April 2003 Archives
Headings at CSSBook.com. Christopher, who wrote 'Designing CSS Web Pages' has added a new resource to the book's site. He writes: "Headings in Web pages--marked up with h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, or h6
elements‹-help the reader determine the purpose of sections in content. It
also does one other thing: it helps the reader judge if the material is
something they want to read. The only problem, as you know, is that the default rendering of those
headings is often visually bland.
In order to help people create better designed headings, I've released the
CSS resource, 50+ Headings, where you can see up to fifty headings designs
and their variations."
Heard on TV today: "In a few minutes Will Young will be singing for 150,000 ECSTATIC fans" and "Next week, Westlife will play a FABULOUS concert in Rotterdam!"
How do they know? Are they psychic? First of all, those 150,000 weren't 'fans' - they were a bunch of people who showed up for an all 'star' line up. Secondly... ecstasy surely is reached DURING a set and will last a while AFTER. Not before. Not in the pouring rain in a muddy field on bloody Queensday. The song, the performance could be shite. In fact, it was! Shite. And I like Will's song.
And Westlife could show up in Rotterdam on an off night. What'sischubby face could have had a bad day at home -- and not at all feel up to facing 7,000 sweaty heads in the Ahoy. They could pick up laryngitis. And they could cancel. Not so fabulous. More like... not very happening.
Also, I wonder what Westlife (bunch of has-beens) got for the few minutes of frankly terrible miming in front of girls that really are too old for this swooning thing today in Amsterdam. For fuck's sake the main singer was still talking to the crowd when the tape with him singing already started. They didn't even attempt to keep up with the words.
Anyway - presenters, take note. "Expectant fans", "long awaited concert" would make a lot more sense. Leave the 'fab' out till after, right?
How do they know? Are they psychic? First of all, those 150,000 weren't 'fans' - they were a bunch of people who showed up for an all 'star' line up. Secondly... ecstasy surely is reached DURING a set and will last a while AFTER. Not before. Not in the pouring rain in a muddy field on bloody Queensday. The song, the performance could be shite. In fact, it was! Shite. And I like Will's song.
And Westlife could show up in Rotterdam on an off night. What'sischubby face could have had a bad day at home -- and not at all feel up to facing 7,000 sweaty heads in the Ahoy. They could pick up laryngitis. And they could cancel. Not so fabulous. More like... not very happening.
Also, I wonder what Westlife (bunch of has-beens) got for the few minutes of frankly terrible miming in front of girls that really are too old for this swooning thing today in Amsterdam. For fuck's sake the main singer was still talking to the crowd when the tape with him singing already started. They didn't even attempt to keep up with the words.
Anyway - presenters, take note. "Expectant fans", "long awaited concert" would make a lot more sense. Leave the 'fab' out till after, right?
Troubled Diva has a list of AudBlog entries -- it's fab to hear everybody's voices. TD's own 'performance art voice' had me laughing out loud.
I don't think a lot of people believed me when I said REM would be playing Utrecht and Amsterdam June 21 and 23. I posted the info to two separate forums a while back, both were discussing the fact that the band never play here. I got little response. Anyway, limited ticket sales (fanclub members only - though the links are easily accessible for all from the Dutch site at least) very sneakily started this morning and through a tip off from my original source I was in time to score tickets to both nights, now June 21 and 22. They're playing Utrecht's Tivoli theatre on the 21st - a really small club (800 to 1,000) . It's going to be something!
Fairvue Central. SXSW 2003: Dumb Mobs and Instant Nostalgia. Nikolai's account of this year's SXSW -- looks lovely (scroll down the pages to read on). He thinks I should be at SXSW in 2004. Me thinks I'll never make it. I also found my name at somnolent.org this morning. Stepping in, stepping out, yeah.
Spring Night by Richard Kell. (With apologies to the writer for reading this out loud without rehearsal.)
Queen's Eve today. Queen's Day tomorrow. It's the Dutch equivalent of Paddy's Day -- except everybody gets up in orange 'stead of green. Even the Catlicks. I'm on duty tomorrow, which means I have to keep an eye on our site. I volunteered. Not much for Queen's Day, me. I might go out for a bit to capture some of the freaks on camera, though there won't be too much orange in my area, which is predominantly immigrant. They, and I -- an immigrant at heart -- have no use for the orange.
audblog audio post. (just a test)
A picture of me that I like. At Bar Italia in London, on my birthday. Check out the whole gallery. Cool pics by Hg. The Saturday ones are great as well. Um... did I mention I'll be back in London before the end of May?
Had dinner here in Amsterdam with old Dutch/Israelian friend (ex-flatmate) who lives in England... but couldn't make it to London last week. Was fun. We have little in common other than being a little... 'different' (for want of a less pretentious word) For a long time I kept thinking 'who the hell is he reminding me of' and then suddenly I knew. He IS Xander. If Xander wore specs. Great to see him. He's moving to Cheltenham. Says it's pretty. Must investigate.
I'm going to have to put together my new system as my b-day cheque is on its way. ("Spell your name." "the bore?" De BOER! "Ah... boer... like when you went to Africa and killed everybody?" Yes. Like that. 14 years, they still don't know my name. Sigh.) I know what I need HD-wise, memory-wise, audio/video-wise... but have no idea of the CPU. Intel Pentium 4 2,4 or Athlon XP 2400, people, what should I do?
Tony, stop reading my blog and go back to running the country.
I don't think I've ever said this. It's good to be back at work. Scary.
"Time doesn't tell the truth about our souls." (SFU 3x08)
Fado: melancholy tunes from Portugal. My parents used to play their one Amalia Rodriguez album continuously - so I got a bit sick of it. But check out this collection (which is said to be better than what's available on CD). You can listen to them online, or use this nifty post at MetaFilter to download them.
Interesting hot cocoa stories: Hot cocoa takes crown.
"You can get really cheap flights, for 50 euro, these days. Just check AerLingus.com." Sure, I thought. Tell me another one, mistah. And it's really scary when 'newbies' tell you to look something up on line. But I did. And begorrah... it's true! After years and years of paying up to 700 guilders for a simple return flight to Dublin, 50 euro (single) tickets are up for grabs.
Guardian: Lit pop. A literary pop quiz. Scored 8/10 ("Congratulations. You are a literary genius." No I'm not, the quiz is too easy.) and am pretty sure they got one wrong themselves. Killing an Arab's based on Camus's l'Etranger, not Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse. So that's 9/10.
RecipeSource: Italian Hot Cocoa. Sounds like what we had at Bar Italia.
Did you know it is the lovely Heather's 40th soon? I'd tell you what date, if I knew! (update: April 29)
Sinead O'Connor quits music. I don't think music will quit Sinead.
A selection of pictures taken in London. As you can see, I spent a lot of time with the Pet Shop Boys. Question: I don't like using flash indoors, and always end up with these orange shots. I'm fine with that, but what if I don't want them to be that orangy? My shots don't seem to look like anyone elses, ever. (I also got some more Ameland pictures scanned. Not orangy at all.)
Photos are tiresome, aren't they? I mean, holiday snapshots - why get them printed? It costs a bundle here and then you still have to scan them. Note to self: go digital for snapshots, use analog for concert photography. Note to self: start saving for better digital camera.
I watched yer man Jonathan Rhys Myers in Bend it like Beckham last weekend, and I just found Tom's pressie, the BBC's Gormenghast DVD, in my mail box. Very cool!
Just so you know, there's a lion outside the gents at Bar Italia on Frith Street.
Transcript of Tim Robbins Speech to the National Press Club: "That's my aunt you're talking about. Stop it." (via Gorjuss)
Did I get pressies you ask? Oh yes, I did. The 'rents are replacing my dying fridge. (Got this one, it's taller than the one I have and can hold more stuff.) Stu got the Massive Attack tickets and, well... lots. He organised everything and it was lovely and sweet and perfect. Sue got me Colm Toíbín's The Heather Blazing. Meg brought Lawrence Millman's Our Like Will Not Be Here Again, Ben picked The Prisoner (DVD), my colleagues found Daniel Lanois new CD, Shine plus lots of sweets for travelling. And someone who is just too generous to be named is buying me a new computer. Yes, dear readers, I will finally say goodbye to my tired Celeron 466. I'm a very spoilt old woman. I got myself some goodies too, from the Design museum's shop I got the Graphic Design Cookbook, two fonts by P22: Bauhaus and Frank Lloyd Wright and a Moleskin address book. Also picked up the 3 CD-set 'Art Deco' Music Collection from the V&A.
April 19th, 2003. 11 AM, S.E. London.
"Will you be quiet now so I can sing for you?"
I'm sitting on Stu's staircase in my jammies with my mobile pressed to my ear, listening to the caller sing 'Happy Birthday, dear Ca-ro-li-naaa...', all deep and breathy Marilyn to my JFK.
The line's bad so I walk out barefeet into the garden. I am freezing on the outside, all a glow within while we talk of aging, romance, life.
Some days are better than others. Rich like the Kerala seafood my friends and I enjoyed the night before. Tangy like pints of London Pride -- just enough for a little buzz. Sweet like the Italian hot chocolate at Bar Italia trickling down my tongue. Lush like laughter, seven of us huddled on the pavement on Frith Street. Aussie, Yankees, Brit and Cloggies. I am blessed.
I am happy. Not the food, not the gifts, not the music. People. People are the bestest presents.
'Book titles published: 202.'
'Deaths: 11204.'
Massive Attack's dot matrix screen delivers messages in short sharp bytes. Unfinished Sympathy is pumping out of the speakers. So full of memories, this one. I sway to the melody. Mouth the words. You're the book that I have opened and now I've gotten so much more....
He gives advise all fatherly, a font of 12 step knowledge. "You turn tears into knowledge so you'll be wiser, but your body will start giving in." I tell him I was born wise. "You weren't wise when you went with that wanker," he says heaping profanities on an ex. Look who's talking. I laugh and tell him we're all stupid in love.
And stupid we will be. But romance is finite. The all knowing screen flashes 'value your friends'. I do.
When I turned 30 I thought "What if I turn 40 and I'm still alone?"
At 40, I feel loved.
{ Massive Attack photos by Phil Blake }
Crashed and lost all the 2003 e-mail in my in box. Thankfully, all the bookrelated stuff is in another folder. (found back up made 1/3, so I've lost about two months instead of 4)
Honestly, the things people text to me from the wilds of Borneo: "Bhi beirt fir IRA, Jim agus Tom ag rith sios an Falls Rd. Chonaic siad fear in a shui. Duirt Jim: 'An gceapann tu go bhuil fear seo ins an UVF?' Duirt Tom: 'Knee cheapim!'" The scary thing? I 'got' it.
If you're in London, you should go see the Art Deco exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum. It's huge. It's gorgeous. It makes you want to spend tons in the shop at the end of the exhibit. On till July 30. Go. Go. Go.
7.50 P.M. Home. Happy.
Sitting here in London, my last morning looking out of Mr Hg's window. I glance to the left and there's a card that says: "You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm." First part of sentence: done that. Second part of sentence: yes, but not so sure about it now. Jeepers.
From one of my sites' comments, from a poster who refuses to adhere to the rules: "...fans should have right to post what they want. " Oh, don't get me started on that one. A pox, a big bloody pox on educators who teach their children to believe they have a RIGHT to everything they imagine they want.
Whereever I am, right near the end of the stay all I want to do is come home.
Now leaving Sunnydale. Pictures of the Buffy wrap up party. Sniff.
Vicarious gadget-fix. My friend bought this iRiver iMP-150 (mp3 discman) yesterday on Tottenham Court Road.
Another one that's bothering me is a song lyric that features the words 'Saatchi and Saatchi...' sung quite fast. 'Saatchi and Saatchiiiiii, tada ta tataaaaa'. Don't remember any more than that. Or the artist. 's Driving me potty.
We are two Dutch people left to their own devices in the big city, without a proper Englishman to guide us. We were looking at this giant billboard of a Tommy Cooper tribute show. It features quotes from the show, funny lines. We are breaking our brain over one of them which goes something like: "I bought a bottle of HP one day. Now it's costing me 2p a month for two years." HP = 8p ? Huh?
Hg on the Massive Attack concert we were at. He's being kind about Dot Allison. At the end of her support set, she took Song to the Siren, MY song, and shredded it. A perfectly pointless cover.
What? Jesus didn't drink? We walked 500 miles to get a pint on Easter Sunday.
One's supposed to be wiser at this ripe age, turning tears into knowledge and all that.
When I was young, I used to find strength in vulnerability. Then I rejected that brave notion and for the longest while kept my cards close to my vest.
Safe, but predictable. It got me nowhere.
On the second day of the rest of my life, I ripped open my chest and pulled out my bleeding heart, dangling it in front of you.
Watch it pump and thump.
Here I am, waiting to hold you.
Be gentle -- it's the only one I have.
Best. birthday. ever.
40. So far so good.
OK darlings. I'm off to the big city. Doubt I'll have much online time - though I may just request a room with a view PC at MrHG's.
The Mirror Project | Moby | Self portrait in bathroom. Jumps around happily for Heather.
Top Gun is a horrible film. I should know, I've seen it about 10 times. Does anyone remember that scene where they have to do simple tasks while there's no oxygen in the room? They start to lose it pretty soon, unable to perform the tasks. That's me, for most of today.
You KNOW you're going to hell when you find yourself enjoying the new Simply Red single (to no merit of its own, really) Sunrise. Definite proof of middleagedness. Or the apocalypse.
2:50 AM. All the other chapters are at the publishers now.
This is probably only interesting to Dutch viewers: BZN in Bagdad. (real video)
Details of my birthday celebration on Hg's site.
The hardest thing is to let go fo your baby. After one final round of printing, reading, correcting, re-writing, I pronounced 5 chapters 'final' and sent them off to the publisher. (4 to follow tomorrow, plus foreword and appendices)
Big fucking sigh of relief.
MetaFilter Music: cool, Matt's using Andromeda too.
Just the thing to melt the heart on a Sunday morning. Oliver gets a little friend. Meet Hugo. I do realise I link to these dogs far too often. It's like having a virtual pet.
Everybody's linking to this London at Night picture. But I'll be there next week, Thursday. Which at this point is unimaginable.
's Been another odd week. There's the story I must write, but am having problems to finish. There's the story I want to write, but can't tell. There's the story I knew nothing about and probably never will. And there's the continuing story of me saying goodnight good readers, good night.
Dutch readers might want to have a go at the Familie Knots competition. We're giving away a couple of videos and DVDs.
's Funny when you've known someone as your friend's sister for many, many years and then finally watch her do her job. Was at Bellevue Theatre in Amsterdam today to see "Onder Vrouwen" (Between women) A play/comedy/stand up/musical act about what women really talk about when they talk about blokes. (Allegedly, because I've never heard anyone talk like this and I definitely haven't, but then I'm old fashioned and worse, a prude in some ways.) I haven't laughed this much in ages. Utterly recommended, but it's the last weekend for it.
Heee... My editor, Chris Charlesworth is "revered" in Slade circles.
"They just can't sing. I blame headphones. It's made everybody deaf to pitch. Everybody sings like a karaoke singer. All that TV ritual humiliation music like Pop Idols, all the singers sing exactly the same way. Technically speaking they have the ability to create sound, but they have no pitch."
"(...) they can't stay in home key for half a verse. They're not meaning to modulate, they just drift, they have no sense of pitch at all because none of them play instruments. They're used to singing along with records. You take the record away and they can't sing.
"(...) That's 90 percent of singers today -- no taste. Just sing the bloody melody, what's the matter with you? If you want to get into a trilling, melismatic competition just ring up Stevie Wonder because he will kick your arse every time! Nobody's going to sing that kind of phrasing better than Stevie Wonder so why bother? What's it proving? It's proving that you can't hold a bloody note, that's what."
Elvis, I love you. Costello in the new Word magazine.
"(...) they can't stay in home key for half a verse. They're not meaning to modulate, they just drift, they have no sense of pitch at all because none of them play instruments. They're used to singing along with records. You take the record away and they can't sing.
"(...) That's 90 percent of singers today -- no taste. Just sing the bloody melody, what's the matter with you? If you want to get into a trilling, melismatic competition just ring up Stevie Wonder because he will kick your arse every time! Nobody's going to sing that kind of phrasing better than Stevie Wonder so why bother? What's it proving? It's proving that you can't hold a bloody note, that's what."
Elvis, I love you. Costello in the new Word magazine.
At one point I'm going to have to write about seeing Ladytron and Interpol within the space of one week, especially since the latter are remixing the former's new single. New York's cooler than Liverpool. At one point I'm going to have to write about the phonecall I got yesterday and what to do about it. "That's so sweet of you, but I rather sit on your face." is an option. At one point, I'm going to have go to bed. As in right now.
It's been a year since the friend whose book I am finishing now passed away. A year.
Funniest thing I read in a while: "Giles dies when he recreates the Watchers' library, but gets eaten by several large book worms." I don't get out much.
The mp3s of Radiohead's Hail To The Thief that were leaked last week are 'unmastered/unmixed' and the band and producer aren't happy about it. Course, that only makes it better for the fans. Would you rather want to own something now that you can own later, or own something now that you're not supposed to. Eh?
Imagine Salome, demanding: "Give me a British head for Basra's heart!" (update: makes no sense since they've updated their title.)
The average Dutch person complains. (...) Um, sorry that should be: the average Dutch person complains of exhaustion more than ever (Dutch article). According to a recent survey 33 percent of men and 50 percent of women (lazy cows) complain of tiredness. In 1988 it was 24 and 38 percent. Why this is, nobody knows - though the article mentions perhaps the 'taboo' on being tired has been broken. I dunno, maybe everyone's writing a book. (You know how it is here at prolific.org, it's all about meeee.) Anyway, crap Saturday (felt poorly), highly productive Sunday. Basically wrote and edited till I no longer could. Amazing day for supportive, helpful e-mails from prospective readers as well. We're all 'tired' in the Western world - but there's people out there who'll spend their day off making tons of hi-res pictures for you at no cost and with a virtual smile. Bless 'em.
'This is just a scene from hell'. I really like John Simpson. Please, Mr American, sir, can you stop throwing bombs on his head? (later) I'm watching this now on TV and there's fucking blood on the camera. (later) T-shirts with "Shut up, I'm broadcasting," now there's an idea.
KaraokeCAM. Heee! (via a.whole)
Brit Vocab quiz for Yanks. This outsider scores 8/10. (I think I know about Brit and Yank vocab in equal measures.) Taken from MeFi where the poster deduces a whole lot from people's response to the post. We're on line... we want to be involved. So we're going to do the quiz and compare results, not read up on cultural and linguistic differences. It's 9am of a Sunday morning, ffs!
None of the weblogs I read have written about SARS. Is everybody quiet because they're very, very afraid, or is it just me?
{ Amsterdam, 1963, The dad and the scowl }
No story attached to these pictures. I just found them in an old album. I still have the bracelet on my mother's wrist. She liked silver and liked bold jewelry. I wear it sometimes but it doesn't look as good on me.
I just wonder why my parents went on a canal cruise when obviously I'm too young to register it and they really should have been above that kind of thing.
(edited to add: yes, I know it's Amsterdam. Yes, I know how canal cruises work. Yes, I know you can buy pictures. Yes. Yes. Yes. That is not the point.)
Can someone explain to me why Jennifer Lopez raises such bile in young (and not so young) Americans? It's suspicious. Suspicious of something, but I'm not sure what.
Right then... off to a farewell party and then on to see Ladytron at the Tivoli in Utrecht, one of my favourite venues. Catch yis later.
Rethinking Schools - Just For Fun Map Game. The Middle East and Africa... got a clue? I completely sucked at 'mid-Africa' and those small Gulf states. (via MKT)
If you don't know what 'mutt' is, you don't need to check out this link: www muttrc builder
Thanks to Mr Hg I now have an answer to freedom of speech abusers. Ofcourse it means I now breach another law, the one that deals with plagiarism. Sorry!
Mine eyes have seen the coming of the next President of the United States. 2016 US Elections. Mark my word.
I'd completely missed REM's new song . Nice tune.
Poet laureate writes Iraq lament: Death paused a while and said 'Now listen here.
You see the names of places roundabout?
They're mine now, and I've turned them inside out.'
My site's listed under the wrong name at BlogShares. I'm not sure what this site's name is, but it's not 3. products. Hope I can change the details soon, their FAQ says you can in future. WHEDONesque.com is there too.
My provider, XS4all, is streaming "Iraq Satellite Channel" via theirDSL-TV site. Haven't watched it yet.
April issue of 2 8 M M . O R G. Look at that cover image!
Some people can focus at their own expense. Some can't. And that's just one of the things I've learned recently. Now all I have to learn is not to hold it against them.
I won't be fooled again! Did the Guardian Unlimited April Fool's Quiz and scored 8 out of 8.
{fray} criminal - bookends. Read about Derek's first taste of protest. Answer the question. Read my answer.
The first spoilers for the final episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer are trickling in. S7x22. It's creepy to even write those numbers. What are we doing to do with BtVS? Yes, there ARE more important things in life, but... no, scratch that. There aren't.
Not the biggest Gwen Stefani fan, but Mr B and Miss G don't sound half bad together: What's Going On, sung in L.A. November 13, 2001. They've got something going on.
's All a girl wants, really, a pat on the back. Long talk with publisher today -- an awkward man at best. It's all business, but authors are needy (vain, insecure, selfish, moody... etc) people and they need a little encouragement. Well, I do, anyway. Got some good instructions on how to proceed -- I can get terribly insecure when I don't know exactly what the going procedure is and I can stew on things for weeks before finding the courage to just ask. Interesting trait, should have a qualified type of person have a look at it but I fear I'd end up in endless therapy.
MeFi lists april fools sightings.
MetaGoogle. Heee!
(screenshot)