I just followed the alistapart tutorial mentioned by Zeldman to make an asp "refer this page to someone" thing. Not particularly because I want one. But just to see whether I could. Had to figure out how to do it using Jmail instead of CDONT or whatever it was cos my ISP runs Jmail, but once I'd done that, it was all good.

Opera is kinda cool I think. Though no doubt as I explore it a bit more I'll find things that start to really piss me off (as happened with Netscape 4, Netscape 6, IE5.0, IE5.5 - initial pleasure at the things that work/ are cool, followed by irritation at the things they don't do quite as I want).

Came across this while following some links on the can you find love via a web log debate.

I've modified the stylesheet slightly so the page looks right in Opera 5. I'm not certain that I haven't screwed it up in Netscape 6 by so doing. I thought the point of stylesheets was that this sort of problem wouldn't happen anymore. Incidentally, it appears you can't log into Blogger using Opera 5.

Cool 3-D ping-pong game [via pablo nevares]

I see Dr Lector has made a comment. Take the serial killer test to find out whether you too have psycho tendencies. I'll tell you what I scored later. [via camworld]

New comments feature courtesy of Reblogger. How cool is that? I wonder if anyone will actually make any comments, or whether this will continue to be a soliloquy? Well, at least it gives me another way of talking to myself.

So I came out of the office at lunchtime. The weather was hot and clammy. Overcast but humid and sweaty. Dust from nearby construction works and traffic fumes hanging on the air. A spicy aroma was wafting up from the Indian restaurant under Holborn Viaduct. It all reminded me very much of the feel of a big Indian city - Delhi or Calcutta. Imagine my surprise when I walked along Hatten Garden and saw a bloke with a turban and a long grey beard selling peacock feathers. Like, totally bizarre, what with all the jewellers lining the street and City workers walking about on their lunchbreaks. All in all, a very Mr Ben moment. I knew I shouldn't have walked through the stationary cupboard on my way out. I wonder where I'll end up tomorrow?

Guess I'd never make a journalist.

Cool site which came to my attention - I like the sliding levels interface, although it's a little tricky so would no doubt offend the useability gurus. [via Geoff]

OK; in the unlikely event that anyone ever wants to link to any of the old pony that I/we write on this site, I've added the ubiquitous permanent link feature so the links don't break once posts move from the main page into the archive pages (as happened with that excellent Brian Clough article I linked to a while back, which has never resurfaced anywhere, grr...). The links are anchored on the timestamps for posts on the main page and the forum.

Hmmm. Maybe the girls have got a point. Turns out married men make more cash:

"While other forms of discrimination dominate headlines--those relating to gender, race, and religion--unmarried people are often victims themselves. They may not get jobs at 'family-oriented' companies. Or, they get the job, but are asked to do more work because colleagues with spouses and/or children aren't expected to work long hours. The married parent, of course, can always say they have to go home and take care of the kids. What can a single person say? "I just can't miss those Friends reruns" doesn't sound too good to the boss.

The Loneliest Number

It goes beyond longer hours, of course. Single people actually make less money, experts say, because employers decide that they don't need as much to support a household. Although statistics on this kind of discrimination are rare, a recent Purdue University study found that unmarried men in general make 14.1 percent less than their married counterparts".

Perhaps the Proclaimers had something...

This weekend was spent back at the old college, for Speedo's wedding. Great wedding, great party, but it's funny to see how we've all moved on since we were there as students. One of our old mates from college was one of the two vicars presiding over the service in the college chapel and sounded more like John the Baptist than an old drinking buddy. Well, to be fair, the Rev'd King started out very vicarly, but came back down to earth with a few gags in his address, and we all got back into the swing with a few drinks at the reception. It's good to see that many of us now have beautiful girlfriends, which wasn't the case for most of our time at college. Well, maybe some people were getting there towards the end. But there were a few false starts, eh lads...? And this despite the fact that of course we're all getting fatter and balder. So heaven knows how we managed it. Although when I was 15, I was present when a mate's Mum consoled her son who was being self-deprecating about his chances of pulling at a forthcoming house-party, enlightening us that while when girls are young they go for the good-looking, exciting, sons-of-bitches, once they grow up a little, they usually want to settle down with steady, sensible, responsible, considerate chaps like "you two". Which made us feel great, I can tell you - "once your future wife has finished shagging a long succession of Marcus Tandy-alikes and doing coke on the back of a motorcycle with Axel Rose, she'll be glad to slow it down a little for a middle-age and retirement with someone who recognises the importance of prudent financial management and the virtues of gardening as a weekend recreational activity". Of course, Mum didn't know about all the drugs and joy-riding we were doing at the time, so perhaps it was a projected 'sensible' for her own piece of mind. Nor at the time did I realise the implied comment that was being made about my mate's Dad, who was an accountant or something, or my mate's Mum's wild youth. Because when you're 15, you don't think like that... Either way, whatever the explanation for how we've managed to end up with these girls, there's nothing like a wedding, with stunning bride and handsome groom (well, stunning bride and our mate Jim, anyway...) to give rise to a certain tension in the atmosphere surrounding those couples who've been going out for more than about 3 years. This atmospheric disturbance was in fact so intense surrounding certain couples that I suspect that it brought about a meteorological change and was responsible for precipitating the thunderstorm that drenched me the day after the wedding while I was playing pitch and putt. Which is why weather is such a worry at weddings, especially the first few weddings in any particular group of friends. Now Jim and Helen get to go to Tuscany for a fortnight on honeymoon, while we all get to go back to work. So maybe there's something in this marriage lark after all... Seriously, I shouldn't jest... congratulations to the happy couple, and good luck to all the lads still holding the line (just kidding, ladies...).

Another change to the look. Took longer than I thought because after I finished it wouldn't validate - reason? - a <\span> tag on the wrong side of a <\BlogHeadDate>, and a stray <p> in something pasted into a posting. Then I also cleaned up the stylesheets so they validate as CSS2 (except for the scroll-bar bits, which I want to keep cos they look cool - yeah, I know, this goes against the whole ethos of applying uniform standards... bleeah). I notice that it doesn't quite work right in IE5.0. 5.5's OK and last time I looked Netscape 6 was OK too, but I've changed it since then to make it look passable in IE5.0, so I'll have to check again to be totally certain. Will it never end? (Well, yes, but not yet...)

Here's a good example of the confusion that can arise because Americans pronounce their Ts as Ds [via the magnificent melting object].

A (silly?) new addition to the site - user selectable hot pink color-scheme at the bottom of the right navigation bar. Why? - for the challenge of seeing how to do it, and why pink? - because my friends who I stayed with while in Orange County, California were saying that their company's website (Fly By Night) originally had a just such a color-scheme.

Here's a bit of unsolicited e-mail that is interestingly different from the standard "consolidate your debt"/"herbal viagra"/"nude celebrity fuckfest" stuff.

To: From: xvaxf@miesto.sk Subject: Perform Weddings Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 05:42:30 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal Minister Charles Simpson has the power to make you a LEGALLY ORDAINED MINISTER within 48 hours!!!! s22 BE ORDAINED NOW! As a minister, you will be authorized to perform the rites and ceremonies of the church!! WEDDINGS MARRY your BROTHER, SISTER, or your BEST FRIEND!! Don't settle for being the BEST MAN OR BRIDES' MAID Most states require that you register your certificate (THAT WE SEND YOU) with the state prior to conducting the ceremony. FUNERALS A very hard time for you and your family Don't settle for a minister you don't know!! Most states require that you register your certificate (THAT WE SEND YOU) with the state prior to conducting the ceremony. BAPTISMS You can say "WELCOME TO THE WORLD!!!! I AM YOUR MINISTER AND YOUR UNCLE!!" What a special way to welcome a child of God. FORGIVENESS OF SINS The Catholic Church has practiced the forgiveness of sins for centuries **Forgiveness of Sins is granted to all who ask in sincerity and willingness to change for the better!! VISIT CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES Since you will be a Certified Minister, you can visit others in need!! Preach the Word of God to those who have strayed from the flock WANT TO START YOUR OWN CHURCH?? After your LEGAL ORDINATION, you may start your own congregation!! At this point you must be wondering how much the Certificate costs. Right? Well, let's talk about how much the program is worth. Considering the value of becoming a CERTIFIED MINISTER I'd say the program is easily worth $100. Wouldn't you agree? However, it won't cost that much. Not even close! My goal is to make this life changing program affordable so average folks can benefit from the power of it. Since I know how much you want to help others, you're going to receive your Minister Certification for under $100.00... Not even $50.00... You are going to receive the entire life-changing course for only $29.95. For only $29.95 you will receive: 1. 8-inch by 10-inch certificate IN COLOR, WITH GOLD SEAL. (CERTIFICATE IS PROFESSIONALLY PRINTED BY AN INK PRESS) 2. Proof of Minister Certification in YOUR NAME!! 3. SHIPPING IS FREE!!! ***************************** LIMITED TIME OFFER: ORDER TODAY! SEND Only $29.95 US (CREDIT CARD, CASH, CHECK, OR MONEY ORDER) SHIPPING IS FREE!!! For Shipping OUTSIDE the US please add $11.00. To place your order merely fill out the following form and fax to 1-775-908-2608. If this line is busy, please try faxing to 1-419-821-7221. or mail to: Internet Information Services PO Box 21442 Billings, MT 59104 (ALL ORDERS FILLED WITHIN 24 HOURS OF RECEIVING THEM) *Please allow 8 days to receive your certificate by mail. If you do not receive your order within 10 days, please send us a fax letting us know of the late arrival. We will then contact you to figure out why you have not received your order. ************************* Credit Card Order Form (Please print very clearly in dark ink) Name on Credit Card: Address: City/State/ZIP: Your email address: Your card will be charged $29.95 for your Ministers' Certificate. For Shipping OUTSIDE the US please add $11.00. Type of Card, circle one (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) Credit Card Number: Date Credit Card Expires: Please tell us your phone Number: Please tell us your fax Number: To order by Check or Money Order: MAKE YOUR CHECK PAYABLE TO: Internet Information Services (Please Print Clearly Your Name and Address) Name: Address: City/State/ZIP: E-mail Address: Please tell us your phone Number: Please tell us your fax Number: (ALL ORDERS FILLED WITHIN 24 HOURS OF RECEIVING THEM) *Please allow 8 days to receive your certificate by mail. If you do not receive your order within 10 days, please send us a fax letting us know of the late arrival. We will then contact you to figure out why you have not received your order. Thank you for your business, Internet Information Services PO Box 21442 Billings, MT 59104 Fax to 1-775-908-2608. If this line is busy, please try faxing to 1-419-821-7221. Copyright (c) 1997-2000 All Rights Reserved ++++++++++++++++++ This ad is produced and sent out by: Universal Advertising Systems To be removed from our mailing list please email us at joy327@freeze.com with remove in the subject line or call us toll free at 1-888-605-2485 and give us your email address or write us at: Central DB Removal, PO Box 1200, Oranjestad, Aruba ++++++++++++++++++

So I'm back after my trip. Jet-lagged, broke and with five stitches in the back of my head. A good holiday. Lots of driving involved - over 2000 miles in 2 weeks from LA to Salt Lake and back in a rented Chevy Camaro soft-top. Only got pulled over once - clocked at 104mph on the I-15 through Fillmore. The roads are so long, straight and empty out there it's practically impossible not to speed. The cop from the Sheriff's Department was pretty nice about it. I enjoyed several new things on the trip. I rode a horse through the hills around Santa Monica. I learned how to do front and back somersaults on a trampoline; which lesson led to my falling off and requiring a first experience of US medical care; hence five stitches and a DTP shot which made me feel like crap for the rest of my time in Utah. I went to my first wedding featuring belly-dancers. Had my first taste of Vegas. Then I spent the last 24 hours of the trip in Los Feliz and Hollywood continuing the 'Swingers' thing - a few bars in the evening, including Musso and Frank's and the Dresden, where that crazy lounge act, Marty and Elaine (they've added a bass player since the film) were even more bizarre than they appeared in the movie. The next morning had to be spent recovering on the little 9-hole golf course that appears in the film, before the tedious flight back to Heathrow. If that all sounds pretty hectic, I suppose it was, but there was also some enjoyable down-time with friends in Laguna, friends and family in Utah, and plenty of lovely sunshine.