about

About Abandon the site

About this site and
about Abandon

Still under de•re•construction

Dork displays

This site doesn't look right on 'Dork displays'.

A 'Dork display' is for instance a 14" or 15" monitor with a resolution of 1024 X 768 pixels and "bigger letter types" set for this resolution. Not only will text from several applications be hidden within the small frames to display text, but the general Windows interface will be enlarged, resulting in no effective higher resolution, except for graphics (appearing much to small).

The best way to view any content is to set an appropriate resolution with SMALL letter types.

Within Windows operating systems it's also a good idea to keep the browsers default settings for fonts: Times 12 for proportional and Courier 10 for fixed fonts.

On a very large screen: browse in a window (approximately 1024 X 768 pixels wide and tall, depending on the content of the web sites)

If you can't beat them
join them...

Why?

Great care has been taken to make this site HTML compatible, but unfortunately there is no browser that fully complies with an exact specification of HTML. The differences between browsers - even from the same origination - are relatively significant and the differences between individual systems out there are even more insecure.

Lang usage

Since my background lays in Holland, English isn't particularly the best language to express ideas and descriptions in this site. But it developed as a kind of habit to use (a home brewed version of) English, a lot of our recent cultural background (in Holland I mean) has been influenced with Anglo-American expressions: in Holland movies aren't overdubbed but subtitled for instance.

My apologies for syntax and grammar flaws are hereby offered. (I'll try to have the whole site screened by trained translators in due time)

Drop a line:

dick@abandon.nl

.	• Abandon p/a Dick Harmsen • Josephstraat 97-B • 3014 TL Rotterdam • Netherlands • Europe •

Why?

Poor soul

Every poor soul who's trying to make a home page or a site has to choose: Plain text, with an occasional graphic element - not cluttered to keep the speed acceptable - or: relying on the most significant (and up to date) browsers with a common assumption about screen resolutions and internet connections.

WWW

HTML is the language for the World-wide Web and should be readable by any computer connected to this source of information, with any type of browser and using modems of any type (fast and slow) or other means of connection.

Respect

With respect to this basic idea of exchanging information and with in mind that any extension on the format of HTML places a burden on the net in terms of more exhausting data flow and thus more distress upon time on a specific channel, the most logical conclusion should be to avoid the (heavy) use of such extensions.

Multimedia!

Although from a designer point of view expanding the basic possibilities of HTML (in the state where it is now: HTML version 3) with foreign additions makes life easier and more convenient from a multimedia approach, there is very much to say about incompatibility, errors and other issues that makes the idea of expanding HTML beyond the normal evolution of the format somewhat painful.

Habits

I myself have developed the habit to turn the 'auto' images loading off in my browser (netscape V4.X) to assure quick access and even Java (and the lot) is normally turned off.
I don't accept cookies (not usually though) and I like to decide for myself when and where I take time to wait/watch for certain effects not included in HTML.

This doesn't mean I resent the use of the enhanced possibilities on the net and I use some of it (optionally) in the Abandon site. Of course these extensions will in due time contribute to the HTML format: but for any system, any browser and in conjunction with an overall broader bandwidth at that time.

Habits

Some habits:

Okay, now I DO load images automatically, but I want to decide!

Well, it isn't possible anymore to switch off Javascript or reject cookies. Almost every web-site is depending on these nowadays...

It developed as a kind of habit to use (a home brewed version of) English, a lot of our recent cultural background (in Holland I mean) has been influenced with Anglo-American expressions: in Holland movies aren't overdubbed but subtitled for instance.
muntadas | on translation
Normally I don't like the idea of a dominant culture, but
I do subscribe to the idea of interchangeable information, and that means: English.

If I drive, 3000 á 4000 kilometres (2000 á 2500 miles) a year, I usually don't go faster than 90 km/h (60 Mph) - this for environmental concerns - but the hatred I invoke with this behaviour...

Smoking is going to kill me, or make me sick and unhappy. In due time I'll quit!. (either living or smoking)

During the last year I collected 672 eurobottles of Belgium beer. It was only then, when this enourmous pile of empty bottles came to be uncontrollable, that I decided it was time to collect my savings in deposit money: a total sum of Dfl. 100,- ($ 50).

Why do I resent (Internet) art 'reflective on the Internet and new media' so much?

The most annoying thing about this kind of art is that it pretend to be aware of the fast developments in the communication possibilities of electronic media, but it ignores the pace within it's changing. What today seems to be attractive as an enhanced possibility is the boredom of tomorrow.

I like to disagree with famous quotations:

'Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle'.

Ken Hakuta

'Say that to people with ideas, but struggling for their daily survival in stupid jobs, watching the hours creeping to their release and finally come home to establish the fact there's nothing left of an idea...'

Abandon

I like to agree with some others:

'I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones'.

John Cage

Drop a line:

dick@abandon.nl