Monthly Archives: August 2004

Web Lousing

Posted by on August 26, 2004 1 comment

There are several aspects of Mac OS X, both from a system level and an application level, that handily make it the best system for web browsing and development on the market today.

First and foremost is the plethora of web browsers available for it:

All of these browsers are significantly better at rendering standards-compliant HTML and CSS; they’re fast and easy to use; and, with notable exceptions, are available free of charge. A few of them are also Open Source applications meaning anyone can download, look at, or even modify the source code from which the applications are built, and can potentially return their contributions to the world by having them added to the project.

You may have noticed that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was missing from that list; I didn’t forget about it but, boy, am I trying to. Internet Explorer is a relic from a long-dead era in the Mac’s history. It was brought forward from Mac OS 8 and 9 to Mac OS X and it really hasn’t changed much in several years. Basically, it suffered from the same fate as it did on the Windows side – everyone was using it anyway, so why bother advancing the state of the art? Heck, shortly after Apple released Safari, Microsoft declared Internet Explorer a dead-end product line and released one last version. Internet Explorer is the single worst web browser available for the Mac and should be avoided at all costs.

The other two major aspects of Mac OS X that make it the best web platform on the market are similar enough that I can group them here. Mac OS X has a centralized plug-ins location, /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/, and any plug-ins which you install to that location are available for all Mac OS X browsers. You don’t have to manage and maintain two (or more) sets of plug-ins, which saves time, effort, and disk space. It also has a centralized password share, so usernames and passwords that you elect to save for a site to make future logging-in easier in one browser are available to all other browsers. You need do nothing extra. You have full freedom to switch browsers at will or as needed. Windows can do this, but it does not. I have no idea why; it’s not like the Internet and web browsers were new concepts when Windows XP was released.

The freedom to do the work I want and need to do using the tools I prefer easily makes Mac OS X the platform of choice for web-related work, hands down.

Bachelor Life

Posted by on August 26, 2004 1 comment

I bought a set of pots and pans today, along with a set of baking dishes. I’m going to start making larger meals and then taking the leftovers in for lunch. It should save me money and it’s probably a bit healthier, although the exact health value of Hamburger Helper Oven meals probably isn’t all that spectacular. But it’s better than I’ve been doing, and I actually feel like I’m living a life. For the first time since my breakup I feel like I’m my own person, and it’s pretty badass.

I did, however, find out the hard way that I forgot to get:

  • Plastic or wooden mixing spoons
  • A cutting board
  • Rubber scrapers
  • Something to put all the utensils in

I may be going back to Target tomorrow. I also bought a valence and a rather snazzy curtain rod for the thin window above my door, and I want a second opinion on the color before I hang it.

Open Water

Posted by on August 25, 2004 1 comment

Saw the new movie “Open Water” tonight. If you tend to suffer from motion sickness then you’ll probably want to take some Dramamine before the show as there are a lot of shots with heavy wave motion, due both to the water itself and to the camera techniques. Also, it’s depressing, like most movies about human tragedy. But I’m still glad I saw it, if for no other reason than to support smaller films.

Common Courtesy

Posted by on August 23, 2004 1 comment

So in my apartment complex there are apparently a sizable number of Duke undergrads. This isn’t a problem, per se, except that they’re extraordinarily loud and completely inconsiderate of others living in the complex.

Last night, shortly after 2:00 AM, I had to go out into the hallway to ask the 20 or so people out there to keep the noise down, “for fuck’s sake.” They were just sorta casually having a party in the hallway. Hallways reverberate well, and my front door is thin, so it sounded like I had a bunch of drunk, ignorant kids standing right outside my door. Actually, at one point I did — I opened the door to tell some guys to be more quiet and they were literally standing right outside my door. One had even decided to use my door mat as a coaster for his presumably shitty beer.

Now, last night was a weekend, so I’m not as hung up on being quiet at night, but tonight’s a weeknight, and there are more dipshits making too much God-damned noise. It never ceases to amaze me how self-centered, crass, and rude some people are. These kids’ parents have not done a very good job, but that’s hardly unique or odd in our country today.

Back In Action

Posted by on August 23, 2004 1 comment

I’m working on the site again. I’m rather fond of this layout and would like to thank those who helped me with it:

Now, with that out of the way I resume hacking away at both figuring out how Textpattern works and getting it to look the way I want.