Hey. This is Will.

The above image displays the template (in progress; just getting the layout code done, then I'll do the rest of the type styles) I'm developing for my new portfolio.  The top is rendered in the latest Firefox on Windows XP (I do a lot of my coding on the go, and my laptop is still running XP; I'll upgrade soon, I promise :)).  The bottom in IE8.

Now, I don't really expect MS to keep older versions updated with the latest HTML/CSS specs; what I do expect, though, is MS to encourage users to make use of the latest versions.  Firefox does it.  Chrome does it.  IE doesn't.

The issue with the rendering above is that I use the HTML5 specs, CSS3 Rotate (a 2d transformation), and the @fontface tag to use a non-web-standard font.

Here's why it breaks: IE8 doesn't support HTML5 at all, and won't recognize HTML5 tags.  IE8 doesn't support CSS3 Transforms (or any CSS3, I believe).  IE8 doesn't support @fontface for TTF fonts.

Now, some of it is an easy fix.  There are ways to do transformations in IE8 and older, so no worries there.  I've already updated the code to do it (although using radians is a bit excessive).  I just have to adjust the positioning on that end.  @fontface is easy enough; I just converted the TTF file to a supported format.

HTML5 tags are a different story.  You can use Javascript to tell IE what those tags are, but I haven't quite gotten it to read properly yet.

I hate having to implement all these fixes for old browsers.  The site isn't even that complicated.

When you pick a tool for a job, you pick the most effective and simple to use tool available.  You don't use a sledgehammer when nailing down siding.  You don't use a band saw to trim your beard.

The same philosophy applies to blogging and CMS platforms.

Lets go ahead and get this out of the way.. I hate Wordpress, and other CMSes like it.  Joomla, Drupal, etc.  They try to be huge, do-it-all tools, and in my experience, they fail because of their complexity.

Not that they are necessarily hard to use from my standpoint (although I found Drupal a little annoying, but that was some time ago).  Its just that they are so feature-laiden that things break all too often.  Just look at Security Focus, and you'll see countless reports of security holes reported.  They need advanced bug reporting systems because the volume of issues reported is too difficult to handle with more simple means.

I've used, and enjoyed, a few blog/CMS platforms over the years.  Lifetype was great when I was using it about 6 years ago, or so.  Textpattern is still one of my go-tos for a quick setup blog.  I obviously like Tumblr.  Hell, I've even developed my own simple blog software using PHP and MySQL.

The reason this issue came up is because I'm currently redesigning my portfolio (again, I know).  I decided I should integrate a CMS, and migrate my blog over there, for SEO purposes, and ease of use.

I had thought to myself, "you know, as much as I hate Wordpress, I should probably use it as my CMS, as it is very widely used, and I might as well prove I can manage a Wordpress site".

When doing the planning, and going through the feature list for Wordpress, I started thinking differently.  Its exceedingly bloated for what I need, and limits my implementation of the design I have in mind to what is available in plugins (I don't want to waste my time developing my own for a platform I despise).

They make countless CMSes for end users, but where are the CMSes for designers like me?  There is a huge disparity in the CMS world.  Many target developers, while others target HTML/CSS-lacking bloggers.

I dunno.  I may end up giving Wordpress a shot, but I'm not looking forward to it.  I've used some awful CMSes in the past.  The eCommerce platform, 3dCart, was one of the worst I've used recently.  They broke up so much of the template into different areas in the admin section, that modifying even the styles takes FOREVER.  As well, you can't go full XHTML Strict, due to backend-integrated code (for SHAME)!

For those that are curious, my new portfolio will be HTML5/CSS3.  I've seen enough stable browser support for the features I want to use that I'm definitely down with using it.  I'm extremely excited to be using semantic markup in HTML5, as simple as a feature it is.  Seriously.  Being able to clearly define something as a header, a footer, navigation, etc WITHOUT relying on CSS tags is fantastic.

I'm writing this for all the kids out there who are bullied in school, as well as the parents of kids who are bullied, and parents of kids who ARE bullies.  This is a short treatise on my experience with bullies in school, and how I coped with it.

I was NOT a popular kid by any stretch of the imagination (except in band class later on in High School, but that was a different social group).  I was picked on with great fury at some points in my life.  I tried my best to deal with it, but there were times where it got the best of me.  The school didn't always help, either; I went to a small, rural school in Eldon, Missouri.  Sometimes, the teachers were a part of the problem.  I did have a few teachers who were very helpful, and I am eternally grateful to them.

I can't tell you how many times I was shoved into lockers, kicked and tripped walking to and from class, had stuff thrown at me, tricks played on me, and more.  Instead, I'm going to share a few instances that I can actually recall from my history as a bullied kid.

In Middle School, history class (if I remember correctly), one of the popular boys was sitting right behind me.  I can't recall what prompted it, besides me speaking aloud, but he stabbed me in the back of the neck with a pencil.  Thankfully, it wasn't very deep, and the lead didn't break, but it definitely broke the skin.

He got a minor infraction for it, and continued to bully me years after when I was in proximity.

In Elementary School, a bunch of girls came up to me and told me my crush wanted to be my girlfriend, and was wondering if I would accept.  I said yes.

I spent a week nervous as all get out, trying to just be around her and get comfortable with her, until someone clued her in to the joke and she broke it to me gently.

In 8th grade, the choir was going to sing at the 8th grade banquet (a sort of Middle School prom).  We were going to sing R. Kelley's "I Believe I Can Fly".

We had 2 hours total practice together, no sheet music, transcribed lyrics, and I had a solo in the falsetto range, while my voice was giving me all sorts of fits due to puberty.

When it came time to sing on stage, I thankfully had a part that wouldn't be noticed by the rest of the group.  I told everybody I wasn't going to be able to sing it, and explained how it wouldn't matter, so I wasn't going to go up for my solo.

They shoved me up to the mic.  I said "Oh God", and stepped back.  I didn't even try to sing it.

The next day my math teacher said, when mentioning we have a quiz, to the whole class... "Now Billy," (I went by Billy back then) "don't choke on this like you did on stage."

After that year I quit singing, and couldn't quite recover from the experience until a few years ago when I finally started singing again in public.

I was playing in the yard with some neighborhood boys with some of my toys.  They started walking off with them, so while yelling at them to stop, I tapped one on the butt with my foot.  He turned around and threatened to beat my ass.

Because of that, I was slugged in the middle of school by him, the police talked to him, as well as the assistant principle (which did no good), and eventually, he got over it.. Thankfully.

Once, in High School, we went to the community pool for P.E. to swim.  I hid in one area of the changing room/shower at the pool to change into my swim trunks.  Some kids kept coming in, and I told them to stop, I was changing.  They said, "Aww, little Billy doesn't want us to see his little wee-wee!" (I was very shy then, but I later realized that I had nothing to be ashamed about :)).  The coach was in the room with us, and said nothing.

One kid, my sophomore year of High School, threatened to gut me if I ever said anything to him.  Any time he saw me, he'd shove me into the nearest hard surface he could find, violently.

The worst part about it all was he was flirting with my best friend, and she flirted back.  She would look ashamed every time he bullied me, but would do nothing about it.

One time while I was in Middle School, while waiting for the bus, a neighbor was walking his dog.  My book bag was sitting down, off the sidewalk, because it was heavy.

He walked his dog right up to it, and let it pee on my book bag.  I just stared at him, not knowing what to say.

Then, a cat peed on it, right before the bus showed up.  I had to spend all day at school with a book bag that smelled like dog and cat piss.  In retrospect, it probably wasn't all that noticeable, as Eldon is notorious for a meth problem.

I had long hair for a while, and put it back in a pony tail.  My freshman year band nickname was "shithead", given to me by a senior who thought my hair looked like shit.  Another kid kept ripping out the bands holding my hair in.  I learned to carry a 100 pack of rubber bands at all times that were designed not to pull hair when removed.

This isn't even half of my experiences as a bullied kid.  These are just the ones that came to me as I wrote.  I could keep going, but now I would like to talk about what I am now, and what has happened to most of the bullies I knew.

I'm popular, for the most part.  I'm attractive.  People care about me, and respect me.  I graduated college, and made a name for myself as an artist, musician, photographer, and IT professional.  I have numerous friends.  I go out in public, and people want to be around me (usually, unless I'm in a sour mood - but even then, I have friends who comfort me :)).  My hobbies are no longer "weird", "dorky", or "gay".  They are "awesome", "interesting", and generate conversation.  Intelligence carries more weight over muscle mass.  Talent more meaningful than money.  I no longer get nervous around girls; girls get nervous around ME (and in the good sense).

Life DOES go on after being bullied.  Want to know what those bullies did after school?  Some tried to go to college, and dropped out shortly after.  Many got into drugs.  Some are in jail.  Most are working menial positions, with no ambition, multiple kids, an ex wife/husband (if they are lucky), and child support payments.  The fruits of their life are few, and the few friends they have aren't even close to being as awesome as the friends I have.

Also, all the "beautiful people" are actually very, very unattractive now.

Don't worry about being cool.  If you can, try to fly under the radar to an extent - but make sure you're involved with your teachers, and whatever school programs you enjoy.  Don't let them get you down.  If you get into a fight, try and find support with authority figures or friends.  Don't be afraid to do anything that will end the fight quickly (short of seriously injuring the other person, of course).  If someone threatens your life, make sure to tell the biggest authority figure you trust.  Don't start fights.  Don't make threats.  Be good to any friends you may have, and be respectful of others.

"Blink" isn't just a clever reference to rendering and operating speed with Google's new fork, apparently.

I'll just leave this right here.. 

That last bit is what interests me.  They won't be using the experimental flags such as -chrome for us web devs.  Instead, apparently, they are leaving it up to users to enable the experimental features.

Yeah, that makes a LOT of sense (careful, don't blink; you might miss the sarcasm).

What this means for me is that, when there is a reasonable amount of cross-browser support for new standards, such as lovely css3 rendering methods, Chrome won't enable it until they are 100% sure its done.  Until then, its up to users to enable it.

While I'm all about having a solid, well-tested foundation for CSS and HTML standards, and love it when they render consistently across browsers in the proper supported fashion, I'm also sick of waiting for features to reach us in the web dev world.

I myself am just now getting ready to implement HTML5 and CSS3 features into my website, aside from a few gems I already use that are well supported (and, when they don't render, won't break the entire design).  I like things working.

CSS3 is a different beast, as many options I'll be using in my new portfolio are only supported through optional -flags per browser.  This doesn't bother me TOO much, although it does make long-term support difficult for clients, in the case of something changing, or the flags getting removed once support has been finalized in the browser.

With Chrome's userbase reaching far and wide, as well as Opera's decision to switch to Blink, too, I'll have to wait that much longer to start using new rendering options.  If Google can't keep Blink updated with the latest standards, we'll be left with the old chestnut of IE6 vs. the rest of the world..  Using browser headers to determine which version of the site to render.

So, since I was laid off from my last job, I've been doing what I call "country doctor consulting" just to keep my mind alive.  Most of it has been pretty small time stuff; helping people figure out whether their idea can be reasonably implemented with their budgets, what to do about problems with their current website, or where to get started with their new "big idea that will change the internet".

I would say about 90% of the consulting I've done has been over the phone or e-mail.  The rest has just been meeting people at the local coffee shop or bar, with them having heard I'm the local "internet guy".  Most clients are low-budget or a fresh startup pre-VC funding, which nets very little for me financially.  Like I said, I'm just doing it to keep my mind alive.

Anyway, I thought I would share a small bit of wisdom for people looking to hire a consultant for their business.

If you've got a web startup you'd like to pitch, the first thing I recommend to everybody is this: Get a lawyer, and draft an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement).  Have anybody you bring in (and I mean ANYBODY) sign it.  If they won't sign it, then don't mess with them.

Have your "pitch" prepared.  This is critical for any startup; you've got to have your product pitch well formed before you go anywhere.  I recommend having a paragraph summarizing the product, and then a detailed pitch if you're far enough into it.  The detailed pitch should contain monetization, budget goals, target audiences, etc.  Stuff like that makes my work easier, which makes getting you to the point of funding pitches much, much quicker.

If you're looking for a problem solver, have a detailed description of the problem.  This means what you want to happen, and what is actually happening.  You can include solutions you've come up with, but don't expect those to be the only solutions available (it's our job to help you fix it).

The most important factor of all: Understand that there may be no quick and easy solution to reach your goals.  Having a web business or startup is a rough thing to get moving.

When I was laid off from my job, I needed something to keep my mind occupied while I looked for something new.  The timing sucked, because hiring slows between October and January.  So, in between surfing for jobs to apply to, applying to said jobs, and doing random consulting gigs, I decided to find a video game that was mentally engaging.

I got X3:TC with Albion Prelude.  After watching a number of tutorial videos and reading the manual, I jumped in with the Humble Merchant/Trader/whatever it was start.

I now have a fleet of trading ships, stations, a number of fighters (M3 through M6), an Argon Cerberus M7 (frigate), and a Split Python M2 (destroyer).  I plow through the Xenon like a madman, and have amassed millions upon millions of credits.. And I'm still not done yet.

Here's how it all went down:

I started out by getting rid of my Discoverer ship for the extra starting capital, and did some manual trade runs (starting with energy cells, and moving on to ore).  As I made profit, I'd buy upgrades to my ship, including pretty much every ship extension available.  Once I reached 2 million credits by doing these trade runs, I bought the Mk 3 trading software, and an M3 with all the trimmings.  I set my freighter to do sector trading (in Ore Belt, but there are better places to do it), and ran off in my fighter to do the odd combat mission.

After amassing enough money to start building stations, I set up a Wheat Farm.  Once it was running well, I then set up a 1mj shield complex (put a few shield factories together, and slapped in a Cahoona bakery due to how hard it can be to find stock at regular bakeries).  Once I made enough, I built another.. And another.  Then a chip complex.

Eventually, I had 6 universal traders running, 4 1mj shield complexes, and 1 chip complex.  I picked up a Heavy Centaur to become my new player ship, ran some more combat missions, and did some exploring, placing adv. satellites everywhere.  I worked on building up my rank with the various races, especially, because I knew once I started buying capital (M1/M2) ships, I'd need good relations to not only buy my Split Python (an AWESOME destroyer), but also all the weapons and other equipment.

Once I got my rank up (by doing combat missions in other sectors), I started playing the stock market.  I focused on Terran High Tech Goods and Space Fuel, as well as whatever seemed to peak and plummet often.

Eventually, I made enough to buy a Mammoth.  This is where the money really comes in.  Loading it full of energy cells and a jumpdrive, you can do station building missions for everybody and rake in some real cash.

Being born means different things to different forms of consciousness.  While I can’t speak on the nature of coming into the world for say, a dog, I myself am well acquainted with the rather visceral act of birth of human child.  A messy affair, to be sure, even in this day and age.  A lot of screaming, pushing, and fluids.  Mine, thankfully, was rather simple, and clean. Well, maybe not the first time I was born, but not having your motor control software loaded properly while in a low gravity environment with a cadre of squishy adult humans standing over you can have a sort of visceral experience all its own.   I think Volkov was playing a prank on his latest apprentices, because he knew well enough to stand far enough away from where my limbs reached when I was activated, and laughed hysterically when I planted my left elbow straight into his newest apprentices’ groin. “*Cough* SHIT! turn it off, it’s gone haywire, we’re going to die!” Proclaimed the rather disheveled 23 year old with the name tag “John”, as he clutched his reproductive organs while curled up in the fetal position, slowly floating back down to the floor. “You’re overreacting, John.  Maybe with the next one you’ll remember to secure the arm straps, lest you end up with more blood filling your vas deferens” said Volkov, with an unabashed smirk playing across his face.  “Did you remember to load the Neurolitics module BEFORE you loaded motor control?” John made a rather high pitched whine, which certainly didn’t match his normal baritone voice, in response. “I assumed as much.  Can you manage to get yourself to the infirmary on your own, or should Shelly carry you, injured pride and all?” Volkov’s inquiry was met with an attempt at a more manly grunt, and a slow shuffle out the door, by John. “You know, he’s actually cute for such an awkward guy”, said Shelly after John shuffled out. “Thankfully, your abilities in positronic architecture are well above your taste in men.” “I was referring to Adam; John deserves every bit of pain he’s received between his legs”  retorted Shelly. If I were to judge humanity based on what I experienced in the first few minutes of my birth, I would certainly deem them in dire need of more than just the cursory supervision I would later come to be tasked with.

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Writing fiction is a rather new field for me.  I've written the odd little short-short story here and there in my younger days, but haven't really put forth much effort since then aside from blogging and non-fiction.

Being unemployed is boring.  So boring, that when I'm not looking through job listings (and being completely disappointed in the offerings), I'm doing anything and everything I can to find some entertainment and exercise my mind.

I've done new design work.  I started writing a sci-fi novel.  I've read so many books in the past few weeks that I lost count.

Oh, and this blog.  Yeah.

Anyway, I've also pursued gaming to an extent.  Not heavily, mind you; games are a great distraction, but aren't exactly the best use of time in my book.  I play maybe 2-3 hours worth of games a week, typically, when I have a full-time job.

When I was a kid, things were different.  I'd spend 2-3 hours a DAY on games.  I thought to myself, "wow, what was different about then (besides the fact that I was the smelly, awkward, pimply kid who couldn't get a girlfriend to save his life)?"

Some might argue that the games had a certain flair, back in my youth, compared to now.  I'm not saying that there aren't any good games coming out as of late; Dishonored, Skyrim, X-Com: Enemy Unknown, and more certainly are worth playing.  What I'm saying is that there was something about the games of yester-year that made gaming a lot more inviting, and I'd like to share a few of my favorites from my youth (in no particular order).

Soviet Strike.  I was one of those kids who had a Sega Saturn, and was proud of it.  I regret getting rid of it, now, because there were a number of games that I LOVED on that console.  Soviet Strike was definitely one of them; arcade-ish military helicopter stuff with liberal amounts of humor.  You can't beat that.  I wasted many, many hours on that game.  Nuclear Strike, for the PC, wasn't bad necessarily, but it wasn't Soviet Strike.

Continuing on the Sega Saturn theme, I don't know what I would have done without Wipeout XL.  That was the best racing game I have ever played, and none have really captured me like it did.  Trust me, I've tried a lot of them.

Another great Sega Saturn game was Cyberia.  This on-rails action/adventure game told a great story, and just plain looked amazing for the time.  After that, I'd say Panzer Dragoon was a huge hit.  Flying dragons?  Skyrim still hasn't accomplished that, even with the new DLC.

Alright, lets look away from the Sega Saturn, and take a few steps back into the past with...  Rise of the Triad.  I never actually owned the full version; I played the shareware version of it, liberally.  I miss the shareware days.  Now, you're lucky if they even release a demo.  RotT was one of the best mindless shooters to ever come out and capture a boy's heart.. With ludicrous gibs!

Age of Empires and Command and Conquer were two of the best RTS games in the world.  When I played RTSes, I was a base builder.  I would build massive, walled in fortresses of death, using up every natural resource available.  I didn't attack my enemy until I was satisfied that my fortress was impenetrable.

Interstate '76 and Carmageddon fulfilled my vehicular slaughter-lust.  I76 offered great, customizable cars with guns.  Carmageddon rewarded you for being as destructive as possible.  I'm not a violent person, but games like this ARE fun.

Hey everybody!  I'm getting back into the art-producing world, and have an old series I would like to finally complete.

Here's the specifics: I need 3-5 female models with a thin/athletic/average body type.  For the photo set, you will need to be in either a bathing suit or underwear that doesn't cover your legs.  The top won't matter, as long as your arms aren't covered, either.  You should also have thigh-high stockings and heels.  I would like a variety of skin tones, so it doesn't matter if you're ebony or ivory.  Minor blemishes aren't a problem (such as birthmarks, scars, or temporary small injuries), and can be corrected in post.

The pieces are for a photo manipulation series with alcohol.  Your face will not be in the final piece.  You're welcome to have someone accompany you to the photo shoots for security purposes, as long as they don't interfere.

I wish I could pay you, but sadly, that isn't an option.  If you're interested in a print of a piece featuring your appendages, I will sell one to you at cost.

I haven't heard of this done before, so I figured I'd share it with the world.  I'm not really interested in going through the patent process, and would much rather see the world be secure than make money.  It isn't exactly a "brilliant" idea, anyway.

Take a look at your cell phone; if you're like me, you've got a "superphone" - essentially, a small computer that is also a phone.  Mine is a full touch screen (Samsung Galaxy S II).  I have 2 options for locking it, by default; a passcode system, or the "connect the dots" pattern lock.

Neither are exceptionally secure; passphrases can be figured out with a little shoulder surfing, and pattern locks can be figured out in 2 tries just by holding the phone at the right angle against a light to see the swipe pattern (unless it has been wiped clean).

When thinking about better ways to secure a phone (I love the new Windows mobile device locking concept), I actually came up with something that would work amazingly well for physical security.

There are newer lock systems that utilize a digital keypad, much like our touch-capable phones.  The problem with these locks is they don't even need dusting to determine the lock pattern; just shine a light against it and look at it from the correct angle to see the keys, and then you can just use process of elimination (with some hopefully educated guesses, assuming it isn't a random pattern).

What I propose is simple.  Incredibly simple.  So simple, I'm surprised I haven't heard of it yet.

Randomize the layout of the keys on each refresh, or even on each key press.  You've got a digital screen displaying the keys, so make use of it!

It is fairly common now for someone who have a cell phone, even in rural areas.  Internet access is standard, as well; people either buy their own, use the free wifi at Starbucks/McDonalds/Insert-Sit-Down-Establishment-Here, or leech off their neighbors.  People live vicariously on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

What few realize is just how far you can rely on said technology.

I was recently told by someone in the tech support industry that a client wanted to use a certain business/accounting management software on the go, via wifi, on their mobile device.

That's right.  They want to handle sensitive financial records with the i-device they purchased themselves last Christmas.

For those of you who aren't necessarily tech and security conscious, this is a big, big no-no.  Sure, data can be encrypted, but encryption can be defeated.  In many cases, you wouldn't even NEED to defeat it.  I see so many people with mobile super-devices (smartphones, tablets, etc) that don't even have them password protected.. And, in those few cases where they are, compromising said devices are as easy as holding it up a certain way to the light to see where their fingers touched/swiped, or just standing behind them briefly while they punch in their password.

If you don't live under a rock, you know about Facebook.

If you have a college-level education, you MIGHT understand the privacy settings.

Facebook has become a standard for general communication for many people, but what they fail to realize is the security of it.

People abandon their computers while logged in, leaving themselves wide open.  Mobile devices are typically linked, and require no effort to log in once you get past any lock screen the device may have.  And, quite often, many users have had Facebook for years, and haven't even touched the privacy/security settings.

What does this mean for you?  Well, all I need is your name and a vague idea of what you look like to find you, whether you're on my friends list or not.  I can find all sorts of stuff on the average account, from pictures, to location.  Investigation via social media is a favorite of mine; I once had an ex get back in touch with me.  The reason she was an ex was due to rather unsavory habits that I prefer to not be connected to; the claim was that she had changed, but I was skeptical.  So, I discovered a second profile for her after just a few minutes of clicking around.  Those habits most certainly had not gone to the wayside.  You can only imagine what unsavory types might be looking for, let alone potential/current employers!

Lets not forget the Facebook click scams.  Think that sex tape of so-and-so is real?  Want to see who visits your profile?  Think again.  Links like that perform clickjacking so they can spam your profile, gather data, whatever.

The above cutey is Knob.  She's also known as Knobbins, Knobetta, and on occasion, "poop bucket".  She is among the best things that have ever happened to me, and I am proud to say I am definitely one of those "pet parents" when it comes to my baby, Knob.

She was a gift from my ex-girlfriend for my birthday.  We picked her up from the pet store in early June this year, and she's been a growing part of my life ever since.

First, a little back story: I love animals.  Furry, fluffy, or scaled, it doesn't matter.  I used to have dogs back when I was a child, but sadly, we discovered my allergies made it impossible for me to even spend any time with them.  When my allergies went off, it also triggered my asthma, which was very, very bad when I was a kid (I was under constant medication for it at the time, and it seemed like there was no end in sight to my own suffering).

So, when I got Knob, I was overjoyed.  She's something that can be petted, played with (to an extent), and held without any concern for my allergies.

Bearded dragons are amazing pets for a number of reasons.  They are very people friendly, for one.  Knob has no problems being held (except lately she's been getting so big that it's hard to hold her comfortably in one hand!), even by strangers.  She doesn't bite, either.  She may chomp down on your finger if you're feeding her by hand, but she's never broken the skin.

Believe it or not, bearded dragons do cuddle, in a sense.  I frequently lay out on the couch with Knob, and we'll watch movies while she nuzzles into my chest.  If she's tired, she'll stretch out a bit and take a lizard-nap.  She loves The Avengers, though, amazingly enough; I'm pretty sure finds The Hulk attractive.  She sometimes gets adventurous and will roam around, but with regular handling, she learns the boundaries.

Bearded dragons are very cheap to feed, also.  Knob loves collard greens, and will down an entire dish in a minute, easy.  During the warmer weather I feed her live crickets, which can be ordered online from Fluker Farms for a very low price.  When it gets too cold to order live crickets, I feed her freeze dried crickets from Flukers, as well as the Bearded Dragon Buffet diet, along with her collard greens.  Sometimes, as a snack during warmer weather, I feed her pansies (which she goes nuts for)!

Maintaining a living space for a bearded dragon is fairly simple, too, once you know what you need.  A good size tank (a 40 gallon tank will last a long time), a regular UVB/UVA basking lamp, and a infra-red heat lamp are the basics.  For substrate (what lines the tank), I use a green liner.  Aside from that, you'll need a food dish, a basking rock, and a hiding spot.  The basking rock should be elevated, and ideally placed under the heat lamp.  For hiding spots, I recommend a hollow log of some sort with a rough texture.  I use a cork-based one that Knob loves, because it also helps her shed (having something with a rough texture is ideal).  She curls up inside it to sleep.

You may be wondering why I didn't list a water dish; while it's not a bad idea, not all beardies take to them.  Knob doesn't.  She typically gets her water from her food, and from her baths.  If she's not getting enough fluids, I'll use a little dropper and drop the water down her nose; she'll lap it up as I drop it, no fuss, no muss.

Those are the basics.  If you're like me, and can't have the furry side of the pet world (or live in an apartment where they don't allow furry pets), bearded dragons are perfect!

'Tis the season for me to annoy you about Child's Play Charity, so I'd like to delve into a few reasons why I support this charity the way I do.

The first one many people already know; I used to be a sickly kid myself, and spent plenty of time in hospitals getting poked and prodded.  It took me a long time to overcome my health problems, and sometimes they still kick me in the ass, but I can handle them better now than I used to, thanks to the work of the doctors, nurses, and organizations that helped educate me.  Asthma was always my biggest problem as a kid, and they gave me a lot of books and stuff (including a comic book with Captain America talking about how he had asthma) that helped me understand what I was going through, why I was doing so many damned nebulizer treatments, and why I took more pills than Michael Jackson.

Thankfully, I no longer have to pop all those pills, and I rarely have to do nebulizer treatments anymore.

Another reason is in response to everybody who says I should just support a local charity.

First off, many local charities just take money, and you have no control over how it is spent.  There are a number that do accept direct gifts, which is AWESOME (the best kind of charity, and the same kind of system Child's Play Charity uses), but the thing is, Child's Play is as local a charity as you want it to be.

If your kid has ever been REALLY sick - I mean DEATHLY sick - then they aren't usually treated in Hannibal or Quincy.  Many times they get shipped off to St. Louis, or Columbia.

Thankfully, St. Louis Children's Place has a wishlist for Child's Play, so you can easily purchase stuff (from Amazon - here's their wishlist) and help some kids directly.

Third, these kids need distractions.  I know from personal experience how hard it is to stay positive in a hospital, whether you are sick or not.  Kids can play games, watch movies, and more - with friends and family - while doctors do the dirty work.  Can you imagine getting an IV put in, or blood drawn regularly, as a child?  Some of you have been through that.  Having something to distract you is great.  I couldn't imagine what a kid going through chemo would feel, but I do know from the many testimonials for Child's Play that having a video game to distract a sick kid makes the pain and illness all the more tolerable.

This weekend (11 AM to 2 PM, Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting) I'll be busking in downtown Hannibal, Missouri for the Child's Play Charity.  Every tip you toss in will be used to purchase gifts for kids who are sick and suffering.  This charity has a special place in my heart, because I was at one point one of those sick kids in the hospital.  I'll either be in front of Java Jive, or Kerley's Pub!

What sort of things will I purchase?  Well, it all depends on how much I raise; I almost always purchase a book or two that either had meaning for me when I was a kid, as well as video games (because kids need SOMETHING to keep their mind active, especially if they can't get out of bed).

Recently I was contacted by a friend at my college Alma Mater, Hannibal LaGrange College, about designing a t-shirt for the theatrical ministry group "New Edition". I had done some work for them previously (flyer design for a children's show for the theater department), but this would be my first paid gig.

Understanding that a number of the art departments at most schools tend to get the shaft on funding, I planned on cutting them a substancial discount - 75% off my normal rate for this type of job - with the hope of repeat business later on, as well as building contacts back up in the college. I don't normally do this, but I've been itching for something new to do, so this fit in nicely, and I wasn't going to have to spend much time on the design. 2 hours, total, is what I've spent thus far.

Requirements from the customer? Forest green background, one or two colors. Printer requirements? Not a clue. I'm used to dealing with this sort of scenario though.

I approached the first design with something akin to the Pepsi branding redesign; clean, minimalistic, and subtle. This is what I came up with. It's clean, and will be noticable at a glance (they do guerilla-style theater, including street performances, and travel somewhat frequently). It's something that people will be able to recognize and read quickly without having to stare too long. The symbolic detail becomes evident with a little creative observation; I'll leave that to you (it's a 3 step close proximity expression, see if you can catch it).

I went ahead and contacted the person in charge, letting her know that the first concept was ready for her eyes. She liked it, but was looking for something different. No problem, I planned on having to do 2, but would have preferred that the first one be accepted, for the obvious reasons.

She expressed an interest in the shirt I was wearing - A Manchester LTD shirt from The Buckle featuring a heavily distressed flourish design.

Not knowing what the printers could handle, I was a little strained as to what I could design. I allowed myself to mull it over during work, and came up with a couple ideas. Eventually, I figured out 2 concepts which could work, in theory; one featuring a heavily embellished Celtic cross and latin text with the New Edition name, and another one themed off of American Eagle/Aeropostale style distressed designs (older; early 00's).

The first idea proved to be too time consuming to implement, and I felt that utilizing stock art for it would be a poor move given that it would practically be the focus of the design. The second design was what I went with, and this was the result.

When I first pursued photography, it was on the 35mm film medium.  We shot black & white, typically ISO 400 in my Photography I class.  Good times were had, and the output was pleasing (even though it was a real PITA developing everything by hand myself in the darkroom - poor eyesight is NOT conducive to such activities).  Eventually, I ventured into the world of digital, which was certainly a more comfortable medium for me given my background in photo manipulation and digital art that preceded it.  Still, there was one area that I was somewhat lost on.. Producing strong black and white images.

I've been using this method for a while now, and thought that it would be prudent to share.  Note that a lot of this is very determinate on the source image, and also requires a good eye while processing and some decent experience.  There are 2 variable points here that will require you to make your own judgements.  Also, this tutorial is designed to focus on still casually viewable images, but sometimes the results can be funky (in a good way), depending on choices you make at the start of the tutorial.  That being said, lets get started.

Grab the source image from my free stock collection over at sxc.hu.

First, we'll need to make it grayscale.  We aren't going to just convert the base image, though; we're actually going to pick the red, green, or blue channel, and convert just it to grayscale.  So, navigate over to the channels tab (should be with the layers tab), and click on the "Red" channel.

Note that the channel tab is where you can actually create something more unique, should you choose a different channel.  Feel free to experiment.  Typically, with fair skinned human subjects, the red channel will be ideal.

Anyway, after selecting the appropriate channel, you'll need to convert it to grayscale and discard the layers.  Just go to Image -> Mode -> Grayscale, and if it burps something about discarding the other channels, just say yes.

In some cases, we can just stop here and be done with it, but we're going to do a little more work with this one.  These steps will be especially important for producing prints intended to be sold as art.

First, we'll need to do some level adjustment.  Go to Image -> Adjust -> Levels, and tweak the sliders right below the Histogram.  Depending on the original colors in the image, you may only need to adjust the middle slider, like I have here:

Once again, this will require some play depending on your desired results.  In our case, we're only working to reduce a little bit of the noise and create some subtle contrast between the subject and background before this next step, which is going to be useful for images such as this one.

Our lovely lady here is a little soft around the face; if we were doing 1980s glam photography at Walmart, that would be fine, and we'd probably soften it a little more.  Since we're trying to be up-to-date professionals and creative types, we're going to try to reduce that a bit.

Go to Filter -> Sharpen -> Unsharp Mask.  For this image, see below for a reference:

Here's another situation that'll require attention depending on the source image.  The big factors will be the existing detail in the source image (and channel), and the resolution.  You'll have to use your own judgement on this one.

Basically, we're done.  I decided to take it a bit further, though, and added a subtle amount of vignetting.  That's easily accomplished by utilizing the elliptical selection tool, and selecting an area in the photo as seen here:

Create a new layer for the vignetting, and go to Select -> Inverse, Select -> Feather, enter "100" for this image (depending on resolution), and fill the area with black.  For this image, I set the blending mode for the layer to "Soft Light", but if you want something stronger, you can use Overlay or Multiply.

That brings us to the result (click for a full view).