I adjusted the periodic table quiz so it will now allow you to request a new quiz from the popup window rather than having to switch back to the main page and request it. This was done for Internet Explorer years ago because it would crash not only the browser but the operating system. Microsoft fixed the bug some time ago but I had forgotten all about it until a student asked about it.

Fixed!

I tweaked a couple pages and fixed some of the wording.

I’ve added a podcast that discusses a problem with how we use the significant figure rules by relating it to statistics.

I’ve updated the CHEM 1090 homework solutions for chapters 9 and 10. Done!

I’ve updated the CHEM 1090 homework solutions for chapter 7 and chapter 8. Only one more chapter to go!

I’ve updated the CHEM 1090 homework solutions for chapter 4 and chapters 5/6.

I’ve updated the chapter 3 homework solutions for CHEM 1090.

I checked my office computer and both of the classroom computers that I will be using this quarter and all of them are running Internet Explorer v7. And my Flash podcasts now work!

IE v7 and v8 didn’t like the way I was dynamically changing the file information. Instead of having a separate web page for the Flash, HTML5, and QuickTime formats for each podcast (yikes!), I have one of each page and when a podcast link is selected, the URL sends the file information to the appropriate page. This, in theory, is easier because I only have to maintain three different video pages.

I haven’t actively developed web pages for a few years so I could work both on my lectures and podcasts. So with the exception of adding new podcasts, before I recently reworked the site using RapidWeaver, the site (including the JavaScript tutorials) had been in maintenance mode. Before XHTML was standard, the way I used to dynamically write pages was to use the document.write function. When I tried it a few weeks ago and validated the web page, I found out that things have changed and document.write was no longer the best way to do it.

As I started learning how to do it (and I’m still working on it!), I got stuck on the Flash podcast pages with older versions of Internet Explorer. As I was searching the web, I hit upon using innerHTML and I have a JavaScript function which will write out the page code with the appropriate file names. I do plan to continue trying to get the DOM method to work, but for right now this works so I’m happy.

I’ve updated chapter 1 and chapter 2 homework files for CHEM 1090 to the new edition.

I think I actually fixed the problem with the Flash podcasts in Internet Explorer <v9 web browser!

Shall I explain how I expertly diagnosed the problem, formulated a solution at a cost of many person-hours, and then successfully implemented the solution?

Or shall I explain how I fixed it by accident?

I won’t be able to verify the fix until I go into work on Monday and try it on the computers in my office and the classrooms I’ll be in this quarter; but, it now works for me. If I really did fix it then I’ll give a brief explanation.

I’ve tweaked and tightened the coding for the podcasts and included a link on the HTML5 video podcasts pages (those with this image- ) that links to a QuickTime video file.

After thinking about the Flash and Internet Explorer problem for the past day, I think the best option is to do a bit of browser detection and if the Flash podcast page detects that someone is using a version of Internet Explorer that’s prior to v9, a link to an optional file format will be displayed. I’m trying to avoid a lot of browser detection since it’s a pain and I don’t want to go that route again because it was extremely frustrating. I also don’t want to block it and force someone to do something else in case it actually works for them.

I went to work today (looking at the time it’s almost yesterday) and dropped off some photocopy jobs for next week and decided to boot up my work computer to see how the site’s new layout looks. Everything went fine until I checked the podcast page and clicked on a Flash link. Ah. All the computers at work have Internet Explorer 8 installed.

Wonderful.

When I got home, I booted up Windows 7 and run IE (I have v9). I know I can go into Developer Tools and toggle the browser to act like v8 which I do. And then I load one of the Flash podcasts just to make sure it doesn’t work and, by golly, it doesn’t. I then toggle it back into v9 mode and the podcast immediately loads. And then I toggle it into v7 mode just for grins and the podcast doesn’t load.

Wonderful. I know I’m repeating myself.

I’m going to have to think about doing browser detection for the Flash podcasts and probably load a QuickTime version of it, instead. I’m not happy about that because I was trying to get away from doing browser detection. I started doing that years ago when I was writing the JavaScript-based quizzes and it drove me crazy.

OK. Crazier.

<updated added>

I've found a temporary solution for the Flash problem in IE v7 and 8. Instead of clicking on the Flash link, , click on this link, , instead. Since neither v7 nor v8 of Internet Explorer is HTML5 compatible, this link will default to using QuickTime to show the video file. Yes, this assumes you have QuickTime installed.

I think I’ll need to check for IE on the Flash page and include a link to a different file if it doesn’t work properly.