I was trying to implement a key/legend system for my skins using dingbat fonts and colors so that you could easily see which skins were graphics-heavy, which were not work-safe, which were also free blogskin downloads, etc. So I created an inline style, with the font-family being “webdings” and applied the color, font-weight and font-size I wanted, and used the SPAN tag to surround each little “icon.” It looked tres kewl. In IE6. It looked like utter merde in Mozilla and Netscape 7. Why? Because Mozilla and Netscape 7 are true standards compliant browsers, and not “forgiving” (read: sloppy), and since there is no corresponding Unicode character set for webdings (or most any other dingbat fonts), I had to beat the browsers at their own game. The “icons” that are there now are a bit more “lame” than the others but at least you can see them as God (or at least I) intended for you to see them. Why didn’t I just use a graphic image? Because I have a wide range of background colors from one end of the spectrum to the other and it would have looked nasty on some of the darker pages. This way, there would be no bleed-through. So: Tell me what you think. (I know you have an opinion and I also know you are simply incapable of keeping it to yourself. Plus, I asked, didn’t I!?)

Rest in peace, Warren Zevon, 1947-2003. One of my favorites (as you may have guessed), was Lawyers, Guns and Money. Enjoy.

Okay, one last skin design for the evening. This must be a record for me. Not only did I bang out two new designs for Kevin at WizBang!, but created five (!) new skins for Jennifer at Finding Her Life, one design for Jeff at PuckBlog, a design for a Houston blogger (unveiling soon), but also put up six new designs here. That is a total of 14 designs in four days. This must be some kind of sick record. I hope not to break it any time soon. Wonder why my eyes hurt? Latest handiwork: Skin featuring actress Charlize Theron and a big departure from my usual designs. I got some inspiration from Fresh Styles for Web Designers: Eye Candy From the Underground, which I’d originally panned the minute I flipped through it. But some of the designs did seem to inspire me.

Repeated again since people aren’t GETTING IT.

Do yourself first.

Very simple. Do. Yourself. First. As opposed to this idiot, who after shooting his teenaged son then (and only then) turned the gun on himself (emphasis added). When will they learn. Spare a life and a bullet and meet your maker just that much faster. Do. Yourself. First. Take this: Read more .. »

The ascerbic-tongued Geoffrey is at it again. I surreptitiously read his blog because, well, because it’s good. While perusing his comments here, I came across this gem. Can this guy end an argument once and for all or WHAT!? Read and learn:

Commenter: What argument? You still make the mistake of thinking I actually care about any of this. I enjoy the chance to spout off, but I’m no pundit, nor politico–just a bored office drone looking for some stimulation. Do you think that if I was a responsible person I would expend energy on a site called dog snot diaries? Get a grip on your sense of self. Posted by: beenhexed at September 4, 2003 02:27 PM Geoffrey: Thanks for clearing that up. Since you are a self proclaimed irresponsible person with absolutely no point, we can safely just disregard anything you say, rather than expend energy trying to show you how stupid you are. Posted by: Geoffrey at September 4, 2003 02:36 PM

Gotta love it!

Since everyone’s had at Acidman by posting gratuitous cat pictures, and he’s retaliated with his “moon pies,” I just had to jump into the fray. This image is sure to be a hit with cat lovers and musicians alike. Go on. You know you want to…. Read more .. »

How do you say “Blow it out your ass” in Nigerian? I really need to know. Sheesh. Please. Especially if you need a laugh today. Read more .. »

My bet is that this new librarian action figure, slated to hit store shelves in October, one jump ahead of Santa and his elves, will eventually (or sooner) go the way of the Frito Bandito of my fondest childhood memory. Guess we’ll find out if that pack of slavering, radical, hell-raising librarians will kick up enough dust or do enough “shushing” to make a difference. Thanks to Kelley at SuburbanBlight.net for the link.

Creative juices seem to be flowing this week! Good time to hit me up for a site design if you ask me. Check out the latest, “Red Shoe Diaries,” Skin No. 77. (Yes, I’ve created THAT MANY!)

I’ve created a new skin, “Moments of Reflection,” which is also available as a free download at my web design site. In the download, you’ll receive rudimentary coding snippets for MovableType, GreyMatter and Blogger. Go over there and cast a Karma vote and drop a comment and let me know what you think.