On October 7th, next Thursday, I will be attending an Information Design seminar/course given by Edward Tufte. This fine gentleman is an artist, a designer and information architect, as it were. I believe I had the pleasure of being at a design show that featured him as a speaker, but that was back in college and am not sure if it was, in fact, him. I made a right fool of myself during his talk.
The good news about this “course” is that I get stuff. Three books and a poster. So even if I am caught up in a whirlwind of confusion during the course, I can always review the books afterwards. And I like posters.
Elsewhere: Hexstatic is a group that dishes up some nice grooves. And their website is pretty groovy too. I loved my View•Master (or Master•View, or whatever the hell it was - clicky=piccy). I personally recommend the Salvador video for your viewing pleasure as well as Chase Me (also featured in the Toons section of Weebls).
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Monday, September 27, 2004
Weekend Update
This last weekend was pretty “action-packed” as it were. Friday, we went over to a friend’s house for a movie night gathering of several people. The wives (including my own) got their hair cut whilst the men watched Empire Strikes Back. I think we were more interested in poking some good fun at ESB more than actually watching it. "Daddy? Really? Boy, have you got some back child support to make up for!"
Saturday was to be a lovely trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, but with a bit of rain, it was thought best not to go. Mostly because the butterflies wouldn’t be out and while walking along a path of wildflowers during a light sprinkle would be nice, the intent was to see some butterflies as well - for the whole package. So that will have to wait until this next weekend, I imagine.
Yesterday, we did the usual grocery shopping and such. We got my niece some nice birthday gifts (that’s coming up) and we also bought some new sheets that reminded us of the Wilderness Lodge, our hotel during our honeymoon. After all that, it was off to the office to get a little extra work done. The best part? My wife was there with me. It really kept me on track (oddly enough) and I really appreciated her company. We were having such a full day, I didn't want it to end with me spending 4 hours at work hammering out stuff alone.
Animated .GIFs can be so damn cool sometimes. Stick figures are apparently quite versatile.
Saturday was to be a lovely trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, but with a bit of rain, it was thought best not to go. Mostly because the butterflies wouldn’t be out and while walking along a path of wildflowers during a light sprinkle would be nice, the intent was to see some butterflies as well - for the whole package. So that will have to wait until this next weekend, I imagine.
Yesterday, we did the usual grocery shopping and such. We got my niece some nice birthday gifts (that’s coming up) and we also bought some new sheets that reminded us of the Wilderness Lodge, our hotel during our honeymoon. After all that, it was off to the office to get a little extra work done. The best part? My wife was there with me. It really kept me on track (oddly enough) and I really appreciated her company. We were having such a full day, I didn't want it to end with me spending 4 hours at work hammering out stuff alone.
Animated .GIFs can be so damn cool sometimes. Stick figures are apparently quite versatile.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Parchment
Today, I got my “new” diploma in the mail. As many of you know, I graduated from Southwest Texas State University. Well, gone the way of the dodo is SWT(SU) and it is now known, simply, as Texas State University. Now, fundamentally, there is nothing wrong with that, I actually quite dig it - except I didn’t graduate from TSU, I graduated from SWT. Sure, it is the same buildings, same city, same colors, it just doesn’t seem like the same school anymore.
Because of the name change, Texas State is offering (I imagine they still are, at least) new diplomas with the new "Look, Feel and Name" of this inevitably prestigious university. I love my old diploma. It is class. It is refinement. It is TSU. But, I won't have people giving me confused German shepherd looks when they see it, so I buckled under the pressure and got a version of the new one as well. Like the school traveled back in time with the new name and issued me the diploma like it would had I walked today.
A couple of differences:
1) Obviously, the name. Duh… So now it says Texas State University. Yeah. Interestingly enough, however, the city locale is treated differently. San Marcos is more pronounced, some 10 pts larger at least, maybe more. And they removed “Texas”. Of course, I am not sure why they really needed to identify the state Southwest Texas State was located in, but hey.
2) No color. On my old diploma (I graduated in ’98 during the centennial celebration) there is this gorgeous 4-color logo mark at the bottom. Sure, the school’s seal is absent, but my diploma celebrates 100 years of higher education. So, with the new one — seal. Foil stamped in gold. Nice. Elegant. I think foil stamping is cheaper than 4-color (it’s just one pass through the press).
3) My name. Ya, I’m pretty sure they screwed this up. On all my official documents I go ahead and accept my middle name and show it off. Old diploma = Full name, all spelled out. New diploma = middle initial. I know for a fact I put my full middle name for something such as this. Aside from that - it is a slightly different font. Same Old-English style, but just enough of a variance to be distinguishable.
Overall - I like it. It really is nice. The font is bigger across the board for all elements and the foil is a nice touch. 50 years from now, I will be just as pleased with my old diploma though. There’s something about getting your bachelor’s that makes a single piece of parchment worth more than anything else. My wife’s on the other hand is, hands down, cooler than mine. St. Edward’s has a regality that completely overshadows any state school.
PS: In the envelope containing my diploma, there was also another “new” diploma. One for Mindee L. Thweatt, BS – Computer Science, ’92. Summa Cum Laude even. Nice. Congrats Mindee! Now I just gotta figure out how to get it back to the university.
Because of the name change, Texas State is offering (I imagine they still are, at least) new diplomas with the new "Look, Feel and Name" of this inevitably prestigious university. I love my old diploma. It is class. It is refinement. It is TSU. But, I won't have people giving me confused German shepherd looks when they see it, so I buckled under the pressure and got a version of the new one as well. Like the school traveled back in time with the new name and issued me the diploma like it would had I walked today.
A couple of differences:
1) Obviously, the name. Duh… So now it says Texas State University. Yeah. Interestingly enough, however, the city locale is treated differently. San Marcos is more pronounced, some 10 pts larger at least, maybe more. And they removed “Texas”. Of course, I am not sure why they really needed to identify the state Southwest Texas State was located in, but hey.
2) No color. On my old diploma (I graduated in ’98 during the centennial celebration) there is this gorgeous 4-color logo mark at the bottom. Sure, the school’s seal is absent, but my diploma celebrates 100 years of higher education. So, with the new one — seal. Foil stamped in gold. Nice. Elegant. I think foil stamping is cheaper than 4-color (it’s just one pass through the press).
3) My name. Ya, I’m pretty sure they screwed this up. On all my official documents I go ahead and accept my middle name and show it off. Old diploma = Full name, all spelled out. New diploma = middle initial. I know for a fact I put my full middle name for something such as this. Aside from that - it is a slightly different font. Same Old-English style, but just enough of a variance to be distinguishable.
Overall - I like it. It really is nice. The font is bigger across the board for all elements and the foil is a nice touch. 50 years from now, I will be just as pleased with my old diploma though. There’s something about getting your bachelor’s that makes a single piece of parchment worth more than anything else. My wife’s on the other hand is, hands down, cooler than mine. St. Edward’s has a regality that completely overshadows any state school.
PS: In the envelope containing my diploma, there was also another “new” diploma. One for Mindee L. Thweatt, BS – Computer Science, ’92. Summa Cum Laude even. Nice. Congrats Mindee! Now I just gotta figure out how to get it back to the university.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
That’s A Moire!
Today, we shall discuss the moire (pronounced more-ray) print effect. This effect is basically the result of the halftone screen process used in modern printing where patterns of small dots are overlayed to produce color and shading. It can also be the result of poor scanning. Ultimately, for my job, it is bad. I don't think there is a time I would approve of a printed piece that is suffering from a moire pattern. An example can be seen below:
A more mathematical method of showing this effect can be seen in this sample. It is catchy and neat, but when I am trying to have a very important program printed, I do not want my block colors and photo images to have this pattern. To me, it is poor craftsmanship to even show a proof with this effect all over it.
Now, my wife and her adorable missy-isms (or so we call them) might consider it very pleasing to have an eel on your print. It is sea-animal friendly! While I’d agree that sporting aquatic life in my work would give it a certain “fun factor”, this particular piece might not benefit from it as much. I will work some morays into my next project…
A more mathematical method of showing this effect can be seen in this sample. It is catchy and neat, but when I am trying to have a very important program printed, I do not want my block colors and photo images to have this pattern. To me, it is poor craftsmanship to even show a proof with this effect all over it.
Now, my wife and her adorable missy-isms (or so we call them) might consider it very pleasing to have an eel on your print. It is sea-animal friendly! While I’d agree that sporting aquatic life in my work would give it a certain “fun factor”, this particular piece might not benefit from it as much. I will work some morays into my next project…
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Woo
Sometimes in life, things can happen that will change you forever. This weekend, I found my wife again and, thusly, my life again. I love her so much and will do anything for this woman. She is the very reason I go on. My wife is exceptional. She always has been and always will be. I can adore no other as I do her.
Saturday was the start of a new day. A new opportunity. We went to the Pottery Barn and purchased a little night light that looked like a mini-lamp. Very nice color. I won't be lost at night anymore, stubbing my toes, running my face into the hall divider. We had Chick-Fil-A for lunch. My wife is on a diet that has a core-foods list. She was spot on the entire day which was just awesome. Her lunch was better than mine, but I could not eat mine. I did have some of her fruit bowl, however. We tried to get Virtual PC for her laptop, but had no luck at the Apple Store. We -will- get it though as she needs it for her CPA courses.
Sometimes, printing companies are a bit messed up…
Saturday was the start of a new day. A new opportunity. We went to the Pottery Barn and purchased a little night light that looked like a mini-lamp. Very nice color. I won't be lost at night anymore, stubbing my toes, running my face into the hall divider. We had Chick-Fil-A for lunch. My wife is on a diet that has a core-foods list. She was spot on the entire day which was just awesome. Her lunch was better than mine, but I could not eat mine. I did have some of her fruit bowl, however. We tried to get Virtual PC for her laptop, but had no luck at the Apple Store. We -will- get it though as she needs it for her CPA courses.
Sometimes, printing companies are a bit messed up…
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Gmail Is Good-Mail
Gmail. What's it all aboot? Well, the big bonus to Gmail is the searchability of all your emails, and with 1Gig of storage, deleting them isn't necessary. Can't remember the birthday of your 3rd cousin, twice removed, but got an email of his birth notice 9 months ago? Search the little bugger's name and Gmail will pull up the email for you. There are a bunch of other features that I have obviously yet to examine, but, who knows, this may be my new means of online email checking!
So, ya, I got that going for me now. Thanks to my good friend for hooking me up with a little Gmail action! To get a hold of my new Gmail addy, leave a comment or something. Or email me at my other email with Subject: n3w! (so it doesn't get deleted if you are not in my Address Book).
Our friends over at Orisinal have a new game. More fun than a barrel of monkeys, it’s Sliding Monkeys!!!
So, ya, I got that going for me now. Thanks to my good friend for hooking me up with a little Gmail action! To get a hold of my new Gmail addy, leave a comment or something. Or email me at my other email with Subject: n3w! (so it doesn't get deleted if you are not in my Address Book).
Our friends over at Orisinal have a new game. More fun than a barrel of monkeys, it’s Sliding Monkeys!!!
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Monday, September 13, 2004
Dark Gorgeous
Quite a long time ago, I found myself at a rather hauntingly beautiful website. This was some four years ago. Recently, I stumbled onto this little game concerning scarecrows and the crows they must scare to continue living. Well, I immediately recognized the art in the game. I traced the site back to MyPetSkeleton — a portfolio site, of sorts, for Vincent Marcone. I was soon reminded of the beauty that is this man’s disturbingly delicate designs. Of course, he is also a part of Johnny Hollow, a group of artists that make exceptional music together.
In support of the “band”, I am posting a banner-link to their site amongst the menu items to the right. I recommend the purchase of their CD. I await my copy’s arrival in the mail.
In support of the “band”, I am posting a banner-link to their site amongst the menu items to the right. I recommend the purchase of their CD. I await my copy’s arrival in the mail.
Friday, September 10, 2004
Catch Up
Sit back, grab a cup of whatever, let's discuss shall we…
So I haven't posted in a while. Ya, I have been really busy. There is a lot going on at the office. And I mean a -lot-. I have felt that I have had more of a design mindset lately, however, so that is good. I have paid more attention to font combinations (Bembo and TheSans work well together). Finding good type is always a challenge. What font best fits the feel you are trying to convey? Which combinations balance or challenge each other? Do you want contrast or consistency? I went to a couple typographic related forums, read articles, did a bit of study to figure out some “best practices” on type selection. I feel a little more like the designer I want to be.
One of the design elements that give me the most grief is color. Trying to figure out good color combinations is a bit daunting at times. But I came up with ten combinations for one project and though only one will be picked, I think all of them actually work and look forward to using them on future projects. Again, I did some research before I chose the ten sets to be “judged”. A great resource in this was Jim Krause’s Color Index. I personally recommend any and all of the Index books by Krause. They are excellent resources, if nothing more than to activate those juices.
Questions are important. Unfortunately, for me, I sometimes forget to ask myself any. I will be staring at my sketch book, just sitting there, like I am expecting the page to magically expose a solution to me. “Here, Terry, wouldn’t this be neat looking?” That’s never going to happen — on blank paper, that is. I have seen a lot of design inside of other things, but never on a blank page in my sketch book. Maybe it’s broken, I don’t know. Anyway, I find that if I ask questions I will often come up with a solution much faster. Ask yourself simple questions and when you provide the answer, you feel accomplished and challenge yourself to a harder question and so on and so forth. Sometimes, however, I will just be staring onto that blank page asking question after question with no solution at all.
One of the things that I have discovered about myself is that I am useless without my pencil. It isn’t a special pencil. I didn’t get it as an heirloom from my 18th Century Great-Uncle on my mother’s side, or anything. I got it in college. A Sanford Pro Touch II - 0.5mm. The ink on the side is rubbed completely off leaving only the slight deboss of the printing. I can not find a replacement for the eraser. The silver chrome has worn off most of the metal parts, leaving behind a dingy bronze color. Despite all its imperfections, it has a certain something that “helps” me work. Without it, I feel insecure and confused. Even if I don’t use it, knowing where it is and having it close is comforting. I don't even remember when I bought it.
SPeCks has, once again, taken a back seat to the “real” world. Oh… so you’ve noticed. No you haven’t. Liar. But at any rate, I miss those little guys and feel bad that I can’t bring them out to play right now. I suppose, eventually, I will have a better schedule for dealing with the little buggers, but for now, it’s too much for me to handle. I think the fact that it is so story-driven makes it also difficult to maintain. I have thousands of short stories in my head. And when I mean short, I mean really really short. 700 words short. For perspective, this post is up to 668 words. 669 if you count ‘words’. Turns out a short story is no longer than 7000 words (according to Zoetrope All-Story). That’s a lot of words for a short story. Granted, All-Story has contests with submission rules for stories no longer than 5,000 words, but still, that’s long to me. Hell, last year’s winner, “A Year Above Christmas Tree Lane,” was 6,449 words long. Cheater.
If you are interested, you might have noticed that my flag collection to the right has grown, steadily, over the last couple of months. There are now 17 countries represented in the graphic. For those that have forgotten, I have a stat-counter that has a nice feature telling me where someone is, in the world, when they view this blog. The internet is an awesome thing.
How have I never heard of Ken Jennings?!?
So I haven't posted in a while. Ya, I have been really busy. There is a lot going on at the office. And I mean a -lot-. I have felt that I have had more of a design mindset lately, however, so that is good. I have paid more attention to font combinations (Bembo and TheSans work well together). Finding good type is always a challenge. What font best fits the feel you are trying to convey? Which combinations balance or challenge each other? Do you want contrast or consistency? I went to a couple typographic related forums, read articles, did a bit of study to figure out some “best practices” on type selection. I feel a little more like the designer I want to be.
One of the design elements that give me the most grief is color. Trying to figure out good color combinations is a bit daunting at times. But I came up with ten combinations for one project and though only one will be picked, I think all of them actually work and look forward to using them on future projects. Again, I did some research before I chose the ten sets to be “judged”. A great resource in this was Jim Krause’s Color Index. I personally recommend any and all of the Index books by Krause. They are excellent resources, if nothing more than to activate those juices.
Questions are important. Unfortunately, for me, I sometimes forget to ask myself any. I will be staring at my sketch book, just sitting there, like I am expecting the page to magically expose a solution to me. “Here, Terry, wouldn’t this be neat looking?” That’s never going to happen — on blank paper, that is. I have seen a lot of design inside of other things, but never on a blank page in my sketch book. Maybe it’s broken, I don’t know. Anyway, I find that if I ask questions I will often come up with a solution much faster. Ask yourself simple questions and when you provide the answer, you feel accomplished and challenge yourself to a harder question and so on and so forth. Sometimes, however, I will just be staring onto that blank page asking question after question with no solution at all.
One of the things that I have discovered about myself is that I am useless without my pencil. It isn’t a special pencil. I didn’t get it as an heirloom from my 18th Century Great-Uncle on my mother’s side, or anything. I got it in college. A Sanford Pro Touch II - 0.5mm. The ink on the side is rubbed completely off leaving only the slight deboss of the printing. I can not find a replacement for the eraser. The silver chrome has worn off most of the metal parts, leaving behind a dingy bronze color. Despite all its imperfections, it has a certain something that “helps” me work. Without it, I feel insecure and confused. Even if I don’t use it, knowing where it is and having it close is comforting. I don't even remember when I bought it.
SPeCks has, once again, taken a back seat to the “real” world. Oh… so you’ve noticed. No you haven’t. Liar. But at any rate, I miss those little guys and feel bad that I can’t bring them out to play right now. I suppose, eventually, I will have a better schedule for dealing with the little buggers, but for now, it’s too much for me to handle. I think the fact that it is so story-driven makes it also difficult to maintain. I have thousands of short stories in my head. And when I mean short, I mean really really short. 700 words short. For perspective, this post is up to 668 words. 669 if you count ‘words’. Turns out a short story is no longer than 7000 words (according to Zoetrope All-Story). That’s a lot of words for a short story. Granted, All-Story has contests with submission rules for stories no longer than 5,000 words, but still, that’s long to me. Hell, last year’s winner, “A Year Above Christmas Tree Lane,” was 6,449 words long. Cheater.
If you are interested, you might have noticed that my flag collection to the right has grown, steadily, over the last couple of months. There are now 17 countries represented in the graphic. For those that have forgotten, I have a stat-counter that has a nice feature telling me where someone is, in the world, when they view this blog. The internet is an awesome thing.
How have I never heard of Ken Jennings?!?
Monday, August 30, 2004
Last Call For Spam
Alright folks, starting September 1st (that's this Wednesday) my super email filter goes live. Basically, if you are not in my address book, I will -not- get your email. I have made a pretty diligent effort to include all those emails that “matter”, so hopefully this will all work out. I will be including a rule for emails that new people might send or in the event of a change in your address. Please include the following in the Subject: portion of the email if you are sending from a new address or are unsure if I have you in my address book:
n3w!
Ok, now that we have that sorted… SPeCks - erm… ok, so, uhm, look I have a full-time job and some other projects going on that kinda put personal hobbies on the back burner. I miss the little guys too, but they will just have to wait to come back out and play.
Rule #11 says it all.
n3w!
Ok, now that we have that sorted… SPeCks - erm… ok, so, uhm, look I have a full-time job and some other projects going on that kinda put personal hobbies on the back burner. I miss the little guys too, but they will just have to wait to come back out and play.
Rule #11 says it all.
Friday, August 27, 2004
Bleep This
No more dreams. Pack up your imagination. Forget about trying to be humorous. Scared and paranoid idiots belonging to, apparently, powerful groups have put their big, fat thumbs on your commercial viewing pleasure. America has some of the biggest bankrolls to make the coolest commercials — but the best commercials are seen in foreign countries or are labeled as ‘spec’ and will rarely, if ever, see the light of day (and even then, it is only on the internet). Why? Because there are groups out there that would like to control what you see in this ‘free’ country. First Amendment be damned when a remote is involved.
Recently, since the start of the Olympics, GM was showing a commercial for their new line of ‘Vettes. A little tweak on the body style of these cars, I don’t think there is anything new under the hood, but that isn’t what this post is about. Anyway, the spot is a ‘dream sequence’ of this kid rippin’ it up on the highways and through a construction yard. Directed by Guy Ritchie (Snatch, BMW short film, various music videos), this bit of 30 second goodness is pretty nice to watch. It ends when the kid snaps out of the day dream holding his skateboard and looking at the car across the street. Then it’s back to the drudgery of being a child without a license to thrill. Wanna see it? Jumpin’ Jack Flash. “The all new Corvette. The official car of your dreams.” Until we slap you awake with spiked gloves so you can’t see this obvious travesty of public safety.
To me, this has just gone a bit overboard on saying what is appropriate for viewers. What we, as a civilization and society are capable of determining to be right or wrong. They say kids are getting dumber every day, that their lives are softer and more fragile in this crazy world. I think that it is complete bullshit. They are getting that way because of censorship. Kids aren't degenerating into soft lumps of meat naturally, they are being molded that way. A friend of our’s is pregnant. In a book of her’s, it says to not drink herbal tea. Well… erm… what do you think the Chinese were drinking 1000 years ago when they were pregnant?
Detectiooooooon - YA!
Recently, since the start of the Olympics, GM was showing a commercial for their new line of ‘Vettes. A little tweak on the body style of these cars, I don’t think there is anything new under the hood, but that isn’t what this post is about. Anyway, the spot is a ‘dream sequence’ of this kid rippin’ it up on the highways and through a construction yard. Directed by Guy Ritchie (Snatch, BMW short film, various music videos), this bit of 30 second goodness is pretty nice to watch. It ends when the kid snaps out of the day dream holding his skateboard and looking at the car across the street. Then it’s back to the drudgery of being a child without a license to thrill. Wanna see it? Jumpin’ Jack Flash. “The all new Corvette. The official car of your dreams.” Until we slap you awake with spiked gloves so you can’t see this obvious travesty of public safety.
To me, this has just gone a bit overboard on saying what is appropriate for viewers. What we, as a civilization and society are capable of determining to be right or wrong. They say kids are getting dumber every day, that their lives are softer and more fragile in this crazy world. I think that it is complete bullshit. They are getting that way because of censorship. Kids aren't degenerating into soft lumps of meat naturally, they are being molded that way. A friend of our’s is pregnant. In a book of her’s, it says to not drink herbal tea. Well… erm… what do you think the Chinese were drinking 1000 years ago when they were pregnant?
Detectiooooooon - YA!
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Tripin’
A while back, I got an iPod as a birthday gift. It is awesome. Being able to carry your entire digital music library from one computer to the next is amazingly fun. Wanna know what’s better than that? Listening to it in your car.
Enter iTrip. This little gizmo plugs into the top of your iPod and allows you to set a station and then listen to your library through your car’s radio. The default station is 98.9 and in Austin, that is no good. It just cuts out too much with bleed from more powerful, real radio stations. No worries, the makers of iTrip (Griffen Technology) provide helpful software to find radio stations in your area that are most likely free — meaning they only have static and no signal. I changed the station my iPod would use to 97.5 but that turned out to be sketchy at best. You know how in some sitcoms/movies/funny stuff, they show a person standing in a weird pose so the reception on their TV comes through? Ya, I kinda had to do that with my iPod. While driving. If I wasn’t at least touching the iPod, it would fuzz in and out of clarity as it competed for the station broadcasting from -Houston-. So, for the last week I had been testing several stations (while still having 97.5 set) trying to find one that is predominately static for the entire day. 94.1 was looking good for a while, but then I noticed something odd. When on my street (and on my street only) the station would lose it's silent nature. It isn’t that there is another station bleeding into it that is odd. It’s that there are -three- competing for it. A Tejano station, a country station and a general mix station. It’s just bizarre, and it only happens on my street. Anyway, I have finally discovered a station - 91.5. It worked all the way to work and we shall see how it does all the way back home.
Erm… nothing else for today… go home.
Enter iTrip. This little gizmo plugs into the top of your iPod and allows you to set a station and then listen to your library through your car’s radio. The default station is 98.9 and in Austin, that is no good. It just cuts out too much with bleed from more powerful, real radio stations. No worries, the makers of iTrip (Griffen Technology) provide helpful software to find radio stations in your area that are most likely free — meaning they only have static and no signal. I changed the station my iPod would use to 97.5 but that turned out to be sketchy at best. You know how in some sitcoms/movies/funny stuff, they show a person standing in a weird pose so the reception on their TV comes through? Ya, I kinda had to do that with my iPod. While driving. If I wasn’t at least touching the iPod, it would fuzz in and out of clarity as it competed for the station broadcasting from -Houston-. So, for the last week I had been testing several stations (while still having 97.5 set) trying to find one that is predominately static for the entire day. 94.1 was looking good for a while, but then I noticed something odd. When on my street (and on my street only) the station would lose it's silent nature. It isn’t that there is another station bleeding into it that is odd. It’s that there are -three- competing for it. A Tejano station, a country station and a general mix station. It’s just bizarre, and it only happens on my street. Anyway, I have finally discovered a station - 91.5. It worked all the way to work and we shall see how it does all the way back home.
Erm… nothing else for today… go home.
Monday, August 23, 2004
More Olympic Rambling
The Olympics are rife with sports for your viewing pleasure. Unfortunately, unless you are actually there or get cable, you can only watch whatever event NBC decides to show in their 8-hour block. So you will most likely see tons of gymnastics, track and field, swimming, diving, and perhaps some martial arts. What you are less likely to see are the air rifle finals, badminton or handball. Oh sure, you might get highlights like the game winning slam in table tennis or the calculated bullseye shot in any of the shooting competitions, but never the lead up and stories behind the competitors.
However… some “sports” just beg for media attention. They are either so fun or “neat” to watch that the network can’t possibly deny airtime. One such event is Trampoline. OK — who hasn’t jumped on a tramp and loved it (no pun intended)? Trampolines are seen in several backyards, these days, and I am soon to get one of my very own. I’ve always wanted one and it looks like I might be able to finally bounce my way to euphoria and health soon enough. Anyway, this event is only in its second Olympics but it has proven to be a tough sport indeed. Remember those games of Add-On you used to play? Someone would do a trick and then the next up had to do that trick followed immediately by another trick (often times a bit more difficult than the first to weed out the lesser jumpers). Well, imagine being the 10th person to go after 9 other gymnasts/divers/insane people. That is trampoline in the Olympics. You have to perform 10 consecutive tricks (10 “bounces”) and your first one sets the height to which all others must reach lest you be deducted for the loss of altitude. You are also deducted for traveling across the rectangular shaped trampoline. You are also deducted for obvious things such as form breaks. Control is king in this sport and any lack of it could result in your hurling body some 50 feet -away- from the mats. Oh, and a deduction. I think this could be called a sport just as much as diving is a sport. I mean, in diving, you fall off a platform and twist and flip before piercing the cooling waters of potential victory. In trampoline, you are doing the same thing, except you are going the opposite direction and you have to do it ten times in a row. It is an amazing thing to watch, these men and women who literally jump at the chance for gold. Bounce!
Watching some other sport in which Chile was participating, I couldn’t help but notice their flag. Anyone been to Texas? Chile’s current national flag was established in 1817. Texas’ 2nd (and current) design was established in 1839. Charles B. Stewart of Montgomery County is credited for the “Lone Star State’s” flag design. Perhaps Mr. Stewart took a trip to Chile, no?
The first flag, approved by the President of the Republic of Texas (Sam Houston) in 1836, was a golden five pointed star centered on an azure background. I love our state’s flag. It’s strong and there is no denying what state it belongs to. However, I think I would have preferred the original “National Standard of Texas”. We’re bigger than most countries in the world and a good many Texans would like to see Texas return to being its own nation (fantasy such as it is). If that were to happen, perhaps the old flag would be hoisted once more. Imagine -that- at the Olympics.
However… some “sports” just beg for media attention. They are either so fun or “neat” to watch that the network can’t possibly deny airtime. One such event is Trampoline. OK — who hasn’t jumped on a tramp and loved it (no pun intended)? Trampolines are seen in several backyards, these days, and I am soon to get one of my very own. I’ve always wanted one and it looks like I might be able to finally bounce my way to euphoria and health soon enough. Anyway, this event is only in its second Olympics but it has proven to be a tough sport indeed. Remember those games of Add-On you used to play? Someone would do a trick and then the next up had to do that trick followed immediately by another trick (often times a bit more difficult than the first to weed out the lesser jumpers). Well, imagine being the 10th person to go after 9 other gymnasts/divers/insane people. That is trampoline in the Olympics. You have to perform 10 consecutive tricks (10 “bounces”) and your first one sets the height to which all others must reach lest you be deducted for the loss of altitude. You are also deducted for traveling across the rectangular shaped trampoline. You are also deducted for obvious things such as form breaks. Control is king in this sport and any lack of it could result in your hurling body some 50 feet -away- from the mats. Oh, and a deduction. I think this could be called a sport just as much as diving is a sport. I mean, in diving, you fall off a platform and twist and flip before piercing the cooling waters of potential victory. In trampoline, you are doing the same thing, except you are going the opposite direction and you have to do it ten times in a row. It is an amazing thing to watch, these men and women who literally jump at the chance for gold. Bounce!
Watching some other sport in which Chile was participating, I couldn’t help but notice their flag. Anyone been to Texas? Chile’s current national flag was established in 1817. Texas’ 2nd (and current) design was established in 1839. Charles B. Stewart of Montgomery County is credited for the “Lone Star State’s” flag design. Perhaps Mr. Stewart took a trip to Chile, no?
The first flag, approved by the President of the Republic of Texas (Sam Houston) in 1836, was a golden five pointed star centered on an azure background. I love our state’s flag. It’s strong and there is no denying what state it belongs to. However, I think I would have preferred the original “National Standard of Texas”. We’re bigger than most countries in the world and a good many Texans would like to see Texas return to being its own nation (fantasy such as it is). If that were to happen, perhaps the old flag would be hoisted once more. Imagine -that- at the Olympics.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
USA! USA! USA!
I know, it has been a while since I last posted. Over a week. Well, not that there hasn’t been anything exciting to report. On the contrary. The Olympics alone have taken their toll on my time. Particularly of late because Gymnastics is occupying the majority of that viewing. I used to be in gymnastics (through high-school and college). So I like this sport a lot.
Speaking of the Olympics - how bout that Hamm? Fantastic! I feel a little for Yang Wei, however. He really had that locked up until high-bar. Poor guy. And those South Koreans. Absolutely amazing results from those fine fellows. You gotta feel a little for Kim Dae-Eun and Yang Tae-Young as well. They were putting up consistent scores with no horrible performances and that effort resulted in Silver and Bronze for their country, but they were still edged out by someone who -was- in 12th place. All the same, way to go, lads. But Hamm. Paul Hamm. Coming from a barn in Wisconsin to the gold medal podium in Athens. Just incredible. After a disaster of a vault, landing him a 9.137, it looked like his dreams of Olympic Gold were shattered beyond recovery. It would be easier to repair fine china dropped from 10 stories up. If there is such a thing as Olympic Gods, they certainly showed themselves to the world on that night. Yang Wei, fumbles on high-bar, dropping to eighth. Brett McClure dropped from third to ninth on his final event, Rings. Ioan Silviu (of Romania) dropped to 4th after a decent, yet disappointing, parallel bar routine. This opened the door for Hamm to recover from his vault. You don't get second chances at the Olympics. At least, not usually. But Paul got 2 second chances. Parallel Bars: 9.837. Phenomenal grit and steadfast nature when most athletes would crack to the pressure. He saw others falter and he capitalized on it, resulting in a jump from 12th to 4th in the standings. Quite a leap from someone who sat down moments before. He said he was now fighting for bronze. Working for third place. Not considering a gold, but not considering failure or quitting either.
On his last event, high bar, he had his last chance for any kind of medal. He had misfortune strike him in the team competition on this very event. A missed third release move helped fade America's dreams for team gold. He now stood under that bar with hopes of bronze and memories of missed moves and fumbled landings. But what makes a true Olympic champion? Apparently, conviction and a strong routine. 9.837 — Again! Of all the high bar routines, Paul Hamm led the pack. And he led it well.
Olympic champions don't give up until that final score is posted. Even third place is worth fighting for and when you drive to get every ounce of tenths, hundredths and thousandths of a point out of your routine, you get them. Paul Hamm got them. Every last one he could giant swing out of that routine. Point-Zero-One-Two. That was the spread between First and Second. Gold and Silver. Champion and Competitor. Paul Hamm was crowned champion because he fought for third place. That's an Olympic champion. The ones who fight no matter how hard they are knocked down. The ones who get back up and shrug it off. The ones who want third as much as first. Here’s to Paul Hamm for getting gold in the Men’s Individual All-Around competition, being the very vessel of an Olympic Champion and a reason we get to hear crowds chant “USA!” at the Olympics.
In other news: sorry about SPeCks. This last week and a half (two weeks almost) has been rather busy. I have to remind myself that the comic is a hobby and shouldn’t dictate how I spend my free-time and weekends. I was a little stressed at the beginning of this week and while I am still motivated to do SPeCks, I just haven’t found the time to work on them lately. I anticipate page 3.4 to be up by the end of the weekend. The same with the DSNLG I have going now. Just no time to really look into a solid reply on that one yet.
And for those of you expecting something a bit on the lighter side; a sampling of the finer points of female parking: Drop In and Park Fu.
Speaking of the Olympics - how bout that Hamm? Fantastic! I feel a little for Yang Wei, however. He really had that locked up until high-bar. Poor guy. And those South Koreans. Absolutely amazing results from those fine fellows. You gotta feel a little for Kim Dae-Eun and Yang Tae-Young as well. They were putting up consistent scores with no horrible performances and that effort resulted in Silver and Bronze for their country, but they were still edged out by someone who -was- in 12th place. All the same, way to go, lads. But Hamm. Paul Hamm. Coming from a barn in Wisconsin to the gold medal podium in Athens. Just incredible. After a disaster of a vault, landing him a 9.137, it looked like his dreams of Olympic Gold were shattered beyond recovery. It would be easier to repair fine china dropped from 10 stories up. If there is such a thing as Olympic Gods, they certainly showed themselves to the world on that night. Yang Wei, fumbles on high-bar, dropping to eighth. Brett McClure dropped from third to ninth on his final event, Rings. Ioan Silviu (of Romania) dropped to 4th after a decent, yet disappointing, parallel bar routine. This opened the door for Hamm to recover from his vault. You don't get second chances at the Olympics. At least, not usually. But Paul got 2 second chances. Parallel Bars: 9.837. Phenomenal grit and steadfast nature when most athletes would crack to the pressure. He saw others falter and he capitalized on it, resulting in a jump from 12th to 4th in the standings. Quite a leap from someone who sat down moments before. He said he was now fighting for bronze. Working for third place. Not considering a gold, but not considering failure or quitting either.
On his last event, high bar, he had his last chance for any kind of medal. He had misfortune strike him in the team competition on this very event. A missed third release move helped fade America's dreams for team gold. He now stood under that bar with hopes of bronze and memories of missed moves and fumbled landings. But what makes a true Olympic champion? Apparently, conviction and a strong routine. 9.837 — Again! Of all the high bar routines, Paul Hamm led the pack. And he led it well.
Olympic champions don't give up until that final score is posted. Even third place is worth fighting for and when you drive to get every ounce of tenths, hundredths and thousandths of a point out of your routine, you get them. Paul Hamm got them. Every last one he could giant swing out of that routine. Point-Zero-One-Two. That was the spread between First and Second. Gold and Silver. Champion and Competitor. Paul Hamm was crowned champion because he fought for third place. That's an Olympic champion. The ones who fight no matter how hard they are knocked down. The ones who get back up and shrug it off. The ones who want third as much as first. Here’s to Paul Hamm for getting gold in the Men’s Individual All-Around competition, being the very vessel of an Olympic Champion and a reason we get to hear crowds chant “USA!” at the Olympics.
In other news: sorry about SPeCks. This last week and a half (two weeks almost) has been rather busy. I have to remind myself that the comic is a hobby and shouldn’t dictate how I spend my free-time and weekends. I was a little stressed at the beginning of this week and while I am still motivated to do SPeCks, I just haven’t found the time to work on them lately. I anticipate page 3.4 to be up by the end of the weekend. The same with the DSNLG I have going now. Just no time to really look into a solid reply on that one yet.
And for those of you expecting something a bit on the lighter side; a sampling of the finer points of female parking: Drop In and Park Fu.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Cartoons Are Fun(ny)
There are a couple of sites I frequent from time to time. Of these, Weebls has probably one of the best collection of webtoons to date. These guys (UK based) are best known for their irregular series, Weebl and Bob. There is is no rating for any given toon, but I will rate my Top 5 Favs on the site:
5) Merry Christmas — Now this guy has the Christmas spirit. Tell me this doesn't get in your head and stay there, boring a hole big enough for it to stretch out in and fill your entire brain case.
4) Magical Trevor — How could you -not- love Trevor?! He's magically clever!
3) Scampi — This is so bizarre, but the toon is undeniably catchy. Kuala Lumpar!
2) Kenya — hands down, they are just cute, cuddly and HOLY CRAP! LIONS!!!
And the #1 All Time Toon, offered by the good folks at weebls-stuff.com:
1) Badgers — If you have never seen this before, for shame. FOR SHAME!!!
I feel compelled to give an “Honorable Mention” to Clows. Nothing especially clever here, there are no words, however the music is a nice loop and the technicality of it is spot on.
5) Merry Christmas — Now this guy has the Christmas spirit. Tell me this doesn't get in your head and stay there, boring a hole big enough for it to stretch out in and fill your entire brain case.
4) Magical Trevor — How could you -not- love Trevor?! He's magically clever!
3) Scampi — This is so bizarre, but the toon is undeniably catchy. Kuala Lumpar!
2) Kenya — hands down, they are just cute, cuddly and HOLY CRAP! LIONS!!!
And the #1 All Time Toon, offered by the good folks at weebls-stuff.com:
1) Badgers — If you have never seen this before, for shame. FOR SHAME!!!
I feel compelled to give an “Honorable Mention” to Clows. Nothing especially clever here, there are no words, however the music is a nice loop and the technicality of it is spot on.
Monday, August 09, 2004
Moral Game Participation
Is there such a thing as morality in a game? It’s just a game, after all. However, based on the rules of a game, if someone does something -against- the rules, then they are cheating. And if you are caught cheating then you are regarded as immoral. So, what happens if the cheating was a result of a need? Are you committing an immoral act then? But, then, it is just a game. Who are you hurting, really?
As you know, I play FFXI: Online. This game is very addicting and quite fun. However, being that half the players (perhaps more or less) are on PCs, there are third party programs available allowing players to “cheat” in the game. Most specifically, bots. Also, there are characters created with the sole purpose of amassing large amounts of the game’s money, or gil, for sell on the internet for -real- money. Often, there is a combination of the two (in the form of Fishing Bots). So what are the moral implications of buying gil/items online with real money and/or operating a bot in the game? This is probably one of the most heated debates relating to FFXI. A good example of one such debate can be found on the Allakhazam.com forums.
It is fact that the operation of a bot on the game is illegal (as stated by the Terms of Service and EULA for the game), however, there is (apparently) nothing expressly illegal concerning the purchase of anything, relating to the game, from an outside, third-party source, ie: website (of which has clearly used a bot to generate their product). By purchasing gil online, you are supporting illegal habits and methods prevalent in the game, and therefore (in my opinion) are considered immoral. Should a criminal rob a bank and then give you a cut of the money, you are no more innocent of the crime than the robber himself. Especially if you knew of how it came to be in his possession in the first place.
Legality aside, the motive for purchasing gil is the more egregious offense. By purchasing gil, you are circumventing the purpose of the game - that being the experience of playing the game. Your play is rewarded by the items and gil that is dropped in the game. Your play gives you the experience needed to be an affective, and contributing, member of the society that exists in the game. If you have gained your level/equipment/money via means outside of the games purpose, you can -NOT- be an affective player. You are a hinderance on the other players of the game. So despite the gil sellers performing illegal actions, it is actually the gil buyers (by their support and lack of play) who are performing the immoral behavior. They are saying that gil farming is ok, which in turn says that my poor gaming experience, as a result of gil farming, is not an issue.
FFXI is there, as a game, for your enjoyment and as a means of entertainment. If you forgo all the processes, by purchasing stuff online, then there is no reason for you to be playing the game. To those people I say, “Please delete your character and make room on the server for those who can and are actually trying to play the game.”
In happier news: SPeCks 3.3
As you know, I play FFXI: Online. This game is very addicting and quite fun. However, being that half the players (perhaps more or less) are on PCs, there are third party programs available allowing players to “cheat” in the game. Most specifically, bots. Also, there are characters created with the sole purpose of amassing large amounts of the game’s money, or gil, for sell on the internet for -real- money. Often, there is a combination of the two (in the form of Fishing Bots). So what are the moral implications of buying gil/items online with real money and/or operating a bot in the game? This is probably one of the most heated debates relating to FFXI. A good example of one such debate can be found on the Allakhazam.com forums.
It is fact that the operation of a bot on the game is illegal (as stated by the Terms of Service and EULA for the game), however, there is (apparently) nothing expressly illegal concerning the purchase of anything, relating to the game, from an outside, third-party source, ie: website (of which has clearly used a bot to generate their product). By purchasing gil online, you are supporting illegal habits and methods prevalent in the game, and therefore (in my opinion) are considered immoral. Should a criminal rob a bank and then give you a cut of the money, you are no more innocent of the crime than the robber himself. Especially if you knew of how it came to be in his possession in the first place.
Legality aside, the motive for purchasing gil is the more egregious offense. By purchasing gil, you are circumventing the purpose of the game - that being the experience of playing the game. Your play is rewarded by the items and gil that is dropped in the game. Your play gives you the experience needed to be an affective, and contributing, member of the society that exists in the game. If you have gained your level/equipment/money via means outside of the games purpose, you can -NOT- be an affective player. You are a hinderance on the other players of the game. So despite the gil sellers performing illegal actions, it is actually the gil buyers (by their support and lack of play) who are performing the immoral behavior. They are saying that gil farming is ok, which in turn says that my poor gaming experience, as a result of gil farming, is not an issue.
FFXI is there, as a game, for your enjoyment and as a means of entertainment. If you forgo all the processes, by purchasing stuff online, then there is no reason for you to be playing the game. To those people I say, “Please delete your character and make room on the server for those who can and are actually trying to play the game.”
In happier news: SPeCks 3.3
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
804|4
Today is my birthday. I am 29. A real 29. Not one of those 5th anniversaries of being 29, either. So, yeah… my birthday.
I am honestly not one for big celebrations of my birthday. I don’t dread getting older and having one day that specifically signifies it, but I just don’t get all into celebrating it. Milestone birthdays can be different. 29th birthdays… not so much. Oddly enough, it feels like I was 28 for a lot longer than just a year, too. Either the year took forever to finish out, or I was incredibly bored for a good portion of it. I tell you what, though, these last 4 months have just blown by. Says something about my job, I think. Time flies when you’re having fun.
Of course, as birthdays go, gifts can, and often are involved. No exception here. However, I am not one for being materialistic. I feel a bit guilty to get gifts for something as trivial as surviving another year. “Here! You’re still alive! Isn’t that fantastic? Have a Sony Universal Remote!” But sometimes you get gifts you don’t really expect or think about and those seem… nicer. I have received one so far. From my wife. For all intent and purposes, it might as well be the only gift I will get, cuz I may not remember what others give me — no offense. The -new- 40GB iPod. And so far, it is awesome. I mean really awesome. My only concern is that my grimy paws are muckin’ up the kewl metal surface of it. Gonna have to whip out the Oakley microfiber cloth to clean it up. I have 302 songs on it now. On shuffle. God, it’s sweet!
Speaking of Oakley (weird tangent, I know), a long time ago — about the time I was first getting paychecks — I used to buy these sunglasses without question. The first pair I got were Eye Jackets. Due to manufacture defects in the ear pieces, they broke. Two pairs. No more dumpin’ my money on those. So then I move to the Titanium (not sure if that is what they were called back then, closest to them now is the T-Wire). Those got stolen. That really made me made, cuz they were hella expensive. After that, I just stuck to $10 glasses. And you know what - no breakage, no stealing, long lasting useful sunglasses is what I had. Then while working as a waiter, someone happened to leave their sunglasses at the restaurant. Nice sunglasses. Oakley Straight Jackets. You know what happens to sunglasses left at restaurants for a couple of days? First come, first serve, baby! Guess who first come. Karma paid me back. Took a while, but I have now been the proud owner of someone else’s Oakleys for the last, oh… 8 months.
Happy Birthday to me! And while I am at it, Happy b-lated to my cousin (Aug. 3rd) and happy birthday to his mom (Aug. 5th). I should get a tattoo… I’m old enough to start trying to reclaim my youth, right?
America has a new team — and it looks like they putting more than the “F” in Freedom.
I am honestly not one for big celebrations of my birthday. I don’t dread getting older and having one day that specifically signifies it, but I just don’t get all into celebrating it. Milestone birthdays can be different. 29th birthdays… not so much. Oddly enough, it feels like I was 28 for a lot longer than just a year, too. Either the year took forever to finish out, or I was incredibly bored for a good portion of it. I tell you what, though, these last 4 months have just blown by. Says something about my job, I think. Time flies when you’re having fun.
Of course, as birthdays go, gifts can, and often are involved. No exception here. However, I am not one for being materialistic. I feel a bit guilty to get gifts for something as trivial as surviving another year. “Here! You’re still alive! Isn’t that fantastic? Have a Sony Universal Remote!” But sometimes you get gifts you don’t really expect or think about and those seem… nicer. I have received one so far. From my wife. For all intent and purposes, it might as well be the only gift I will get, cuz I may not remember what others give me — no offense. The -new- 40GB iPod. And so far, it is awesome. I mean really awesome. My only concern is that my grimy paws are muckin’ up the kewl metal surface of it. Gonna have to whip out the Oakley microfiber cloth to clean it up. I have 302 songs on it now. On shuffle. God, it’s sweet!
Speaking of Oakley (weird tangent, I know), a long time ago — about the time I was first getting paychecks — I used to buy these sunglasses without question. The first pair I got were Eye Jackets. Due to manufacture defects in the ear pieces, they broke. Two pairs. No more dumpin’ my money on those. So then I move to the Titanium (not sure if that is what they were called back then, closest to them now is the T-Wire). Those got stolen. That really made me made, cuz they were hella expensive. After that, I just stuck to $10 glasses. And you know what - no breakage, no stealing, long lasting useful sunglasses is what I had. Then while working as a waiter, someone happened to leave their sunglasses at the restaurant. Nice sunglasses. Oakley Straight Jackets. You know what happens to sunglasses left at restaurants for a couple of days? First come, first serve, baby! Guess who first come. Karma paid me back. Took a while, but I have now been the proud owner of someone else’s Oakleys for the last, oh… 8 months.
Happy Birthday to me! And while I am at it, Happy b-lated to my cousin (Aug. 3rd) and happy birthday to his mom (Aug. 5th). I should get a tattoo… I’m old enough to start trying to reclaim my youth, right?
America has a new team — and it looks like they putting more than the “F” in Freedom.
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Further Font Findings
I am not nearly as knowledgeable of type as I would like to be. There are several designers out there that have a greater grasp (borderline obsession) of typography in comparison. But I am not here to compare myself to those designers. Only state that there are those out there more knowledgeable and my desire to attain a greater vocabulary of type.
I had mentioned before that I had interest in some fonts offered by Fountain. They are classic serifs that are dignified and clean. At least to me. I have mentioned other type offerings, such as Scala, that I would like to enrich my library with. I have recently discovered further offerings by Hoefler & Frere-Jones Typography, namely, Requiem. A beautiful specimen. Most particularly, the Y. I have mentioned my excessive use of Minion. I am sure at one point or another I expressed my fondness for Pontifex. These are all very nice, clean, readable serifs.
So what does this mean? I believe it means I enjoy the classical, elegant fonts available to designers. Oddly, there are just as equally beautiful sans-serifs that are not on my immediate favorites list, though I do have favorites among them. Officina, for example. Should H&FJ release Retina, no doubt I will be in search of funds to acquire it. What I like most about the serif fonts is that they seem to have more character, more effort in their design. Readability (not necessarily legibility) aside, they also give a better feeling for the piece in which they are used.
Salad Fingers is an excessively disturbing series created by a clearly deranged individual. Worse than a train wreck and certainly viewed at your own risk.
I had mentioned before that I had interest in some fonts offered by Fountain. They are classic serifs that are dignified and clean. At least to me. I have mentioned other type offerings, such as Scala, that I would like to enrich my library with. I have recently discovered further offerings by Hoefler & Frere-Jones Typography, namely, Requiem. A beautiful specimen. Most particularly, the Y. I have mentioned my excessive use of Minion. I am sure at one point or another I expressed my fondness for Pontifex. These are all very nice, clean, readable serifs.
So what does this mean? I believe it means I enjoy the classical, elegant fonts available to designers. Oddly, there are just as equally beautiful sans-serifs that are not on my immediate favorites list, though I do have favorites among them. Officina, for example. Should H&FJ release Retina, no doubt I will be in search of funds to acquire it. What I like most about the serif fonts is that they seem to have more character, more effort in their design. Readability (not necessarily legibility) aside, they also give a better feeling for the piece in which they are used.
Salad Fingers is an excessively disturbing series created by a clearly deranged individual. Worse than a train wreck and certainly viewed at your own risk.
Monday, August 02, 2004
More Designs
IMG01 of One Track Mind is now up. Not really concerned with how this one gets rated. I just want to see how this conversation goes, really. I wish Scoab would reply to As Seen On TV but I don't want to rush him. I am not even sure when he visited the site last.
I got my haircut yesterday. Rather short too. It’s a little shorter on top than I like, but it doesn’t look bad. I give off a bit of a military air now. Could come in handy when I don’t get exact change at the local 7-11. Meh, it’s August, so it’s all good.
I am working on the second page of SPeCks #3. It should be up before tomorrow. So look out for it sometime this evening, maybe.
You know this has happened to you before, but this poor idiot… the glass isn’t even all that clean.
I got my haircut yesterday. Rather short too. It’s a little shorter on top than I like, but it doesn’t look bad. I give off a bit of a military air now. Could come in handy when I don’t get exact change at the local 7-11. Meh, it’s August, so it’s all good.
I am working on the second page of SPeCks #3. It should be up before tomorrow. So look out for it sometime this evening, maybe.
You know this has happened to you before, but this poor idiot… the glass isn’t even all that clean.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Back To School?
As a web designer, I make the designs/look/feel for a website. As a web developer, I try to implement those designs to be viewed whenever you go to www.kewlsite.com, or whatever. I am not as good a developer as I would like. This isn’t self-deprecating, it is just fact that I do not possess the multitudes of coding vocabulary I need to develop a site appropriately. I have designed and built some award winning sites in the past, but I designed them with the knowledge I would have to develop them. So the designs are beautiful in their simplicity. I used a ton of tables, too.
Now, however, I am designing sites that require accessibility and more compliant and flexible coding. This is the part where I am not 100% on yet. I know a couple of tricks. I know a lot of theory. I know a good deal about what is wrong and what is right with the web. What I am still shaky on, is the actual development part. This will have to change. As I work for an education based state agency, I should be able to find education in web development. [As a side note - there is a HUGE difference between development and design. It takes two, distinctly different mindsets. Those mindsets can, and often do, work very well together. But, much like the tango, it takes both to perform the deed.]
With that said, today starts my research on getting into a relevant course of study for web development and, most likely, a class on Flash (as that is something I am instructed to learn). And it looks like Monday will be the day that most of it gets hashed out.
Some inspiration for a more active pursuit of this was found at StopDesign with regard to his charitable rebuild of Microsoft’s website.
Though based in the UK, this is very important and useful information on emergency awareness.
Now, however, I am designing sites that require accessibility and more compliant and flexible coding. This is the part where I am not 100% on yet. I know a couple of tricks. I know a lot of theory. I know a good deal about what is wrong and what is right with the web. What I am still shaky on, is the actual development part. This will have to change. As I work for an education based state agency, I should be able to find education in web development. [As a side note - there is a HUGE difference between development and design. It takes two, distinctly different mindsets. Those mindsets can, and often do, work very well together. But, much like the tango, it takes both to perform the deed.]
With that said, today starts my research on getting into a relevant course of study for web development and, most likely, a class on Flash (as that is something I am instructed to learn). And it looks like Monday will be the day that most of it gets hashed out.
Some inspiration for a more active pursuit of this was found at StopDesign with regard to his charitable rebuild of Microsoft’s website.
Though based in the UK, this is very important and useful information on emergency awareness.
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