Say, what do you call a program that is installed surreptitiously against the user’s will, piggybacked upon other software, and once thus installed goes out of its way to avoid being detected by the user and does things the user most assuredly does not want done? Apparently, defying long-established linguistic convention, you would call it a “Browser Helper Object.”

I wrote a new IE menu extension: Hide Anything. Works for a selection or any element. Right click -> Hide and whatever it is is gone from the page. Where it really shines is in quickly creating printable versions of pages that don’t come with a pre-made “print me” option. It’s also useful in those cases where there are distracting DHTML things, ads or otherwise, flying around the page. I’m amazed that I thought of something this useful, frankly.

I also changed the CYOA features around again. The UI isn’t exactly the clearest, but it’s more functional now. (It remembers your preferred font size, font face, link target, and tells you what your current settings are.)

I am one with the Code. Now that that is accomplished, perhaps spending some time around humans is in order.

The question is not What. The question is why? (If you don’t already get what I’m at here, don’t bother. It’s not worth the effort.)

I was just getting used to living in constant fear that my own government was entering the final stages of a geologically slow metamorphosis into something completely different than what it is in name. I was actually, somehow, adjusting to that. The human psyche is resilient. So the timing was perfect for yet another reminder that I should be equally afraid of my own fellow citizens. (Let’s see… it’s been about five months… yeah, that’s about right.)

“I am 40% British , just like Catherine Zeta Jones. (A true English rose, but you know where the money is.)”

As we are none of us just one thing, I am also Edvard Münch’s The Scream.

I am Catherine Zeta Jones, screaming.

This trivia game is the most addictive timesink you will find today. I managed to get up to 83281 before I accidentally hit the wrong link (which is just a bit too easy to do) and ended the game.

One of my favorite truth or dare questions, at least when a game is taking a high road (it happens) is “If you could take a magic potion and never have to sleep again, with no side effects, would you do it?” You’d be suprised how many people, while fully understanding the question, still answer in the negative. Now that it’s no longer completely hypothetical, I wonder if their answers will change any? (Mefi thread)

A mystery that has long bothered me, the inexplicable dearth of music videos on MTV, is finally explained. “According to the ratings, when MTV runs videos - entire videos, not the bits and pieces it has been running in recent years - the station loses viewers.” Apparently, the kids MTV is gunning for “can’t sit through a whole 3½ minute video anymore.” The author of the article makes a compelling suggestion: be afraid. Be very, very afraid. (via Obscure)

It doesn’t matter what sort of horrible mood I’m in, I can’t help but smile whenever I set the dishwashing liquid back on the counter and from it issues a flurry of tiny soap bubbles, floating away at high speed. I think they design those bottles specifically to do that.

You are witnessing Hoblog: Iteration Seven. 98% CSS*, and all around lovely. Strange thing is, I actually didn’t realize how much I knew about CSS until I started writing this redesign. Send bug reports (especially on Mac, as I have no access to one at this time), plaudits, and death threats here. Enjoy!

(* The other two percent comes from a single, two-cell table. I’m allowed to cheat, for I am special.)

The Anti-Thesaurus: if only. If I could tell google not to list me in the results for certain searches, x m a s  p o r n would surely be one of them. (I’ve actually gotten about three dozen referrals from that search in the last two weeks. The mind boggles.)

Trying something different with the menu extensions. It appears to actually all be working now. Finally.

As promised: Open in Backround menu extension for IE. Also, the Image Location extension has been updated so that holding shift while invoking it will open the image in a new window, another Netscape feature I occasionally miss. I’ve also come to discover that these menu extensions will work from IE4+ not just 5, as previously stated. I still have no idea how to impliment them on a Mac, though.

“You are more interesting than your weblog!” Tchaa, like that’s hard.

Netscape refugee? Now using IE4+ on windows? Really miss “Copy Image Location” in your context menu? Then install this IE menu extension and follow the two-step installation guide.

These menu extensions are fun. I like being able to make something slightly close to useful, just using javascript. Especially considering that it’s the only language I’m remotely comfortable with. Possibly coming soon: an implimentation of the “Open in Background” feature. (Sorry, the link is actually working now. This happened again…)