Designing websites

I've been designing a few more websites over the past few days - not for anyone specific, but as templates for potential customers. It helps me realise my ideas and learn the code by keeping my hand in. Recently I learned how to add a javascript clock, and how to have borders on table cells (not the thick ugly global table border), but how to display just the top, bottom or side(s) with a border of any colour and width. This is done via inline styling (whereas I think it would otherwise be acheived within a css file).

I've also been experimenting with the "background=file.gif" in cells as opposed to "img src=file.gif" so a small background file can fill a whole cell by repeating plus there is then the option to put either a graphic over the background (using gif transparency), or to add text which makes quite a difference instead of having either a plain coloured background or none at all).

Other html elements I've been playing around with are opening small windows for photos (rather than opening another full page), and email forms. Tripod offer a free service where you can use their cgi-bin to associate an email with (which isn't in the form) this way spambot have nothing to eat. :-)

I've also been looking for codes to disable various browser options, mainly the stealing of images and actual code with partial sucess.

While Googling for a background (via the 'Image tab' for "bg.gif"), I found a few good ones and eventually surfed onto a doman registartion site and was reminded that both www.dspdesign.co.uk & www.dspdesign.com have been taken! Maybe I'll have to settle for www.dspdesign.tk (although that ran out months ago as I'd not had the default 30 visitors per month), but I could still buy it at some point I guess.

I'll have to upload my recent designs which will make 5 or 6 decent templates. If you're intereseted then here's the URL - http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/dspdesign/dspdesign/index.html

£$%^&*! Nepotism

I recently discovered that my cousin and her husband had a vacancy at their business for which I am suitable and qualified, but when I asked about it I was informed that they don't take on family members in case it causes trouble! So much for... what's that word for giving family jobs? Damn!

EDIT - Nepotism is the word I was looking for .

Dual Disks

I was surfing earlier today like you do and came across a manufacturing site which made CD's and DVD's and mentioned "dual discs". I thought I was fairly up-to-date when it comes to technology, but obviously not as far these new fangled "dual discs" are concerned as they have been on the market for over 12 months. A Sony invention if I remember correctly. http://www.dualdisc.com/faq.html

What's a duel disk I hear you ask? Well it's a disk like a CD but double-sided although the "b-side" is a DVD... clever. Apparently no new hardware is required to play them as you treat them like either a CD or DVD and insert them into your machine as normal. No doubt the marketing men will see an opportunity to sell us another player that can play both sides without turning the disk over but I doubt I'll be getting one soon. Took me a while to accept CD's and DVD's in the first place as I treasure my vinyl collection as it reminds me of my formative years.

Everyone's doing it...

Just saw a TV documentary with Alan Yentob (UK TV arts director type) and he was learning about how to blog (from someone half his age) and the impact it is having one culture.

Well I thought I'd give it a go and see what happens. People apparently make money and become rich and famous through blogging and giving away free music via MySpace etc so what have I got to lose?

The Artic Monkey's apparently didn't have a record deal until the fans discovered them and wanted to buy CD's and t-shirts, posters and everything else. Now everyone and their cousin in Puru have heard of the Sheffield rockers.