mzwebfreak

I don't know where else to post this, but I've been seeing really cool siggie graphics popping up left and right, and wondering if anyone had any ideas for something that might fit me...I would think that between nevernormal.com and my livejournal, people might have something to tell me to point me in the right direction...this is not a request/plea for someone to make me one, but more for me to get ideas, cuz I'm just drawing a blank on my own...any help?

I wasn't trying for more than just playing around with graphics...never wanted to be a pro...just having fun is all.Working on a siggie for around here, but haven't figured out exactly what I wanna do.

Nope, no such luck. This is a current issue going on in Hillsbourough County, spearheaded by Councilwoman Ronda Storms who feels that she does not have to, in her official capacity, condone gays and lesbians...they even took out the "cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation" out of the county human rights charter. Have they done the same about religious freedom from discrimination? Nope, and probably never will.

In my opinion, templates won't showcase what you're trying to show, which is you and what you like. I would suggest you start out simple with the layout and how many pages. Start small, and go from there...I have a simple tutorial in the website section that might be of help to you.

My personal opinion on the subject is this- Scientists know exactly where it is, but, due to the current political climate, it would be disadvantageous for them to announce where it is. The reason I think this is because, when you read what little is written about the island and when it sank, it mentions mountains to the north, west, and east. When you put that all together, including the fact many prominent people believe it to have been in or around the Atlantic, you come up with Cuba. No scientist is going to announce it, just so Castro can get all the glory and most of the gold.

Being a chick, I know there used to be a great group for either Labyrinth or The Princess Bride...anyone?

Oh, boy I sure got in late on this issue! How to respond to 8 pages of posts for and against a very controversial topic? Well, to start off, I have to agree with mimi_m about some of the things people have been saying in this thread. Um, last time I checked, homosexuality, bisexuality, or being transgender has nothing to do with a disease (i.e. being contagious), unless the contagious you're referring to is the contagiousness of multiple people coming out of the closet after one person is brave enough to do so. In my honest opinion, homosexuality (and I'll be writing about this from a fem/lesbian point of view) is something that may take years for someone to realize or no time at all. I think the atmosphere in which someone is raised does have some influence on whether or not someone feels comfortable admitting to liking someone of the same sex. I grew up in a Christian household, so it wasn't until I was away and in college that someone pointed out (and I was willing to believe and understand) that I was bisexual and was interested in my, at the time, college roommate. It's not genetic, although I do believe that we are all inherently bisexual, but are not cognitively such unless we can freely admit it and feel that that is something that we feel comfortable doing. That is not to say that I'm trying to say that everybody's gay or should be gay; only that the possibility is there in all of us. Being homosexual is something that a lot of this country is very uncomfortable with either facing or dealing with. For example, right in the Florida county I live in, the county council has approved a policy that they will not approve, advocate, or in other ways promote gay pride. I don't believe that that's right. Just because people are of a different sexual orientation than yourself does not mean that they are any less of a person, or any less of a human than yourself. I know I'm gonna get on rocky ground with this one, but even the Bible cautions people judging others without thinking first. So, basically, what I'm trying to say with that is that people need to be careful and understand that if you're going to judge people harshly based on who they prefer in bed, then you'd better be prepared to have the same magnifying glass shone on your own self. I merely do not approve of the fact that my county commissioners are saying that gays and lesbians promote "high-risk behavior" ....Um, how is gay or lesbians having sex any more high risk than heterosexuals having sex??? Last time I checked, and not to sound crude, but fluids are exchanged in all three instances. I think that those hardcore anti-homosexual groups sometimes think that they are above it all, and what they're levelling against these other groups surely doesn't apply to them, because they're better than that!

There may be cool codes for myspace profiles, such as music videos like I have on my profile, but most of the time, the css tricks usually take too long to upload, and drags out the time it takes for people to view your profile, so keeping it short and sweet will garner you more friends than if it takes them five minutes to see who messaged them.

Well, mainly what I use most of the time is Frontpage for XP, Notepad, and Photoshop CS for my graphics. I know that a lot of people have something against Frontpage, mainly for the people that use it as a crutch and don't try and work on the programming on their own. Me, I use Frontpage mostly to make sure that my layouts look all right and that the color scheme is working. I like the fact that I can edit my html right there, then switch back and check to see how it should display. (Doesn't work real well with my PHP files, but that's okay...I know how they look when they're done.) I know how to edit HTML pretty well, so when I just need to tweak something in the coding that doesn't really effect how the layout looks, I'll just fire up Notepad. I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to my designing...three programs and I'm good to go.

Well, depending on whether you're staying up late to finish a term paper with a deadline of 9 am the next morning, then yeah, some Red Bulls or 180s will help tide you over...But what people have said about adrenaline (or something close to it) does help too. I have found myself on a roll with website layouts and glanced at the clock only to realize that it's 3 in the morning, and I have to get to work in 7 hours! I also think the ratio of enjoyment to necessity also plays a factor in how easily or hard we tend to get tired. I mean, if I'm in the middle of playing around with Photoshop and having a grand ol' time at it, I'm less likely to notice the time then if it's the 11th hour, and I HAVE to get this project done TONIGHT. But, if you know you're in for a long night, make sure to stock up on lots of protein, such as nuts, meats, and cheeses, since these will have long extending energy reserves, which means you're not going to have to rely so much on hyping your system up on caffiene.

I have to say I pretty much agree with what everybody's been saying about the pros of having an external style sheet, though I think most people are thinking about this in terms of sites probably 15-20 webpages in span. Me, I have at least four or five of my sites that number 50+ pages....external style sheets REALLY come in handy there, although it could be said to be a toss up if you're intergrating PHP coding into the layout in which you're using style sheets. I dunno...what do ya'll think? Do style sheets work better externally when working with a PHP format, or do they work better internally?

One other thing that I have yet to see mentioned is the fact that one of the biggest things you can do to help speed up download time is to save graphics for the web, and I generally either use JPEG or GIF medium, because that way the graphic is still readable, but it's sometimes smaller than if you saved it the normal way, so it takes less time.

Another thing along these lines, although more for bandwidth thieves than hackers, is to have hotlink protection enabled....I went to check it out today, and found 5 myspace profiles direct linking to graphics from my websites! GA!

Also, you say you want images "at it"....did you mean in it? If so, then what you're looking for isn't with PHP, per se, but more along the lines of an image map, where you have a graphic with links to different things, that those links could be to PHP pages, but you don't necessarily need PHP to do it....or were you trying to say something else?

Personally, I have found php a lot easier to work with for my web design than asp. As I describe it to my friends, PHP is kinda like HTML on acid. I like the way that you can have a big site basically divided into ten PHP pages or so, and it's easier to edit when you're changing the layout. I mean, when I want to change nevernormal.com, I make the basic layout in a div layer oriented HTML page, and then copy and paste the pertinent sections into the index.php file, the header.inc file, and the footer.inc file, and I'm basically done, since the content pages all have the INCLUDE header and footer tags there....a heck of a lot easier than having a tables or div layout with simply HTML...I'd spend twice or three times as much time on one site if that was the case.So, like I was saying, I prefer PHP because it's easier for me, a relative novice in these kind of scripts, to be able to get my layout across without too many problems.

I dunno which I like better, the first one for its simplicity or the third one for adding a bit of something to draw your eyes towards the text. But I love the graphic(s) you've got for the background....looks like something my brother would enjoy making.

Needed: Photoshop 7 or higher (can also use PSP) 1. Select a graphic to use, generally one with large graphics instead of small details 2. Go to the Layer tab> Duplicate Layer 3. Go to the Filter tab> Texture> Patchwork with Square size 4 and Relief of 8 4. Go to the Filter tab> Blur> Motion Blur with an angle of -35 (35 degrees) and a distance of 100 pixels 5. Then, on the Layers tab (or Windows tab> Layers), have that pixelated layer highlighted and then do 55% opacity. 6. Save and show off to the world: NOTE: You can always modify the angle and distance of the motion blur, as well as that of the opacity. It all depends on the kind of graphic you're using and the effect you're trying to get.

Was trying to intergrate more of a php-friendly layout for my fansite collective, and was wondering what ya'll think. (As for checking it out for those interested parties, it can be found here.)

In my opinion, I think part of the reason why the media "forces" sterotypes (an di"m not trying to use this as a justification, mind you) is that that is the general trend they were taught when they were in journalism school, because, as far as I know from mathematics, the main people in "power", as it were, in journalism, were just learning how to do it in the 50s and 60s, during the height of the civil rights movement, and the newscasters of that day probably wanted to ingrain in those impressionable minds that the blacks were the reason for all the evil in the country, so that they should focus on what the blacks were doing wrong, and what the whites were doing right. I'm not trying to put this out as a blanket statement or anything, but I do believe this attitude went into the way broadcasters were taught back then. Now, no I don't believe that the media today would show up the black negligence more than the white, if only for fear of an ACLU lawsuit. And no, I don't believe that Cosby is the main one to be hawking high priced merchandise in ads aimed at blacks. As far as I know, the only ads I remember seeing him in were for Jello pudding....since when is THAT high priced?

Like it says before, it was Photoshop CS, tho you can do the same thing in Version 7 too. Was just playing around with a graphic of my friend Alanna, and my boyfriend Rich had a few ideas, and this was the result.

Needed: Photoshop 7 or higher (can also use PSP) 1. Select a graphic to use, generally one with large graphics instead of small details 2. Go to the Layer tab> Duplicate Layer 3. Go to the Filter tab> Texture> Patchwork with Square size 4 and Relief of 8 4. Go to the Filter tab> Blur> Motion Blur with an angle of -35 (35 degrees) and a distance of 100 pixels 5. Then, on the Layers tab (or Windows tab> Layers), have that pixelated layer highlighted and then do 55% opacity. 6. Save and show off to the world: NOTE: You can always modify the angle and distance of the motion blur, as well as that of the opacity. It all depends on the kind of graphic you're using and the effect you're trying to get.

One BIG problem I've come across when checking sites for various things is the AnNoYiNg HaBiT people have of doing that kinda type, especially when you see in on the ENTIRE SITE!!! But yeah, that and definitely, as was mentioned earlier, don't embed the music on the site. I've seen way too many sites where the layout and navigation is great and well thought out and it's got this annoying song playing in the background on every page.

Okay, not sure if anyone remembers, but about a year ago, Bill Cosby spoke during the 50th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. He chastied black Americans who are dishonoring those who fouhgt hard to tear down barriers by not "holding their end in this deal". This lead many liberal critics to take shots at Cosby for his failure to acknowledge the "systematic injustices" and "structrual barriers" that contribute to the problems of the black poor. Now there's this University of PA professor, and acclaimed "hip-hop intellectual" taking potshots at both the messenger and the message with his new book Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?. He criticizes for "mean spirited characterizations of the black poor" and when asked during an interview why Cosby's message seems so popular, he said "None of us want our children to be murderers or thieves. But he (Cosby) never acknowledges that most poor blacks don't have a choice about these things." Excuse me? Since when does the color of your skin and/or your monetary abilities determine what will happen to you and/or what you decide to do with your life. Yes, granted, there is a heightened chance of you going the easy route whenever you can, but that doesn't mean the choice is not still there. I'm sorry if this pisses people off, but I agree with what Cosby said. Don't take a copout and try and say "oh, I'm black and poor. I don't have any choice." We're human beings- there's ALWAYS a choice. But, some people would just be more comfortable with saying it's not their fault rather than accept responsibility for their lives and their futures. I'm sorry, but I just read the book last week, and I'm tempted to just burn the darn thing.

What I mean by help from my boyfriend is that he told me which pics would look the best where...I did the rest...I do amatuer graphics/web design for fun...my site's at NeverNormal.com I love working with graphics and playing around on Photoshop CS whenever I have a couple minutes.

I'm sorry that you're having to go through all of this. Speaking from personal experience, alcohol never really solves any problems- it just seems to make them go away for a little while, but then they come back bigger and badder. And yes, alcohol does have a tendency to bring out the worst in people. The one thing I fear from reading your post is the apparent emotional abuse he's lashed out at your mom. He's probably told her the usual song and dance about how he's the best she deserves and all that bs, but you need to show her that that's not the case and that you love her and you want the best for her. If you can, see if she can stay with a friend for a while or something, because it seems like the philandering *BLEEP* only came crying back to your mother because the other woman is making noises about what he needs to do for his new child or something along those lines. Either way, you and your mom need to get out of this potentially volatile situation!