Safely and easily swap out your Mac’s icons to give your desktop a look uniquely its own … FREE, with LiteIcon.

If you are aware of the program CandyBar by Panic (for Mac OS X), you know that virtually all the Mac’s icons, even the system icons like the trash can, Finder, etc., can be swapped out to give your desktop a new personalized look. The new version of CandyBar for 10.5 was rewritten from the ground upm and now includes the previous standalone Pixadex built right in — Pixidex is like iPhoto for icons.

Most all the icons I’ve come across are free, yet the artists have put in a lot of time creating them. Up until LiteIcon was developed by Julien Ramseier of Switzerland, you needed to buy software to install free icons. LiteIcon changed all that starting with Tiger (10.4), and now has added a whole new version for Leopard (10.5).

For Mac OS X only

DOWNLOAD LiteIcon 1.2.2 for Tiger (10.4.x)

DOWNLOAD LiteIcon 1.3.1 for Leopard (10.5.x and 10.6.x)

http://FreeMacSoft.net

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The audio in this 41-second video clip seems to provide evidence that the dog’s owners think their loving canine is quite funny.

If one of my dogs ever displayed such behavior, I don’t believe I’d stay in the same room for very long.

The source of this video is unknown. If this is your video, then you are very lucky … at least you can still operate a computer. I would hope you have the rest of your digits, as well.

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For a limited time, save 25% off “Planet Farmland” — the fine art print by Lar Matré … and get free shipping as well.

The 25% off applies only to the selected prints, and not framing. But the framing at Imagekind has been recognized for superior quality, while typically costing less than your local framing shops.  I highly recommend having Imagekind mount the print in a simple, gallery-style frame, such as the one I suggest below.

Here are the details to remember:

1. Promo code [promotion over] must be entered at checkout.
2. Promotion expires October 14, 2008 at 10pm PDT.
3. This promo cannot be combined with another promo code.
   
4. One order per customer.
5. More details available at the site.

NOTE: This promotion has expired, but there will be more. Register on my “First-to-Know” list and be notified of all future promotions. Never any spam, your privacy is assured, cancel anytime.

For a very limited period of time (in this instance, just until late tonight), I will reduce the price of this specific print by 50% … no matter what size is purchased. I can only control the price of my print, not the cost of the frames.

But what I can do is run my print specials to coincide with framing promotions. And that’s what I’m doing right now.

Until tonight ONLY, September 23 at 10PM PDT (1AM EDT), the custom framer is offering 20% off custom framing, and I’m offering 50% off The Business District (pictured above). Although we has over a million framing combinations, I prefer straight gallery framing — and that’s exactly what you see here. A black wood frame, with one off-white mat. The mat sizes I specify are wider than most people are accustomed to, but that’s what you’ll typically see in galleries. What also balances my mats are the sizes: three sides are equal (left, top, and right) but I always make the bottom mat just a bit wider.

50% off the print and 20% off custom framing — you must enter discount code FALL2008

This page will provide needed information.

Check out the Business District NOW.

My Wheelies design, which goes back to 1982, is still one of my most popular sellers.

I did some new designs for organic vendors at Farmers Markets — FarmersMarket.com — allowing customers to identify the different types of growers, and their methods.

And lastly, there’s the “i sin !” design.  It was originally an idea I created for racing, as the letters are an acronym for “it’s speed I need.”  But that didn’t work out well, and some folks said I should do something else with it.  So, for now, this is something else.

I came to realize that it is appropriate for anyone to wear, since there is no one in existence who is free of sin … or so I’m told.  So, I created two versions: one which simply says: i sin ! … and the other which includes a tag line just below it: AND SO DO YOU (for those who like company).

But since you are one of those sinners, buy a shirt and you will be cleansed.  Currently, I’m working on a bulk quantity discount for the Bush administration.

As always, they come with a 30-day, money-back guarantee if you do not feel saved.

They are available through CafePress.

As we have probably all heard: “If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.”

I believe, in this situation, it does hold true.

First, my credentials: I do not have any training in veterinarian medicine, I do not have any advanced training in statistical analysis, and I am not a recognized mathematician nor a scientist.  My point is that it does not take a genius to figure this out.

At random, I selected a county that I was able to access historical animal-handling data.  The following is from fiscal years 1999-2006, Merced County Animal Control in central California. The numbers do not include dead animal recovery (i.e., road kill).

• 70,219 pets were handled

Of those 70K pets …

• 4,528 were recovered by owners … approx 6%

• 6,211 were adopted … approx 9%

• 49,340 were euthanized … approx 70%

• the remaining 15% were transferred to shelters, etc.

Therefore, in Merced County alone, almost 600 animals per month were euthanized (or 20 per day).  Where did they come from?  Why did no one claim them?

The total Human Population in Merced County was 240,162 (latest available 2005).

Let’s extrapolate …
continue reading >>

Since the early-1950s, it has been common scientific knowledge that one in every four PAD clusters attached to each strand of DNA is constructed with a limited number of syllables available over a typical lifespan.  These are the larger of the two DNA PADs, and commonly known throughout the scientific community as maxiPADs. It’s the smaller of the two, the miniPADs, which carry the unique, and often overlooked identifying punctuation.  As is evident, this is rock-hard science broken down into a more granular form.

continue reading >>

Displaying photography is the primary visual aspect of my Web site. I’ve tried many different methods and technologies over the years, yet I’ve never been satisfied with the results. They’ve been tedious, cumbersome and slow.

For the visitor, viewing my photos should be a pleasant experience that can be customized to their liking, not one hampered by constant clicking, waiting for pages to load, etc. One that automatically adapts to different screen sizes … and even has a full-screen option.

For me, the gallery should permit simplified changes and updates of images as needed, without turning it into a big project … continue reading >>

Other than the description in the subject line, I can think of no other reason for this post.

Sorry if this caused you to miss your bus.

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This time I lost a best friend … an adopted family member.

In early 1996, I received a call from a business associate and fellow dog-person. It was 4PM on a Monday afternoon.

She told me that a dog, brought to the animal hospital three days earlier, was the victim of a hit-and-run.

A witness stopped her car in the traffic lane to protect the dog from being hit again. A police car arrived at the scene shortly after and was able to transport the injured canine to the hospital.

A male, estimated to be at least two years old and about 80-pounds, was wearing no identification. An x-ray discovered a fracture in the dog’s pelvis, which would mend itself. continue reading >>

I’ve added a few more prints to my Imagekind gallery store, some which have never been seen publicly before (you can click this image to see it larger).This is an example of one of those. I captured this image in January 1981, while spending about a week walking all over Manhattan, for the sole purpose of capturing the city as I saw it.This photograph was taken inside the main area of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. On display is a structure from Egypt, disassembled there stone-by-stone, then reassembled in the great room of the Met.

Please take a moment to visit my gallery at Imagekind to see my other new additions.

All who have purchased my prints from Imagekind have had nothing but praise, not only for the quality of the fine art print, but equally for the quality of the framing, as well as the extra effort taken to package it for shipping.

Everything carries a full 30-day, money-back guarantee. Today would be a great day to buy yourself a gift.

In 2003, I had the honor to meet and work with Dr. Hank Payne, President of Woodward Academy. He was to be introduced, in a somewhat formal fashion, to the business leaders of mid-town Atlanta, by Tom Murphy, owner of Murphy’s Restaurant.

Not being very comfortable with public speaking, Tom elected to introduce Hank via a video. Hank graciously agreed to take the time to be part of this video, even though he knew he would be making fun of himself.

I do believe this video allows you to meet the man loved and admired by so many, and now truly missed.

Please watch to the very end for a brief blooper by Hank. It captures his wit, his modesty, and innocence, and for me holding the camera, I couldn’t stop laughing.

Tom Murphy contacted Chris Schroder to produce the project, and Chris contacted me to make it happen. I co-wrote the script with Chris, and then I shot and edited the project on an extremely tight schedule.

Related: I Lost a Friend

Addendum 2008, July 22

I really do not know what to make of this, nor was I sure if I should even post it. But searching Yahoo! for “hank payne” results in over two-million Web pages. I doubt those who were closest to him will ever fully heal. He was one of a kind.