I wanted to tell you about the plugins I use with Gazette to make it into what you see on this site. All the plugins listed below are in use here.

A theme isn't what you see when you first view it fresh from the developer's editor. It is what it becomes after you customize it by changing colors, backgrounds, add information, and images. Only then does it become yours, and makes your blog unique. That is what I tried to accomplish here at the PCB.

I'll begin at the header. I am using the flashfader plugin to rotate the images you see. I used it as a substitute for the header image you see on the Gazette Theme Site . You can get it at B Sides , along with the instructions for setting it up.

Everything you see (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

Gazette, the new five column WordPress Theme is now available and ready for download.

All the pages validate XHTML 1.0 transitional except the sitemap page. I have included it, but you will have to set it up according to the instructions here for creating a page template. Use the sitemap or don't use it, that is your choice.

Please keep in mind that it is still in a beta stage. The style.css does not validate yet, but I will work on that. It is fully functional as you can see here in it's public release form.

You can see the new style, and download the beta release at Gazette's New Site .

 Most of you probably have been wondering what I have been doing since my promise in March to begin writing more politically. So now you are able to see what I have been working on.

I have been learning some php, css, while adding that to my limited knowledge of html to create a new WordPress theme. It is a one of a kind. The only five column in existence that I am aware of, plus it is the only one that has my coding errors. It has been a wonderful experience creating my own theme, and some of you should try it.

I should give you some of the details of how a non-programmer manged to pull this off. I started out by using the excellent tutorial offered by Urban Giraffe,in which he pulls apart all of the files and (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)