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What
are these pages for?
Are
my theme corrections perpetual?
What
are my future projects?
How
do you submit sites for inclusion in links pages?
How
you can add your files, objects, material here?
What
about this message posting forum?
"What's This For?"
- Killing Joke.
As you may have discovered, these pages play host to the desktop theme creations I have authored, and make them freely available to anyone that wants them. It also serves as a place for people to link their Devo or theme sites, and a place to put their Devo theme material should someone desire it.
Are my theme corrections
perpetual?
One item that people have brought up in email to me is my wallpaper for the Devotee theme, and why is it so blurry? It sucks, as one person put it so eloquently. And if something sucks, I am glad to hear it. Even if I am the sucker that made it! I wont celebrate it, and I may not like it, but you have to eat crow when it is deserved (MUNCH!), no matter how horrid the taste.
Personally, my choice in a first theme was a bad decision in retrospect. The first thing a person sees in a theme is the wallpaper, and I should have chosen another Devo album. Everything hangs on the wallpaper, and if the wallpaper sucks, everything sucks (Another comment from the same email). I didn't choose another. I let myself get into what I got into, and Devotee is the result.
I'd already had a few WAV files from Smooth Noodle Maps kicking around, which got me going on a Smooth Noodle Maps theme when the idea to do one arose - from discovering theme sites. Then, I wasn't thinking, and now hindsight is 20-20. The CD artwork was where I got the background. CD art, as any vinyl record collectors know, is sad when compared to an album jacket for a 12" EP or LP. If you sharpen the blur, you will see what I mean. On album jackets, you get clarity down to the 600-1200dpi level. A no-brainer that should have flagged me to choosing LP art, but so it goes...
To me, the background was acceptable. Yes, it was blurred, but while I created the rest of the theme, the wallpaper sorta resembled a window in a spacecraft. I thought it was kinda neat. With no color backing the icon's name text, its effects were very good, I thought. Even more so due to the blurring. It softens the near white backgrounds enough that the text still shows up (clear white). I still like it, though I can definately see where others would disagree.
Another area are the icons which have jagged edges. The Chi Chi-ish one was one which got a comment. When you observe its transparent background version, on the dark wallpaper, you can see small flecks of light colors at its edges. Nothing drastic, mind you, but noticable. And yes, another item earmarked for "correction". The finishing touch lacks, and it could have been softened.
The same applies to the Smooth Noodle Maps logo. The square one, with the letters D-E-V-O split into each corner of the square. Finishing touches again.
If I made people unhappy, I am sorry. But that was never my intent, and I fully expect to clear up these errors. And yes, I will do so in FUTURE projects as well. I am not perfect, and I understand the concerns, and displeasures, shared. I can do better, short-skilled as I am when it comes to themes.
My themes will likely reflect my tastes, though I can see where if something new catches my eye, I may have a go at creating a theme for it. My tastes currently are Devo, punk (usually old school), and the sports I love. Art, computers, and history are others, though to lesser degrees.
Currently, I have no other themes on the board except another Devo theme. This one is not even close to being roughed in, and I have corrections to think of first. But it will be a far better theme now that I have realised many of my mistakes, and some that will surely surface as time goes on. When I started making the Devotee theme, I thought it would be easy. Brother, I can tell you, it aint! (And neither webmastering!)
I add sites I like to my pages. I am also amenable to having reciprocal links on my pages. So long as they carry the Devo, punk, or Theme content theme on the site linked to, and are amenable to reciprocating, I will be happy to add these sites. I also ask that any sites submitted to me be free of obvious offensive material. I would much rather have kids and toddlers come through here than get replies from irate parents as to why my innocuous subject-matter site links to... Well, you know... I believe in free speech, and heartily endorse your choice in exercising it. I may even imbibe in my own pages elsewhere. But here, its going be fine for kids to come through and enjoy the quirky noodles that Devo are so adept at making.
Submitting your theme
material here?
Yes, I freely ask for it. Devo theme sites aren't in great numbers, and I know there are many more creative people into Devo than are represented in Devo web sites. I would prefer to restrict this to Devo theme material, since I fully expect to remain leveraged in this area. But if you think it is something I would likely be interested in, and that I would likely want to put it up (Residents fans see light!), then please do one thing first - READ the next paragraph!
DO NOT send the material to me. Instead, write to me first detailing what it is. File size or total size, number of objects, yadda yadda. My email has capacity, but nothing near limitless-attachments-level. I would prefer to link to a page any day than put up your material (Its the logical thing). But if you are web unconcious, or just haven't the time to run a page, then fine. I would be happy to have it if its good stuff (Ha! I should talk!). Devo fans are certainly the type to want more interesting desktops, myself included.
To encourage communications in regards to all things Devo and theme related, I intend to put up a posting forum. Likely a free for all, I hope to find something that may also allow me to provide restricted access area to select people (verified as interested in conversing normally). Since the latter type would likely require CGI, a free for all forum may be the only alternative.
For Devo fans, there is already a forum in Usenet. Its called "alt.fan.devo", and should be available from better ISPs that carry all newsgroups. Some of you may discover that your ISPs do not carry alt.fan.devo. Even so, you should be able to find free news sites that do carry it on the net.
However, "alt.fan.devo" is not a theme related forum, and I do not relish the idea as using it as such. I "advertised" my site once on there, and likely wont do it again (spam avoidance is a personal calling). So, if you like or want more Devo theme material from me, the post forum will be a place to talk about this.
In fact, I anticipate
it to be very much theme oriented, and much less Devo. Making this forecast
come out wrong wouldn't displease me in the slightest, however. I am sure
there are other forums, but this will be one that's home for me, and I
hope others that want to share in it. Stay tuned, it shouldn't take me
long to integrate it into these pages.
WEBMASTER-devotee@flashmail.com
