I try to say a lot while saying very little. Get used to it.
personas-ization
Somehow Personas is making me regress. Back to a time when I first started using Firebird 0.7, and hacked my way into theming it (the Firefox of those days did not look pretty – it looked like what it was: a quick, nifty version of the Mozilla Suite Browser). And then with Firefox 0.9, official themes could be easier downloaded from the official Firefox site. My only irritation being that you could not easily preview them. Or use them (restarting was required, as far as I remember).
Worst of all, such themes would screw up in some tiny detail.. given that by this time Firefox was a permanently opened application in my Windows – the tiny detail would eventually grow to a huge gigantic flaw. One I just could not miss. It might be just the lack of theming the edge of a particular menu. But that was enough. Yeah, I know. Big huge non-existent problem.
And so, I quit theming. Indeed I scorned the idea. Who would do something like that? I even quit theming my Thunderbird. They seemed mere frivolous activities, for someone who did not appreciate the true utilitarian look of the browser. Eventually my entire computer would be regressed to its bare-bones look, grey and blue windows and all. As simple as you can get. Stark. Snappy.
Dull?
With UberT, theming developed into a challenge. How far down can you tweak XP to look like another OS? Longhorn (now Vista) previews were coming out, and just as quickly being made into themes. Flyakite OS X for the pure Mac experience. Indeed, I remember at the WWW2006 conference everyone was puzzled how my “Mac” was behaving like an XP. My Firefox? Got a Safari theme. But I remember my constant search to improve its look – none of the ones available were just quite good enough.
Yeah, I know. Continuing big huge non-existent problem.
Since I moved to Vista, though, such endeavors have ceased. Some amount of basic customization seemed enough. Wallpapers, task-bar/window color (always black!), transparency. It appeared as though Windows had evolved perfectly in this one aspect to fulfill our need for customization. Meanwhile Gmail added themes, as did iGoogle and so on and forth.
And Firefox remained in its default form. No more big huge non-existent problem! Even if UberT saw one and insisted that Glasser was the greatest thing for Firefox and Aero ever.
Now we’re at Windows 7. Themes are more neat than ever before. Nifty and pretty. One-click install into Windows from the site. Yes, yes, my Firefox remained its usual default self. Until now.
I had heard of Personas (during the Fx 3 release) but had never really paid any attention to it. Until I installed Fx 3.6 Beta. Personas built-in. Which I discovered by accident while reading the release notes.
The simplicity boggles the mind. Go to site. Hover to preview. Click to install. No restart. On-the-fly theme switching. And it styles nothing more than the window itself. I’m not irritated that the developer didn’t get the menu color quite right.
Unfuckingbelievable.
Now that I read this post in retrospect, it seems like the silliest thing to post about.
But remember Rule #32 from Zombieland: Enjoy the little things.
So here I am.
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notes: buzzing around
about 4 weeks ago - No comments
Google’s latest experiment – Buzz – has been launched to the world recently, with varying degrees of appreciation, hate, irritation and all the reactions that every new social idea is greeted with. Personally, it is a social media outlet/inlet that I can get on board with – seeing as how it integrates nicely into my More >
notes: what should be the real plan for the chrome os?
about 3 months ago - 5 comments
The world has been talking about the Google Chrome OS. We have people saying ‘next big huge thing‘, and obviously, ‘next big huge steaming pile of crap‘.
Me, personally? I haven’t, and still don’t like the idea of Google having a browser on the market – it reeks too much of a company trying to ensure More >
windows 7 – quirks, quips and quarks
about 4 months ago - 7 comments
So I finally moved to Windows 7 on one of the machines I use regularly. It wasn’t without its share of weird-ass issues – I don’t think any M$ OS can be without its quirks. Not issues/problems, mind you. Quirks. I will try to update this based on what else I figure out in the More >
notes: is the zune HD not awesome at all?
about 5 months ago - 5 comments
[opinion due to : Betanews - Zune HD: The best portable media player you may never buy ]
Like many other reviews have done before him, the author demonstrates real love for the Zune HD. He also stresses limitations – both artificial and real – which apparently translate to it being the device that nobody will More >
adobe SUCKS
about 6 months ago - 17 comments
Step 1: Get notified that Adobe Flash Player must be updated on PC to overcome (one if its many) significant security flaws.
Step 2: Be shown page to download and install latest version of Flash player on computer.
Step 3: Click ‘Allow’ in Firefox.
Step 4: Sudden pop-up of ‘Adobe Download Manager’, which distinctly shows that Mc-fuckin’-Afee fuckin’ More >
why you should never buy an HP laptop of any kind ever
about 8 months ago - 16 comments
Once upon a time I bought a laptop.
[I know that start is not as great as 'Many many years ago, on a galaxy far far away..' but you can pretend those words appear on the line above if they mean that much to you.]
Anyway. A laptop. An HP dv2500t. Yes, the very same laptop that More >
no posts would be better than this post
about 1 year ago - 4 comments
I wish I could post about something interesting. Sadly, since I’m all out of ideas.. I’m just going to rant and make snide remarks about news items.. which are not necessarily news anymore.
By some quirk of fate, most news items I have read in the last few days have all been randomly crappy. There was More >
partial -> full
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
i’ve jumped.
from half to full.
i’m not talking about cups. or bandwagons. or jacks. or pogo-sticks. or any other random association you might make.
the fact that you’re reading this sentence in your reader, should give you a clue.
i’ve read more than a few posts, such as this, and this, this, this, this, this, this [i assume More >
why linux is not for human beings
about 1 year ago - 2 comments
having spent 3 hours of my life in trying to get a dual-monitor setup + compiz on ubuntu 8.10, i have come to the conclusion that it is simply impossible.
[note: this is on a machine with 2 X300SE ATI cards which are connected to a dell (1280x1024) and a sony (1024x768).]
observations:
ATI+ubuntu = configuration hell. always More >
ice, ICE, baby
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
finding the image composite editor has been one of the better finds in the last few months. panorama stitching has never been so easy, and yet have enough options to get the photos together nicely.
its also gotten me back on updating my flickr. its been 6 months, its probably time i get back to playing More >





about 4 months ago
Themes have always been an important part of my computing experience. Granted, when we moved to Vista, plus given my work load, theming did take a back seat.
For now, me is happy with a blackish Win 7 theme, black persona for FF. Helps when on Win 7, the glass effect is not lost when Windows are fullscreen.