Categories
Miscellaneous

Tips for Webmasters

I’ve been working at the university for a little under three weeks now. I like the work, I really like the fact that I’ve learned a lot about CSS programming and sometimes I find myself just cruising away at the code and then notice it’s lunch time or the end of the day. I hate pulling myself away when I’m in the middle of some great break-through.

Today for example I learned how to implement random image headers on the top of some of the pages I’ve been fixing up. The About Lethbridge page, for example, has both the new random image code and it also integrates an embedded google map that has the University marked in relation to the world. It’s pretty cool stuff – at least it gives me a feeling of accomplishment anyway.

I usually try to post links that I think the majority of my audience will appreciate and somehow I don’t think I have a lot of web programmers visiting my site but I guess you never know. Anyway I’ve found the following tips for webmasters from the W3C very interesting and helpful in my attempt to make better webpages.

Categories
grammar

Up To Date Vs. Up-To-Date

I was just wondering when or if it is more appropriate to use hyphens when writing “up to date”. In my quick research I found this:

Re: up to date vs. up-to-date

The rule is the same as for most other compounds like this. It depends on the function in the sentence. If it is an adjective, the hyphens are preferred: up-to-date fashions, up-to-date immunizations, etc.

If the phrase follows a linking (copulative verb), the hyphens are not needed.

The immunizations were up to date.
Her fashion sense required that she always be dressed in clothes that were up to date.

Just thought I would help the world out by posting that. I guess you are now up to date on hyphen usage because of my up-to-date tip.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Hotmail User Restores Usage to 20 Million

Browsing the wikipedia I came across this little tidbit about Hotmail:

On 24 December 1999, MSN Hotmail, the free web based email service owned by Microsoft, became inaccessible for a couple of days when the domain name registration lapsed for passport.com – which Hotmail uses for user authentication.

The registration fee for the expired domain was paid by Hotmail user Michael Chaney on December 25 as a Christmas present to Microsoft and the 20 million users that were unable to access their mail.

Microsoft confirmed to Chaney a couple of days later that his $35 payment to Network Solutions did in fact solve the Hotmail outage problem. As a reward for Chaney’s quick thinking and generous move, Microsoft sent him a check for $500 and a copy of Visual Studio 6.0.

Categories
entertainment

Amazing Yo-Yo Champion

2005 Yo Yo Champ Takayasu TanakaGo ahead and take a moment to see the amazing skills of Takayasu Tanaka: 2005 Yo-Yo Champion. (QT mov)

Categories
Miscellaneous

AL-QAEDA’S Former Chief Escapes Prison

AL-QAEDA’S former South-East Asian chief, Omar al-Faruq, has escaped from a US military prison in Afghanistan. How bizarre can the war on terror get?

Categories
animation

Move Your Feet

Move Your Feet Music VideoI love the retro pixilated feel of the music video Move Your Feet.

There is a lot to admire in here including the great squash and stretch and excellent easing in and out.

It’s just another example showing that the complexity of the artwork is independent of the quality of the animation.

Categories
Miscellaneous

George Bush’s Speechwriter

I came across a video comparing George Bush’s speaking ability over ten years. Maybe his decline in sentence by sentence speaking skill isn’t because of a presenile dementia, maybe the answer is in this (comedic) video: George Bush’s Speechwriter. (QT Mov)

Categories
Miscellaneous

The Blue Ball Machine

Crazy animated gif that will keep you enthralled: The Blue Ball Machine.

Categories
animation

An Eye for Annai

Beautiful little hand drawn animation I came across today, An Eye for Annai (23.8 MB QT):

From Jonathan Klassen’s site:

This film, [An Eye for an Annai], was done by me and Dan Rodrigues in our third year at Sheridan College’s Classical Animation Program. Everything is hand drawn and animated. We coloured the animation digitally, and the backgrounds are a mix of traditional and digital. I played the recorder for the soundtrack, and the jazz music near the middle is from Louis Armstrong’s “Jeepers Creepers”. The whole film comes in at just under 5 minutes long, and we’re pretty darn proud of it. Tell your friends.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Led Zeppelin’s Least Popular Song

I thought this photo along with it’s caption was worth a laugh. Here’s my own made up lyrics:

“And when she gets there she knows
all that waiting will make her old…”