Fire and Rescue Theme

This theme was requested by a user who works as a Firefighter after he saw my previews for the Armed Forces themes. I loved the idea of doing a theme to honor the men and women who put their lives on the line to battle blazes and keep us safe.

You can install the Fire and Rescue theme here.

Bing vs. Google

I found an interesting site tonight. http://www.bing-vs-google.com/ lets you enter a search and view a side by side comparison of the Google and Bing results.

For the first time in a very long time, I saw Google react to a competitor. Since Bing’s release a little over a year ago, Google has redesigned their results page, added the option to put background images on their home page, revamped their image search and more. Why? Easy, they have real competition now and competition leads to innovation and improvements. When Microsoft decided it was time to take the search engine battle seriously and threw a very large amount of money into the overhaul of Live Search, the best thing in web searching happened for the us, the consumer and end user.

This cool site lets you compare search results from both search engines to discover which gives better results. Is Google the best search engine? Some would say absolutely, look at how many people use it. It is obviously the best. Well, by that logic, Internet Explorer is the best browser hands down. More people use it than any other browser so its obviously the best. I am pretty sure most of the people who use Google (and everyone that uses Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc.) would disagree with that statement.

Just because Google is the most used search engine does not mean it is the best. As with IE being the most used browser due to the fact it comes bundled with Windows and is the only browser many users know about, Google is the most used search engine because it is what most users are familiar with.

Is Bing better than Google? I don’t know. That is entirely subjective and completely open to debate. Is Google the best? I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. One thing I do know, Microsoft is serious about competing with Google and taking a huge chunk of it’s market share so Bing is worth taking a look at. A good place to start is at http://www.bing-vs-google.com/.

Also, when you install my themes you have the option to install Bing in your browser search window and start using it. You can always switch back easily by clicking on the icon and selecting your favorite search engine.

You may find that the answer to “What is better, Google or Bing?” is…yes.

Back in Action

After a long break, several delays, and countless hurdles I am back with a revamped website and fresh new ideas for where to take my themes.

I started doing this with a remake of Abstract Classic when Firefox 2 was released back in 2007. Now, three years later I have been trying to decide where to go from here. Unfortunately for some users, that decision means leaving some of the old themes behind. I will no longer be updating Abstract Classic, Aquatint, Abstract Zune, or Firefox Zune. The realization hit me that Windows XP is nearly 10 years old so the Zune themes are becoming obsolete. Abstract Classic and Aquatint are styled after Mac OS 9 and early versions of OS X which is also approaching 10 years old.

As styles and trends change with operating systems and browsers, the style of themes needs to stay fresh. Lightweight themes such as Personas are popular because they are easy to use and easy to change but I have always felt they are limited and lack polish. As Firefox 4 approaches, there have already been a number of major releases with Firefox 3, 3.5, and 3.6 which all required extensive changes within the theme to keep it working after each new version.

It is also a challenge to keep up with all of the awesome extensions that make Firefox so popular. As more and more extensions are released, I feel it is time to simplify my themes to maximize compatibility and minimize display issues. What does this mean? Well, mainly it means I will not add as much detail to secondary elements like drop down/pop-up windows, options windows, etc. Because so many people still use XP, Vista and now 7 as well as various Linux distros it leads to many problems with invisible text, missing backgrounds and so on.

Another direction I am exploring is target specific themes. I love the idea of Personas. They give users a way to put their favorite brand on their browser but this is nothing more than an image behind the default toolbar icon set. It is not that exciting and does not always look that great. By putting an entire theme together, there is greater control and customization. I have started with the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. They currently use photos and images released in the public domain but eventually I would like to use official logos and emblems. I have many more ideas on what to do next but most of them will require official licensing to use official logos which will take money.

That is why I have partnered with Bing and New Tab King. You can support further development by installing the bundled Bing search plug-in into your toolbar search window and use it as your default search engine. If you haven’t tried out Bing, you can install it from the top of this page and test it out. If you don’t like it you can always switch back to your preferred search engine by clicking on the little arrow.

I am working on updates for Eclipse, Revelation, Onyx, Chromium, and Bible Fox. I hope to have those out shortly. The website redesign took more work than I thought it would so things have been pushed back a little.

U.S. Navy Theme Available

I am excited to announce that I have received permission from the Navy to use their official emblem and release my theme. You can view the listing at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/57885 and install it. Currently, the theme is listed as experimental while it waits on review and approval from Mozilla to be made public.

I have filled out the paperwork for the Air Force and Marines so hopefully I will get permission to use their official emblems soon. The Army will take a little longer because I couldn’t find their contact information but I was finally able to get an email to the proper department. Due to the recent snow on the East Coast however, they have not been able to get to their offices so I am still waiting for them to review my request.

Personalized Theme Customization

I get a lot of feedback from users for various reasons and one thing is certain, I cannot make everyone happy all of the time. Some users like light backgrounds with dark text while others like dark backgrounds with white text. People like different font sizes, different font colors, and various other looks within the theme.

I try to design my themes based on the majority of feedback but I want everyone to be able to view their theme the way they want it. There is a way for everyone to be happy but it requires a little self-customization by using the userChrome.css file. This file is located in your user profile directory but how you find that is different for each OS.

Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\[user name]\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[random string].default\chrome\

Windows Vista/7: C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[random string].default\chrome\

Mac OSX: /Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/[random string].default/chrome/

Windows users will find that they cannot see the Application Data folder unless they change their view settings to display hidden folders. XP users must click on Tools, then Folder Options. Vista/Win 7 users much click Organize, then Folder and Search Options. Then, select the view tab and change the settings to “Show hidden files and folders”.

In the chrome directory, you will likely see a file called userChrome-example.css file. You can rename it and delete -example. If you open this file you will see:

/*
* Edit this file and copy it as userChrome.css into your
* profile-directory/chrome/
*/

/*
* This file can be used to customize the look of Mozilla’s user interface
* You should consider using !important on rules which you want to
* override default settings.
*/

/*
* Do not remove the @namespace line — it’s required for correct functioning
*/
@namespace url(“http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul”); /* set default namespace to XUL */

/*
* Some possible accessibility enhancements:
*/
/*
* Make all the default font sizes 20 pt:
*
* * {
* font-size: 20pt !important
* }
*/
/*
* Make menu items in particular 15 pt instead of the default size:
*
* menupopup > * {
* font-size: 15pt !important
* }
*/
/*
* Give the Location (URL) Bar a fixed-width font
*
* #urlbar {
* font-family: monospace !important;
* }
*/

/*
* For more examples see http://www.mozilla.org/unix/customizing.html
*/

You can add, change, and customize many different things in the theme that you do not like. Once you add the changes you want to make and save the file, your changes will appear once you restart Firefox. If you have any specific questions about to change something, please send me an email and I can give you the changes you would need to add to the userChrome.css file.

To make the Menu popup windows light with dark text, right click and save this file and place it in the appropriate directory listed above.

Ask Search Plugin Clarification

There seems to be a misunderstanding out there due to the purposeful spreading of misinformation by people who want to do nothing other than cause problems and attack AMO developers. One of the common things I read by people who leave negative reviews is that I hijack people's browsers by forcing them to install an Ask.com toolbar. Every bit of that accusation is false.

1. Nothing is hijacked. There is no adware or malware installed on a user's system. The only thing that the bundled Ask extension does is add a custom search plugin in the search window of the browser toolbar. This is added to the list of already available and installed plugins .
2. Nothing is forced on a user. When installing the theme on AMO, a user must accept the EULA by clicking on the accept button. When installation begins, a popup window displays asking the user if they would like to proceed with the addition of the Ask.com search plugin. Nobody is required to use the search and you can switch back anytime. On my website, you must accept the EULA but there is no opt-in popup so the user has total control of what is being installed on their system.
3. There is no toolbar installed. All that is added is the simple plugin making Ask.com a search option. Ask is set as the default search instead of Google. This is my main source of revenue to support the continued development of my current themes and the many more I have planned.

Fortunately, I have great users overall and the vast majority of you are supportive, kind, and very encouraging and I appreciate that tremendously. Unfortunately, however, there is a tiny, yet very loud, minority out there that feels it is their purpose in life to attack, smear, and call names for no other reason than to cause problems. I thank you for your continued support. If you do not want install the extension, you can simply add the search plugin by clicking here.

It’s Ok to Lose

I was playing Monopoly Junior with my 5 year old and my wife and he started crying when he lost. He doesn't like losing and thinks he should win all the time. I had a talk with him about how losing in life is a good thing for a couple of reasons. Losing is a necessary counterpart to winning because you cannot truly appreciate the joy of winning unless you have felt the grief of losing. Also, perpetual winning inevitably results in complacency. You take things for granted when you forget what losing feels like. Losing reminds you that winning feels much better and drives you to get back there. Obviously, I simplified these thoughts down a little bit when talking to my 5 year old but you get the idea. When I taught high school math for five years, the idea of winning and losing constantly came up. I realized during those years that we are creating a society where losing is not allowed and everyone is a winner. I had students who had failed the previous 2 or 3 years of math but kept advancing to the next level. They were not held accountable for their inability to perform at a passing level because of "social promotion". When they got to high school, they had no comprehension of the necessity to perform at a certain level to pass the class. They blamed me when they did poorly on tests even though they did no homework, did not participate in class, and did not study for the test. They were not used to "losing" because they were always treated as "winners" simply because they tried their best. They were never driven to work harder because they had never known "losing" before. We even do this with our sports leagues for kids. When I was a kid, we kept score and had winners and losers for T-Ball, soccer, etc. As my boys are getting old enough to start playing in leagues, nobody keeps score. In soccer, nobody keeps track of how many goals are scored. Both teams are "winners". In T-Ball, everybody hits, no runs are counted, and nobody ever gets out. Every game ends in a tie. Competition is a key part of life. It makes us stronger, it causes us to work harder, it drives us to get better. It concerns me when I look at our society and see an entire generation growing up that thinks competition is a bad thing and that everyone can and should be a winner as long as they try their best. That was part of the reason I left teaching.

Do Not Worry

The most commonly referenced section of the Bible is the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7, specifically the Beatitudes at the beginning of chapter 5. You know them, blessed are the meek, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the peacemakers, etc. They are quoted by Christians, non-Christians, Republicans, Democrats, men, women, etc. etc. etc. What isn't referenced much, however, is the section found in Matthew 6:25-34. It starts off by saying:

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

After explaining that the birds are taken care of and the lilies are beautifully dressed, it continues to say:

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’...seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

It is human nature to worry about tomorrow. We want control of the events that will take place in our lives. We want to know what will happen if we make a certain decision, what will happen if we don't. Americans may be the most stressed out about the future. We live in a country blessed by resources, wealth, comfort, convenience, etc, yet so many of us are stressed out and depressed about our lives. We worry about what we don't have. We are anxious about what we can't have. We are jealous about what others do have. So much of our day is filled worrying about things we have very little control over. I am no exception. I don't like these verses. I don't want to focus on today and be content with what I have now. I want to make sure that what I have today will be enough to carry me through tomorrow and beyond. I want to worry about tomorrow and what I will eat and what I will wear and how much money I have and what will happen to me. 2009 has forced me to cling on to these verses and force myself not to worry. So often, I have had to focus on today and be thankful that we had enough to get us through. One day, we had just enough dimes in our piggy bank to buy enough gas to get us to the store to buy some food. It was sufficient for the day though. The next day took care of itself and we had enough to get us through that day. There were times when we had plenty so that we didn't need to worry about the next day but those days were few and far between. This past year has been a great life lesson. My wife and I have had less this past year than any of our other 10 years together. The lack of stuff has caused me to rely on God's provision more than ever and seek His Kingdom first. I haven't known often how the next day would be taken care of but it has been and in many different ways. Sufficient needs for the day have carried us for a little over a year now as I continue to get Virtus Designs going. Hopefully the day will come soon where it won't be a matter of not having enough for the next day, but rather, knowing that whether we have a lot or a little today, there is no need to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will worry about itself.

Julie & Julia

My wife got the movie Julie and Julia as a Christmas present from her friend and we finally sat down together and watched it. The movie was entertaining, had some funny parts and Meryl Streep did an amazing job as Julia Child. After the movie I did some research on Julie Powell and the Julie/Julia Project. I read some of her blog and found a Newsweek article about her and some of the negative feelings so many people have about her now. I was shocked to see how many people strongly dislike this woman even though they have never met her. Based on what I found about her, I am sure the Julie Powell character played by Amy Adams was cleaned up and made more likable than the Julie Powell in real life but the level of scorn displayed by so many people who left comments about her was sad. Many of them said she was the perfect example of the sense of entitlement people have and the get rich quick mentality of so many Americans. They attacked her for being a bad cook and ripped into her for being a terrible writer. I don't know Julie Powell, before today I have never read anything by her. I only know her story from the movie and what little I did read after watching it. She may be a terrible person, who knows. She may not be. I doubt anyone leaving comments about her one way or another has ever met her. However, what these articles and comments do reveal is the propensity for people to attack those who become successful. Julie Powell was a normal person just like 99% of us living in America. She was struggling with day to day life and wanted to do something different. She decided to start a blog to narrate her journey through Julia Child's cookbook as she cooked every recipe in one year. She didn't know that anyone would read it. She had no idea it would turn into a movie and lead to her future career as an author. She must have been a good enough writer though to attract readers who followed her journey through the cookbook. She must have been a good enough writer to land a movie deal for her story. One person who left a comment on the Newsweek story nailed it in my opinion.

I detect a whole lot of jealous bloggers out there. Get over it, folks, and be happy for her success. I saw the film last night. Just beautiful.

We love to attack those who make it, especially when we perceive in our own mind that they don't deserve it. Julie Powell's success has no impact on my life nor does it have any impact on the lives of most people. It does not make my life any worse that she made money doing what she did and it doesn't make any one's life better to attack her success. In fact, those who hate Julie Powell and attack her likely make their own life worse by getting emotionally tied to a person they do not even know. The Internet is a great tool but it has connected a world of strangers together in a way that makes us think we personally know others that we have never met. It gives us the very sense of entitlement she was accused of having to attack strangers we have never met because we feel they have wronged us or gained some advantage over us. "Authors" attack bloggers because they aren't real writers. "Singers" attack contestants on American Idol because they aren't real musicians. "Regular" people attack bloggers and American Idol contestants who become successful because, well, they are envious that a normal everyday person made it big when they didn't. The success of others does not have any relevance on our lives unless we allow ourselves to become bitter and envious towards their success. I say good for Julie Powell. She set out to do something and became successful at it. What she does with her life, her marriage, her success is up to her. It sounds like she has made some bad decisions and for that, I hope she can turn them around for the better. Apart from that, her success affects my life in one simple way. She wrote a story that was turned into a movie. I watched that movie and for 1-2 hours I was entertained.

Armed Forces Themes: Update

I am working on getting these themes ready.  The themes are done and ready to release but I am waiting on the branches to approve my license application and give me the go ahead.  I was misinformed about the logos/emblems being public domain so I did have to go through their licensing department and get approval.  I have filled out the paperwork for the Navy and the Air Force and am trying to get the Army and Marine Corps on board as well. Hopefully it won't be too much longer. Here is a preview of my themes.

Armed Forces Theme Previews