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Construction

All of these pages are made from scratch in HTML in conjunction with CSS, using TextPad. No WYSIWYG programs like Frontpage or Dreamweaver were involved. This is because I want a clean, structured web site that does not deviate from its main purpose; information. Semantically correct (and clean) code helps while messy, automated code doesn't.

All images on these pages are in the wonderful PNG image format, except for a few that were better suited in JPG. I compress all my PNG images using two small command-line programs called pngrewrite and pngcrush. pngrewrite is located on Jason Summer's web site, and pngcrush is found on Sourceforge.net.

Conformance

CSS signature

My site makes use of so-called CSS signatures. On the <body> start-tag of every page is id="hermiene-net". You can use this in combination with contextual selectors to restyle my entire site as you please. If that didn't make sense to you, it doesn't apply to you; I only expect highly interested people to take advantage of this.

Say you don't like the font I use. Change it!

#hermiene-net {
  font-family: "comic sans ms";
}

Does the footer annoy you? Remove it!

#hermiene-net #footer {
  display: none;
}

Random quotes

At the top of every page is a randomly generated quote. There are currently 133 quotes. They are as follows:

Quote Source
1. If you can't take the heat, get out of the rocket propulsion test chamber! Freeman's Mind, episode 19
2. Give me an analysis, Joey... Beneath a Steel Sky, Foster
3. You saw the blades; what did you think was gonna happen? BloodRayne 2, Rayne
4. May the road rise to meet your feet, Mr. Member. Commander Keen: Secret of the Oracle, Keen
5. A crowbar. Hit someone or something with it. Repeat. Deus Ex, description for crowbar
6. How many are there in you? Whose hopes and dreams do you encompass? Half-Life 2, Vortigaunt
7. Gallum galla gilla ma. Half-Life 2, Vortigaunt
8. Far distant eyes look out through yours. Half-Life 2, Vortigaunt
9. Names are for friends, so I don't need one. Hitman: Blood Money, Agent 47
10. All that moves is easily heard in the void. Homeworld, The Bentusi
11. Somewhere in the heavens... they are waiting. Marathon
12. They're everywhere! Marathon
13. We're two friends who haven't seen each other since college. Remember that time so-and-so did that thing? Haha! Mass Effect, Gianna Parasini
14. Tell me what I want or I'll blast your virtual ass into actual dust! Mass Effect, Krogan warrior
15. Oh, I'm just too good for my own bad self. Hello, Earth. Who's your daddy? Why, yes, I am. MDK2, Scwang Scwing
16. A little hard work never killed anyone important. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, LCD poster
17. Don't play with your food, unless it plays with you first. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, LCD poster
18. Wanted: Bullet catchers and grenade testers. Apply in person to General Dripik. Qualified recruits only. Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, LCD poster
19. If fate frowns, we all perish. Penumbra: Overture
20. Ooh, that thing has numbers on it. Portal
21. When aren't they heavily armed? Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, Ratchet
22. That's the TriOptimum way! System Shock 2, Protocol Droid
23. I am Quater. Read my words, and be my friend. The Neverhood, first words of the preamble to the Neverhood Chronicles
24. Death by irony is always painful. Tomb Raider: Legend, Lara Croft
25. PRIORITY OVER-RIDE. NEW BEHAVIOR DICTATED. MUST BREAK TARGET INTO COMPONENT MATERIALS. Ur-Quan Masters, Slylandro probe
26. This is a place for crazy people. I'm not crazy. 12 Monkeys
27. I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do. 2001, HAL
28. I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. 2001, HAL
29. Another helpful hint for living. A Boy and His Dog, propaganda speaker
30. Why, Lord, did you encapsulate so transcendent a composer in the body of an asshole? Amadeus, Antonio Salieri
31. I need a computer! Johnny Mnemonic, Johnny
32. One is glad to be of service. The Bicentennial Man, Andrew
33. I know Kung Fu. The Matrix, Thomas A. Anderson
34. Words are uttered, but fail to enlighten. Aldous Huxley, Doors of Perception
35. To make this mundane world sublime, take half a gram of phanerothyme. Aldous Huxley, letter to Humphrey Osmond
36. Their's not to make reply, Their's not to reason why, Their's but to do and die. Alfred Tennyson, "The Charge of the Light Brigade"
37. Every moment dies a man, Every moment one is born. Alfred Tennyson, "The Vision of Sin"
38. Oh! So that's the deal, eh, fellow? Well, why don't we duke it out in a melee battle of fisticuffs? BEEPOWER
39. A fart is just shitting wind. BEEPOWER
40. The question is how to arrive at your opinions and not what your opinions are. Bertrand Russell, Am I An Atheist Or An Agnostic?
41. There is an artist imprisoned in each one of us. Let him loose to spread joy everywhere. Bertrand Russell, 1967
42. Make a joke and I will sigh and you will laugh and I will cry. Black Sabbath, "Paranoid"
43. The love the liveliest, the life the lovliest. Bob Crosby, "Way Back Home"
44. How many years can a mountain exist before it is washed to the sea? Bob Dylan, "Blowin' in the Wind"
45. Genies of death, patiently awaiting the rubbing of the lamps. Carl Sagan, Cosmos
46. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Carl Sagan, Cosmos
47. From somewhere, a transmission... Cave Story
48. Don't wipe my memory! I keep all the stuff I remember there! Ctrl+Alt+Del, Ethan
49. Aren't you supposed to follow the Three Laws? Ctrl+Alt+Del, Ethan
50. It's a level eighty female-only persuasion spell. We try not to overuse it. Ctrl+Alt+Del, Lilah
51. If you don't relax your face muscles, you're going to invert your entire skull. Ctrl+Alt+Del, Lucas
52. Just because you are unique does not mean you are useful. deviantART, "Unique" by `krash
53. Why don't you let the word 'machine' conjure up images of patterns of dancing light rather than of giant steam shovels? Douglas R. Hofstadter, A Coffeehouse Conversation on the Turing Test
54. God is powered by irony. Dresden Codak, Kimiko Ross, Secular Heaven
55. I must decline your girlish advances, as your brain is filled with sawdust and lies. Dresden Codak, Kimiko Ross, Anagoge Starring Tiny Carl Jung
56. I have reservations about reconciling a quantum mechanics thought experiment with Egyptian mythology. Dresden Codak, Kimiko Ross, Trouble In Memphis
57. I am 87% confident you will burst into flames. Dresden Codak, Kimiko Ross, Advanced Dungeons & Discourse
58. Arousing from the most profound of slumbers, we break the gossamer web of some dream. Edgar Allan Poe, The Pit and the Pendulum
59. Ignorance exists in the map, not in the territory. Eliezer Yudkowsky
60. I like your tactics. They are similar to mine. Even Alander
61. We don't like it when the city pigeons break wings. When the pigeons break wings, then we can't get down. Evil Nine - Crooked
62. Math, my dear boy, is nothing more than the lesbian sister of biology. Family Guy, Peter Griffin
63. Christians don't believe in gravity. Family Guy, Peter Griffin
64. If you squeeze me, I make bad people go away! Family Guy, Petie the pistol
65. Well, that activates my hilarity unit. Futurama, Bender
66. I'm a 57% pure Homer Simpson ninja. Google Current, Conor Knighton
67. In the Country of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is King. H. G. Wells, The Country of the Blind
68. The wind was the scream of a great mad bird, as it flapped its immense wings. Harlan Ellison, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
69. Well, I haven't learned to pick up rocks, which is a very embarrassing thing for a geologist. Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17
70. Ah! You seen one Earth, you've seen them all. Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17
71. Everyone is guilty, though not everyone is bad. Hawkwind, "Festivals"
72. How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live. Henry David Thoreau
73. If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Henry David Thoreau, Walden
74. There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. Henry David Thoreau, Walden
75. Simplicity in operation—because the masses are not mechanics. Henry Ford, My Life and Work
76. Our bullets to Batmans ratio is fucked. Hockey Zombie
77. To fathom hell or soar angelic, just take a pinch of psychedelic. Humphrey Osmond, in reply by letter to Aldous Huxley
78. Star X, spectral class G0, 4 planets plus debris. Isaac Asimov, View from a Height, By Jove!
79. INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER Isaac Asimov, The Last Question
80. The lawyers insisted. Jones Avenue
81. At least it's not polio. Jones Avenue
82. Ubi dubium, ibi libertas. Latin motto
83. Dear Lord, forgive me the sin of arrogance, and Lord, by arrogance I mean the following... Leon Lederman, The God Particle, The theoretician's prayer
84. Damn you, quantum physics! Loading-Ready-Run, Graham Stark
85. The world is a sensitive place. You need to use non-denominational festive salutations. Loading-Ready-Run, Graham Stark
86. Not many people know, but after Vatican 2, Hell became kickass! Loading-Ready-Run, Graham Stark
87. I'm sure with the proper training, a bear could probably hold its own in a firefight. Loading-Ready-Run, Kathleen De Vere
88. I'm a woman, and sometimes, that's hard! Loading-Ready-Run, Kathleen De Vere
89. Christmas in Hell is great. Instead of turkey, we have doom! Loading-Ready-Run, Paul Saunders
90. There is a river in the ocean. Matthew Fontaine Maury, Physical Geography of the Seas and Its Meteorology
91. That's what windows and m4d ninja skillz are for. MegaTokyo, Largo
92. Laughter may be the best medicine, but it's no substitute for the Heimlich maneuver. Mighty Wombat
93. I'm so metal I piss mercury. MildlyHotPeppers
94. Nullius in verba. Motto of the Royal Society (Latin: "Take nobody's word for it.")
95. They don't think it be like it is, but it do. Oscar Gamble
96. Good runners still get tired; they just get tired at higher speeds. Paul Graham, Is It Worth Being Wise?
97. Is this bass really strong enough? Pendulum - Slam
98. If an advisor says to me 'My liege, he is but one man. What can one man possibly do?', I will reply 'This.' and kill the advisor. Peter Anspach, Evil Overlord List
99. My force-field generators will be located inside the shield they generate. Peter Anspach, Evil Overlord List
100. The explanation of a lesser entity in terms of a greater one is a perversion of what it means to explain. Peter Atkins, Awesome Versus Adipose
101. Every sentence deserves a good save. Piled Higher and Deeper, Cecilia
102. The radiation from your monitor will not replenish you, no matter how long you sit in front of it. Piled Higher and Deeper, Mike Slackenerny
103. File! Exit! Format C! Enter! Yes! Enter! Player vs Player, Cole Richards
104. There are no save points when it comes to ladies, honey. Questionable Content, Faye
105. Apparently knowing someone's name doesn't make it easier to set them on fire with your mind. Questionable Content, Faye
106. You try being funny when your life is flashing before your eyes! Questionable Content, Marten Reed
107. That is what a 404 error feels like. Questionable Content, Pintsize
108. A million people can call the mountains a fiction, yet it need not trouble you as you stand atop them. Randall Munroe, xkcd, Beliefs (154)
109. Sup dawg, I herd u didn't liek forming babby, but I accidentally in your base. Randall Munroe, xkcd, Density (550)
110. Some nights typing '*hug*' just doesn't cut it. Randall Munroe, xkcd, Far Away (352)
111. Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously. Randall Munroe, xkcd, The Race: Part 4 (580)
112. Communicating badly and then acting smug when you're misunderstood is not cleverness. Randall Munroe, xkcd, Words that End in GRY (169)
113. Do not meddle in the affairs of webmasters, for they are subtle and quick to anger. Real Life, Greg Dean
114. I may be full of crap, but it's superior crap. Real Life, Tony
115. My curiosity and patience just ran out simultaneously. Have fun. Real Life, Tony
116. It will be happened, it shall be going to be happening, it will be was an event that could will have been taken place in the future. Red Dwarf, "Future Echoes", Arnold Rimmer
117. There is no obvious limit to human gullibility. Richard Dawkins, The Devil's Chaplain
118. Physics is to math what sex is to masturbation. Richard Feynman
119. Narrowness of experience leads to narrowness of imagination. Rob Pike, "Systems Software Research Is Irrelevant"
120. Every pulpit is a pillory, in which stands a hired culprit, defending the justice of his own imprisonment. Robert Green Ingersoll, Individuality
121. Beyond yonder oak is a lady... Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (1290)
122. You have bad case of the suffering. Yes. I recommend happiness. Sinfest, God
123. Loserdom is a bottomless pit of infinite lameness. Sinfest, Slick
124. Whoever invented boredom must've been mad at life for being so amazing. Sinfest, Squigley
125. Douglas Adams thinks space is big; maybe he should have used Asimov's bibliography as an analogy. Talk Origins' jargon file
126. Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise. Thomas Gray, "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College"
127. You don't need oxygen when you look this good! VG Cats
128. Eternity is in love with the productions of time. William Blake, "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"
129. Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps. William Blake, "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"
130. Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd. William Blake, "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"
131. You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. Winston Churchill
132. The Universe is notorious for not giving a shit what people think. YouTube video
133. Existence is meaningless, but it doesn't have to be tasteless. Drink Coca-Cola. YouTube video

Favicon

The favicon, a black circle with three smaller cirles embedded within (two white with another black embedded within the largest of the white ones), is the insignia of the Sjet kiith, a fictional political unit in the Homeworld computer game series. (An 816 x 816 PNG version is found here. If, like me, you believe that SVG is the future, here's an SVG version, courtesy of Alexander K. Schrøder.) I chose their insignia as the favicon for my site because I adore their history of science and pascifism. In addition, I have a crush on their greatest neuroscientist, Karan Sjet, who has the cutest voice ever.

Best viewed with

This site is theoretically best viewed with any user agent, on any operating system, running any thinkable resolution. This is because this site is designed using HTML for describing structure, and CSS for describing presentation. The way it should be done.

That said, there are some browsers I do recommend, and those are Opera, Mozilla, and Mozilla Firefox. Unlike Internet Explorer, these browsers render pages in a much more standard-compliant way.

Purpose

The purpose of this web site is to spread all (or mostly all) of the information that I find interesting to other people who might find it interesting as well.