Clothing Prices: The Fashion Goldilocks Zone (Infographic)

January 21, 2014 Robin Leave a comment

Admittedly, I’m not much of a fashion maven, but I’ve done enough shopping and worn enough clothes in my life…enough to create the above infographic based on my personal observation of fashion pricing. There are pros and cons to buying fashion of all price ranges, but I have personally found that you CAN achieve the best of both worlds by carefully choosing well-made, mid-priced clothing. They land right in the “Fashion Goldilocks Zone” (not too cheap, not too costly; not too trendy nor too basic, etc), described in the graphic above.

Sure, mid-priced clothes are not designer clothes, but they’re also not likely to fall to pieces when you wash them a few times, either (as I have unfortunately experienced). If you’re willing to look for slightly higher-quality clothing that is put together well, especially for clothes you’ll be washing and wearing a lot, you’ll actually SAVE money in the long run because you won’t have to replace your whole wardrobe every year. (You don’t have to buy the most expensive clothes to have the best quality, either, because I’ve also unfortunately found that sometimes the high-priced pieces wear out just as quick as the cheap stuff.)

More help on picking quality clothing for less money:

Six Secrets to Spotting High-Quality Clothes
Accessible Chic: 6 Places to Shop Quality Clothes Online
How to Buy Nice Clothes On the Cheap
Is Buying Expensive Clothing Worth It?
How to Spot Quality Clothing

Monday in the HTMLab

Should You Make a Single-Page Site?

January 20, 2014 Robin Leave a comment

As a relatively “old-school” designer (having learned way back in 2003), the idea of a website having only a single page seems really weird. And yet, according to some folks in the webdesign world, it’s one of the hot new trends for 2014. It baffles me. I mean, a website’s supposed to be about content, right? And content needs to be divided up into pages, doesn’t it?

The answer: Not necessarily! There are actually several instances where a single-page site can serve you well. See the following examples:

Sites Which Work Well with a Single-Page Format

Portfolio Page

If, like most webdesigners, you choose to host your own portfolio page on your website, a single-page site should do well for you, since all you need for a portfolio page is your contact info, examples of your work, etc. And with a little careful page design, you can have a single-page portfolio where the user doesn’t even have to scroll much–thus, interested users don’t even have to click to see all they need.

App or Service Page

If you’ve made an app or are providing an Internet service, most times you won’t need a heavily-involved website. A small write-up (with screencaps) of what your app/service does, support/contact information, and links to download any necessary software, and you’re pretty much done. (Just make sure your single-page site is mobile-friendly if it’s for an app!)

Personal Site

Unless you just want a full-on site about yourself, your personal site can be more like a quick window into your life–your latest tweets, last listened tracks, and a small bio, for instance, or whatever you’d like for visitors to know about you. A single-page personal site can be tidy and still informative.

Small, Extremely Focused Fansite/Fanlisting

If you’ve made or want to make a small fansite or a fanlisting, the single-page format can work REALLY well. Think about it this way–it’s less pages to code and less for your users to click through. (This works best if your fansite/fanlisting has 10 or less pages of content.)

Sites Which Should NOT Be Made into Single-Page Format

Large, Intensive Fansites

If you have a HUGE fansite or topic site, a single-page format is definitely not the best idea. With a large site, you want to make sure your content is well-organized, which often means breaking it up into separate pages. That way, users can go right to what they want with a single click, rather than making them scroll for days.

Sites with a Lot of Topics

If your site has a slew of topics (like this blog, for instance), a multi-page website is better, both for content organization (as explained above) and linkage purposes. For instance, if someone is only interested in my Saturday with the Spark posts, he or she can simply bookmark my “Spark” tag page, rather than having to scroll through a ton of other posts to find the one or two desired-topic posts and read them.

Summary

Single-page sites can simplify your webdesign workload greatly. If you’ve already got a small site, give this kind of site organization/layout a try!

Saturday with the Spark

8 Strange Sculptures You Won’t Believe

January 18, 2014 Robin Leave a comment

When most of us think of sculpture, we think of cool, well-lit enclosed galleries, polished floors and glass cases where either a well-realized human form or some crazy angular abstract thing is on display. To the average human (aka me), sculpture is a weird, rather unapproachable art form for these reasons.

Thankfully, there are sculpture artists who think differently–who have literally thought outside the glass box and created amazingly weird (and funny) pieces of art that we can study, laugh at, and even interact with. In this way, they exemplify what it means to be creative: making stuff that no one else has attempted, just because no one else has done it and it sounds cool or funny. Here are some examples:

Looks like a pretty normal statue…except it’s hanging by one hand! How’d they do that?! (image source)

This sculpture just speaks to me–it says “STARBUCKS.” (Also, you might be addicted to coffee if your whole face is made out of it…image source)

Awesome way to both celebrate music and a musical instrument, with this neon-blue outdoor guitar sculpture. (image source

Aww, this is cute–sculpture can be small and sweet (and edible), yet still bring happiness! (image source)

These slender metal sculptures out in the middle of nature are what I like to call “Earth decorations.” (image source)

Stretch it, play with it (or prank somebody with it) and yet it retains its shape–nope, it’s not some sort of goop, it’s PAPER! (image source)

Not only is this a really neat-looking tree made out of pipes, it also makes sounds when the wind blows! (Video/audio of this “Singing Ringing Tree” available by the following link–it sounds SO creepy and cool. image source)

And sometimes, sculpture doesn’t need to make people think deeply–it just needs to give them a “What the–LOL!!” reaction. (image source)

Friday around the Web

300-Calorie Meals, Wi-Fi Instead of Bathrooms, Questionaut, and Baked Oatmeal Squares

January 17, 2014 Robin Leave a comment

What Do 300-Calorie Meals Look Like?
Options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including baked potato, tortellini, chicken salad, scrambled eggs, and more–all for around 300 calories!

Some fliers would give up bathroom access for onboard Wi-Fi
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT. I mean, I know those tiny little bathrooms are uncomfortable and I avoid them at all costs, but I would still like to know they’re there if I get into…um…difficult straits. XD

Questionaut
REALLY awesome kids’ flash game where you explore around with your mouse cursor and get asked questions about various subject matter, which gives you air for your character’s hot-air balloon and sends him on to the next level. Miss a question and you’ll lose fuel!

Baked Oatmeal Squares for Breakfast on the Run
Full recipe and baking instructions for these handy–and healthy–little snacks!

Thursday in the Zone

Awesome 1-Mana Creatures, part 5: Black

January 16, 2014 Robin 13 Comments

In Magic: the Gathering, Black is not necessarily known for its creatures, and usually what creatures it gets are not cheap to play. But there are some little 1-mana gems hiding away in Black! Check out the list below! (And don’t forget to check out the other colors I’ve profiled so far: White, Blue, Green, and Red.)

All of the card images came from MagicCards.info; if you know of a 1-mana black creature that ought to be on this list and isn’t, let me know (nicely) in the comments!

Play it first turn and activate it second turn for an early-game life-drain jumpstart.	Good way to both fill up your graveyard and put your opponent at a disadvantage–even first turn!
Great for multi-color decks to balance out your mana.	When you just REALLY NEED that 1 extra mana. Or you need a cheap blocker.
Keep an opponent’s creature down for a turn with this one.	Messing with graveyards is traditional Black territory–and for a 1-mana investment up-front, not bad! (For a newer reprint, see Rag Dealer.)
For 1 mana you have a creature whose power and toughness can snowball over several turns. Who cares that it can’t block?	Great for re-balancing life totals, or for gaining an advantage.
If your deck already deals with a lot of “Sack this creature” effects, this would be a great little addition.	Though it’s hybrid, there’s still plenty to interest a mono-Black deck here. Getting rid of lands, instants, and sorceries from the graveyard? NICE. (And if you happen to run a little Green in your Black deck, all the better)
A quick and cheap way to make your opponent ditch a card.	Exalted is rare enough to find in Black, let alone Exalted and Regenerate. Great for boosting up another creature and sticking around!
Though its tap ability are pretty expensive, making an opponent ditch two cards is pretty fun. And late-game, you can Channel this little guy to make them ditch four instead!	Equal-opportunity disadvantage–great for a group game, and just fine for a one-on-one game.
Level this guy up, and you get a pretty powerful creature removal tool!	GREAT way to get Black mana early-game, especially if all you have are colorless or non-black mana sources. (For a newer, Black/Red option, see Manaforge Cinder.)
Like Drainpipe Vermin, but this says “ditch at random”–a small but possibly more dangerous change for your opponent!	Exiling cards when tapped, and being able to untap when a black spell is played…how is this guy just 1 mana again?
1/1 flying, which Black usually needs!	Because Black can always use a touch of Lifelink, given all the “pay X life to do something awesome” types of spells.
1/1 swampwalk is great for its cost, since Black has plenty of ways to make an opponent get a Swamp. (See Zodiac Rat for another example)	1/1 fear is pretty strong for Black–great for getting through hordes of creatures (unless they’re artifact or black).
This is better than it sounds–drain a life from EVERY opponent, AND potentially do some combat damage, too? Woot!	Give it flying for a few turns and you should have threshold for extra fun!
It’s as good as Plague Beetle if you don’t multi-kick it, and if you do multi-kick it, it’s a HUGE upgrade. Yay for options!	A Black creature giving first strike (traditionally a White ability)? WOW! And the +1/+0 is nice, too 🙂
Ah, yes, this little lady is lethal when combined with enchantments that keep her from attacking and blocking for your opponent. (My boyfriend uses Sleeper Agent to great effect with Pillory of the Sleepless…argh! LOL)	You can either pump up this Shade and use it as a killing blocker, or you can ditch all the cards out of your hand and start swinging with it. Either way, it’s GOOD.
This is like a walking Throne of Bone, but for life loss instead of gain. Neat!	Mess with your opponent’s upcoming cards…good ability on a 1-mana creature!
The Extort is a nice touch, and the tap ability can either bring something of yours into play quicker, or keep your opponent’s counter-centric combos from going off too soon.	Play this guy, and then start targeting him with any kind of spells…FUNNY for a group game especially.
1/1 unblockable for 1! WOW!	1/1 deathtouch…small but mighty. 🙂
0/1 flying that can become a 2/1 with some mana investment. (See also: Pit Imp, Phyrexian Battleflies)	Being able to scry is usually a Blue ability, so it’s nice to see it pop up in Black.
0/1 flying that can regenerate! A classic.

Wednesday in the Word

Why Salvation is a Gift, Not a Reward

January 15, 2014 Robin Leave a comment

Titus 3:4-7
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Paul emphasizes both the nature of God and His ultimate gift to humanity in this passage. Salvation, the pardoning of our souls so that we no longer have to pay for our sins, comes through Jesus to us because of mercy, not because of merit.

It’s very easy–and tempting–to get this wrong, to start believing that we can engineer our own salvation or that we somehow “deserved” God’s love more than somebody else. But Paul is clear: God’s merciful act saved us because we could not save ourselves; alone, we could not be spiritually reborn and renewed without the Holy Spirit’s power, and could not hope to have eternal life with Him after physical death. None of us deserved this gift, this second chance to live as Christ lived, but it was and still is offered to all.

Tuesday on the Soapbox

The Accessible Kitchen: One Solution to My Cooking Problem

January 14, 2014 Robin Leave a comment

My lack of cooking prowess is rather legendary; try as I might, my fear of being burned trumps my usage of the stove more often than not, and because I hate wasting food and money, I don’t often attempt new dishes. But the biggest stumbling block to my cooking, by far, is the condition of my lower body.

Most people scoff at this. “What is so strenuous about cooking?” they ask. “All you do is stand there and stir!”

That’s exactly right. You have to STAND…and STAND…and STAND…and by the way, STAND. Which is all well and good, unless you have twisted both ankles at least 5 times and have crunching, pre-arthritic knees. When standing for long periods of time (more than 15 minutes) causes extreme pain, you tend to avoid standing when possible. And in most kitchens, standing or sitting on one of those wooden suppositories people call “stools” is your only option.

(Seriously…these things are NOT comfortable unless you are under the age of 10 and/or have a butt less than 5 inches wide.)

So, after thinking over this problem a few days ago, it struck me: I’m already considered handicapped enough to warrant a handicapped parking permit, even though I don’t use a wheelchair. How do people in wheelchairs use kitchens? How could a kitchen be modified for handicapped purposes?

Kitchen Accessibility: Lowered Counters, Special Appliances, and Creative Storage Solutions

One of the most literally painful chores for me in the kitchen is food prep. I start hurting within 5 minutes, as my knees and ankles swell from standing on them; the swelling and pain then make me hot and tired (and very cranky/impatient, as you might imagine). Thus, before I’ve even started really cooking, I’m already frustrated and in a lot of pain, which no pain pills can really touch. To combat this, I could definitely benefit from roll-under/sit-under cabinet tops, which give plenty of room to work while sitting. Plus, the upper-cabinet shelves that extend down would mean I wouldn’t have to keep getting up and down on a sore ankle/knee.

A roll-under/sit-under sink and stovetop could help with actual cooking and cleaning; suddenly, hand-dishwashing and food-stirring/watching wouldn’t be the impossible tasks that they seem to be right now. (I also like the idea of an induction cooktop, so I don’t burn myself reaching over the stove for pots and pans.)

Finally, putting utensils in creative lower-cabinet storage is a more accessible kitchen design, since it puts everything close at hand and limits stretching/getting up and down. Anything I can do to stop stressing out my joints would be nice!

More Details and Ideas

Accessible kitchen design is more than just counters and cooktops, however–many more details have to be taken into account! The following pages give more advice and ideas:

AccessibleLifestyle: Kitchens
AgeInPlace: Kitchen Ideas
GE Appliances: ADA-Compliant Appliances

Monday in the HTMLab

Web-Safe Fonts: There are More than You Think!

January 13, 2014 Robin Leave a comment

When it comes to using fonts for my websites, I admit I’ve gone the “super-safe” route more often than not. In search of making my text readable on all devices, I end up using Arial, Garamond, Georgia, and Verdana…and that’s pretty much it, since I avoid Times New Roman like the default plague it is.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned that there are plenty of other web-safe fonts available–and even some which are friendly to multiple operating systems! Here’s how to make this work for your site:

Explore Which Fonts ARE Web-Safe

CSSFontStack is an excellent resource to begin searching for the web-safe fonts you want. It displays OS statistics on the most commonly-used web fonts, so you’re more aware of which OS (Mac or Windows) likely carries your chosen font. VERY handy!

See Which Mac and Windows Fonts are the Same

This Windows and Mac fonts list shows you which fonts are designed alike (for instance, Verdana and Geneva, Lucida Console and Monaco, Book Antiqua and Palatino). This will not only help you pick a good cross-platform web-safe font, but it will also help you choose fonts for your font stack in your CSS document (see next point!).

Build Your Font Stack Varied and Strong

As this W3Schools page shows, you can’t safely specify just one font name and be done with it–you must give the users’ browsers a range of fonts to choose from if one or more of the specified fonts is not natively installed. This range of font options is called a font stack, and will save your users from having to read your content in a really odd font.

See Examples of Font Stacks

Sitepoint’s “8 Definitive Font Stacks” article is a great jumping-off point for your sites, either to use directly or as a template for designing your own font stack. This will help you make your font choices as web-safe as possible!

Summary

Choosing fonts for your website content doesn’t have to be “same-old, same-old”–using these web resources can help you pick stylish yet standard choices for your design! (And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to select some new favorite fonts! :D)

Saturday with the Spark

Spiritual Metal: Gamelan Music

January 11, 2014 Robin 1 Comment

My studies of music have been windows into various cultures, and the style of music I’m writing about today is no different. I first learned about this in my “Music Cultures of the World” class in college, and it was easily some of my favorite music to learn about.

A Gamelan Crash Course (Figuratively Speaking)

Gamelan (pronounced “GAH-meh-lahn”) music comes from the islands of Java and Bali in Indonesia, and is based on defined musical scales, such as Pelog and Slendro, that differ significantly from Western scales. The word “gamelan” can reference both the type of musical ensemble that plays this music, and the style of music that said ensemble performs. A variety of different instruments, ranging from flutes and vocals to drums and all sizes of metallic gongs, make up the ensemble.

To Westernized ears, this music can sound more like people dropping pans in a busy kitchen at first. But, in reality, each gamelan song is a complex orchestral work, with each instrument built and tuned specifically to fit within its particular gamelan ensemble and no other. It has also influenced world music–even composers like Claude Debussy and John Cage brought in some of its concepts in their music!

The history of gamelan music is intertwined strongly with the spiritual traditions of the various cultures living in Indonesia, to the point that you pretty much can’t talk about gamelan without involving faith, and vice versa. Gamelan music is used in so many ceremonies and rituals, but it’s also broadcast on radio–it’s an integral part of
Indonesian life. It is, quite simply, a form of worship music, used to speak to the gods and invite them into human presence.

Gamelan Styles with Examples (Videos)

There are two broad categories for gamelan music. Javanese gamelan, featured in the first video below, is generally smoother, calmer, reverberant, rhythmical/flowing…it’s almost like being inside a giant, harmonic clock. Balinese gamelan sounds more “exciting,” with a harder, ringing metallic sound and faster, more complicated rhythms that don’t necessarily adhere to the clock-like, echoing steadiness of Javanese styles.

A third style, Sundanese gamelan, is from West Java, yet sounds slightly different from the Javanese style–to my ears, it tends toward the ringing metallic tones from Balinese gamelan. Check out the videos below to hear these styles:

Javanese gamelan