Saturday, December 02, 2006

Saturday, playday

I've just discovered an internet cartoonist, Wondermark, who puts odd captions to cut-up old illustrations. Here are three four fairly typical examples to get you started.

It's been a slow day, nothing much doing. Walked downtown as usual for my traditional Saturday morning cappuccino and pain au chocolat at the Espresso-Laden, and was there twice accosted over computerish matters. The first time was a barista who wants to make a website for her photographs; then as I was leaving the boss came out of the back room waving a piece of paper at me. "Vaat is diss SKYPE ding abaht?" Ah. So I explained about VOIP and headsets and all that; he concluded that it was too much bother for the once-every-three-months that he talks to the people who sent him the note. This is the first time that I've ever spoken to him about anything but coffee beans, how did he know to ask me for computer advice?

I walked around the Flohmarkt, managed not to buy any old books (which only means that I found nothing that crossed my "interesting" threshold).

After that to the Staatsgalerie. The Neue Galerie (built in the Eighties by James Stirling) has reopened, with redecorated rooms and a new selection of art on the walls. My first impression is that there is more German art on display than previously, and also more local talent. There are a pair of nice Baumeisters and a whole room devoted to a local collector; and the Beckmann Auferstehung that I wrote about in April has remained in its new location, hooray.

In other news I've changed my blog's template very slightly: I found the list of archives was getting too long, so have made three yearly popups out of it. Also clicking on the title (top left) should now always work as a way of getting back to the current front page. Let me know if you find any problems or oddities in either. [Updated] I posted a short and simple explanation of how the popup works as a comment here. If people are interested, I'll expand on this in a proper post.

In other, other news the insomnia continues. I was awake at 3am this morning, but refused to acknowledge it and soon went back to sleep.

18 Comments:

Blogger * said...

i've been also an insomniac alot these days...maybe it is full moon or something - nice musuem you have over there, Beckmanns, and also saw the Modigliani, I must confess even as I still lived in germany I never made it that far south :)

December 2, 2006 at 11:50:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Anxious said...

I like your archives idea - might have to have a go at something like that myself

December 3, 2006 at 12:10:00 a.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Zhoen said...

Thanks for the Wondermark link. D has it bookmarked, is addicted as well.

December 3, 2006 at 1:25:00 a.m. GMT+1  
Blogger CarpeDM said...

That is pretty awesome, the Wondermark link. Fun. It's nice to have archives in a link, Beth did it and I'll probably do it eventually.

I think I'm caught up. Yay me!

December 3, 2006 at 1:40:00 a.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Unknown said...

Found you via Antonia. I lived near Stuttgart for many years and still miss the Maultaschen. Do they still do a good espresso in Cafe Koenix?

December 3, 2006 at 2:06:00 a.m. GMT+1  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Insomnia: I know how bad it is to wake up too early! When I wake at 4 a.m. I take some drops and go back to sleep. Being tired during the day not only affects my work but also the way I see life, which is much worse.

December 3, 2006 at 10:53:00 a.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Udge said...

Hello Leighton, welcome aboard. Cafe Koenigx still has the best cappuchino in Stuttgart, but FYI they've moved around the corner to the Brennerstrasse.

Thanks to all for the sympathy and encouragement. I slept through the night, so perhaps it's over.

December 3, 2006 at 11:20:00 a.m. GMT+1  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

...cappuccino...

December 3, 2006 at 12:02:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Unknown said...

So the winter garden is gone from Koenigx?

December 3, 2006 at 6:18:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Udge said...

Yes, the new Koenigx is very different in style, white-polished counters, hardwood, bright walls etc. The old location is still/again a cafe, and it still has a winter garden.

December 3, 2006 at 6:56:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger * said...

udge some computerquestion, do you have a link or so where it is explained (auch fuer die doofen) how one can make those popups that you made for the archives? That is a pretty nice solution

December 3, 2006 at 8:04:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Udge said...

Antonia, it's fussy and messy, but not difficult. Here's an example:

<select class="combobox" name="2004" onchange="if (options[selectedIndex].value){location = options[selectedIndex].value}" size="1">
<option selected>Title of the popup</option>
<option value="http://www.x.com/a.html">August 2004</option>
...
<option value="http://www.x.com/z.html">December 2004</option>
</select>

The first line "<select...>" is the header which declares this thing to be a popup. If you're going to have several popups on the page, they must have distinctive (unique) "name" attributes, but what this name is doesn't matter at all. The rest of the header is literal text, just type it exactly as here.

The first item in the list is marked "selected" so it's the one that will appear by default when the popup is displayed. It has no "value" so nothing happens when it's selected. The "value" of the others is the link to what you want it to display if the reader chooses it.

Feel free to send me an e-mail if you need practical advice on implementing this.

December 3, 2006 at 9:30:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger * said...

thank you udge :) I'm gonna try and mess my template up
now I have somehting new to procrastinate on...I should study actually....

December 3, 2006 at 9:42:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger * said...

oh dear oh dear now i really have messed my template up, what I learnt today one always should save it....but I wanna first try alone to implement it...it cant be so difficult....hmmmnn....I think it will work out.....maybe...it willsort out

December 3, 2006 at 10:02:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Udge said...

Sorry, I should have said that.

Always always always, before changing your template, MAKE A COPY of its current (working properly) state. Select everything, click "copy", create a new text document, click "paste", save.

If something goes wrong, you can then just dump the text file's contents back in, and you've lost nothing but time.

December 3, 2006 at 10:08:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger * said...

no no,it is ok, it will sort out, actually my fault, but it is ok, thats the only way anyway to learn the stupid computerstuff, making mistakes and I think I put it again almost right apart from some few little things....dont worry...when I imagine as I started blogging I couldnt even change the colours and was so proud as I learnt it and now I can even insert link....gosh what next,making bakc ups I suppose. but it is ok dont worry. it is almost as it was before...and if my brain will help...thanks udge anyway for the pop ups...I see how this works....I feel like on a discoveryjourney into computers,so much excitement...

December 3, 2006 at 10:21:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Udge said...

We'll make a geek out of you yet ;-)

December 3, 2006 at 10:43:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger * said...

haha yes...udge, if you make computerclasses for philosophers you could make millions, I can assure you :) I think it has all more or less sorted out, but I try the pop ups better later...then I have somehting to do when I am insomniac...:)

December 3, 2006 at 11:18:00 p.m. GMT+1  

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