Sunday, September 29, 2002
HTML 4 for the World Wide Web
by Elizabeth Castro
If you've perused my little website here*, you've probably noticed a lack of, shall we say, quality. I admit it. For the past few years this site has been constructed by me using SimpleText, the Macintosh system text editor, and the handful of HTML commands I have picked up off a list or deciphered from source pages. (Oh, last year I did ask the guys over at the Unearthed Ruminations message board how to make a link come up in a separate window.) Well, bit by bit I have been becoming dissatisfied with the status quo. I like keeping my code short and to the point, but I am getting tired of seeing the iCab frowny face on my web pages and being clueless as to how to fix it. What pushed me over the edge was the discovery of an old friend's personal web site which was quite beautiful in it's design. (It's now offline, alas.) I was a bit embarrassed to tell her about mine, knowing she might venture and gaze upon the ugly, ol' thing. Anyway, even though I got over that and rededicated myself to the motto "It's ugly, but it's fast", I did pick this book up from the library. It simply describes version four of the HTML code and takes you step-by step through using the various commands. It was very well written and organized. If I wasn't such a cheapskate, I'd buy a copy for myself. But then again, if I wasn't such a cheapskate, I'd probably be running a DSL modem and wouldn't give one thought to those running text only browsers. Anyway, if you want to learn HTML, check it out. I think the wisdom garnered from that tome will one day enable me to make iCab smile upon these pages. (Assuming I ever find time to recode them...)
LibraryThing link
*This was originally published on my own website on a free community network. That site is gone, along with my simple design.
If you've perused my little website here*, you've probably noticed a lack of, shall we say, quality. I admit it. For the past few years this site has been constructed by me using SimpleText, the Macintosh system text editor, and the handful of HTML commands I have picked up off a list or deciphered from source pages. (Oh, last year I did ask the guys over at the Unearthed Ruminations message board how to make a link come up in a separate window.) Well, bit by bit I have been becoming dissatisfied with the status quo. I like keeping my code short and to the point, but I am getting tired of seeing the iCab frowny face on my web pages and being clueless as to how to fix it. What pushed me over the edge was the discovery of an old friend's personal web site which was quite beautiful in it's design. (It's now offline, alas.) I was a bit embarrassed to tell her about mine, knowing she might venture and gaze upon the ugly, ol' thing. Anyway, even though I got over that and rededicated myself to the motto "It's ugly, but it's fast", I did pick this book up from the library. It simply describes version four of the HTML code and takes you step-by step through using the various commands. It was very well written and organized. If I wasn't such a cheapskate, I'd buy a copy for myself. But then again, if I wasn't such a cheapskate, I'd probably be running a DSL modem and wouldn't give one thought to those running text only browsers. Anyway, if you want to learn HTML, check it out. I think the wisdom garnered from that tome will one day enable me to make iCab smile upon these pages. (Assuming I ever find time to recode them...)
LibraryThing link
*This was originally published on my own website on a free community network. That site is gone, along with my simple design.
Labels: CheckItOut
Sunday, September 22, 2002
A Preface to History
by Carl G. Gustavson
One of the benefits of being married to a college student is that I can hear about all what she's learning and not have to do the studying myself. Also, if my wife comes across a really cool book, then it's readily available for me to peruse as well. (The downside is that if there's a book that she wants me to read, it's difficult to avoid it.) A Preface to History was my wife's textbook for History 501. It's actually a photocopy of part of a textbook from 1955. (Reprinted for classroom use only through special permission of the publishers, of course.) The purpose of the book is to introduce freshmen college students to the thought processes of a historian. It assumes that the student has been spending the last number of years learning names, dates and places and now that the student has established this framework, he or she is now able to look at the ideas and forces that brought these events into being. I found the book quite interesting, despite the fact that I'm not part of its intended audience. (Or maybe because of that fact.) On one hand, my high school history education was not in the mold of the late forties and early fifties. I never received the full regimen of memorization to which Professor Gustavson alludes. I knew enough European history to follow the book, but many names and places that he quotes offhandedly I didn't recognize. It was interesting to experience a book of another time and culture slightly removed from my own. The second way I didn't fit the audience mold is in the fact that I am older, (hopefully) wiser and better read than the generic college freshman. Observing connections between various events and social forces is nothing new to me. I've read plenty of books that have done that and even back in high school I was being told of motivations behind the actions. (Thank you, Mr. Vogt!) It was good for me to have this approach to history systemized so I could recognize the various ideas involved, of course. If you're like me--an armchair history buff with little formal training--I definitely recommend you to check it out.
LibraryThing link
One of the benefits of being married to a college student is that I can hear about all what she's learning and not have to do the studying myself. Also, if my wife comes across a really cool book, then it's readily available for me to peruse as well. (The downside is that if there's a book that she wants me to read, it's difficult to avoid it.) A Preface to History was my wife's textbook for History 501. It's actually a photocopy of part of a textbook from 1955. (Reprinted for classroom use only through special permission of the publishers, of course.) The purpose of the book is to introduce freshmen college students to the thought processes of a historian. It assumes that the student has been spending the last number of years learning names, dates and places and now that the student has established this framework, he or she is now able to look at the ideas and forces that brought these events into being. I found the book quite interesting, despite the fact that I'm not part of its intended audience. (Or maybe because of that fact.) On one hand, my high school history education was not in the mold of the late forties and early fifties. I never received the full regimen of memorization to which Professor Gustavson alludes. I knew enough European history to follow the book, but many names and places that he quotes offhandedly I didn't recognize. It was interesting to experience a book of another time and culture slightly removed from my own. The second way I didn't fit the audience mold is in the fact that I am older, (hopefully) wiser and better read than the generic college freshman. Observing connections between various events and social forces is nothing new to me. I've read plenty of books that have done that and even back in high school I was being told of motivations behind the actions. (Thank you, Mr. Vogt!) It was good for me to have this approach to history systemized so I could recognize the various ideas involved, of course. If you're like me--an armchair history buff with little formal training--I definitely recommend you to check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
Sunday, September 15, 2002
The Last Battle
by C. S. Lewis
The Last Battle. Armageddon comes to Narnia. Having read all the previous books in the series I just couldn't wait to see how it ends. Would fire and brimstone rain down from the heavens? Would trumpets blast and tempests rage? Would Aslan descend and crush all evil beneath his mighty paw? Well, sort of. This is a children's book after all. There is death and destruction, but the book hardly dwells upon it. I think I remember hearing that Mr. Lewis' theology wasn't all that much "fire and brimstone" anyway. Be that as it may, I expected a wee bit more. An unreasonable expectation, I would have to admit. Still, there are plenty of excellent aspects to the book as it allegorizes disbelief, faithfulness and judgment. It's definitely a book to put on my shelf, and I intend to keep it there until I meet the real Aslan, face to face.
LibraryThing link
The Last Battle. Armageddon comes to Narnia. Having read all the previous books in the series I just couldn't wait to see how it ends. Would fire and brimstone rain down from the heavens? Would trumpets blast and tempests rage? Would Aslan descend and crush all evil beneath his mighty paw? Well, sort of. This is a children's book after all. There is death and destruction, but the book hardly dwells upon it. I think I remember hearing that Mr. Lewis' theology wasn't all that much "fire and brimstone" anyway. Be that as it may, I expected a wee bit more. An unreasonable expectation, I would have to admit. Still, there are plenty of excellent aspects to the book as it allegorizes disbelief, faithfulness and judgment. It's definitely a book to put on my shelf, and I intend to keep it there until I meet the real Aslan, face to face.
LibraryThing link
Labels: Chronicles of Narnia, CSLewis, OnMyShelf
Monday, September 09, 2002
The Silver Chair
I wanted some light reading after tackling Democracy in America so I figured I'd try some Narnia. I was not disappointed. This book is another quest/travel tale. Two children, Eustace and Jill, are brought to Narnia and sent to find the missing Prince Rilian. They are accompanied by Puddleglum, a Marsh-wiggle. (Marsh-wiggles, if you don't know, are somewhat frog like humanoids who live in the marshes of Narnia.) The three venture to the lands inhabited by giants and face a number of dangers as they get to the bottom of things. Along the way, the characters struggle with the hardships of the quest and their own personal shortcomings. It was a delightful tale, albeit not as enjoyable as The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Still, it was good enough to keep on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
LibraryThing link
Labels: Chronicles of Narnia, CSLewis, OnMyShelf
Tuesday, September 03, 2002
Democracy in America
by Alexis de
Tocqueville, trans. by Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop
Genius. Sheer genius. It seems like any book about American politics or history that I've read has at least one quote from this book, so I finally figured I should read it. Man, is this ever great. It's fascinating on so many levels. As history, it's primary source observations of a Frenchman who studied the United States in the 1830's. As a book on politics, it describes our government in depth, giving not just the facts of how it operates but also the rationale and history behind it. As a sociological tome, it mirrors the attitudes and behavior of the American people as well as contrasting those to the English and French. As a booster seat, it's nice and thick. It took me weeks to read (over a number of meals), and every day or so I found some tidbit to make me stop and think about the people around me -- neighbors, co-workers, fellow church members. It's not a simple read, since Tocqueville, like other 19th century writers, is very lengthy and doesn't limit himself to one field of study. But it is definitely worth making an effort to read. Why I wasn't given this to read in high school, I don't know. Well, it's twenty years late, but I'm gonna put a copy on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
Genius. Sheer genius. It seems like any book about American politics or history that I've read has at least one quote from this book, so I finally figured I should read it. Man, is this ever great. It's fascinating on so many levels. As history, it's primary source observations of a Frenchman who studied the United States in the 1830's. As a book on politics, it describes our government in depth, giving not just the facts of how it operates but also the rationale and history behind it. As a sociological tome, it mirrors the attitudes and behavior of the American people as well as contrasting those to the English and French. As a booster seat, it's nice and thick. It took me weeks to read (over a number of meals), and every day or so I found some tidbit to make me stop and think about the people around me -- neighbors, co-workers, fellow church members. It's not a simple read, since Tocqueville, like other 19th century writers, is very lengthy and doesn't limit himself to one field of study. But it is definitely worth making an effort to read. Why I wasn't given this to read in high school, I don't know. Well, it's twenty years late, but I'm gonna put a copy on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
Labels: OnMyShelf
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