Category Archives: Rants

I know I’m late with this one, especially considering that I had a sneak preview a few weeks ago but the new Google layout sucks (These people all agree). You may not have stumbled across it yet. It seems like it hasn’t completely been rolled out yet. Truth be told, you may not even have noticed it but I have and every single change is ridiculous.

Permanent search options in the left sidebar

I guess you could turn on these options before but I never did because they are useless. The options are supposed to be relevant to your search term but they already existed at the top of the page. The left sidebar just takes up room and when ads also display on the right, the content space is minuscule.

Different search bar and button styles.

The new style is very angular and stylized in such a way that it blends in awkwardly, even though the search bars are larger than they were before. It took me a while to even realize there still is a search bar on the bottom.

New logo

The new logo has some subtle colour alterations as well as a more muted bevel and drop shadow effect. It’s supposed to look smoother but instead looks like something someone thought would look good 15 years ago. This is especially odd because Google’s old logo certainly wasn’t “modern.”

Rearranged results

Maybe I’d be okay with every other change if the results appeared the same but they don’t. If you’re the type of person who skipped over the ads above your actual results, you could be missing the most relevant links. Plus,media (video, images, Twitter) and news content is not featured like it used to me. This forces you to click a link on the left (or top). Adding extra clicks is frustrating to me.

No division between search and results

There used to be a horizontal, blue bar which ran right under the search bar to separate the content. I don’t know why is feels so crucial to have the bar there but, without it, Google seems like a half-assed attempt at design from a middle schooler.

I’m also not entirely sure, but it seems as though the results are displayed in a much smaller font, too.

But I’d like to leave you with this comment I stumbled upon because it’s so very fitting:

I think it looks good and it’s very efficient. I’m a big fan of whitespace and the new sidebar provides plenty of it! I also like duplication so if a meteor ever smashes into my house and takes out the top of my monitor, I’ll still have this sweet sidebar with the exact same links ready to go. And did you see those bright, blazing, colorful icons next to the links? Wow…now that’s some eye candy! I’m hoping in future releases, they’ll expand the sidebar further to the right and give the user an option of hiding the search results to show more sidebar. That would be awesome.

I just read a post on bitchmedia entitled “Rape: Still not an “official crime,” still making us stabby” and you better believe that the fact that a rape victim who was not able to obtain a rapekit because the local hospitals and authorities would not authorize it makes me angry. Do you know why? Because they thought she was intoxicated.

Hello! Isn’t not being able to legally consent sort of the definition of rape? And we all know that being intoxicated negates one’s legal ability to consent so does that not make this even more of a case for rape?

But, no, we live in a rape culture where rape is not seen for what it is. Where the victim is blamed (“She was asking for it”). Where personal responsibility is a thing of fairy tales. Where we are taught that men are animals who just cannot help themselves. Where people are entitled to sex because someone has crossed the threshold of a bedroom. Where “no” doesn’t apply if someone is unconscious. Where the fear of being raped is so prevalent that I, as a woman, don’t even realize it’s there (because it never leaves). Where everyone laughs at jokes about rape and sexual assault because it is acceptable to do so.

I call “bullshit.”

I am reading random blogs, linked on EntreCard (also debating still being a member as I get few drops and rarely find any blogs worth reading. The widget is just taking up room on Reviews by Cole), when I stumbled across a post which said this:

Every good blogger carries a camera with them at all times

It wasn’t the point of the post, even. The blogger had broken her camera while in her purse and was looking for some advice but that’s what my mind honed in because all I could think was: Huh? Because you have to be ready to snap a picture when something happens in a moment’s notice? Wait, isn’t that what a photographer does? So now all bloggers have to be photogs, too?

I don’t buy it. Remember how blogging, a form of journaling, started out on manually coded webpage which didn’t look too snazzy? Me, too! And you know what blogging was all about? Text, like the very stuff I am writing now (or, that you are reading right now. Hurry up, by the way, you’re slowing my typing speed ;)).

Of course, many bloggers post photos, they are helpful or just pretty sometimes. The photos are more important for some than others; there are even things such as photoblogs which focus only on photography. I have often thought I should post more but if I don’t, my blog isn’t losing anything. My voice shines through quite well with just text, thank you very much.

Photography is really the new web design. Everyone and there dog has a camera, which probably explains all the dog pictures. d= People are studying photography and making money from it the way they used to study HTML and graphic making. The general standard for photography has risen, just the way the standard for web design rose over the past decade. What was considered acceptable in previous years is now laughable, in both fields.

As standards have risen, tools which help us to meet or exceed them have popped up as well. Even uncustomized WordPress themes are heads and shoulders above the sites I used to see in 1999 and even my several-year-old digital camera produces pictures far superior to any of those I can recall in the family photo album. And I’m neither as educated or motivated about photography as some. DSLR cameras are no longer only in the hands of the pros which is sort of a double edged sword but my point remains the same: photography is everywhere. And it’s totally cool if it’s not my thing and dabbling in more than one art has its advantages, too.

But just because it’s everywhere doesn’t mean someone should expect it. Just because we all could run out and buy fancy cameras with fancy lenses and do fancy bokeh shots, doesn’t mean we have to. And just because we blog, doesn’t mean we have to include photos. All we “have” to do is type and the result is a blog.

So what do I say in response to this (besides everything I’ve already said?)

Every good blogger carries a good head on their shoulders at all times

And you can quote me on that!

Lately, I’ve gotten the impression that a lot of people expect the internet to be a certain way. That assume it will be, well, nice. And honest. And welcoming. Understanding. Comfortable. I’ve got news for you: it’s not. It hasn’t been. It never will be.

It’s not that I don’t want it to be. I am compassionate enough that I want a place like that, at least some of the time. But the reality is that this is the internet and it offers a sense of anonymity which means many people throw morals, compassion or even just common sense out the window. Even if I put my name behind something, there’s no real ramifications for my behaviour (unless it’s illegal and, even then, internet crimes seem to be prosecuted far less than “real” ones). Who is Cole to you? And what can be done if I’m mean? Quite frankly, I like having a place where I sometimes can be mean.

But even if anonymity weren’t an issue, the internet is just not one place. It is many, many places with many different visitors and purposes and, perhaps most importantly, many different rules. In fact, I go many places online where they are no rules about bad behaviour. GASP! But even places with rules all have different rules and you have to seek them out, really. It’s pretty much a given that you can’t spend all your time in those places. I’m sorry. You will, almost certainly, wind up on some website where it’s okay to be a dick. Which means that either you can whine about it or suck it up because at the end of the day, people will be rude whether online or in your face and you can just turn off the damned computer anyway. No one is making you stay, participate in the drama or be a “victim.” You know how it goes: if you can’t take the heat, get the fuck off the internet.

But, like I said, even I enjoy having places with rules to visit. I like being able to go someplace and know what to expect (and that isn’t drama or harassment). Sometimes I don’t really want to deal with hostility and sometimes I want a place to rant or rave and to feel that people care. There is a time and place for that and I commend the people and groups who provide those safe havens in an otherwise unsafe internet world. It sometimes adds a level of comfort that cannot be found on anonymous, no holds barred websites. As much as you can say whatever the hell you want, it adds a safety net.

But it’s not impervious, either. Even if you make rules, they cannot be enforced unless someone breaks them. Sometimes? That’s already too late. The damage is done. Even if you try to stick to those safe places, shit will happen. People will break the rules because, honestly, how serious is banning as a consequence when there are a million other sites online? And how much shit can one person stir before a moderator has the chance to step in, especially if there is only one or two?

This is the internet. Sure, there are lots of LOLcats but there’s also many negatives about it because, at the end of the day, it’s made up of people and even good ones have bad days and make poor judgment calls. If that’s too much for handle you, I suspect your monthly internet fund would be better spent getting professional help.

I’ve begun to make a few phone calls regarding moving and apartments. Our plan is for the end of next month. We’ll have most of our stuff moved and drive to Milwaukee with the cats. Simultaneously, I have become so frustrated with this apartment. It’s the one I wanted but I’m done with it. We’ll likely have much less time to apartment hunt (because we will probably be in a hotel) but I hope to be a more discerning “shopper” when we do. There are just some things I am no longer willing to put up with or do without.

No more shallow sink.

Our dishes pile up incredibly fast, my back hurts and I have trouble washing some dishes because we have midget sinks. I didn’t notice at first. I will in the future.

Carpet Bars.

All our carpets simply just end with no bars to attach them to the floor. This makes it easy for them to fall apart and our cats sometimes paw at the floors if the doors are closed. The carpets are pretty much falling apart because of this.

Bedroom Lights

There is no lighting fixture in our bedroom. I know. Ridiculous. Even with all the lamps on, it’s still dark.

A working oven.

Maintenance thinks my oven works fine but everything I’ve ever burned begs to differ. Everything remains cold on the top and middle while the bottom is burned black. No thank you.

No Fireplace.

Don’t ask me why nearly every apartment we looked at in San Antonio had a fireplace. We’ve never used ours and I don’t know who would, unless it’s to hide the evidence . It’s Texas! We have a wall that looks okay with a shelf and some decoration but it’s mostly a waste of space that limits how we can arrange our furniture.

A higher tub.

Again, with the ridiculously sized water related things. Our tub is so low that water always spills over the side because the faucet is so high above it. And our shower curtain looks stupid.

Ryan says we can’t be picky but, to be honest, I’ve never experienced most of these problems in any of the other apartments I’ve lived in. It just seems like some ridiculous oversight by the construction/management companies. Carpet falling apart? No problem! Just distract yourself with the fireplace! Maybe I was distracted when we were looking. Not this time.