Apologies for my absence I forgot to warn you all that 'SoD' (Son of Duff) was due for his pre-Christams visit before he and his lovely lady depart for the land of good King Wenceslas. Not, mind you, that he quite enjoyed the totally free bed and board he was expecting. I gave him time to put his bags down before pointing him upstairs to the computer-room where, I explained carefully, he would enjoy, completely free of charge, a look at my mate Bill's latest offering. Of course, I added, there are just one or two, er, dozen little glitches on this new-fangled MS8 which I, as his respected father, would naturally expect him to put right not least on the grounds that you can never do enough for a good father! Somehow, the way in which he failed even to pause as he turned left and trudged upstairs gave me a hint that perhaps he had expected it! Anyway, all sorts of wonders have been performed and hordes of irritating 'thingies' sorted out and I think I can now say with complete confidence that MS8 is "A Good Thing"!
However, I still have one complaint which I have addressed to the deliciously, beautiful, young, blonde ladies at TypePad - I know what they look like because TypePad is based in California and all Californian women are delicious, beautiful, young and blonde - and that is the font design I am forced to use when actually typing a post. As regulars will know, I always try to increase the font size to make for easier reading but this particular design, when expanded, looks a bit thin and reedy. I can't use 'Bold' because that makes it too big and black and anyway I might need 'Bold' to emphasise things from time to time. Anyway, I am awaiting word from Mary-Jane, or Sue-Ellen, or Tracy-Jo, or whoever! Incidentally, I am always open for any suggestions, tips, hints or even complaints that will lead to an improvement in this blog. Doesn't mean to say I will act on any of them but if nothing else it will convince me that you're all still alive!
For example, what do you think of this typeface in paragraph 2 compared to 1?
I prefer paragraph 1, although I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because paragraph 2 reminds me of a font we had to use for reports, so it makes me quite ill with nostalgia...
Do I mean nostalgia?
Posted by: A K Haart | Sunday, 16 December 2012 at 19:20
Para one is better.
Posted by: dearieme | Sunday, 16 December 2012 at 20:55
Stick to serif fonts. Always easier to read.
Posted by: Sam | Sunday, 16 December 2012 at 23:05
I need more paragraphs to make an informed decision.
But try to make the words, well, better.
Posted by: Andra | Sunday, 16 December 2012 at 23:12
Yes, Gentlemen, I think you're right, the second paragraph looks like an official notice. My Monday 'funny' is printed in something called "Georgia", not too different from the bog standard set by TypePad. I just wish there was a way of thickening the actual lines without going all the way to 'Bold'. Still, as I'm sure you will all agree, no matter what the typeface, the wit, wisdom and pure intelligence of the words shines through. Well you would agree unless you were of the female persuasion and, even worse, 'Orstrilian'!
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 17 December 2012 at 08:48
Och, just tell her to turn the eggnishner up.
Posted by: dearieme | Monday, 17 December 2012 at 13:03
"I am always open for any suggestions, tips, hints or even complaints that will lead to an improvement in this blog."
Likely a proper thing you used "open" rather than "always."
Otherwise I'd replied, don't hold your breath!
Posted by: JK | Monday, 17 December 2012 at 15:42
Crap.
I don't care for the font the copied and pasted sentence came from.
Posted by: JK | Monday, 17 December 2012 at 15:45
The long and short of it. Short Apple, long Microsoft. Not for tomorrow, mind; post-recession, retirement fund territory. The internet will run out of ideas: twitter this, google that, facebook the other. But the grinding, relentless corporate supplier to the corporates will be there at the end to clean up: nick this, buy that, borrow the other. Like the pursuing gangster operative in "No Country for Old Men".
SoD
Posted by: Lawrence Duff | Monday, 17 December 2012 at 21:46
Well, what about me? I have just received a Kindle and it keeps insisting I must have wifi at once.
I keep talking to the men in the shop from wence it came and they keep assuring me that my computer will do the trick and I do not require wifi.
The damned thing refuses to let me proceed to where the books are without wifi.
SoD, help!!
A helpless Aussie sheila.
Posted by: Andra | Tuesday, 18 December 2012 at 08:57
Mmm, bit of a discussion here about your options, Andra. Got a USB cable to go between your Kindle and PC, might do it (but someone had issues with even that in the thread)? Or if the Kindle has got built-in 3G i.e. a mobile phone SIM card in there, then it should spark up and say hello to the world on its own.
SoD
Posted by: Lawrence Duff | Tuesday, 18 December 2012 at 18:31
http://news.yahoo.com/consumer-reports-lists-reasons-avoid-windows-8-now-151539647.html
Hope that helps.
Posted by: JK | Tuesday, 18 December 2012 at 19:34
Well, if that's the best they can come up with - "lack of a 'start' button" - then I'll stick with it - and stick by my new best friend Bill!
To be serious for a moment, any change of system, especially to an old 'Duffer' like me, is going to cause high blood pressure but after a week, and with a few judicial tweaks by SoD, I am quite pleased with it although not entirely uncritical.
Posted by: David Duff | Tuesday, 18 December 2012 at 19:47