Technical Specifications

Hardware: I run a Dell 8100 with a Pentium 4 1.5 Mhz processor, 128 MB RAM, 40 GB harddrive, 17 Inch Monitor (26DP), 32x CD-RW, and a ZIP 250 USB drive. This is a nice step up from the old Micron Pentium 100 MHz that I've had since 1995.

Software: I am now running Windows ME, although I may have to upgrade to Windows 2000 if I run into some of the problems ME is reputed to have. I would eventually like to replace the entire Microsoft Mess with FreeBSD, or some other non-MS operating system. I use WordPad to edit the HTML pages. I just replaced my dialup account with a broadband connection, through Comcast. I am (temporarily) using Outlook Express for e-mail, and the FTP client furnished by Comcast to upload and manage my web page. I use Xnews for newsgroups, and (temporarily) Internet Explorer 5.50 for a browser.

Suggestions to Enhance Display

Display Size (Resolution)

• This page is optimized for best display at 1024 x 768 resolution, but should cause no problems at 800 x 600.

Display Font (Typeface)

• I have given up recommending one specific display font, since I have been changing mine frequently. Good fonts, which make most websites appear clean and readable, include Arial, Arial Rounded MT Bold, Britannic Bold, Copperplate Gothic Bold, and Rockwell. The usual default font, Times New Roman, will work OK, but is rather boring.

Why I Have An Entrance Page

You will notice that instead of going directly to my Main Page, you first start at a brief Entrance Page. This page is present for several reasons:

1. My provider requires that I maintain a page named "index.html" as the first page. I had already named my Main Page as something else, and had created numerous links to that page which I didn't feel like changing. In any event, all the other pages are likely to change, so the Entrance Page becomes a bastion of stability in a sea of chaos.
2. If I ever screw up when updating my Main Page, the Entrance Page will at least allow the user to get to my website, instead of thinking the address is wrong. This applies while I am in the process of FTPing updated pages to my ISP as well.

How This Page Was Created; Credits

In General

I created this page by typing the HTML codes manually, after referring to various magazines, HTML guides from the Web (see my Links Page for their URLs), and tips from friends. Although webpage creation software (WebPen, FrontPage, etc.) serves a function, and can expedite the process, I am of the opinion that it is best to begin by typing in the codes, to get a feel for how they work. This will hopefully make solving problems (debugging) later a little easier.

I used WordPad to create this site, although I had started it using the MS-DOS editor on my old PC. Any text editor will do. You can even use MS Word, WordPerfect, or other full-blown word processors, although you have to remember to save the page as a text document, rather than, for example, a Word document. Using Word (etc.) for some parts of the process, however, allows you to use macros, which may make it worthwhile.

Sources On The Web

I used several HTML guides and tag indices from various sites. See my Links Page, "Computers."

The "Classics" Page was inspired by a friend's now-defunct illustrated "Ryme of the Ancient Mariner" web page. In many cases, the text is taken from sources available at the "Online Books Page." In other cases, I have input the material myself.

Graphics

I obtained graphics, including background images, regular JPGs and GIFs, and animated GIFs, from various sites. See my Links Page, under "Computers," and "Images."

I used Microsoft GIF Animator to create the slideshow image of me at the top of the About Me Page. I had created some other animated images, but removed them because they were very large, and impeded downloading. I suggest that anyone creating animated images be aware of the size of the graphics, and err on the side of creating smaller animated pictures.

Star Trek

These images came from a number of interesting sites around the web. See the links on my Star Trek Page.

Detroit Red Wings

Most of these came from the Detroit Free Press Redwings page, the ESPN site, and the official Detroit Redwings page. See the Detroit Red Wings Page for links.

Cosmic Images

Most of these images come from the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day site (see Links Page for that and other cosmological sites).

Personal Photographs

The personal photographs (family, pets, vacations, etc.) were taken using a Minolta compact zoom camera (for the older ones) or a Sony Cybershot digital camera (for everything from now on except snowmobile pics, which will be from a disposable camera).

Fractals

I created these fractals using Flarium 24, an excellent program for generating unique images from mathematical equations. See the Fractals Page for a more detailed explanation.

Blast From The Past

A variety of cameras were used over the years; the earliest were taken with my very first camera, a Kodak Instamatic, which I started using in 1967, when I was ten years old.

Notes on Images

In General

There are a large number of animated images, photos, backgrounds, and other graphics present on all the pages. If you have a slow connection, please be patient. Since this is not a commercial site, quick access is of a lower priority than aesthetic merit. It is best to let each page load completely. At my new place of employment, CCH, we have an awesome connection, and it's great to see the site appear almost instantaneously on the screen, despite large graphics. I eagerly anticipate the day when I can get such a connection at home.

Background Graphics and Animated Images

I change the backgrounds periodically, for variety. I obtain backgrounds from a wide variety of sources. Sometimes I'll see a nice background on another site and save it; other sites specialize in backgrounds. I try to start each page with a relevant animated graphic. For both backgrounds and animated GIFs, see my Links Page, under "Computers," and "Images." I've learned that it can slow the downloading of a page to use too large an image for either purpose, and I've changed several graphics to avoid this.

Buttons and Other Functional Graphics

I created most of these myself; I tweak them periodically, always trying to get a smaller, but still legible, button.

Header Graphics

I make new ones periodically, for variety. I usually employ the same style header on most pages, to try to add some uniformity to the site.

A Note About Image Sizes

• Original images (that I scanned or created): I generally size my scanned images ("About Me," "Recently", "Family," "Family Update," "Blast From The Past") at 800 (in some cases, 600) pixels wide, so they don't take too long to download. I size Fractals at 800 x 600. Larger versions (either 1024 x 768 or 800 x 600) of my scanned images are available on request (for example, for use as wallpaper); please feel free to e-mail me.
• Nonoriginal images (downloaded from other websites, or other sources): I leave most of these images ("Cosmic Images," "Star Trek," "Sports," "Detroit Redwings") at whatever size I obtained them, up to a maximum of about 600 pixels wide. Images larger than that I reduce accordingly.

My Provider

I have just changed to Comcast.Net, which provides me with a broadband connection. So far, things seem to be working OK. I gave up on their FTP utility, though, and use John Junod's popular FTP program. Still, updating the page has proved fairly convenient, and it appears to be up and running consistently, so I can't complain.