|
top
Frequently Asked Questions (acronym: "faq")
I assembled these on the bus, mostly out of boredom. They're made up to give more information on the site, although a couple are actually genuine questions. If you have a question, mail me and I'll put it on.
where did the name fantasyjackpalance come from?
I'm still confused - who is "jack palance"?
but what's your real name?
and why did you make this web site?
you're really into photography, right?
what web software do you use?
what age are you?
why did you blur out your face in that section?
request a photo - does anyone ever actually do it?
will you ever stop?
which do you prefer - cats or dogs?
why is there no "next photo" button?
how do you make money from all this?
what do you think of spammers?
any synthesizers for sale?
do you play in a band?
is dr. j really a doctor?
are you american?
New questions for 03!!!
holy cow - you shut down the photo section. why?
is that the only reason you shut it down?
any new hobbies lately?
Also new in 03. Here are answers to some extended technical questions. This information should partially explain why the site looks like it does. It might bore you, it might not.
why would you pick dark blue as a photo background?
why aren't you running the photo site from a database?
are there any hidden advantages to the current photo layout?
why are the image indexes quite badly organised?
why does the portugal section hurt my eyes?
why so long between updates?
back to fjp
back to that strange about section.
(ps - I'm half tempted to split the answers up so that they appear all on their own with just a "top" link, but I think I'll do it in a long paragraph instead. This means you can read the question underneath if you really want to.)
where
where did the name fantasyjackpalance come from?
hmm. I grew up with the "quietly playing guitar in my room" club, as opposed the "go to the pub all the time" club. "fantasyjackpalance" was the title of a slightly amusing song I penned, and although the song may have been a little too tuneless, the title eventually came in handy. So that's where the name came from. I use a silly "master-name" because it prevents the site from being pinned to a specific function. fjp synths is just as useful as fjp photos to an entirely different set of people, but both are fjp. The word "fantasyjackpalance" also looks good in type (but is hard to say sometimes) and has that cute little abbreviation. So it's historical, functional, blah blah blah...
top
aaa
I'm confused - who is "Jack Palance"?
Jack Palance is an actor. He might be best known for films like "City Slickers", but my first exposure to him was on re-runs of the 1970s "Ripleys Believe it or Not". Back then he was an oldish man with a striking face and a scary but cool voice. Subliminally my brain picked this out, and years later tried to capture something by picking on his characteristics. I don't think Mr. Palance cares or knows about this page, as Google does not return my site under the relevant searches. Here's a Palance link, although there don't seem to be any particularly good JP sites out there. Also try this.
top
aaa
what's your real name?
It's not Jack.
top
aaa
and why did you make this web site?
I made web pages and other things at work. I thought it was about time I had my own. I first put up my limited selection of Dublin Photos (my niche?), then developed the sound and about sections once this was done (although they were by no means an afterthought).
top
aaa
you're really into photography, right?
Not really. I just take a lot of photos with my digital. I'm more into other stuff.
top
aaa
what web software do you use?
Adobe GoLive 5 on a Mac.
top
aaa
what age are you?
Not telling...
top
aaa
why did you blur out your face?
So your expectations will form around other information.
top
aaa
request a photo - does anyone ever do it?
Yes. I generally do ok in getting them too.
top
aaa
will you ever stop?
Yes. I'll leave the site up for as long as I can, but someday I'll just not be bothered to update any more.
(this has now happened)
top
aaa
which do you prefer - cats or dogs?
I like both, but for different reasons. I'm more familiar with dogs (grew up around them) so cats are a more recent fascination.
top
aaa
why is there no "next photo" button?
I couldn't find a suitable automated application / script that would allow me to give the user an option to download my preferred my "size two" images as well as the usual thumbnail / "size one" images. This means that all pages are actually made and linked by hand (though lately Daniel's Applescript has been automating a considerable part of the process). So for me to do "next" buttons would have been far too annoying. It would also have been interrupted by images later added into the index chain, thus creating an endless cycle of pain. The Portugal section is currently the only exception, having been created by a third party image app and then thoroughly customised using GoLive.
top
aaa
how do you make money from all this?
I don't. The site currently runs at a loss created by hosting fees. I'm more on the "provide content and be helpful" team than the "money internet money" team.
top
aaa
what do you think of spammers?
Spammers, I hate you. And the rest of the internet hates you too.
top
aaa
any synthesizers for sale?
Old answer: no, I like them too much.
New answer: keep your eyes on Buy and Sell. They'll be there if they're anywhere...
(but I'm keeping the Moogs, the Juno, the CS-5 and the JX3P)
Newer answer: the Moogs will probably go too. I'm removing limits on these things.
top
aaa
do you play in a band?
I did once, although there was no fame or anything. But they were a very good band and it was fun. I also collaborated with Dr. J on late teen/early college ditties. April 03 - I'm now playing again with Adam (from the good band). Jan 04 - goodbye Adam.
top
aaa
is Dr. J really a doctor?
Yes - he works with kids in a Dublin Hospital. Try and find him.
2004 - now he works in London.
I'll no longer track his location so if he moves he moves.
top
aaa
are you american?
no.
top
aaa
holy cow - you shut down the photo section. why?
The photo section was a lot of work. I'm just not in the mood to either update or take photos at the moment, so I decided to shoot it in the head. Yes - I can be this fickle about it. I already like the fact that it's closed (I closed it today), and I also like that I spawned such a chaotically large collection of information and opinion.
top
aaa
is that the only reason you shut it down?
No. But I'm not going to type that here. The most I'll do is refer to it, like I'm doing right now.
Typing it would be bad...
top
aaa
any new hobbies lately?
No. I should do something constructive, but here's hoping I evaporate before reality comes bearing down on me. I'm aware of reality, but I'm avoiding it (maths stacks the odds against me).
top
aaa
Extended Technical Questions
why would you pick dark blue as a photo background?
The answer is simple, yet slightly illogical. Prior to the construction of my photo page I made a number of work pages that sported white backgrounds. Wanting something different for my photo page, I chose a distinctive deep blue background with a light grey text. This odd combination also serves as an excellent monitor calibration test (though only for me). I then chose light and cheery whites for my home and about pages, and ran the opposite direction for the sound pages. I needed sound and photos to be different from the homepage, but about was allowed follow in the whiter scheme of things.
top
aaa
why aren't you running the photo site from a database?
I didn't know how to, and was stuck between learning an entirely new "thingy", or proceeding using tried and trusted html. I went with html, rather than spending another fortnight farting around.
top
aaa
are there any hidden advantages to the current photo layout?
Many. The photo pages are created using Adobe Golive's "Component" feature. The standard page is broken down into about four component sections, which can be changed site wide by just altering one master file. Combined with master css style sheets, this means that the site's layout graphics, bg colour, headers and footers can all be changed very easily. This was my future proofing. And the googlebots seem to really like my single page keyworded structure for rifling through.
top
aaa
why are the image indexes quite badly organised?
This was intentional. There's a basic methodology there, but I let it slip and slide to allow for images to turn up in unexpected places.
top
aaa
why does the portugal section hurt my eyes?
The Portugal section was designed to hurt your eyes. This is a classic effect created by mixing pure red, green and blue on a black background. I was playing around with "retro" page designs that used base colours on a black background.
top
aaa
why so long between updates?
It takes time, and I'm short on that at the moment.
top
no text for you
|