Already I am late. Dated this HTML file with 11/7/99 and here it is the 25th already. So I had better think of another way to name these files so dates don't hover with such menacing presence.

This merger between Yahoo and Geocities has caused a few hiccups with saving files. To the point that I went into IHUG to ask about domain names and virtual hosting options. The old saying 'you get what you pay for' was wearing a bit thin last week. But basically, for 12MB's and a wee bit of advertising, this really isn't a bad deal. I just hope their fiddling around and merging stuff will settle down sooner rather than later.

Besides, do you think I could think of a Domain name? no sir-ry. Well I thought of tons, and mostly they were available, but I couldn't decide one from the other. Made me clench my teeth. Maybe next year, when I am more sure of what I am doing, I will re-consider the Domain name question. Anyways, I still have my IHUG space sitting empty, I want to get that up and running once I start producing things in Flash and Shocking Director more. 5 MBs over there will make a handy little resume.

So another week is about to start and it's going to be a busy one, mainly because I had a fairly cruisy one last week. Later on in the week we are heading down to the Audio College to use their sound recording facilities. We are making an audio file each of a joke using sound effects, to be put onto an animation later on when we use Premiere. The audio has to work on it's own though. I don't really have any brilliant ideas about what I am going to do, but will just do the 'two blondes walking through the forest' joke. Don't know that one? ah well, you can listen to my audio translation when it's done.

Friday is the deadline for the Lingo scripting for the ongoing CDRom project. What was that? yes, that was the sound of me pulling my finger out. Why do I insist on leaving things til the last minute. This week's going to be a full on slog right up to Friday afternoon now.

Mike's birthday today. That makes three years I have been chatting to that Goose. Man, he's getting ooold. Blast in the Articulate the other night. I got all teary it was so Couplety. Ryan was in as AnotherMan'sRhubarb and Sander changed into Spaceman Spiff complete with pic. The room was split America vs Us and it was all on and more fun than a really fun thing on Fun Sunday. A real tonic.

Things I Hate About the Internet

SEARCH ENGINES: oh yes, they sound so simple and so useful and so 'switched on'. But they aren't. The day that you can type in simple language, ask a simple question such as "show me Flash 4 sites" and get a direct answer, not "TEEN PIC PORN" is the day the Internet comes of age.

DEAD LINKS: and then, when you do find a link from a search engine that looks as if it may meet the needs of your initial inquiry, it might be nice, once and a while if you don't get the ERROR 400 whatever page. I am convinced, at this stage of the Net evolution, that it is held together by string, spit, porn sites and broken links. Get with the program people! check your links often -- update, delete, whatever, I don't care, but MAINTAIN!

UNDERSCORES: well, if it's a link to another URL, fair enough, underscore away. But if it's not, DON'T. For goodness sakes, anyone with half an hour's experience on the internet is going to try and click underscored text expecting to be transported to another page. Do not underscore unless its clickable. Every heard the word "bolden". If you want to make text stand out as a title or a heading, use the bold option or increase the type size and leave the underscore to primary school kids with red pens and rulers.

NO CONTENT: the worst sin, in my book, is lack of content. The net is very text based. I do not mind waiting for a shocked or flashed movie site to load if I have any inkling whatsoever that it's going to have content. When I have waited, patiently I might add, for a file to load, only to find there is nothing of interest to be had at all, I get grumpy. And believe me, you do NOT want me to get grumpy. The old saying of "six seconds to hook a punter" *okay i a)paraphrased and b)made that up* is oh so very true. If you promise, deliver. Plain and simple. Stop pissing me off!

Some of you, by now, may be asking what the heck prompted this outburst? I have been hurtling around the 'net in search of Flash and Director content. I have found plenty of icing but no cake. I want cake. I want substance. With billions of webpages out there, it shouldn't be this hard to find a slice of what I want. Should it?

Yes, yes, I know that the internet is still evolving. Yes, yes, I know that in twenty years time we will look back and laugh at our infancy. But, Hells Bells, I am NOT a patient person. Give me at least a taste of it now.

If you have a web page, go to it right now. Check the links. Check for interesting content. Make my effort to lug my hulking mass to your page worth the trip. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Just fucking do it will you?

TELEPORTALS: just how long are we going to have to wait for these things to become available to the public? I am so sick of this.
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