today EBMCS03 has posted a pictorial how-to on installing a toggle – if you are brave with a drill and bothered by the gap, check it out!

Lunch at Woodmans

Posted on by Ian C.

Even though “big snow” threatens, five MINIs and eight people headed down to Woodmans in Essex today to say “hi” and have lunch …

Minolta DSC
Minolta DSC
Minolta DSC

Rick & Laurie, Harvey & Terry, Joe & Debbie, Jared & I enjoyed non-MINI chat, fried clams and scallops; Terry was disappointed that there was no dessert but I am sure she can find something when they get home!

Thanks to Jared for organizing the get-together on this MINI2 thread.

GBMINI – the web site

Posted on by Ian C.

Just been through a “beneath the bonnet” upgrade of GBMINI and with nothing much going on with GBMINI the car, I will instead waffle about GBMINI the web pages!

My web pages are hosted through 1and1. I signed up with them when they were offering a free trial – the package offered a reasonable 500MB storage as well as PHP support (the ability to execute programs on the server). I also use SSI which ensure that the right hand column of all GBMINIs pages is correct (because it is the same file!)
I recently upgraded and now for $10/month I have masses of storage, 10 times more bandwidth than I need, and all the features I am ever likely to need.
I also host three different sites (GBMINI, MargaretAndIan, and MINIsOnTop) within the same package – the same account, log-in, etc make it easy to look after all the sites.

I wanted PHP support because I wanted to upgrade from Blogger which I used to use for my weblog; I now use MoveableType which is much more flexible. Benefits of MoveableType include the calendar grid and the search facility (which Blogger did not have when I left them); more important I can totally customize the pages any way I wish (so long as I am smart enough to figure it out!)
I have just completed the upgrade to a new version of MoveableType which offers “dynamic pages”; this feature means that not all GBMINIs web pages really exist – instead they are created “on the fly” when accessed by someone. The downside is that those pages take longer to load but the upside is that when I post something new, or when someone posts a comment, the process is quicker.

Finally to look after my pictures I use Gallery. Gallery is a bit “clunky” and I am sure there are nicer programs out there now, but I have loads of pics in there already with loads of links everywhere – I don’t see me changing things around!
I was able to use the CRON feature available with 1and1 to speed up GBMINIs main gallery page; that helped speed Gallery up a while back!

Some pages (like the home page) are plain HTML not built by MoveableType; for those I use AceHTML which is a bit more than just a text editor and works well for me; the companion program AceFTP handles uploads & downloads, and I use WebSynchronizer to maintain a regular backup of the server – the program automatically handles downloading files changed on the server (weblog files for example) as well as files that I have edited on my PC.