random($foo)

• Mozilla’s DOM Sample Project
• thefixor has css and dhtml links
• Position Is Everything – part of the CSS webring – I see a bunch of css-d regulars

Good Lord, this took me forever to find again. I though I’d blogged this a long time ago, but was unable to find it. So, more keywords (yes, how primitive): Mozilla DHTML DOM window properties demo test page

• MSIE6 Doctor Unclear’s window properties, methods, events page
• NS6 (Mozilla) Doctor Unclear’s window properties, methods, events page

There are a bunch of other tests in the directory listing as well.

I spent the afternoon writing a simple file processing Perl-script, which brought two things to my attention: 1) my Perl is rusty and 2) the online Perl documentation sucks. PHP’s documentation blows away perldoc when you’re looking for function references or peculiarities. I will acknowledge that the CPAN and PEAR documentation both consistantly suck equally.

EXIF parsing:

• jhead – Exif Jpeg camera setting parser and thumbnail remover
• libexif – EXIF Tag Parsing Library
• Exif-Tools
• MetaCam
• makethumbs

I’d never even heard of, much less seen anyone use the Windows Script Encoding before Andy sent me a link to a site that had an interesting JS effect (IE only). It’s actually by Kokogiak. I actually think I hit that site a long time ago, but didn’t notice it either because it wasn’t there or I don’t browse w/ IE.

A quick google search led to an article describing the Windows Secript Encoder algorithm, and how relatively trivial it is to break (here’s MSDN’s description of Using Script Encoder). Two decoders: Windows Script Decoder (in C), and in one in Perl, and in Javascript, part of an apparently long since abandoned JS scripting API.

Related:

• Anti-Tagslock
• More translators and converters at unfiction.com
• Hmm, a freeware Obfuscator called JAMMER
• iWeb Toolkit has a number of encoders (mislabeled as encrypters)

Along the way to posting this, I found a few interested related links, one On the (Im)possibility of Obfuscating Programs, and a second, a page of Obfuscated-HTML De-obfuscation Tools, which looks like it has some very useful tools.

I was taking a look at some small form factor pc’s, and found a link to mini-itx.com. There are some great projects featured heare, including an amazing tube radio conversion, and some fun ones like the NESPC and the E.T.PC.

Even more interesting than the mini-pc’s are the micro-pc’s, like the Cappuccino PCs (relabeled Jadetecs it looks like) or Maxan systems. Pretty neat stuff.

Would you look at that, William Gibson is going to have a blog soon. I wonder if he’ll update it as often as Neil Gaiman and his journal?

I just re-read neuromance about a month ago (my friend was taking a sci-fi english lit class and I decided to drop in). It really stands the test of time, and is perhaps even more impressive looking back at it now. It’s also always fun reading about fencing 4MB of RAM.

Hmm, interesting. New Photoshop, Indesign, After Effects, and Indesign by the end of the year according to Think Secret.

More innocuous things: mpt on When good interfaces go crufty. In related user stuff, webword has put up a Userati list which tracks links among usability blogs. (that’s good stuff).

Instead of doing much useful the past few days, I played my eyes out on Chrono Trigger w/ Snes9x. After finishing that this morning, I decided to try out DreamSNES, a port of Snes9x to the Dreamcast. It’s an impressive effort, but runs sorta pokey (the SNES CPU is a 3.5MHz chip, but apparently, it’s the custom graphics/sound DSPs that are a PITA to emulate). Also, playing the games on a 50″ widescreen TV is a bit much. (The Dreamcast controller does beat the pants off the Gravis Xterminator I have lying around though.)

Sigh… news sucks. Happy new year.

• Israel’s human sheilds draw fire
• Foreign Policy Loses Its Logic
• 9 Northeastern States Challenge Pollution Rule
• RUBBISH! – ok, this is sorta funny, but just highlights how our civil liberties are out the door.
• Hooked on a Feeling

Seanbaby’s EGM’s Crapstravaganza: The 20 Worst Video Games of All Time article is a way more entertaining read than GameSpy’s similarly themed recent Top 10 Shameful Games article. Surprisingly, Action 52 isn’t in Seanbaby’s list. The hilarious reviews on GameFAQs was almost enough to convince me to search for the ROM and d/l it. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed.

More game funnies: SA’s Game Reviews, SA’s ROM Pit

I’d like to just take a moment to again reiterate my complete and utter disappointment in CSS2. A longer rant has been brewing for a few months now. It’s almost ready to make it’s way out.