Improve portal landing page and About content

portal/_static/custom.css

@@ -1,3 +1,23 @@
+main.banner-main #project-pythia {
+  padding-top: 1rem;
+  padding-bottom: 1rem;
+}
+
+main.banner-main #project-pythia p {
+  font-size: 1.4rem;  /* default: 1.25rem */
+  /* font-weight: 700; default: 300 */
+}
+
+main.banner-main #project-pythia a,
+main.banner-main #project-pythia a:visited {
+  color: rgba(var(--spt-color-light), 1);
+  text-decoration: underline dotted rgba(var(--spt-color-gray-400), 1);
+}
+
+main.banner-main #project-pythia a.btn-light {
+  color: rgba(var(--pst-color-primary), 1)
+}
+
 .modal {
   display: none;
   position: fixed;

portal/about.md

@@ -4,6 +4,34 @@ Pythia is a community educational resource for helping students, scientists,
 and educators learn how to analyze and visualize geosciences data using
 the Scientific Python Ecosystem.
 
+## Why do we need Project Pythia?
+
+Scientists working in a multitude of disciplines rely heavily on
+computing technologies for their research. Numerical simulations
+run on supercomputers are used in the study of climate, weather,
+atmospheric chemistry, wildfires, space weather, and more. Similarly,
+a tremendous volume of digital data produced by numerical simulations,
+or observations made with instruments, are analyzed with the help
+of powerful computers and software. Thus, today’s scientists require
+not only expertise in their scientific discipline, but also require
+high-level technical skills to effectively analyze, manipulate, and
+make sense of potentially vast volumes of data. Computing environments
+change rapidly, and two technologies that have emerged and are being
+adopted by scientific communities relatively recently are Cloud
+Computing platforms and a software ecosystem of scientific tools
+built around the open source programming language called Python.
+Project Pythia will provide a public, web-accessible training
+resource that will help educate current, and aspiring, earth
+scientists to more effectively use both the Scientific Python
+Ecosystem and Cloud Computing to make sense of huge volumes of
+numerical scientific data.
+
+## Why the name "Pythia"?
+
+In ancient Greek mythology, the god [Apollo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo) is said to have slain the monstrous [Python](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_(mythology)). Apollo's temple was later served by the [Oracle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle) of [Delphi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi), who was known as the [Pythia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythia).
+
+Like the Oracle of old, Project Pythia will help you make sense of things that seem mysterious. We will not, however, _slay_ your [Python](https://www.python.org), but instead help you _improve_ it -- and help you to help others do the same!
+
 ## Project Pythia Goals
 
 1. _The Pythia Portal:_ A searchable online portal that

portal/index.md

@@ -7,28 +7,20 @@
 :class: dark-banner
 :::
 
-Scientists working in a multitude of disciplines rely heavily on
-computing technologies for their research. Numerical simulations
-run on supercomputers are used in the study of climate, weather,
-atmospheric chemistry, wildfires, space weather, and more. Similarly,
-a tremendous volume of digital data produced by numerical simulations,
-or observations made with instruments, are analyzed with the help
-of powerful computers and software. Thus, today’s scientists require
-not only expertise in their scientific discipline, but also require
-high-level technical skills to effectively analyze, manipulate, and
-make sense of potentially vast volumes of data. Computing environments
-change rapidly, and two technologies that have emerged and are being
-adopted by scientific communities relatively recently are Cloud
-Computing platforms and a software ecosystem of scientific tools
-built around the open source programming language called Python.
-Project Pythia will provide a public, web-accessible training
-resource that will help educate current, and aspiring, earth
-scientists to more effectively use both the Scientific Python
-Ecosystem and Cloud Computing to make sense of huge volumes of
-numerical scientific data.
+<span style="font-size: 2.2rem;">A community education and training hub for Python-based computing in the geosciences</span>
+
+A home for learning resources that are _open-source_, _community-owned_, and
+_high-quality_, Project Pythia exists to help earth scientists make sense of
+huge volumes of numerical scientific data using tools that facilitate open,
+reproducible science, and to build an inclusive
+[community of practice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_practice)
+around these goals.
+
+Project Pythia is the primary educational resource for the [Pangeo](https://pangeo.io/) community.
+
 
 <span class="d-flex justify-content-center py-4">
-    <a href="/about.html" role="button" class="btn btn-light btn-lg">
+    <a href="about.html" role="button" class="btn btn-light btn-lg">
         Read more about Project Pythia
     </a>
 </span>