Recently, I stumbled into an intriguing area of computing: skinning the Windows GUI. Now, I went nuts for a while, downloading every theme by KoL off of deviantART, grabbing StyleXP, evaluating if it really did use the same amount of system resources as the normal GUI, and generally having a field day. Actually, once I had selected a theme I liked, I chose to disable StyleXPService.exe in control panel > administrative tools > services in order to remove all remnants of the program running in the background. (Edit: Disabling StyleXPService.exe does save about 2 megs of background memory, but when you restart your computer, things are no longer skinned. I will live with it running in the background, then.) Now, I truly feel comfortable with the GUI skinning. After trying many themes, I eventually decided to skin the computer to look like a bit like OS X. This decision was not based on any conscious preference between the Apple and Windows operating system appearances, I simply liked the way that the “Smooth Stripes 4” scheme had been implemented. In fact, I liked it so much so that I moved the taskbar to the top of the screen, to match the style I saw in the screen shots of the skins.
For a while, it was good. The start menu was up top, I occasionally missed and hit the clock instead of the windows’ “x,” but things looked lovely. I realized something was missing. Where was my dock? How on earth could I emulate a dock on Windows?
Enter Y’z dock. Quick research yielded exactly the information I wanted. That is, Y’z dock so closely emulates the functionality of the Mac OS X dock, that the developer of the program was sent a cease and desist order by Apple. Thus, it took some work to track down this bit of software (and for legal reasons, I can not tell you whether I actually found it). Speaking hypothetically, then, Y’z dock is a fantastic program. Using the resources at dockEX, one can add weather and other great functions onto the dock. Therefore, one could theoretically clear off one’s entire desktop (and quicklaunch bar), move program shortcuts to the dock, and move the trash and my computer shortcuts as well. Once again, deviantART was an invaluable resources for the icon files, although I made my own AT&T globe icon using a vector version of the logo and saving it as a *.tiff file. You can make all of your own icons, if you want. Furthermore, the dock can live on the top, bottom, left, or right side of your screen. From left to right: AOLIM, Recycle Bin, weather, clock.
Hold on, there was one more thing to do. Look closely at the text on tumbledry right now. If you are on a Windows machine you will see jagged edges on fonts. See how the text is composed of hard, pixelated lines? Well, Microsoft and Apple did, too. Apple’s solution to this jagged text problem is on by default in their operating system, Microsoft’s solution is off by default. Try turning it on once: I dare you. Here’s how: right click on the desktop > properties > apperance tab > effects. Under the heading “Use the following method to smooth the edges of screen fonts,” select the “ClearType” option. Click OK and then Apply. Windows will pause for a moment, and then things will look different. Notice the edges of text. Take special note of fonts such as Times New Roman - try chatting on your favorite software, you’ll definitely notice a difference. Now, this ClearType method has not been perfected, but in the long run it is designed to make text easier to read. Do your eyes a favor and try it for a day. Trust me, it does take some getting used to, but once you do, the difference is amazing. Reading is easier, your eyes fatigue much more slowly, and things simply look cleaner.
Regardless, I sincerely hope I convinced you to try at least one thing: StyleXP, Y’z dock, or at least ClearType (if only for a little bit). It is a sin that so many people work on machines that look the exactly the same. Individuality and variety are the “spices of life,” and they should be present not only on our real workspaces, but also in our virtual ones.
How much do I have to plead with the college paper writers out there? How much do I have to explain about readability, fonts designed for the screen, and resolution to get my point across? Arial does not print well. Please, please, gets down and knees and continues please, please use a different font. Maybe it will be Times New Roman. That is fine - that font was inspired by a font used for printing. Arial is designed to look good at 72 pixels per inch (your friendly local computer monitor). On the other hand, the effective resolution for a printer is far higher - and thus printing opens up a whole other world of font possiblities.
Franklin Gothic is one of the most popular sans serif fonts ever produced. It was designed by the famous type designer Morris Fuller Benton in 1903. The font was named for Benjamin Franklin.
In spite of its long history, Franklin Gothic is still a standard choice for use in newspapers and advertising. It is also frequently seen in posters, placards, and any place with space restrictions.
Now, I could open up Pandora’s box and start in with a debate between the readability of serif and sans-serif fonts, but all I am saying is this: Arial is the son of a turbulent marriage between Franklin Gothic and the ugly Monitor.
Notice the gracefulness with which the parts of the letters are joined? To my untrained eye, Franklin Gothic Book simply looks better proportioned and easier on the eyes. So, given the choice, please choose wisely.
It had been a good series of pool, though I do not recall who won more games. We climbed the stairs slowly, the realization that the night was over slowly sinking in. But then, “Oh I remember you - you’re the tooth guy!” she said, bounding onto the second floor landing and giving me one of those awkward one-arm hugs that are so popular with women nowadays. I smiled and replied with an affirmative, struggling to raise my voice to the same level of excitement that her Friday night inebriation brought. They had been at the dance, and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. “One party,” I thought, “just one before the year is over.” The college experience is so very different for everyone; I do wonder what the next four years will bring.
“So are you going to ask her?” Erin inquired about a girl who has not yet associated me with teeth. She knew that I would change the subject at the first chance I got. I asked myself the same question, and wondered why I had not done anything yet. “Well, I know I should, but what about the girl in Shakespeare?” She looked quizzically at me for a moment. “What?” It’s official I realized, I lost track of who I have talked to about who. Shame on me.
And so it goes: we traded stories with one another about life and the other gender. Why hasn’t somebody written a decent book on this? Magazines are worthwhile for gossip, business, and news - but not for personal advice. (Pick up Seventeen and find something worthwhile about interpersonal relationships, I dare you.) I’m not requesting a manual, but at least a decent retrospective about the joyous confusion that is dating. The lack of a book could be because everyone’s experience is so different — but the lack is still surprising considering the phenomenon of romantic comedies. These movies address so many different aspects of dating: who can’t relate to having a violent crush, or bombing a date, or feeling they got more in someone than they deserved? And who can’t learn a little more about their own situation by watching?
If you call them “chick flicks” I will probably punch you. It’s your right to think that, and mine to physically convince you otherwise.
Selfish and boring as my rambling re:women may seem, I must remind you that writing a blog is a balance between many things; a balance I have not yet achieved. Bear with me as I pursue the traffic of Zeldman, the helpfulness of SimpleBits, the elegance of What Do I Know, and the pure, unadultered, kick-butt writing of Paul Ford.
First, I would like to begin with a simple statement: I love Parmesan and Garlic Cheez-Its. The reason for this love absolutely baffles me. Parmesan tastes average on pasta, I never really enjoy garlic, and Cheez-It’s, while good, really are not a passion of mine. In this unique snack food, however, the whole is much more than the sum of the parts. Let’s be honest, these things are nothing short of tremendous. John (who recently promised to give me a box) would say they are nothing short of tremendously awful, but this isn’t about him. Try them, you will find the combination nothing short of awe-inspiring. It’s like an all-expenses paid vacation for your taste buds. It’s like you just kissed some really awesome girl (unless you are a woman, then it’s like you just kissed a guy who’s not a moron, not that women have lower expectations, but let’s face it - guys who aren’t morons are hard enough to find), and you are so happy that you found someone right for you. Of course, we also assume that, pre-kiss, you both ate the Cheez-Its, because garlic (and its evil partner in halitosis crime, parmesan) are violently disgusting when experienced second-hand. There’s a parade around your teeth of happy chunks of food and frolicking parts of your tongue, and fountains of saliva burst like geysers, showering everything with a river of joy. There’s confetti, a ticker-tape parade, and a drumline: all inside your mouth. And that is just the first bite.
For those of you who enjoy being depressed and want to rain on my parade, you may visit the nutrition facts.
Second, I must mention Matthew’s food poisoning. In a bout of bad food that trumps even the worst days at my own college, he managed to get violently ill from cafeteria food. He recounts the tale:
me (6:30:41 PM): ok so
me (6:30:44 PM): lettuce and what else was bad?
matthew (6:30:52 PM): chicken
matthew (6:30:58 PM): both the lettuce and the chicken i am pretty sure
matthew (6:31:04 PM): i just cant believe how pissed i am
me (6:31:42 PM): eew
me (6:31:48 PM): did you notice after a couple bites?
matthew (6:31:50 PM): i know
matthew (6:31:55 PM): nope
matthew (6:31:55 PM): not at all
matthew (6:31:58 PM): i ate the entire thing
matthew (6:32:00 PM): and i was like
matthew (6:32:02 PM): that was the best salad ever
matthew (6:32:04 PM): wow
matthew (6:32:06 PM): and then today
matthew (6:32:06 PM): i woke up
matthew (6:32:09 PM): and i was like
matthew (6:32:09 PM): der
matthew (6:32:11 PM): uh
matthew (6:32:11 PM): i feel weird
matthew (6:32:18 PM): vomit vomit
I would not wish that on anyone. Ok, I might wish it on a couple people, but probably only under circumstances of extreme duress. Some advice to avoid food poisoning:
Stank or mold: it’s too old.
When in doubt, throw it out.
Dripping red meat, go out to eat.
Milk with curdles makes you spurtle.
Third, and finally, my picture. I happen to have quite direct access to a steep fifth floor roof by climbing out my window. Fortuitously, I also happen to have access to a camera, a tripod, and a friend (Dan) who watches for public safety while I journey onto the roof. A few nights ago, I had a moderately good idea: a moon picture from the roof. “I need you to watch for public safety while I go to the peak,” I explained, thinking to myself that I had not made it that high up before. “No problem,” Dan replied, looking for an opportunity to break up the monotony of homework. So, I wrapped the camera strap many times around my wrist (if the camera goes, I go with it), and headed out.
The ascent was pretty straightforward; I kept my eyes down on the tar shingles, and my body low. It was quite dark, and as I dislodged small rocks from the roof, I could hear them bounce, skitter, and drop off into a five story free fall. I had been smart enough (keep in mind any intelligence in this situation is relative) to set the tripod height before hand, so it was a two second job to perch it over the peak of the roof. Three legs down, camera aimed, check viewfinder. Uh oh. I forgot to turn it on. I slowly raised myself to a standing position in order to see the button and accidentally looked out over where I was. Steep angles of blackness all over, and a television antenna fifty feet from where I was along the peak. The wind whipped around and I immediately dropped down again, realizing that one slip backwards meant a one story tumble down shingles followed by a bash on the head by the gutter and then a silent drop of doom. A pebble skittered down on my left, and I sensed it just miss the gutter as it sailed to the parking lot below.
My horizon had been redefined: there was the peak, impossibly steep drops on all sides, and a foreboding line delineating the border between roof and empty air. I rose and checked the viewfinder. No moon. Cranked around on the settings for a bit and brought a white dinner plate into sharp focus. Glad I learned how to use the tripod in the dark. Checked the exposure: one second would have to do. A quick mechanical ‘click’ and the shot was done. I do not actually remember collapsing the tripod or turning around, but suddenly I found myself looking down at my window, which was impossibly far below me. I inched my way back down slowly, coefficients of friction from basic physics racing through my head. “If I fall, I’ll at least hit my window first” I thought, as I crept down. The opening to my window happens to be quite close to the edge of the roof, something I had not noticed when I climbed out. “Dan?” I asked hesitantly, “Can you take the camera?” He pulled it in and I immediately grabbed a firm hold of the plaster overhang by the window. All I could think was, “If I fall now, I’m really a moron.” Back in. Safe. Aches all over: knees felt like they had been hit with baseball bats. Heart rate slowing, wondering how the picture turned out.
A rooftop sunset picture is not out of the question.
Naming this site consisted of serious agony. I asked myself what was catchy, what I could live with for an indefinite amount of time, what people could easily remember, what was taken, and what feeling I wanted to convey. I asked myself if spelling and pronunciation were major issues and again, if I could stand the name for any length of time. I said them all aloud, narrowed the list, poured over books of phrases, and sat up nights putting together combinations of words. In the end, I was surrounded by notebook papers full of words, post-it notes with phrases, and planner pages torn out to capture moments of inspiration. Looking back on it, I realize the process is exactly what parents go through when naming their children. You have something you created, whose exact personality and characteristics you don’t yet know, and you would like to give it a fitting moniker.
The challenge of naming is immense.
I can not tell you why I picked the name I did. It is not as sleek sounding (or original) as I would have liked, but at the same time it has grown on me. Thankfully, people can and do remember it, and have no trouble spelling it. In the same way children grow to fit their name, I hope tumbledry does the same. I am going to have a heck of a time naming my children.
At Dr. Pamela Erickson’s office, they said the open environment, where the four main chairs in the pediatric dental office were installed, contributed to a greater cooperation by the kids. They said things like this mattered. I listened in one ear while thinking “Yeah, pop psychology is all that is.” Then today, I saw a wide-eyed four year old hesitantly walk beyond her mother’s reach and gaze around the room, inquisitively searching for anything familiar. Then, two chairs over, she saw a boy her age, calmly waiting for his fluoride treatment to be completed. Immediately she stopped fidgeting and looked completely at ease. I smiled and watched her calmly climb into the chair. She took a bit to pick out her prize.
Of course, I simply saw some routine cleanings today; pediatric dentistry is an entirely different bag of tricks when you have to use needles and drills inside the mouth of a person who has only recently learned to use the bathroom on their own. Despite the sheltered view I got, treating children would be very fulfilling. It is another area to consider in this field. In this past month, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and am leaning more and more towards dentistry. Obviously, I have some major hurdles to examine; EE and dental school preparation do not play well together, but I think anyone would agree: seeing your goals in front of you and working towards them is a most satisfying feeling.
It was a landmark day today. The Binz Refectory offered two distinct and separate dishes that were both worth eating. Upon seeing the two gloriously appetizing choices, I dropped to my knees and mouthed words of thanks to some god smiling upon me. I cursed my stomach for failing to be hungrier, but still enjoyed a fantastic dinner. I feel it is my obligation, in my continuing quest to accurately portray the Binz, to show you a less sinister side of college food. Indeed, you do not always have to eat food that just takes up space in your stomach and gives it something to do. Nay, good friends, sometimes you can find yourself enjoying eating. Furthermore, last night brought with it warm cookies. Yes, no hardened frosting on old cake but warm, oven-fresh, gooey, delectable cookies; delivered with a smile by Erin and Mara.
At this late point in the 2003-2004 school year, it may be useless speculation as to why the food has improved. However, I think the phenomenon is directly related to the need to use up food in preparation for the end of the year. Regardless, the Binz and I have reached a shaky truce; hopefully any further culinary surprises will yield entertainment value as well.
Last weekend, the library was giving away books. In fact, they had an entire room of free literary goodness. Browsing through yielded a very interesting book on color (ironically, printed mostly in black and white), a book about the cathedrals of England, and two novels. I grabbed a couple of books about the Roman Empire for Dan. Thankfully, none of them were particularly massive tomes, as I only have one strap remaining on my backpack.
In fact, I’ve been getting a surprisingly large number of things for free lately. I recently attended the Star of the North dental convention and now find myself stocked with toothbrushes, floss, and a fantastic new kind of Crest. I went into the convention feeling slightly quite informed but curious nonetheless. Hesitantly, I walked up to the counter to get my badge scanned and verified. Seeing the “guest” designation on my paperwork, the coordinator made small-talk, “So, is your wife a dentist?” Slightly non-plussed, I stumbled through an explanation of my affiliation with the pre-dental co-op program. She smiled and mentioned that she gets dental work done at the U of M. I thanked her and walked away, wondering if everyone was making the same assumption she had about my marital status.
This entire pre-dental program has been a new experience for me: seeing the U’s health campus up close and personal, observing at endo, ortho, pediatric, and general dentistry clinics, and even touring a dental lab. It has been a whirlwind of last-minute Mapquest research, hand-shaking, learning, and scheduling. But most of all, it has nudged me closer and closer to seriously committing to dentistry as the focus of my next 7 years of school. It has been an invaluable experience, helping me to know myself better.
One of the biggest turning points in my thoughts occurred just yesterday during the tour of the school. We talked to first, second, and fourth year students and we got a very clear picture of what it was like to be enrolled and what registration was like. Thankfully, the four-and-a-half hour visit fit quite well into my schedule, with the exception of me missing a little physics. In fact, our physics teacher professor Lane has recently become quite a bit more articulate, attentive, and helpful in class. This past Sunday his daughter died from cancer. While I know this sounds strange, I think he had seen her suffer for so long (she was in a coma at the end), that it was nothing but relief to see her suffering end. I think he went through the entire grieving process and acceptance, because she was only technically alive. So, I came up to him Wednesday and asked if I could take the quiz on Thursday, as I would be missing some class time due to the tour. “Well, I have a daughter to bury on Thursday, so I won’t be here on campus.” Completely knocked over, a simple “oh” escaped my mouth, followed shortly by “ok.” I returned to my chair and promptly began to feel like a horrible person. I am sure he had heard “I’m sorry” enough, so I didn’t offer my condolences or my sympathy. He’s my physics teacher after all. But the event gave me a perspective. No matter what I do with the rest of my life, whether I scamper off and become and electrical engineer, or if I become a dentist, the most important thing will still be family. Parents shouldn’t bury their children; I wouldn’t wish what happened to my professor on anyone.
There they were, just chilling on my potatoes, like everything was normal. Sure, they looked and smelled like pine needles. I knew they couldn’t be though - that would be too exotic and expensive. Investigation proved that they were Rosemary. On potatoes. “It’s supposed to go on meat,” I wanted to scream, but restrained myself, sullenly scraping the offending weirdness from my otherwise normal dish. “I suppose this isn’t bad enough to count for part 2,” I muttered under my breath as I looked around for something with which to cleanse my mouth. That’s great: offending food that’s just bad enough to make a boring story. I shoved the spuds aside and made myself a white bread and American cheese sandwhich. Yum, processed goodness.
Unwilling to only post the previous story, I knew the Binz would pull through and give me something to share. Sure enough, only days later, I got my wish. We occasionally are served bratwurst topped with white cheese and red saurce on a large hot-dog’ish bun. This is pretty tasty, one does not see much griping and/or whining over this offering. When it was served, however, I took the brat out and ate the remaining Italian goodness. This action struck me as strange: I’m not the type of person that goes around dissecting their food prior to consumption. This time, I must have had a premonition. While munching on the meat-free results of my handiwork, my eyes drifted from the paper to the meat. Uh oh. Human hair. Whoops. Not mine. Simply sitting there, with impunity, as if old grayish hairs always accompany German meat products. Surprisingly, I did not lose my appetite. I rationalized with myself, “It’s just a hair, you just don’t know who’s it is, where it has been, how it got there, or how many others you have eaten.” Failing to make myself feel better, I resumed eating and began to consider pre-meal rites of cleansing.
Going through and categorizing nearly 300 old entries from my past online years, I realized how much I write about what is going on in my life. The “life” category holds, by far, the greatest number of updates. I also realized how incredibly unfocussed and random some of my posts were. For this reason, I think I need to do two things. First, I need to focus my posts and narrow them down to at least one broad topic. Scattering random bits throughout each post makes them exceedingly difficult to categorize. Obviously, the life category is pretty broad so I split it up into three different categories. “Life” contains daily happenings whereas “event” contains landmark moments, holidays, and large life changes. That way, one can easily browse the ordinary and the extraordinary events in my life. Finally, there is a “contemplation” category in which questions are explicit or explicit. These contemplation posts that find me grappling with big questions occur with surprising frequency. Other categories, like technology, website updates, and webdesign have been added as needed. Shortly, you will see an option in the archives to browse all old updates by category.
Secondly, I find myself really enjoying certain links. They might be jokes, resources, message boards, unbelievable designs, or simply news articles. Inevitably, the best links get passed around the blogging community so, admittedly, they are not always the most original — but they are still valuable and I would like to share them. Therefore, I am considering a sidebar of current links, to be archived in the links section. That way, you can see my recent “favorites” that I did have enough material to write a post on, but still wanted to share.
Beyond these evolutionary modifications, I am in the rough stages of a complete redesign. However, I intend to overhaul the PHP code on the output side before I attempt any radical changes in apperance.
