blog.world3.net

Update to Thunderbird userContent.css

05/02/2010 – 19:03

My custom userContent.css has been updated. I found a fix for the few remaining stupid HTML mails that failed to display correctly due to using “font: inherit” which picks up the <body>’s text colour (off-white) which is unreadable against the white background. I’m still not entirely sure why the <body>’s font colour is being inherited over the parent <div>’s colour, but regardless of why I have now fixed it by making table > td use black text. It also has the added benefit of filtering out annoying font colours set by the sender.

#viewsource {
color: #f8f8f2 !important;
}

body {
background-color: #272822;
color: #f8f8f2;
border: 0 0 0 0;
padding: 0 0 0 0;
margin: 0 0 0 0;
}

body > pre {
background-color: #272822;
color: #f8f8f2;
}

body > * {
background-color: #fff;
color: #00f;
}

pre {
background-color: #272822;
color: #f8f8f2;
}

pre > a:link {
color: #65ff00;
}

div[class=moz-text-html] {
background-color: #fff;
color: #000;
padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px;
}

div[class=moz-text-html] > table {
background-color: #fff !important;
color: #000 !important;
}

div[class=moz-text-plain] {
background-color: #272822;
color: #f8f8f2;
padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px;
}

*[_moz_dirty] {
color: #f8f8f2;
background-color: #272822;
}

*[_moz_quote=true] {
color: #ffcb00;
}

/* Quote Levels Colors */

blockquote[type=cite] > pre {
color: #ffcb00;
}

blockquote[type=cite] blockquote > pre{
color: #fd6500;
}

blockquote[type=cite] blockquote blockquote > pre {
color: #00a000;
}

blockquote[type=cite] blockquote blockquote blockquote > pre {
color: purple;
}

blockquote[type=cite] blockquote blockquote blockquote blockquote > pre {
color: teal;
}

By mojo | Posted in Internet, software | Comments (0)

Thunderbird config

20/01/2010 – 18:32

I finally made the switch to Thunderbird. The Bat is okay but for some reason image loading in emails is really, really, really slow. There are many other minor issues… Although Thunderbird has it’s fair share too. To make it even halfway usable you need a long list of extensions, some of them experimental. SmartTemplate in particular is a feature every other email client has had since about 1993.

Anyway, here is the current list:

AutoRewarp *

British English Dictionary

Compact Header

GMail Conversation View

I use a dark but vibrant colour scheme:

Add the following to userChrome.css:

@namespace url("http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul");

#folderTree {
 background-color: #272822 !important;
 color: #f8f8f2 !important;
}

#folderTree treechildren:-moz-tree-cell-text(selected),
#folderTree treechildren:-moz-tree-cell-text(selected, focus),
#folderTree treechildren::-moz-tree-row(selected, focus),
#folderTree treechildren::-moz-tree-row(selected) {
 background-color: #555753 !important;
 color: #f8f8f2 !important;
}

#threadTree {
 background-color: #272822 !important;
 color: #f8f8f2 !important;
}

#threadTree treechildren:-moz-tree-cell-text(selected),
#threadTree treechildren:-moz-tree-cell-text(selected, focus),
#threadTree treechildren::-moz-tree-row(selected, focus),
#threadTree treechildren::-moz-tree-row(selected) {
 background-color: #555753 !important;
 color: #f8f8f2 !important;
}

#content-frame[editortype=textmail] {
 padding-left: 5px;
 background-color: #272822;
}

Add this to userContent.css:

#viewsource {
 color: #f8f8f2 !important;
}

body {
 background-color: #272822;
 color: #f8f8f2;
 border: 0 0 0 0;
 padding: 0 0 0 0;
 margin: 0 0 0 0;
}

body > pre {
 background-color: #272822;
 color: #f8f8f2;
}

body > * {
 background-color: #fff;
 color: #000;
}

pre {
 background-color: #272822;
 color: #f8f8f2;
}

pre > a:link {
 color: #65ff00;
}

div[class=moz-text-html] {
 background-color: #fff !important;
 color: #000 !important;
 padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px;
}

div[class=moz-text-plain] {
 background-color: #272822;
 color: #f8f8f2;
 padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px;
}

*[_moz_dirty] {
 color: #f8f8f2;
 background-color: #272822;
}

*[_moz_quote=true] {
 color: #ffcb00;
}

/* Quote Levels Colors */
blockquote[type=cite] {
 background-color: #272822;
}

blockquote[type=cite] > pre {
 color: #ffcb00;
}

blockquote[type=cite] blockquote > pre{
 color: #fd6500;
}

blockquote[type=cite] blockquote blockquote > pre {
 color: #00a000;
}

blockquote[type=cite] blockquote blockquote blockquote > pre {
 color: purple;
}

blockquote[type=cite] blockquote blockquote blockquote blockquote > pre {
 color: teal;
}

By mojo | Posted in Internet, software | Comments (0)

Brother P-Touch QL-560 label printer mini review

29/12/2009 – 20:35

I got a Brother label printer in the sales. No driver for XP x64 was supplied but the Vista x64 one works perfectly. It seems that the printer subsystem did not change much between XP x64 (based on the Server 2003 kernel) and Vista.

Print quality isn’t bad. Blacks are very deep and should hopefully stay that way since it’s a thermal printer and does not use ink. That also means no smudging. It’s 300 DPI which is fine for labels and some basic graphics like logos and barcodes.

The supplied P-Touch Editor software is okay. All the usual functions are there for working with text, except for a spell checker. It can generate barcodes too, including QR code. The interface is actually pretty good, presumably because this is a business printer and so forgoes all the usual consumer oriented fluff. I have not tried the Address Book software yet as it looks like it’s oriented to mail-merge tasks, but there is a MS Word plug-in which lets you select an address and print it directly from the context menu. It seems to work well enough.

The printer can use both separate label rolls and continuous rolls, and comes with one of the latter. It has a cutter built in which slices the roll up automatically. Unlike the Dymo at work it’s very quiet too, in fact you don’t realise it’s printing until the cutter kicks in. Even set to quality mode it’s pretty fast too, printing a 62×50mm label in less than 1 second and taking about 1.5 seconds to cut it.

Oh, and being a Japanese company Japanese language support is naturally excellent. For example, you can enter Japanese text into the barcode generator which is something most online ones can’t do.

By mojo | Posted in hardware | Comments (0)

BNP back at it again, time to start a Facebook group?

22/12/2009 – 19:11

Looks like they have started again: http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy=2&forumID=7365&edition=1&ttl=20091222190905&#paginator

With the recent success of Rage Against The Machine thanks to a Facebook group I’m starting to think it might be a good way to sort this out. Unfortunately Facebook’s privacy policies go against my nature but maybe this time needs must…

By mojo | Posted in politics | Comments (0)

Mitsubishi Colt ClearTec long term review

11/12/2009 – 23:14

When I was looking at buying a car this year I couldn’t find many blogs or forums with reviews from owners, so I am doing my bit to correct that :)

I decided to look at the Mitsubishi Colt after reading some magazine reviews and checking various web sites. I was lucky enough to have a test drive in it’s native Japan, and despite the less than ideal test track it did reassure me that it was comfortable and refined. Back in the UK I test drove a Suzuki Splash and a Subaru Justy, but neither really impressed me. The Splash is nice enough but had no character at all, and the Justy was underpowered and noisy.

I decided to get the ClearTec model in an attempt to keep running costs down. The ClearTec 1.3l engine is not only more efficient than most but also has a feature called “Auto Stop & Go”. More on that later. The spec lists the “combined cycle” fuel consumption as 56MPG, and I have managed to hit that level a few times on the way to work when the roads are not too busy.

The Colt is a solid and well made car. The interior doesn’t seem cheap or flimsy and it’s pretty quiet when running. Importantly for me it’s quite a tall car with big, wide opening doors that make it easy to get in and out of. The position of the steering wheel is nicely adjustable and the seats are comfortable with good back support and ample adjustment options. All the controls are within easy reach and the displays are big and clear. They are lit evenly in orange with the lights on. All the usual features are there, as well as a few less usual ones like cruise control (which works very well), air con and fully electric mirrors. Rear privacy glass is standard, as are alloy wheels on the ClearTec model.

There are lots of little touches like being able to tap the indicator lever to indicate three times and then automatically cancel, ideal for lane changes and roundabout exits. The washers have a similar feature, as well a speed sensitive intermittent operation where the wipers speed up as the car goes faster. Overall it’s all very well thought out and implemented.

The sound system is pretty good too, with front and rear speakers. Touches like a leather wheel and gear knob add to the sense of class and refinement that I found other cars in this price range lacked. The car is also quite practical, with a decent boot and fold flat rear seats. Inside it’s very spacious.

The thing that most impressed me though is the handling. It’s the sort of thing that is hard to judge on a short test drive, but having owned it for six months I’m now really enjoying it. The suspension is pretty stiff so the car doesn’t roll when cornering, and you can fling it into a bend with confidence. It manages to absorb the many bumps and pot-holes on your average British road without sacrificing stability which is no mean feat on a relatively tall car like this. The 1.3l ClearTec engine isn’t particularly fast but still manages to shift when you ask it to and has plenty of power left at motorway speeds to not worry about overtaking etc. The breaks are very sharp too, requiring only a tap to activate.

I had parking sensors fitted to mine and have found it pretty easy to manoeuvre into narrow spaces in packed roads. The sensors are very, um, sensitive and will warn you about stuff to the side of the car as well as directly behind it. I quickly learnt that you only really use them to warn of things you haven’t seen or are trying to judge distance from, because they do go off a lot when backing up. That’s not a bad thing by any means.

Visibility is generally pretty good in the Colt, except for the side pillars which block your view at some junctions. The wing mirrors are extra large and provide good coverage.

The ClearTec engine works well. The “Auto Stop & Go” feature basically turns the engine off when the car is stationary and in neutral. The moment you put your foot back down on the clutch the engine comes on again. The idea is to save fuel when not moving while in a queue or waiting for the lights to change. When not moving you are getting exactly 0MPG. It’s quite intelligent, for example not activating if the wheels are turned in (such as when turning into a side road) or if the battery is a little bit low. Mitsubishi claim that it doesn’t do the battery any harm and the starter motor is supposed to last the lifetime of the car, but of course only time will tell on that. It does take a little getting used to as well, but once you learn not to try and second guess it everything “just works”. How much fuel it really saves I’m not sure, but the car seems pretty efficient and cheap to run overall. I spend less on petrol than I did with my old 1.0l Suzuki Alto.

About the only thing that does bother me about this car is that the air-con only delivers lukewarm air for the first few minutes until the engine heats up. It clears the windscreen in under a minute but takes longer to raise the cabin temperature on a cold winter morning. At first I wasn’t entirely convinced by the looks of the car either, but they have grown on me. It’s not ugly or anything, just an unusual shape from some angles. The addition of a spoiler really improves things I think. Colour wise you can have pearl white or red for free, or various metallic colours. It looks good in white but of course like all white cars shows the dirt up. I went for black in the end and am pretty happy with it.

There are other cars which on paper look like they might have an edge over the Colt, but spec isn’t everything. Mitsubishi have come up with a brilliant design which is well executed. The Suzuki Splash and Skoda Fabia are good examples cars which seem good on paper but which fail to impress when you get behind the wheel. The Skoda is pretty nippy but otherwise seems a bit cheap and basic inside, while the Splash is just utterly unremarkable.

By mojo | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

No more Wikipedia editing

08/12/2009 – 18:31

I have decided to give up editing Wikipedia.

Stupidity, American-centric ideas and the ability of people with too much time on their hands to enforce their personal preferences has not only driven a lot of good editors away, but it has also done a lot of damage to the content too.

If you compare the Japanese version to the English one the contrasting work together/I’m always right attitudes, as well as numerous other flaws, become obvious. I’m not going to waste my time any more.

Well, except perhaps on keeping the PC World article full of my own opinions. I never said I wasn’t as bad as the rest of them.

By mojo | Posted in Internet, idiots, politics | Comments (1)

61cm/24″ monitors are not quite as useful as they appear on paper

28/11/2009 – 18:11

61cm (24″) at 1920×1200 actually seems to be a somewhat less than ideal resolution now I have been living with it for a couple of years.

In theory you can have two full size A4 pages on screen, but in practice you can’t because toolbars and window borders take up some space.

Half the screen is 960 pixels which is too small for many web sites which assume at least a 1024 pixel wide browser window. Otherwise it would be perfect for having two browser windows open side by side.

Clearly the only option is to upgrade to a 28″ monitor :)

By mojo | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Halfwit racists

25/11/2009 – 22:49

I don’t know why I keep reading the BBC Have Your Say forums. I fear I may be turning into a Daily Mail reader, hooked on that feeling or moral outrage.

Anyway…

No. There are millions of pictures of non-black people being ridiculed (i.e. George Bush, Tony Blair, Bunker Brown, Nick Griffin, Wayne Rooney etc, etc), should these be removed as well? This has only come about because the 1st lady is black, if sheâ€™d been white, this would not have made the news.

Bob Todd

Recommended by 266 people

It worries me greatly that Bob does not appear to understand what racism actually is. The fact that 266 other morons apparently don’t either, and that said morons pushed this comment to the top of the pile, makes me despair.

Apparently this sort of thing is quite common. I hear people saying things like “I’m not a racist, but…” or “it’s just a laugh, they laugh along as well and make jokes about white people too.” As someone who has been a victim of racism I can assure you, dear reader, that these people are fucktards.

The picture of Mrs. Obama altered to look like an ape is racist because historically comparing black people to apes and implying that they are less highly evolved, less intelligent and less human than white people has been used by racists. Ridiculing people because of their actions or beliefs is fine, ridiculing them simply because of the colour of their skin (which they cannot do anything about) is racist. Calling someone a “paki” is racist because it is a term of abuse based on racial background, where as calling someone a “brit” is simply shorthand and not an insult. How people cannot understand this rather simple distinction is beyond me.

There has been criticism of attempts to educate kids about this kind of thing, calling it liberal leftist namby-pamby PC brigade nonsense, but clearly there is a very real need for it.

By mojo | Posted in idiots, politics | Comments (0)

BNP vs. BBC HYS forums – BNP loosing?

13/11/2009 – 00:03

In the last few days posts mentioning the BNP seem to have dried up. While this is definitely a good thing, I wonder exactly why it is happening…

I’d like to think that it’s the BBC taking notice of my complaints and doing something about them. However, I have a feeling that there may be a more sinister cause. Maybe the BNP shills have toned down their campaign a bit. After all, most of the top rated posts still consist of extreme right wing bullshit.

Even if the latter is the case, I’d say it’s still a positive development.

By mojo | Posted in Internet, politics | Comments (0)

Response from the BBC re: BNP hijacking of Have Your Say

03/11/2009 – 19:54

I got a response from my complaint to the BBC:

Dear [MoJo]

Thank you for your e-mail.

I understand you’re unhappy with the ‘Have Your Say’ messageboard as you feel it is being used by BNP and far right extremists to air their views and you feel this is inappropriate.

If you disagree with a moderation decision please email Centralcommunitiesteam@bbc.co.uk. The Central Communities Team will then review – if an incorrect decision has been made you will be notified. Please note that while the Central Communities Team are happy to review the decisions made by the moderators, they will not enter into debate or discussion. Once a post has been reviewed, the Central Communities Team decision is final. Please do not send multiple emails, or additional/subsequent emails once you have received a response about a posting from the Central Communities Team.

I appreciate that you feel with the current structure of the messageboard it is easy for groups, like BNP supporters, to rise up the recommended list and that something needs to be done about this so that the messageboard is more impartial and so I’ve registered your comment on our audience log. This is a daily report of audience feedback that’s circulated to many BBC staff, including members of the BBC Executive Board, channel controllers and other senior managers.

The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.

Regards

Joe O’Brien
BBC Complaints

[Emphasis added by me]

Looks like they are at least aware of it, and hopefully will now do something about it. In the meantime setting up a counter-hijacking Facebook group is starting to look more and more attractive.