• I keep all my professional work, including client files, on a separate hard drive partition so that I can easily and regularly back them up, let’s call it g:\
• Client files for web projects are organized as such: g:\clients\client-name\project-name , so that if a long-term client wants a site redesign, I can easily keep these separate rather than dumping them into a single public_html directory for each client
• My local testing server is pointed at a different partition, let’s call it h:\
• I want to be able to serve individual projects via the testing server, but only work on the project files

Naturally, I thought of unix aliases but I’m currently running Windows 7 so I tried shortcuts. Didn’t work. After a little digging, I found the solution: symlinks (which work in numerous OSes – thanks for the correction). From the command line, type:

mklink /D H:\target\directory\linkname G:\clients\client-name\project-name

mklink /D creates a symlink, or a soft link that is the Windows equivalent to unix aliases. The first argument is the directory where you want the link to be placed, and the second is the source directory. Easy as pie.

Be careful when deleting/writing content – the linked directory allows you to manipulate the original file!

The Bug

The IETester software uses tabbed browing, as many modern browsers do. The difference is that each tab can be set to render using a different version of Internet Explorer, from version 5.5 through 8, including the system default. After 5-10 minutes of use (or idle), all but the main tab crash. This is not to say the whole program crashes. It is a multiprocess program, which means it can run instances of programs within it; each tabbed window is like it’s own instance of a browser, all hosted within a singular parent application (Firefox, Opera, Safari, IE 7 & 8, and others all use a similar process to render tabs). So, the good news is the whole program doesn’t take a dive. The bad news is you have to refresh the tabs somewhat regularly. Not such a big deal if you’re testing webpages anyhow.

The Potential Cost

IETester is free for personal and commercial use, for now. The company that makes it also produces DebugBar – a web development tool, which is free for personal use, but costs 59€ for commercial implementation after 60 days.That’s currently about $80, American. I would imagine once IETester is out of alpha/beta releases, a similar license would be implemented.

The Conclusion

Even if IETester didn’t have issues, I’d be hesitant to pony up. There are better free alternatives as mentioned in a recent post, including running a legit copy of Windows XP in VirtualBox, Sun’s Virtual Machine. That’s the path I’ll be taking soon, right after I figure out how to share files between host and guest. More on that in a post to come.

After getting my testing server up and running, I needed a way to test for IE6. Yes, I’m on Windows – but Windows 7 never shipped with IE6 or 7, unlike Vista – so standalone solutions no longer work. I just found a program that solves this issue – and is able to render pages simulating IE5.5-8. IETester v0.4.2 is the current version, though it has been out since March of 2009. Somehow, it entirely missed my radar – probably because I was still running XP and didn’t broaden my queries.

I should say this: IE6 support doesn’t come for free. Clients whose user-base is heavy in the IE6 department can’t afford to not support those users. So, while I can develop for such users – they won’t be getting the same experience – and certainly not without an increased cost. It is my job to push internet standards, including A-level, modern browsers; efficiencies in development/production cut costs over the long-run especially for larger clients. When I have to dick around making tweaks because one idiot browser still won’t die, it’s annoying. For all business owners, large and small: please entertain this suggestion:

Encourage your users to upgrade their browsers.

Obnoxious/semi-invasive design via javascript-based browser sniffing would do wonders to bump browsers into gear. Hell, even showing a simple survey that asks “Do you ride a dinosaur to work? Why do you use an ancient browser?” followed by multiple choices that lead back to a site that encourages browser upgrades.

This tangent is officially over.

I had been running Sun’s Virtual Machine with an XP installation to do IE6 testing, but this alternative has made things easier. The only real issue is sharing files between the host – Windows 7 – and the guest – Windows XP in the VM. That shouldn’t be too difficult, but time is important and I’d rather stick with what works for now.

With that said, my nose is back to the grindstone (though it won’t really move much at all).

As I write this, I’m laying in bed with my girlfriend. Naturally, I am building a database and naturally and she is watching Private Practice. It’s her guilty pleasure – a stress relieving wind-down before bed. All of the sudden I hear a familiar voice – the voice of Mark Sloan. Yes, Mark Sloan of Grey’s Anatomy fame. Now, I know what you must be thinking. You recognize his voice? What a doofus.

But, yes. Yes I do recognize his voice. You know why? Because. Because there have been many nights that while I was working, she was watching Grey’s anatomy – enough so that I’ve loosely become familiar with the shows.

So fuck me in the ear: what the fuck is Sloan (McSteamy that is, not his daughter – whose first name is Sloan but last name is Riley) doing on Private Practice? I shit a brick. A huge brick. I turn and ask, “Why is McSteamy on Private Practice? That is his nickname, right? And the other one is McDreamy?” She tells me I’m right, after which I pull open the elastic of the oversized women’s basketball sweatpants I’m wearing and vomit into my underwear.

Fake doctor shows have cross-over episodes. Holy fuck. What is the world coming to? I’d rather vomit on my balls than deal with this nightmare.

So, I write this, and relocate to the dining room table.

One of my major gripes is Illustrator’s inability to save and load preferences from within the program. This would come in handy when working in different units, as I regularly do; The 10px grid I use for web work isn’t compatible with an imperial or metric grid for print work, and vice versa. Luckily, I’ve devised a workaround.

1. First, you’ll need to find your Ai preferences file. For Windows 7, it can be found in a hidden folder:C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS4 Settings\en_USFrom your explorer window, drag the en_US folder to your start menu and Pin it there. In OS X, you can similarly make a link to the folder and keep it in your Dock, desktop, or wherever you fancy. The file we’ll be renaming later is named AIPrefs (no extension)- we’ll deal with that soon enough. If you don’t have hidden folders visible, here’s how. If you’re on a different OS, or using a different version of Illustrator, have a look here, or search the nets.
2. Open Illustrator, start a blank document, and set your preferences. The document type doesn’t matter.
3. Close Illustrator.
4. Open the folder you linked in step 1, copy and rename your preferences file to something descriptive like AIPrefs[web]. It’s crucial to copy so we don’t accidentally modify or delete our manually defined preferences.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for each grid-setup or preferences variation you need.
6. Now you’re ready to use your custom preferences. Before you reopen Illustrator, delete the current AIPrefs file.
7. Copy the preferences file you want to use and rename it to AIPrefs.
8. Start Illustrator and behold the glory.

Obviously, if the last thing you worked on is for web, and the current thing you worked on is for web, you don’t have to change the AIPrefs file, so it might be helpful to keep a note of which file is currently active. You can also search the AIPrefs file to see how Illustrator is modifying the contents. It’s for the most part readable alpha-numeric content. If anyone knows of a better way to do this, please let me know. Ciao.

And since then, I’ve fallen into the rabbit-hole universe of cheese-making.

It started with a trip to Minors, to get some gear for the community garden my friends and I are working in. Already on the North-West side of town, we stopped at Larry’s Market – and met the man himself. He offered us countless varieties: Marieke Foenegreek Gouda, blue, mobay, dill havarti, and others – from all over Europe and Wisconsin.

And then I saw it – the morbier (not to be confused with mobay, though they look similar). Sitting in the case, the black-ash dividing the morning from the evening milk, I couldn’t resist trying it again; and how could Larry refuse to comply?

The strong, almost acrid flavor was still there. But unlike the first time I tried it, the richness and depth of flavor in the milk were the most notable features. I still don’t regard it as a favorite cheese, but it certainly verifies my suspicions that the cheese case at the Downer Sendik’s is:

1. A) poorly and irregularly stocked

-or-

2. B) not sufficiently refrigerated

Whatever the (cheese) case, I probably won’t shy from morbier again, unless it’s at Sendik’s.

While at Larry’s, I mentioned a friend whose parents owns Saxon Creamery, in Cleveland, WI. Larry and his son talked up Mr. and Mrs. Heimerl, and said that Jerry would be in the following day. Five minutes later, he walks out of the back of the shop, so we tried their famous Big Ed variety. Amazing. Creamy and almost sweet, but with a sharpness that only a good aging can add.

I was hooked. I started reading cheese-making books, frequenting websites, watching both small and large batch cheese-making videos. I already regularly made my own yogurt – goat milk paneer didn’t seem harder. And in fact, it was easier to strain because the curd is larger.

While at an acquaintance’s birthday gathering, I discovered her husband makes his own cheeses, and works at the Wisconsin Cheese Mart. We discussed designs for cheese presses, and building earthen caves for aging our creations. All surrounding activity seemed to hum like timelapse video footage. Not surprisingly, the birthday-woman was not want of interest.

I stopped by the shop after a co-worker told me about the Sartori Merlot Cheese – which I regret expressing skepticism towards. But I bought some, and it was tasty, as were the goudas, the petit frère, and most notably, the Pleasant Ridge Reserve, which I’m told is made with unpasteurized milk from cows that graze on different cover crops each year.

Two weeks ago I stayed in central Wisconsin for several days, near Wausau. While shopping in town at Farm & Home , I happened upon a New England Cheesemaking kit for just shy of $20, and cheese and other dairy cultures. I also hope to visit The CheeseMaker, in Cedarburg. In the next several months down the yellow brick (cheddar, perhaps?) cheese road, I hope to make:

• mozzarella
• chevre
• a cheese press
• a cheese cave
• some sort of hard cheese…maybe cheddar
• gruyère (someday)

I’ve got a few raw milk sources, getting more gear, and support and enthusiasm from friends and family. I’ll post the results, perhaps!

Such typography, one comes quickly to realize, doesn’t suit all applications. In fact, it doesn’t suit most applications. The majority of typesetting isn’t done to draw attention to the text, but rather to make its characters melt their meaning with as little distraction as possible. It pays to know this—especially when that pay is coming from a client expecting your understanding of conventional typography to benefit her business.

That stated, listed below are the typefaces I most commonly employ. I use them for their stylistic range, completeness of character set, and most importantly, as a framework from which I can branch out and build more creativity—perhaps by employing or creating an entirely new typeface. No more delays. Here they are:

• ITC Garamond Std
• ITC New Baskerville Std
• Mrs. Eaves
• Futura Std
• Trade Gothic LT Std
• Helvetica Neue LT Std

I’d say I use these for 80% of the work I do. Other typefaces I might consider are listed below. Some are either related or variations of the faces above. Others are slowly building up to workhorse status, or are used in extremely specific instances.

• Adobe Garamond Pro
• Adobe Jenson Pro
• Avenir LT Std
• Univers LT Std
• Bodoni STD
• Frutiger
• Gill Sans
• Helvetica LT Std
• ITC Franklin Gothic Std
• Poetica
• Gotham HTF

What are your typographic workhorses?