podq live

This Chess Java Applet not only allows you to play and get beaten by a computer in the usual fashion, but it also shows every thought the computer is having as to where to move, and displays it in a beautiful fashion of green and orange lines. Influence of pieces on the board is displayed by the strength of waves emminating out from the pieces.

It’s extremely interesting to watch, and fun to play as well, because it helps you along! (Read the About page for more tips). It has been featured at such venues such as Ars Electronica, for a “Language of Networks” demonstration. Check it out!

Update: Okay, maybe not… Check out Progressive Layouts. Maybe…

Yes, I am sick and tired of designing/thinking about/viewing pages specifically designed to fit in a screen where less than 800 little pixels go marching across the screen. I cannot stand much more of this horizontally-centered, margin: 0 auto; make a nice pretty drop-shadowed border stuff any longer.

After looking at tons of other people’s screens over the past year or so, and after reviewing a couple of valid statistics, I have decided that the next look for this site is not going to conform to fitting in less that 800×600 pixels. In fact, it may very well not even use percentages! It may be designed for 1024×768, or larger, and if you have to scroll horizontally, then you are not my target audience.

Gasp, I hear them now, the demons and overseeing lords of the web design domain! The shrieks of accessibility freaks who are foaming at the mouths! The altruistic, selfless people who are crying “but my grandmother with bad eyes won’t be able to see it!” Well guess what? If I have even once had a grandmother come to my site, I would be surprised. And even if she did, things are still pretty hard to see at 800×600, so using a bigger resolution isn’t going to dissuade her. It’s ridiculous that I must either forfeit nearly a quarter of my available screen real estate (at least 21.9% to be exact) because some people may not be able to use it. Well buck up and get along with it people!

If ya ain’t tall enough to get on the ride, you don’t ride.