The Herald: June 2005 Edition

[urbancinderella]

*Note: The photograph was found here. It was not manipulated, merely cut out and pasted- and I have no claim to it.

[urbancinderella]

... Of the Month

Avatar of the Month / Signature of the Month
Submitted by Artos

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My rules are a bit different from others’.

Some basics:

• I will not use a staff or Herald member’s av or sig unless it is simply jaw-dropping.
  
• I will not award these to the person who I am interviewing. (In this case, Joe is my interviewee, and he is exempt from the awards.)
  
• I will not award myself.
  
• If, by some odd chance, I “draw” AvOTM and SigOTM for consecutive months, I will search for other avs and sigs before I award the previous month’s winner(s).
  
• I will always reason my awards.
  
• I’m not limited to one specific genre or style of avatar or signature. I will look at any and all with a fair bias.
  
• I review the prospective winners with UC and other Herald members.

There are more, but these are the most important.

Titles will be awarded to the winners.

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AvOTM



I was blown away by this avatar. It is not just one excellent avatar- it is a plethora of them. (Refresh to see what I mean.)

Excellent work, egbakaet.

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SigOTM



Wow. It really is simple and clean. I do like the white border around the text- it sets it off somewhat and gives it a tech-styled look. The blood is also a wonderful accent- it adds a nice balance to everything.

Great job, shadowgamers.

Photograph of the Month
Submission by Whitney

It’s strange how a person can unexpectedly find something that is absolutely perfect in most every way. I was browsing through the new photographs that had been posted since the last photograph of the month without really expecting to find one that really jumped out at me since there weren’t many new pictures. However, jpy8's photograph entitled Looking Towards Summer simply put me in awe.

First off, the angle is absolutely wonderful. Being able to see the green grass as well as a beautiful sky at a unique angle has added a very interesting touch. The collie adds so much emotion to the photo because it seems to be waiting... for an unknown something. There also seems to be so much more to this photo that I just can't put into words, so I'll let you critique it for yourself.

Another thing that I really like is the border. I haven't seen someone use this style, so to speak, and it has added a nice touch. I really like the way it's transparent, yet still brings out the photo.

Overall, jpy8 has done an absolutely amazing job with this photograph. Awesome job!

Backup Link.

Movie of the Month
Submitted by Nick

Well, this month I chose the movie The Final Cut. This movie is out on VHS & DVD, and can be found in most video stores.

The Final Cut, I thought, was very interesting. The plot was very good and well thought out, and really made you think. I'm not going to give away the complete story line, but I will inform you a bit of what it's about.

The movie begins somewhat slowly, consisting of a small story, then zooming to the future. The future in this movie is largely populated with items called "Zoe Implants" which are installed into people's brains at birth and record everything the person does audibly and visibly. After the person passes away, a Cutter takes the raw footage and compiles it into a movie to be shown at the person's "Rememory".

I'd give this movie 3 1/2 of 5 stars. Excellent cinematography and effects. Definitely a must-see.

Member of the Month
Submitted by Patches

Chillout moderator Joe seems to have been around since the dawn of time. He first joined on the 9 of September in the great year in SSD History, 2003.

After personal problems left him not being able to serve this community the way he would want to, Joe left, came back, left and then came back again. He is now Chillout moderator and is doing a brilliant job doing so. He also writes for our own Herald magazine. It might be a tricky job working at SSD, it might be stressful but as we all know, William Joseph Arnold will always find time to chill out.

Well done, Joe.

Forum Quotes of the Month
Submitted by Joe


All your spam really helped SSD's community.
ACoolie


Nothing works better than a kick to the nuts.
Lnkn


"Weetabix."

.
.
.

Okay.

*stifled laughter*
Artos


And no spamming up the Photography board while I'm gone, mmkay?
Kari


Go eat your peanuts.

*...liked the red glasses by themself*
Whit


You do what you want, I'll do what I want. I USE PIRATE COPIES, OMFGZ!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!1111!1!!!!!!!
Hogosha


It's black and white, except for certain things show in color, to draw emphasis on them and what not. It's quite nice. A pretty cool movie ^_^
InvaderJello


I should use my vibrator on it.

Um... what?! Who said that..?!

Alan Longstaff


Alot.

I own.
Shadow


I Guess they keep promises as much as guys keep promises....
Joe

Famous Quotes Of The Month
Submisson by Joe


Humor is a rubber sword - it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.
Mary Hirsch

Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.
Bob Newhart

I saw a sign at a gas station. It said 'help wanted'. There was another sign below it that said 'self service'. So I hired myself. Then I made myself the boss. I gave myself a raise. I paid myself. Then I quit.
Stephen Wright

Right now I'm having amnesia and deja-vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before.
Stephen Wright

Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.
Albert Einstein

From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.
Winston Churchill

Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
Mahatma Gandhi

Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.
Bejamin Franklin

A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.
Oscar Wilde

Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can.
Elsa Maxwell

[urbancinderella]

SolidSnake Designs News
Submitted by Oliver

May has been a busy month with lots of events and changes taking place on the forum and website.

Firstly we have some new staff since the last edition of the magazine, they are Cyberex who is our new rater alongside myself. Also we welcome back Alan but as a moderator this time, who is looking after a gaming board. And lastly, FireTemptress has joined our team in order to keep our "Ask The Expert" board full of fun interviews.

The main event this month was the release of Proboards Version 4; the forum was closed for several days while the upgrade took place. I’d like to thank A Leon in particular, for his hard work on the coding. Also Peter, Avtar and Infinite for their help along the way.

We now have a new debate board too, which has already been filled with some very controversial issues whilst participants are able to manage a sensible and mature attitude.

There is also a new board called "Ask The Expert" which offers interviews conducted by a few members of the Herald of both professionals in the design world and just fun members around SSD. Take a look if you get a chance.

There is a new idea currently being taken into action, which is a league system for the battle board, suggested by Hogosha, Joe will be overseeing the battle board too.

The Hex Games is also re-launched; Shadow and myself will be running it. It will involve a variety of different contests whether you’re into graphics or coding there should be something for you. There are also prizes available for overall winners from the contest; it is expected to take several months to complete.

Finally this month’s art group release can be found on the website, based on an interesting theme of the heart. These were broken down into some sub-themes: love, honour, pity, pride, compassion and sacrifice.

That’s a nice little summary, and if it’s not, tough! You may find more information on those events in the appropriate boards.

Enjoy this edition of the magazine.

Oliver.

[urbancinderella]

Viewpoints - Online Dating
Submitted by A.Leon and Nick


A.Leon:

When someone mentions online dating, you often get a lot of different responses. There are those who'll say "It's a joke." or "It's pointless". But there's also, like me, who are for it. Then there's some who don't care. They're not effected by it any. When it comes to comparing online dating and dating someone who lives in the same town as you, I can honestly say, I can't see many advantages. But there are a few.

Firstly, is it requires a lot more faith than a "real" relationship. With this you have to have faith, and believe in the other person to not date anyone around there and to stay true to you. You have to have faith that they'll wait for you to come, or that they will come for you. Faith this strong isn't needed in a relationship that is local to you.

Secondly, it can be more..."life changing", so to speak. If what you are in has lasted the test of time, and the distance hasn't changed anything, you will probably be closer and want to stay together more than a couple that has been together locally. Being deprived of being together in a physical sense will build up. Once you get the chance to, you'll want to stay like that. As long as you possibly can.

Thirdly, nothing to really fight about. In a relationship that is local, you could fight about something a friend is doing, or a parent, or perhaps even the other person. While you still may not agree with what they did (if you know), you can't really get in a fight about it.

Though you're deprived of physically interaction and have to rely on faith heavily, when you can finally be together, you will be closer to one another than most people in a "normal" relationship are.

Nick:

Online dating? I'm not against it or anything, but I do believe there are very distinct reasons why you should not date online.

My first point is that there is no way you can be absolutely positive that the person you are dating is who they say they are. No matter how many pictures they send, how much you talk to them on the phone or whatever, there is no way you can be completely sure. The only way to be sure you are safe and secure is to not give out any personal information.

My second point is that there is no way to truly get to know them. Who they are online can be completely different then who they are offline. The most shy person could be outgoing online.

My third point is that you cannot do anything normal with them. You can't go out for dinner with them. You can’t walk hand-in-hand on the beach, or anything like that. You can't physically be with them, and that is a major drawback.

[urbancinderella]

Artos’ Thoughts
Submitted by Artos

Stand your ground- this is what we are fighting for.
For our spirit and laws and ways.
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.
For heaven or hell we shall not wait.

~ Chorus from “Honour,” by VNV Nation (from the CD Praise the Fallen)

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Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law is quite possibly the biggest load of crap I have ever come across. It’s an attack on society itself- and the scary thing is that it is about to be pushed onto every state.

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Quick question:

What do you do if someone approaches you and glares at you? Do you....

a. Glare back
b. Walk away
c. Flip the bird
d. Kick his ass
e. Whip out the ‘ol 9mm and put two in his head

Guess what, Floridians!? Choice E is what can happen now- and it’s legal. Yes, that’s right- the Bush clan got this bill to pass. (Jeb Bush now ranks with his brother as an asshat.)

What’s so bad about this bill, you ask? Well, let’s just say that lots of people are going to be hurt. The “Stand Your Ground” bill allows for almost anyone who feels threatened by another to pull out his firearm and start shooting. Yeah. Anytime, anywhere (in Florida).

The law states that a person under attack or the threat of attack “has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.”

Smell that? Yeah. It’s a load.

What will SYG do? Hmm. I foresee vigilantism to rise, and I foresee that the coroners will be getting raises. Seriously.

Look back to my question. Under this law, you could open fire on the person and get off scot-free. Hell, it can be reasoned that if some kid took the last pack of gum from your kid, you could off him for stealing. Really. Morally unacceptable? Yes. Legal? Yes. But it’ll still not fly well in court- you could do this, but you still may be punished for it. (An unclosed legal loophole.)

I can’t place blame solely on the Republican party or the Bushes themselves. The people at the heart of the matter? The wonderful N.R.A. They pushed for it, they support it, they want it to spread. With Republicans in power, the N.R.A. has gotten away with more crap than should be allowed. The renewal on the ban on assault rifles? Overlooked. The heat from Bowling for Columbine? Waved off (with threats).

Their reasoning for this bill? Something along the lines of making “criminals pause.” Hard to argue against that, huh?

This isn’t really so much of a rant as it is a warning. I’m worried that this will pass in other red states- and possibly in some blues.

It really doesn’t matter where it goes- all it leads to is trouble.

[urbancinderella]

Book Review
Submitted by Kari

Here I am about to spiel out another book review for you. Anyway, the book is called The Gift and it’s been written by Alison Croggon.

Croggon is probably more known to the literature world as an established poet rather than a novel writer. Her expertise in poetry is carried over into her writing – the result being a pleasing combination of poetic and descriptive story-telling.

If any of you have heard the name “Annaren Scrolls” before- these were found in Mexico- you may be familiar with some of the content.

The Gift is basically a translation/telling of this story. Filled with rich description, a wide range of language techniques and an admirable protagonist – The Gift is one story that kept my imagination roaring for more.

It tells the tale of Maerad of Pellinor and of three identities twined into one. It also explores the depth of inner emotion and the feeling of not knowing who you are and finally coming to grips with it. As Maerad wishes to solve the Riddle of the Treesong, she must first accept herself for who she is and believe in herself. Only then can she find and solve the Riddle of the Treesong.

An enthralling read – very highly recommended for fans of fantasy fiction.

[urbancinderella]

CD Review
Submission by Joe

Shinedown - Leave a Whisper

Tracks:
1. Fly From the Inside
2. Left Out
3. Lost in the Crowd
4. No More Love
5. Better Version
6. Burning Bright
7. In Memory
8. All I Ever Wanted
9. Stranger Inside
10. Lacerated
11. Crying Out
12. 45
13. Simple Man*
14. Burning Bright*
15. 45*

*Samford Sessions (14+15 also acoustic versions)


Shinedown, with their first album, "Leave a Whisper", has taken the music industry by storm, and haven't looked back. When the group first released the album, it was unbelievable with mega-hits like, "Fly From The Inside", and "45", leading the charge. Then shortly later the band re-released the album with "The Samford Sessions" included, which featured acoustic versions of "45" and "Burning Bright", plus a cover of "Simple Man", which was originally written by Lynard Skynard. While songs like "45" put Shinedown on the map as a band to be reckoned with, the addition of the Samford Sessions vaulted them into their own category. "Leave a Whisper" will make love to your ears and leave you counting the days until their next album is released.

Their music is more than just words, however, as according to the band members it comes straight from the heart. Just inside the CD you'll find this message, "This record was written for the dreamers, for the people that have, in one way or another been cut down or cast out of society for being different or having an opinion, it is an expression of insecurity and frustration, and yet, the will to overcome. There's no turning back now that you've opened up to your mind." While most listeners won't be able to completely associate with this message, they will have their share of frustration with "Leave a Whisper."

This CD has been in my player quite frequently. It's an awesome listen. Some of the songs are so heartfelt and touching - you can't help but love them. I recommend this CD to all; it's a CD that many will be able to relate too.

source: www.collegedowntime.com

[urbancinderella]

Music Artist Review
Submitted by D5

Common
Close-minded music fans often view the music of hip-hop as “fast, rhythmic talking over a beat” who talk about stupid topics such as guns, girls and money. Perhaps they are right, many mainstream artists such as 50 Cent do fit into that criteria but that is not to say that there aren’t “conscious” rappers in the music industry. One of the most respected “conscious” hip-hop artists is none other than Chicago’s finest, Common.

Common has been putting out excellent albums for 13 years and running, amongst these albums are hip-hop classics in Resurrection and Be. While Common has never been a huge mainstream artist or a top-selling artist, he has always stayed true to his roots. He has chosen a different path than artists such as G-Unit or Eminem, he has had a few mainstream hits but that fame did not change his style or make him egotistical.

With Common’s soothing and relaxing voice, he often sets a smooth vibe and tone to his songs. He has all the skills you could ask for in a hip-hop artist or even a music artist, in general: he has storytelling abilities, his clever metaphors and similes have you rewinding the track to think it over, his flow is on point, his voice entraps you in his songs; these are just a few of his many qualities. It does not hurt to be close with hip-hop veterans such as Talib Kweli, Mos Def and Kanye West, all who have helped him evolve as a hip-hop artist.

The best aspect about this veteran rapper is that he is unique and different in a sense that he will not focus on the same issues over and over and he will not focus on what is “trendy” or “popular” in the game, he raps about what he feels and is motivated by. He has covered all kinds of topics, from politics to love to hip-hop to diss records, none of his tracks get boring and they all prove how diverse a rapper can be.

All in all, this rap veteran has contributed to hip-hop in a way not many others can reproduce. He has showed hip-hop fans that there are so many things you can speak about and he has showed non hip-hop fans what is so great about hip-hop and diversity. I suggest you all go out to your local Borders and pick up his latest album, released 2 days ago under the name Be.

[urbancinderella]

Game Review
Submitted by Artos


I reviewed Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith on the Xbox.

---

Oh, joy. It’s the summer of Star Wars, and there has to be a frigging video game tie-in to it.

Does the Episode III game live up to the movie- or will it suck like most movie cash-ins? Let’s find out.

---

Let’s get one thing straight. After playing Sony’s phenomenal God of War, my views on any action (read: combat) game are horribly biased. As such, the lightsaber battling left a rancid taste in my mouth. For one thing, it’s sluggish. The ‘saber controls do NOT like to do what you tell them to do. (More on the controls in a bit.) When they do, the combat is inaccurate and the collision detection does not operate smoothly. It’s a shame, really, since all six hours of the game (yes- it’s only six hours long) are mainly about hacking-and-slashing with the iconic lightsaber. Also, the “special moves” are uninspired. I mean, the lightsaber throw and Jedi wonders are great, but some of the other moves are too crazy even for the hardest-of-core fanboys. However, the game goes into a one-on-one Soul Calibur-esque duel for boss battles; this is a novel idea.

To further my controls complaint: The. Controls. Blow. Hard. Seriously. They are unresponsive at best, and uncontrollable (pun alert) at worst.

As for the graphics: excuse me while I vomit from even more nastiness. These graphics look only as good as (possibly even worse than) first-generation PS2 graphics. They’re muddled, blurry...and glitchy. Oh. My. God. I have never seen a game glitch this badly before. Walls disappear for no apparent reason, the character models lag (yes- they LAG), enemy models disappear when they touch the screen boundary, the character models’ shadows are nothing more than circles...I could go on for hours.

On a side note, related to both graphics and gameplay, this game lags. If too many characters appear on screen at once, the slowdown becomes absolutely nasty. Game physics are awry. The game freezes and crashes. The game...oh, I’m sure you get the idea by now.

As a movie game, the mirrors the plot of the movie itself. Depending on your take on Episode III, this is either a blessing or a curse. Also, like any current game, cinematics are included. And, like many movie titles, real footage is spliced in. But be warned- the quality of both picture and sound is worse than the game itself. What happened to the graphic talent at LucasArts? And let’s not forget about the lethargic voice-acting. Somebody please wake the actors up!

If there is only one saving grace to this game, it’s the versus mode. Two players duel a la the boss battle fighting...but the atrocious controls keep it from greatness. It’s fun for only a few rounds- then it just gets boring.

People, unless you’re masochistic or unless you just love throwing money away, do NOT buy this game (or even rent it)! It’s a load, even by crap standards. It’s the worst game I’ve played in a loooooooong while.

1/5

[urbancinderella]

Helpful coding tip No. 2
Submitted by A.Leon

Okay, so we've all used a browser detection before, right? Right. Usually it's something like...

var iBrowse = (document.all?) 'IE' : 'Fx';

But because Opera supports document.all, and may not support what you're running, we have a problem. So this month’s coding tip of the month is simply how to detect Opera.

Most people would probably try to use navigator.appName to do it. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, as long as the person hasn't played with Opera's settings. But because Opera can broadcast itself as IE 6.0, Mozilla 5.0, or Opera, that method doesn't work that well.

So, instead of using appName, you want to use userAgent. No matter what Opera says it is, userAgent doesn't change and will broadcast as, in my case, "Opera/8.0 (Windows NT 5.1; U; en)". But that will not be the same for everyone. The point is, is the Opera/8.0 is there still.


So, we change out old detection, to this new one.

var iBrowse = (navigator.userAgent.match(/Opera/i))? 'Opera' : ((document.all)? 'IE' : 'Fx');

Then later in our code we simply do...

switch (iBrowse) {
case 'Opera' :

//Lines of code to execute for Opera.

break;

case 'IE' :

//Lines of code to execute for IE.

break;

case 'Fx' :

//Lines of code to execute for Firefox.

break;
}

Enjoy.

[urbancinderella]

Coders Review
Submission By Kenshin

Total viewing boards shown in info center - By Peter

<script type="text/javascript">
<!--

// Total viewing in boards shown in info center
// Created by Peter

var viewing = {
total: 0
};

var iFont = document.getElementsByTagName("font");
var iCell = document.getElementsByTagName("td");

for(f = 0; f < iFont.length; f ++){
if(iFont.item(f).size == "1" && iFont.item(f).innerHTML.match(/ - (\d+) Viewing/)){
viewing.total += parseInt(RegExp.$1);
}
}

var re = /Total Members: </
var iBr = document.createElement("br");
var iSpan = document.createElement("span");

for(c = 0; c < iCell.length; c ++){
if(iCell.item(c).width == "40%" && iCell.item(c).align == "left" && iCell.item(c).innerHTML.match(re)){
iCell.item(c).firstChild.appendChild(iBr);
iCell.item(c).firstChild.appendChild(document.createTextNode("Total Viewing In Boards: "));
iSpan.style.fontWeight = "bold";
iSpan.appendChild(document.createTextNode(viewing.total));
iCell.item(c).firstChild.appendChild(iSpan);
}
}

//-->
</script>


Well, we didn't really get many v4 codes posted at SSD this month. That’s probably due to the fact that not all boards are upgraded to v4 yet.

I've decided to review Peter’s Total viewing in boards shown in info center Code. It is a very good code and a lot of people are probably happy that he released it here on SSD.

People seem to have wanted the SSD Info Center code quite a lot lately. Well, this code is a part of it so it should make them a little happier.

Pro & Cons

[/i]
[li]Used Spacing +5
[/li][li]Used Proper Variable Names + 1
[/li][li]Used DOM +10

Cons
[/li][li]N/A
I really didn't find anything wrong with this code.
[/li][/ul]

Overall Rating: 9.10/10

Great job, Peter.

[urbancinderella]

Upcoming Scripts
Submission By Kenshin

Well, there are not too many scripts out yet since PBv4 has been delayed because of Patrick Clinger's illness.

StarGaze - By Kenshin & Moose
Features: Add Game, Remove Game, Mass Remove Game, Game Categories, and many more, but you'll just have to wait and find out for those.

Celesital RPG v1.0 - By InfectionX
Features: Basic RPG Stats in Mini-Profile
Simple Battle System via Posting Page
Edit RPG Bio. via Edit Profile Page

RPG Blizzard - By Kenshin & Unknown
Features: Mini-Profile Re-Vamped with RPG Stats
RPG Profile Editable In RPG Profile Page [Tons Of Features In This Part]
RPG Menu Above Menubar
Admin Controlled:
RPG Shop | RPG Itemshop | Battlefield [Bots] | Sections: On/Offline
Tons more features, but you'll have to wait for those.

Hopefully there will be more upcoming scripts next month.

[urbancinderella]

One Type of Art
Submission by Nick

This week, I decided that I'll go into detail how a grunge piece is made.

---

How a simple grunge piece is made:

The artist generally starts out with a stock image. The stock image can be anything from a girl to a render of a wolf.

After that, a layer is created over the top of the stock, with either a burn, dodge, or overlay setting. The artist brushes over the image until he feels that it looks decent. A few more layers are added this way, each one with a different brushing tecnique.

Some grunge artists prefer premade brushes, such as blood spatters or simply some dirty looking ones. It all depends on what type of grunge the artist is going for and how talented he is.

After the layers are added on top of the stock image, text is applied. Most of the time the artist will use a grunge font, but other times he may use a normal font and make it grunge by using an eraser tool and taking out bits and pieces, giving the font a "broken" look.

Grunge resources:

• Grunge Brushes (PS)
  
• Grunge Brushes (PS)
  
• Grunge Brushes (PSP)
  

[urbancinderella]

Helpful Graphic Hint No. 2
By Virus

The wide world of contrast. Contrast is what allows us to see certain elements of art, and can also make the back of your retinas feel like they've been stabbed in the back by toothpicks... But don't worry, I'm here to help and make sure that doesn't happen. Well, hopefully.

First off, let's define what contrast is. Contrast, for lack of a better word, is the opposite. I think that word sums it up pretty well. The contrast of black would be white. Remember, opposites attract. Always keep the color wheel in mind when figuring out which colors are actually opposites.

The good
OK, blue and orange are opposites, however that's a good combination if used right. A dark shade of blue might go well with a light (perhaps even dark) shade of blue. And remember, dark colors always go well with white. A dark purple background should get a light grey-white text. And vice-versa.

The bad
Ooh. No one wants a site with bad contrast. Bright red (#FF0000 for example) and bright green (#00FF00) don't go together. Never have, never will. Stop trying to play matchmaker. They are a very hopeless couple. Forget it. As well as a very ugly shade of turquoise (#33FFCC, although, I don't know why anyone would use it anyway) and light pink (#FFE8FE) shouldn't be paired. It's like the Jolly Green Giant and Paris Hilton. Not a match at all.

So, I hope you heed my warning and keep these things in mind. It's not cool when the first impression of your site is "Oh My God! My eyes! I'm blind!" Epileptic seizures aren't exactly your target for this stuff.

[urbancinderella]

Webmaster Reviews - Shoutboxes
By Virus

This month, I'll be reviewing various shoutbox/tagbox/tagger services for you to use and implement into your forum or website. Let's begin.

SayBox
Price: Free
Ads: Displayed (Can be removed)
Hosted: Yes
View Feature List
Visit SayBox.com

SayBox is probably the best known shoutbox provider among the vast ProBoards communities. They provide the most features with a very striking and simplistic design, while remaining a free provider. I urge you to consider this one when looking for a tagger for your forum or website.

----------------------------

Simple Shout
Price: Free
Ads: None
Hosted: Yes
View Feature List
Visit Simple Shout.co.uk

Yet another astonishing bit of coding from Luke Dyson. Simple Shout is just as its name suggestions; simple. And it does a good job at being simple. Simple to maintain. Simple to set-up. Simple to post a shout. Like things simple? I thought so.

----------------------------

Shoutboxes.com
Price: Free
Ads: None
Hosted: Yes
View Feature List
Visit Shoutbox.com

Ahhh.... the oh so common, oh so helpful taggers. No added features (bummer), no snazzy community filled with thousands of satisfied customers who rave for more and more.... but hey, at least it's free and easy to administrate.

----------------------------

ShoutMix
Price: Free ($1.67/Month for Premium)
Ads: None
Hosted: Yes
View Feature List
Visit ShoutMix.com

*whistles* Would you look at all those features? Wow. Now that's a shoutbox. There isn't much I can say here. I can only urge you to go and try it out for yourselves.

[urbancinderella]

Windows Customization: Part 2 – Final
Submitted by Patches


Okay, I am sorry, everyone, but due to time constraints I can only do small articles for the next 2 months, so Windows Customization has to be cut short.

But for now I will give you what you need to know.

Starting with...

In Windows XP if you want to apply additional visual styles beyond blue, green, and silver, you have to install additional software to do it.

That software will take one of two paths: Either use .msstyles files, which is the skin format Microsoft used to create its three bundled visual styles or it will use its own format.

Microsoft runs .msstyles files through a bundled DLL called uxtheme.dll. For compatibility and branding reasons, Microsoft made uxtheme.dll only run Microsoft digitally signed .msstyles files.

So if you want to use third party .msstyles files you have to either convert it to a different visual style format or disable Microsoft's digital signing protection.

However, thanks to several programs such as Windows Blinds, you can apply Visual Styles, which are basically themes over themes.

The programs currently available are:

Style XP

WindowsBlinds

UXTheme.dll Patcher

These allow you assign unknown themes or as I have said before Visual Styles (VS for short).

Websites to gets VS's off are:

www.deviantart.com

www.customize.org

www.wincustomize.org

www.themexp.org

All these websites equal Windows Customization to its fullest. Come on, become a rebel, break the mould and customize your OS... only then shall you earn my respect... Okay I lied, you have my respect.

So until next month when I overtake someone else’s article...

Have fun, stay safe and customize your OS!