*** FAQ ***

Why did you make a web site?

If I said peer-pressure I wouldn't be lying, but there were other factors involved, too. I've been playing on the Internet since December 1996. Eventually I wanted to create my own web page, like my friends, so in October of 1997 I signed up with Geocities (this was before the pop-up windows and geo-branding that drove me away). The first week I spent over 40 hours working and developing my page. This dedication was killing my academic life so I decided to make designing a web site my senior project. The rest is history.

Why is this site in a pop-up window?

There are so many variables to consider when making a layout based on an image: the resolution it will be viewed at, the width of the window border (which varies with individual settings), the height of the window allotted (which varies wildly.) So the only way I could guarantee it looked well to everyone* was to remove the variables; that is why belong is now in a pop-up window.

*everyone using a 4.0 browser

Why is the pop-up window so big?

If the pop-up window is spilling over the edges of your monitor it's because your viewing the site at less than 1024x768. I design for 1024x768 because it's the resolution I use. Note: if the font spacing in certain areas looks really funky (i.e. the photo gallery) it is probably related to the resolution your running at.

If you design for 1024x768 why is the site  viewed in a 800x500 box?

Aw shucks you got me there.  Actually I rarely view things in full screen mode and this is just an extension of that preference. I design this site for myself everything reflects that here.

I'm viewing your site at 1024x768 using a 4.0 browser and things still don't look right, why?

::Blushes::  Well, I guess I lied a little about complete cross-compatibility.   This site looks remarkably the same in either Netscape or IE, but I design for IE with an IBM compatible machine.  I'm aware of several problems involving font-size issues, Java compatibility, text-alignment, color differences, et cetera involving Netscape and Apples, however, I don't have the knowledge or the patience to author code and create graphics that will always view perfectly in any environment.

Some problems, like the one with the photo gallery, have been big enough annoyances for me to create two similar sections so no one who meet my minimum requirement (4.0 browser) would have to go without, but the other issues don't warrant that kind of focus for this non-paid labor of love.  If your experiencing problems with a newer version of IE4 I don't know what to say.

Why do you only design for 4.0 browsers?

There is a site map avalible for different browsers. I've used a wide range of browsers stretching as far back as Netscape 1.1 and I don't harbor any grudges against those browsers or the people using them.  the decision is based on how well the browsers render frames;  they way the layout works with this site the most important thing is how well the frames fit together.  IE3 does this hideous thing that shows these nasty gray lines and I've never even seen a version of Netscape 3.0 so making any assumptions there would be foolish. This site also relies heavily on CSS and only 4.0 browsers support it.

Why do some of the journal entries make reference to elements this page doesn't have?

I have been keeping that journal for about a year now and during that time this site has grown and developed a huge amount. Some elements, like the stories and R.E.M. sections, were no longer relevant to what I was trying to accomplish and so they were removed.

Who created the content featured in the words, pictures, and poems sections?

Unless other wise noted i did.

How many sites have you designed?

There has been five distinct versions of this site, with five additional layouts that never made it on this web site.  Those all built on the same idea and carried much of the content through each restructuring process.  I've also designed the megatoons site which was used in a school project (my first experience with shockwave flash) and helped venture media's web designer with that site.

Will you design sites for other people?

I'm hoping to get paid to do that.  I'm also willing to create new designs or even maintain web sites for certain members of the fanfic community for free as their efforts also go unpaid and enrich a community I truly love.  Many of my favorite fanfic sites really, really need help - few writers are fluent in HTML - and considering how often I visit their sites I wouldn't mind seeing some improvements :)

Why does the project journal stop at April 29?

The project journal was my least favorite part of the whole school project.  I would also mention what type of changes where going on with the site in the regular journal. Maintaining two journals when it was no longer necessary was not something I was willing to do.

Are there any questions that you would like answered? Ask.