HTML Tidy looks like a useful tool. [Haven't tested it yet myself.] Discuss it in the Forums.
RFC2324: Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol (HTCPCP/1.0)
An eye on the Toronto art scene.
The History of Marvel Comics.
chiasmus: (ky-AZ-mus) n. a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases.
About.com: Focus on Mac Support
Cameron + Star Trek = CamTrek.
I normally have my browser set to accept cookies without warning, but since I've started to write more code that drops cookies I left the warning turned on for debugging purposes. And I realized something shocking: Microsoft's Hotmail drops eight cookies. I mean, one or two cookies is pretty normal, but is eight really necessary?
Zope looks like a very powerful content management system. Here's a great article about what it can do.
The ISP I co-founded in 1995 was recently bought by a larger ISP. [Boy, do I wish I'd kept those shares I owned in 1997. Oh well, lesson learned.]
CamWorld: Content Management Systems. [Commentary wanted.]
Ironminds: Laughing at the Gays. [Boy is our American society screwed up.]
Regarding this story about MediaOne's cable franchise expiring in Ann Arbor next year, here's the text of an email I sent to the city of Ann Arbor.
From the Archives: Picture I took in October 1998 in San Francisco.
Okay, after pulling my hair out for the past week or so trying figure out why my colorscheme selector wasn't working for a few people, I think I finally figured it out. Netscape has a habit of storing HTML files in its cache and returning them on a refresh, regardless of whether the user-executable bit for the file is turned on in Apache. To resolve part of this problem, go to your preferences in Netscape and set "page in cache is compared to page on network" to "Every time." If you are behind a firewall that caches files (some do, I think) there is no way around this problem except to force-reload the page to get the colorscheme to change.
Marion Zimmer Bradley, 1933-1999
Go Stewart, go.
If Qualcomm has trademarked the phrase "Go Brain Go" then why does Network Solutions/WorldNIC own the domain name?
Hmmm....interesting speech.
UofM Alum: Cam Cameron. [cool name]
Cat of the day/Dog of the day. [No comment.]
Art Prank. [Drop-dead hilarious!]
Google Query: "More evil than satan" [Look at number 1 and number 3. Hmmm....]
My brother Damien is desperately seeking a good apartment in NYC. If you're in the area, feel free to drop him a line with tips or leads.
Jerry Pournelle published Tom Neff's letter about the Microsoft Word SDI/MDI ruckus.
Here's a typeface from TestPilotCollective called Cam. [They've got some nice fonts.]
Funny, but true: Internet Humor.
Epinion: Winter in Yellowstone
Poll: What is the best piece of software ever written?
Loads and loads of wonderfully bad logos. [Boy, are these cheesy.]
Um....somebody's been reading too much Neal Stephenson.
Only from the warped minds of Network Solutions executives would come something this pathetic. But it reminded me of this cool tool.
The Oprah Winfrey Show that I turned down is airing today. Upon retrospect, I'm glad I turned down the offer to appear as a guest, now that I know who their other guests were. Notice how they spun the gist of the show from "People Who Got Fired From Their Jobs Because of the Internet" to "Should They Get Their Jobs Back?" The talks I had with their producers and the web page that was soliciting people's stories clearly were targeting Internet-related firings. Interesting.
Well, that didn't take long. I got my first Epinion spam today. [Clearly, this spammer isn't aware that the CEO of Epinions reads CamWorld.] See my entry for the 13th that predicts this.
Kudos to the Epinions folks for their fast action on the spam I received. [Actually, I didn't even report it. It turns out there are several people at Epinions who read CamWorld.]
Craig's DVD Deals. [Great info.]
Lycos is doing something interesting by showing us what people are using their search engine for.
Deja Watch is a site that filters interesting and bizarre stories from USENET. [Cool!]
I normally don't link to sites that have java applets that crash my browser.
Regarding the iterative designs of CamWorld, I'm starting to think about dropping the entire site into a content management system. Likely this will be a PHP/MySQL setup that uses some kind of template to render the pages. I'm seeking opinions about the various content management systems people are using. I have already ruled out using UserLand Frontier and Vignette Storyserver because of the high overhead costs. Requirements: must run on Apache or as a CGI.
Byte: A Stupid Decision by Microsoft.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
Oh my God, you can read the webmaster's email. [Now disabled]
There's no such thing as "free". Another popular saying that rings true: "You get what you pay for."
From Microsoft's site:
The AREA element is not rendered and requires a closing tag.
From W3:
Start tag: required, End tag: forbidden
Victims of Credit Reporting. [This is very valuable info!]
Research Challenge: I recently registered the domain iwear.com and put up a simple placeholder until I have time to develop the site. In the two weeks I've owned the domain I've received nearly two dozen requests for information, misdirected mail, or cryptic messages that are probably not intended for me. So, I've been trying to find out if there was a previous owner of the domain, what kind of company it was, and what they sold but have found very little. Let's see what you can turn up.
New Reviews:
I've earned a whole $1.11 in eroyalties from epinions.com. At this rate I'll be a millionaire in 4936.44 years.
OK, so yeah, it's juvenile, but it's pretty damn funny.
I had no idea there were so many online comic strips.
Ha! Read the second question/answer in this article....I think these girls do a public access TV show about this sort of thing. I've seen it a few times while channel surfing.
Cool! The Iron Giant will be out on DVD on November 23rd.
The script from the South Park movie. [Some people have far too much time on their hands.]
New at CamWorld is a something I call Choose Your Own CamWorld. Try clicking the little color squares to set your color preference.
I decided to implement this feature because I received lots of feedback from readers who didn't agree with my color choices. The solution was simply to let the reader decide. This feature also helps people who are bothered by certain color combinations or have sensitive eyes.
I'm actively seeking your opinions about what's right and what's wrong with the existing color combinations. Feel free to send me your favorites (web-safe only) and I'll consider implementing them.
Because this feature uses cookies, your color preference is stored and your browser will remember it every time you come back to CamWorld. If your browser doesn't handle cookies, then you will always be presented with the default grey color scheme.
Much thanks goes out to Dan Lyke at Flutterby for sharing his color.cgi which sets the cookie.
The little box with an "f" in it turns on a simple CSS feature that turns off the link underlining.
Yes, I know, the black scheme needs a little work.
So, that's why they bought Slashdot. [Pathetic]
Calculating distance between area codes and local exchanges.
The email that explains this tool, how it works, and why it was developed. [The local exchage areas (non-toll call areas) are ridiculously small in Michigan.]
CNN: Is software too hard to use? I'm glad to see some mainstream press on this important topic.
Apple on Lynda Weinman.
The Poop Scoop: An interesting article on the history of portable outhouses.
There's a good reason why software like this isn't available for the MacOS. It's not really needed.
NYT: Bagging the Endangered Sandwich. The author writes eloquently about the lack of a good corned beef sandwich in NYC. [The article also mentions Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor (damn good stuff).]
This is one of those things you wish there were a home video of.
Proposed new design for CamWorld. What do you think? Too bland? Too green? Not enough color? Perfect? Send me your comments. [Comments so far: some people like it, some think it's too green. Understand that I'm still in a design phase and I'l likely change it quite a bit more.]
The reason I'm thinking about another redesign is the concerns I have for rendering times in some browsers. The current design also renders funny in some versions of IE.
I implemented a random image Perl script on my brother's Epinions profile. Funny. [Do a force-reload in your browser to get a new profile image.] I've had a few requests for the Perl script I'm using. It's rand_image.pl from Matt's Script Archive.
PowerReporting, a site I designed a while back, is finally live. The entire site is database-driven and is designed for very rapid access by journalists in just about any browser. Since this site is new, we're looking for bug reports, strange behaviours, and other things that might crop up in a new site. Send reports/comments to Bill.
There must be something in the water. [From Steve]
I must say, I really like epinions.com. The only problem I foresee is the competition that is emerging between members to see who can get the most pageviews. For instance, every time you click here to read my profile and reviews, my rating goes up. It won't be long before Amazon and B&N have similar rating and profile systems in place. Bet on it.
I suppose another problem could be that epinions is paying people for their reviews. How long will it be before I start getting epinion spam from the clueless?
For the curious, there's a picture of me on my epinions profile page (heh, heh).
Rasterweb: Critters on Ice
Yay, JJG is back. We missed ya, Jesse.
I recently got tired of all same music and started to listen to live Netcast streams using SoundJam (for PC users, WinAmp supports this too). TodRadio Canada is one of my favorites (playlist file).
Don't forget Fray Day 3 on September 18th. I won't be able to make it. I'll either be in NYC helping my brother move or in Northern Michigan helping my mom with a large garage sale. Family obligations, y'know.
Applefritters.com
How to Destroy Your Computer.
How to secure Netscape for a public library. [Awesome info!]
Jenni should be jealous. This guy has 17 webcams set up at work and home.
Bicycle helmet FAQ. [Useful!]
Dig dis, CamWo'ld!
Jon Katz in Yahoo Internet Life: How the Net Changed America
A picture of Ben Summers' Windows Desktop. If you haven't checked out K10K's Desktop Exhibition, you should. It's pretty amazing.
CamWorld: Should Cam Go on the Oprah Winfrey Show?
OK, I'm having second thoughts about turning down the Oprah offer. I'd love to hear more opinion from my readers.
Geek News has a section on their site that highlights cool computer case design.
New site, Redmonk, looks very good. I hope Steve keeps it updated often.
My good friend Joel Mueller at HostSolutions emailed me to say that he bought a Cobalt Raq2 Linux server. Dave Winer also says he has one and loves it.
Bouzou is a weblog I hadn't seen yet. The content is great; the design is well, green.
The CPen is an interesting and promising tool.
A new report shows that it may cost up to $3,100 per PC to migrate to Windows 2000. I don't have the invoice in front of me but we recently bought two new setups for some new employees, one a Mac setup and the other a Compaq PC. If I remember correctly, the total price the PC setup including 21-inch monitor, video card, and extra RAM was about 30-40% higher than a similarly configured Blue & White Mac G3 with extra video card and identical 21-inch monitor.
How to Help Someone Use a Computer.
Criminy! How did I miss Zeldman's Daily Report? (Online since 7/15/97)
Handmade signs guaranteed to get you on The Today Show.
The only thing I don't like about Strange Brew's new design is the date format. I like this design so much that I put it back on my "Sites I Visit Often" list.
Oh, the joys of database matches. [via Strange Brew]
Lots and lots of error codes. [Bookmark it.]
Sesame Street Sounds Collection.
Advertising jokes.
A co-worker told me about the sex man page in Unix, but I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. [via Indirection]
You know what's so cool about the Bravo Channel? I just finished watching Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (a strangely bizarre movie) which was followed by a documentary on Nashville songwriters called Hillbilly Hollywood. Now they're showing some opera. That's it, screw all those other shit channels. From now on, it's nothing but HBO, Bravo, the Travel Channel, and Discovery for me. I'm making a safe assumption that the new season of shows on the networks this Fall are going to crash and burn, as they always do.
Apple proves that bigger is better in France. Wow, those are huge!
Sometimes marketing people make me sick. What the hell is General Mills thinking? A new cereal for the Millennium called Millenios. How absurd. And if that doesn't get your goat, you supposedly can bid on a box on eBay.
Millenios Articles (courtesy of Tara):
Children's Medical World at cmworld.com, yet another CamWorld typo. Heh, typos usually end up in porn.
LUGNET is the ultimate Lego® fan's web site.
News out of Hollywood is that Steven Spielberg might be finishing Stanley Kubrick's film "AI," which is based on the short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" by Brian W. Aldiss.
If you can get past the taboo topic, this is a great article on reputation mangement and how to deal with sensationalistic media.
Apologies for the infrequent updates. I'm working on yet another redesign for CamWorld.
Mini CamRant: I went to see the movie Chill Factor yesterday. It's pretty awful. Case in point, the climax of the movie takes place in mountain tunnel where the Air Force is about to seal the tunnel on both sides to contain the weapon of mass destruction that the main characters of the movie are hauling around. The entire scene is dependent on Cuba Gooding Jr. (who is inside the tunnel) using a cell phone to talk to the Air Force General in charge of sealing the tunnel. Um....I don't know about your cell phone, but I know mine certainly wouldn't work in a tunnel 30 feet beneath a mountain. Sigh...
Waterstone's, a chain of bookstores in England is going to open a bookstore that has 1.5 million titles on seven floors. Wow!
Congrats to RLE for scoring this important mention in Fortune.
Interesting letter from Hormel that clearly distinguishes "SPAM" from "spam". From my perspective, Hormel is being very cool about this unique problem. I wish more large companies would follow the lead of Hormel when it comes to potential trademark infringement instead of simply bullying people with high-priced lawyers.
Dave Winer outlines his company's plans for creating an Affiliate-based system for linking. Ugh. I'm stating now that CamWorld will never sign up for such a program. There's a reason why when I point to items of interest, I don't filter the links through an Affiliates Program. CamWorld is a free service, and I never intend to make money from my work on CamWorld. I built CamWorld as place where I can voice my opinion and share my knowledge, not as a site that was intended to build me a revenue stream. It goes against almost everything I believe about the nature of weblogs, micro-portals and personal links pages.
Like many others last week I attempted to check out Amway's new online venture, Quixtar.com, only to be denied access. Regarding my feelings on Amway/Quixtar, see the above paragraph.
More on Quixtar: When I try to visit the homepage, I get a message saying that my browser does not support cookies (Huh? Since when does Netscape 4.06/Mac not support cookies? Sheesh). The page then redirects me to a page that loads a 40K Flash file that doesn't play. Strike three, guys, I'm never coming back.
A good alternative for those who want to participate in an Affiliates Program but frown on the idea of receiving money for driving traffic to an e-commerce site, there is GiveQuick!, an organization that channels Afffiliate payments to non-profits.
Matt Dabrowski has a nice jornal-like site with some good things to say. Keep up the good work Matt.
Was this some kind of parody site that got shut down?
I just finished watching The Blair With Project (on VHS, a screener copy). The movie is pretty unique, but I'm pissed that Artisan didn't include the ending in the screener. They show all the way up to the abandoned house with the kids' handprints on the walls with Mike and Heather running downstairs to find Josh, and then they put up some text saying, "Don't miss the ending, order your copies today. Street Date: 10/26/99." I guess I'll just have to go sneak into the theatre and catch the ending. Argh.
Whew, false alarm. Hillary's not going to run for President.
Another reason to use operating systems other than Windows.
Ha! I love Sabren's clever scripting. Here's a hilarious example.
Excellent review of music by Philip Glass.
There's now an interactive fiction site at Suite101.
I don't know what's scarier. The fact that someone is selling this on eBay or that someone actually bid on it!
Can somebody identify this book? [I'm curious.]
Everybody has family photos, vacation photos, and even secret lover photos. Here's what happens when you lose them or throw them away and strangers find them.
Cardhouse: More found photos.
Borders.com: Philip Glass interview.
My head hurts after reading this.
Check out the games section of NetbabyWorld. Cool!
