About this site and the author
Alan Gresley
I live north of Sydney, Australia. I am talented in many things, but it took me 38 years before I discovered CSS. I stumbled onto CSS and good web design techniques in late September 2006, and seven months and many sleepless nights later, I find myself creating this site.
This site's coding and validation
The XHTML and CSS on this site has been completely created with Notepad Lite. Yes, I like a web editor that I can control instead of it controlling me. The pages on this Site are valid XHTML and CSS3. My test pages have one invalid import.
Browser Filters and Hacks
Originally when this site was launched it used IE conditional comments to feed IE some different CSS. Having to hack my XHTML just for that browser, gradually bugged me so out they went. Now I use import filters to send just plain code to legacy browsers and two CSS hacks to target IE7. Changes are coming to this site. Hackery is on the increase, stay tuned.
"and as we look at the stars.., we can only ponder..,
there must be quite a zoo on the other side."
MS, please make IE8 a great CSS 2.1 standard browser. This move will insure that all browsers become more interoparble. We are now at the crossroads of a major evolution or revoltion of the web.
Site rendering different in different browsers
The site renders consistently across most browsers. On a few of the pages, the site puts IE6 under a bit off stress though, but a missing background here and there plus some very wide pages is to be expected with that browser. My passion really is to create good design for the good browsers and in doing so, I may regrettably cause some unusual rendering for IE7.
Now having matured somewhat, I now like to illustate that not all browsers render a web page the same. We live in a world of many many standards. There should be only one standard, the sematic web.
Browser Support for this site
This site uses mostly CSS2.1 which was first specified in 1999. Eight years down the track this site will not show correctly in Internet Explorer 6, but as this browser is slowly replaced by Internet Explorer 7 which has better support for CSS2, the greater the percentage of browser share that this site will show correctly in.
This site has be tested in legacy and mordern browsers. It renders somewhat OK here and there.
Site style and inspiration
After trying to achieve a fluid design before this site, I was to stumble onto Ingo Chao" site satzansatz -- CSS. The way this site was fluid no matter the size of viewpoint and how the content had a maximum width impressed me. So I borrowed a few styles.
The metallic appearance I borrowed slightly from The Man in Blue. It seems my site makes a good face for a love child.
This site logo and header were inspired by a similar effect seen on the Westciv site and after reading the tutorial the rising tide about the site redesign, I thought, mmm, a challenge.
I would truly like to show my gratitude to Duncan Hill. He helped me a lot with my early understanding of CSS.
Site Timeline
- 2000:
- I begin my grand adventure with web design with tables layouts. The first site was called genea-logos which is Latin for genealogy.
- Sep 2006:
- My first ever time I hear of CSS. "What is CSS?" I was to ask.
- 7 Apr 2007:
- Started work on this site.
- 5 Jul 2007:
- Site officially launched.
- 12 Nov 2007:
- CSS and XHTML finally overhauled with XML prolog added. Now IE5 is supported.
- 8 Mar 2008:
- Now a new template. I have moved on from having a site look the same in each an every browser.
Other talents
I am also talented in Fine Arts, Music, Antiques and Philosophy to name a few.
Spelling and Grammar errors
In my brief time being involved with CSS and various mailing lists, I have often had my poor spelling and grammar written skills pointed out to me, sometimes even rudely. This I take in my stride somewhat since I am so used to it. Having suffered a hearing impairment from a young age, I was failed by the schooling system. I didn't do well at school until I was 14 years and that's when I was finally helped by some man in reading. Why this did not happen earlier, I do not know. All I know is that private or public education will bring us all down into ignorance.
Why was I signaled out for special treatment by various teachers because I had a speech impediment? Why did my mother bash me so hard when I was a child that I still have trouble hearing short sharp syllables in words? The irony is that my verbal grammar comes across very intelligently and I sound educated. This is also pointed out to me. The paradox is how such opposite ways of perceiving me can exist together.
Before you judge another person, consider if this other person has been given the same opportunities of fortunes in life as yourself.
If you do see some incoherence grammar on this site, just contact me.
I will leave you with a poem that changed my life forever.
Why?
Why are we here on this earthly plain,
experiencing suffering, grief and pain?
Is it to pay the price of previous wrongs,
and listen to the tunes of the same old songs.
Or are we but prisoners of our own minds,
implanted with illusions of different kinds.
Our knowledge is ignorance in masquerade,
lives spent in darkness are just a charade.
We must learn to think from a different perspective,
discarding old patterns, optimism the objective.
Thinking right thoughts through thick and thin,
will very soon release the giant within.
To see through illusions, whose basis is fear,
and to conquer them all is why we are here.
It's the beginning of Wisdom to know this is true,
nothing is imposible for me and you.
Right thoughts will change everything, quick as a blink,
it all depends, on the way that we think.
Dennis Hall. 1998.
The world we live in
A few months ago I saw a video on YouTube. The content of this video was disturbing and over the last few months I have been very alone. I have decided to start a new site that deals with my concerns for this world. Please visit my new site Truth and Terror.
Last revised: 28th June 2008