I explained what skinning was in my last article [ link ], but how does one go about skinning their desktop? If you skin your desktop how do you change it back? How do you download a skin? Where do you find skins? Do you need a taxidermists license to do this? What if you want to change your computer back?? What if your boss walks in while you are doing this?? Where's the beef?? What if my computer explodes??? Can I find any pink and purple skins with unicorns!? Will I lose all my data if I d...
Links to Cordelia Here are some of my top picks in the various categories. There are always so many good choices it's hard to narrow it down to just a few. What are your favorites? Include a screenshot! Here are some of mine: Skins: Faberge by Pictoratus Synthek by danilloOc Wallpaper: Dreamweb by teddybearcholla the eye by teffumi Screensavers: This is a brand new category. Be sure and post your screensavers! GoldPlanet b...
Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie Michigan has released its annual list of words that it would like to see “banished”. This is in no way an actual banishment of the words or phrases, but rather a list that nominees feel are overused, improper or just plain useless. The list contains phrases like “zero percent APR financing”. Truthfully, the phrase could be much more simply stated as “no interest”. Other phrases topping the list are: “Wardrobe malfunction” “You’re fired!...
Some of you may have seen my previous article regarding criteria for rating skins Link . In it I talk about what I like to see in a good wallpaper or skin. It occurs to me that it’s not very nice to talk about swooning over the various downloadable (and free!) goodies that WinCustomize has to offer without sharing a few of my personal choices. Here they are: Skins: “Skinartistry” by, well, Skinartistry – just love this one. Running it right now in fact!: Link don5318’s “Winter Bl...
Recently I got a job at Stardock. You’ll note I’m a moderator on this site, but only because I need to have access to post things on a regular basis. I’m new to the whole WinCustomize community and to the concept of skinning. I’m actually lucky I am able to turn on my computer and get on the Internet at all – I’m the opposite of a “power user”. I’m not sure the term “newbie” even applies to me, as someone had to put their hand over mine on the mouse and do all the clicking to get me here in th...
I am going to write this blog about my trip to Cancun this Thanksgiving. Please forgive me, as it seems that I left any writing skills I may have had in Cancun, and now this blog sounds like a third grade paper entitled "What I Did With My Thanksgiving Vacation". I am mortified, and yet I persevere. This Thanksgiving my better half and I went to Cancun with my sister and brother-in-law. I have never actually been out of the country before, except a brief trip across the border into Canada. In...
Popular skin designers Skinplant, creators of the “Hulk” and “Spider-Man” Skinpacks, have created a new Skinpack for those of you who want to personalize your PC. Unorthodox allows you to view your Windows environment in a whole new way! Check out the “Dissident”, “Anomaly”, and “Hi-Fidelity” and other skins that can give Windows XP the look of the PocketPC, TabletPC, or other radical designs. It's only $9.95 and it's well worth it and looks fantastic on your desktop. F...
New Year’s Resolutions It may be early to begin talking about New Year’s resolutions as Christmas has not yet stampeded me, but I think it’s important. This has been one of the worst years of my life. Actually, January was ok except for being a little chilly, but the rest of it stank. My husband had taken a job across the country, and I stayed behind to sell the house and to finish my teaching contract. I lived in a house with no insulation at all. It was southern California and the...
The voters have spoken and they have said they do not support gay marriage. I must say, I am shocked. I did not realize I was so far out of touch with the rest of the country. Personally, I don’t think we have the right to infringe upon the freedoms of any one group of people. Whether you think being gay is a choice, or whether you think people are gay for biological reasons, whether you think that being gay is right or wrong , they should be allowed to marry. I know quite a few gay p...
I am not particularly articulate, and I don’t necessarily have the necessary wit to truly express my expressions. See what I mean? I would, however, in my own fumbling way, and with too many commas, like to point out the obvious. I just watched the most recent episode the “The West Wing” entitled “The Birnham Wood” (a day behind, as usual). In this episode (stop reading here if you haven’t seen it) Leo McGarry has a heart attack and either dies in the woods or lies there and is not foun...
I'll grant you, I knew "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat" was going to be bad going in. However, it was free on HBO and we had nothing else to do so we watched it. Why we watched the whole thing I'll never know, but I think I can now officially classify it as the Worst Movie Ever. Previously, "Battlefield Earth" held that title. The main problems were that the movie wasn't funny, and that you didn't care about the characters. Fairly difficult problems to overcome, I'd say. Directed by Bo W...
Today I both joined a gym and a tanning salon. Paul and I are going to Cancun for 8 whole days over Thanksgiving, so I wanted to be tan for the trip. It feels weird, because I am usually opposed to tanning in general. However, I'm usually opposed to wearing bathing suits as well, but since I will be wearing one 24-7 in Cancun I was hoping to offset some of my flabbiness with a tan. The gym part is just because I want to get in shape in general. Our local rec center only charges 125$ for a ...
Uh...hmmm. It would appear that our house has now closed, and except for some minor details that albatross is no longer around my neck. Hmm. Not sure how to feel about this. Why hasn't the President of the USA gotten on TV to make an announcement? Why hasn't a national holiday been declared? Why haven't they called for 24 hours of peace in the middle east to commemorate this moment? I must say, there is a part of me that NEVER wants to buy another house again. That house was nothing but a ...
The Michigan Renaissance Festiva The Michigan Renaissance Festival Today the Mormegil and I went to the Michigan Renaissance Festival (hereinafter referred to as MRF). We were prepared for the worst, but hoped for the best. Here are the pros and cons: Cons: MRF workers not required to wear period costume. What? WHAT??? Why have a Renaissance Festival if you don’t plan on attempting to re-create the period. I...
I believe that today more than ever a book should be sought after even if it has only one great page in it: we must search for fragments, splinters, toenails, anything that has ore in it, anything that is capable of resuscitating the body and soul. It may be that we are doomed, that there is no hope for us, any of us, but if that is so then let us set up a last agonizing, bloodcurdling howl, a screech of defiance, a war whoop! Away with lamentation! Away with elegies and dirges! Away with bio...