• Holiday Edition, December 2001
• Editor: Don Hunter don@arkvalwebworks.com
• Publisher: Arkansas Valley Web Works
• http://www.arkvalwebworks.com/

1. What’s Up?: Now That’s Smart.

2. Web Page Help: A Busy Background

3. Promotional/Advertising: Till The Cows Come Home

4. Web Issues and Stuff: Where Eagles Dare To Fly.

5. Web Humor and Entertainment: More Silly Games

6. Promotional/Advertising: CardYard

7. Ark Announcements: A Thankful Christmas

8. Both Sides Of The Coin, (Words of Wit and Wisdom)

I tell my friends, "The subscribers to the Ark Link Letter are the smartest people on earth."

They say, "How do you know that?"

"Because they are subscribers to the Ark Link Letter," I say.

"Prove it," they say.

So thus inspired to provide the proof in the pudding, I’m now offering subscribers a pre-release copy of my new "Graphics Station CD" FREE. I say pre-release because the copies contain no labels at this point because other alternatives are being considered for actual distribution. I only ask that subscribers send me an email instructing me to send a copy along with their mailing address. No fuss, no mess, that’s all there is to it. I’ll even pay for the postage.

That’s a $25.00 value, see http://www.arkvalwebworks.com/services/cdgraph.htm for particulars. But that’s not all. I will place the names in a hat of those smart subscribers who were sent a copy and draw names for a Personal Graphics Archive License, and a Commercial Graphics Archive License, a $40.00 and $60.00 value respectively.

So cherished subscribers, help me out won’t you? I’ve got to teach those pesky friends of mine that they don’t know everything.

Now that’s smart.

A guest wrote me an email asking a question about using a busy background on a web page. I define a busy background as one that looks nice but on which text can not be easily read.

The guest asked, "I really like this background but I can’t read text on it very well, what can I do?"

"I’m glad you asked that question, I replied. "Place a table on the web page where you want it. Then make the table and text the colors you want with the background surrounding it. Check out the FrontPage tutorials in Web Page Help for help inserting tables, http://www.arkvalwebworks.com/webpagehelp/inserttables.htm and for table and cell commands at

http://www.arkvalwebworks.com/webpagehelp/tablecmds.htm."

"Thanks," the visitor said, "I hadn’t thought of that."

"No one can think of everything," I reasoned, "that will teach that busy background."

Tables are everywhere on the web, even when you don’t recognize them as such.

In previous issues of the Ark Link Letter I have lauded the many qualities of a program called Background Magic, (BM), http://www.backgroundmagic.com/. I’ve included several tutorials on my site explaining some special tricks I’ve learned. Check out the top of the page on the Graphics Help section at http://www.arkvalwebworks.com/webpagehelp/graphics.htm to reference them. The program is extremely simple to use and constructs quality full and left side backgrounds, buttons, and banners very quickly from blending and manipulating two 128X128 pixel images.

When I purchased BM it came stock with over 100 images I could blend with my own images. If one were to import only one image of their own and then blend it with all 100 images in every shade of the color spectrum they would have so many possibilities it boggles my mind.

"It’s not that hard to boggle my mind," I interject in passing. Hey I thought I told those negative thoughts to stay in the trunk.

BM’s versatility largely enabled me to create the Graphics Station CD, with a little help from Image Composer. It was still a lot of work to fashion over 4000 left border style backgrounds, over 1000

full page texture tile backgrounds, over 4000 blank banners, and over 6500 buttons; but BM made it far easier than other alternatives.

So imagine by delight when I was messaging (yacking) early one morning with my buddy Booj at Boogie Jack’s, http://www.boogiejack.com/, I happened to mention that it was my birthday.

"It’s not really your birthday, is it," Booj questioned?

"Yes it really is, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me," I messaged singing merrily.

"Well happy birthday, Don," he said, "How old are you?"

"I’m older than dirt," I said.

"I find that hard to believe," Booj reasoned.

"At least older than rocks," I corrected.

"Well Rocky, check your email when you get up from your birthday beauty rest," he quipped.

Imagine my surprise when I found links to download the three new image packs for BM. The image packs are called the Pattern Pack, the Texture Pack, and the Floral Pack. There are one hundred images in each pack.

"Wow, thanks Booj, this is nice," I exclaimed, "now my mind is boggled four time over."

As a result of Boogie Jack’s generosity I can make backgrounds until the cows come home, maybe even longer. See http://www.boogiejack.com/imagepacks.html to order directly.

I’ve been creating lots of graphics. Lately my artistic inspirations have lent themselves to a patriotic theme. "Where Eagles Dare To Fly" is the latest entry in the Web Art section devoted entirely to patriotic

art. The patriotic art of Dennis Gaskill is also prominently featured as well in the Web Art section.

Eagles dare to fly on the brave winds of freedom, no matter in which direction they may choose to blow. See http://www.arkvalwebworks.com/webart/webart6.htm.

Is your day just not complete without playing silly games on the Internet? No matter how hard you try you can’t get enough. I know how you feel.

Never fear, Daffy Duck and Tweety are coming to the rescue. Check out http://looneytunes.warnerbros.com/web/games/games_display.jsp and you’ll see what I mean.

My personal favorites are Planetary Cleanup and Attack of the Tweety Zombies. In Planetary Cleanup you’re enlisted to help Duck Rogers blast asteroids and alien spacecraft. The forward thrusters on your spacecraft are touchy and you’ll be going warp speed and out of control if you’re not careful. But with

a little practice you’ll be a space cadet in no time.

In Attack of the Tweety Zombies you get to play the role of Sylvester the cat. Avoid the Tweety Zombies that are rising from the ground by jumping in the air and stomping them. But be careful, they will get you. Just when I had mastered when to jump and stomp the naughty Tweeties, I had to learn to duck to get out of the way of the bats. Sylvester leads a tough life, but someone has to do it.

So if you just can’t get enough silly games, try the Loony Tunes games at Warner Brothers. It won’t hurt a bit, honest. BOOM,,,, Ouch!

Are you looking for that special card to send to your friends, but just can’t find one that isn’t being used by everyone already? My cherished friends Shannon Taylor and Tommy Dean at CardYard have come to your rescue, oh my! CardYard has a growing list of unique animations and all occasion cards sure to fit that special occasion you have in mind. Check it out at, what else, http://www.cardyard.com/.

Use the Control Panel to browse the selections by alphabet or by category, and/or be more specific using a keyword search. And that’s not all. You can join the pen pal list, get free screensavers, subscribe to the email list for monthly e-smiles, chat, and much, much more.

Beginning November 1, 2001 CardYard has begun to give special awards for sites that feature outstanding design, exceptional content, or both. What an excellent way to drive traffic to your site. The awards aren’t easy to win; but I know my readers can do it if they try.

You can even apply to be a guest artist like I did. That reminds me, I’ve got to get back to work so CardYard can post some more of my artistic visions. Ark, ark!!!

Now let’s see, what did I do with that brush? Oh yea here it is, right next to the toothpaste.

The events of the past few months have caused many of us to reflect upon just how thankful we should be for the many gifts bestowed upon us, if only for what might seem the simplest of pleasures like a good night’s rest, or a pleasant meal with friends. Or even for those things we commonly take for granted like shoes on our feet and warm clothing, one only needs to watch the news on television to be made brutally aware of how appreciative should be our sentiments.

More than anything else, no matter what material gifts might magically appear, this year I will have a thankful Christmas.

May the light of love shine upon all nations of man and grant you peace.

"Quotations are a columnist’s bullpen. Stealing someone else’s words frequently spares the embarrassment of eating your own."