I’ve been mostly quiet this weekend. Catching up, finally, with some much overdue blog maintenance. A busman’s holiday perhaps, but — for me — a holiday nonetheless. The other side of my brain was begging for excercise. It still is.
You may have noticed some of the tweaks I’ve been making to The BRAD BLOG if you’ve been paying attention. Other tweaks are still in the works. For now though, one of the most oft-requested changes has been for a Dark text on Light background version of the blog. I was finally able to find the free hours needed to complete such a version.
You may now select the “Dark on Light” scheme from new “SELECT COLOR SCHEME” choice near the top of our right sidebar. Your selection will be remembered the next time you return to The BRAD BLOG and switching back is as easy as selecting the other option. Hopefully, it’s a no brainer that works for everyone. If you have any problems, please let me know here in comments and tell me what browser and OS you are using.
There will be tweaks to come on both color schemes (and I welcome anyone who knows CSS and may wish to create yet another choice for readers!), but for now, please let me know what you think here in comments, and by trying out this nifty new poll gizmo below…
I like the dark on light color the best.
However, after 3 years of yellow on green I can’t change. So yellow on green it is.
Besides… that color combination matches my special ‘computer outfit’. I can’t work online or go to Wal-Mart unless I’m dressed in my green leotard pant suit and red spandex hat… and white computer gloves…. and my matching car/house key carrying nose rings… and my orange socks… and my favorite wrought iron 18″ matching belly button/nipple galvanized steel hoops.
well…i love the feel and nostalgic quality of the old hard-to-read version…as an idea. but practically? i prefer this new version. so thanks.
Feels like I’m in a chocolate factory! Those colors make me want to run out and get a mocha frappacino too much. Back to yellow on green…
Having the choice at all, however, is outstanding. Good show, Brad!
I voted for the classic BradBlog color because it gives the blog it’s own character, but I think it’s great that we can easily choose and I’m sure I’ll be switching back and forth.
The original light on dark green was/is distinctively Brad Blog. However, the contrast resulted in somewhat fat letters. The dark on light is much crisper and easier for me to read. The only placement available for my monitor requires that I bend my head back to the point of pain when I wear my bifocals so I usually read the pages without glasses. The dark on light is so much better for me. Thank you.
Side note: I would guess that page preference is stored in a cookie on the viewer’s computer. If you have chosen the dark on light format and delete cookies after you leave the page, don’t be surprised if you get the original colors when you return.
I love the uniqueness of the original colors, however I frequently link to your posts at CCN, (Clark Community Network) and have heard several complaints that it’s too hard to read. I always point out they can go to the “print version” at the bottom of each post, but this option is killer! Thanks, Brad!
The current color scheme works for me!
I think you should go with the ORIGINAL WILDCAT BBS colors.
j/k
Anyone that knows this stuff can make your site any color they want. Oh well..
This rocks, Brad! I used to avoid hanging out at your site because the colors made me mad. Good work!
Phil said:
I’m not sure how many others understand that reference, Phil. But I do 🙂 Thanks.
(I was one of the developers of PowerBBS back in the day…just FYI for geeks like Phil, and me, out there) 🙂
Yellow on Green is good by me.
Idea For The Bradblog
I do think it might be a good idea for the Blog to link to an accompanying webpage which outlines the basic flaws in e-voting and has simple articles by people like Avi-Ruben etc. The webpage stays the same and gives MSM victims a basic intro-overview.
Sorry Brad, but the new colour scheme looks wan and washed out to me. It doesn’t have the depth and character the yellow and green has, but what a sweetie you are for being such a nice guy and giving your bloggers a choice, so here are your internet hugs…… ((( Brad )))…. 🙂
Hmmm……..strange I should go that route as green isn’t one of my favourite colours, but your green is just a tad darker than ‘British racing green’…..a classy colour for cars like the MGB and the awesome late 60’s E-type Jag.
Guess after all these years, I’m still just an old English broad at heart….. 🙂
G # 1
You certainly are in the running for the title of the “most colourful character” on this site…!!
Can we get a pic of your outfit..? 🙂
Sally – Wanna start creating that page? I’ll be happy to post it if it doesn’t suck 🙂
Mar – Thanks for the hugs. I’ll take ’em. And still being in Bond mode this week (see this earlier review) I’m also happy to hear that the old green might suit 007 just fine 🙂 — For the record, my car is just about the same green as The BRAD BLOG “classic” color scheme.
Yellow on Green is good by me. BUT now I can change to the “black on white” so I don’t get a hard time from the family for “reading Bradblog again”.
color schmuller. It’s the size that matters. My wish is for View->textsize on my browser to actually DO something to the text to make it bigger. It doesn’t. I’m also at the bifocals age. With my computer glasses on, I can’t get my head very close to the screen and have things in focus. I just need a bigger font, or really geeky thick glasses that I would use only for this site…
John Dowd – Boy, ya just can’t please some guys. Even with the BIGGER text I was sure to put in place for guys like him on the “Dark on Light” version…Oh, well. As mentioned, still doing a bunch of tweaking, so as I can get to it, I hope to replace the hard pixel sizes with modifiable ones.
Can’t please everyone. But I’ll be damned if I won’t try!
Brad
OK I’ll give it a try. You’ll need to hold your breath for a week or three. I may use some key articles from the Blog that have disappeared under the mountain. Guess I’ll need to check my spelling and sentence sense.
I’ll admit an attachment to the eccentric green and yellow, but kudos on the sophisticated new color scheme–warm neutral, good contrast with the white and black, and the little fillip of red–simple but not dull–pretty and easy to read–well done.
Brad, you continue to amaze,
k
Yellow and green is beautiful! Please don’t change the scheme based on some random poll! I graduated from a high school with the colors yellow and green. Later I attended the University of Oregon, who’s colors are yellow and green. I love the classic Bradblog layout, and I’m aggrivated that you’re thinking of changing it based on a few opinions of a few people who aren’t seeing the beauty of the blog. Don’t change a thing! Green and yellow will overcome. If you want, Brad, I’ll send you some links to some fight songs which say exactly that. Green and Yellow! Green and Yellow! Green and Yellow!!!
From: Thomas L. Jones, Ph.D., Computer Science
I enjoy your blog very much.
However, the new color scheme won’t work for me.
Either Mozilla Firefox or IE 7. Windows XP Home Edition, Service Pack 2.
What I want is black letters on a white background. Past the age of 50, one’s vision changes, and it becomes more difficult to read material with a low contrast.
Tom Jones (age 66)
John Dowd #17
Try [control]+ if you have windows.
John Dowd #17
Try [applekey]+ if you have mac.
I just had to vote “Sarasota Option”, although it was hard to type while rolling on the floor laughing. I truly think you may have the new buzzword for electronic voting machine problems. Those 2 words frame the entire argument in a soundbite the MSM could use. “Sarasota Option”, “Emergency Paper Ballots”, “Bradblog.com”, three of the best ideas I have ever seen online! Thank you Brad, well done!
The new color scheme is much easier to read and much appreciated! For the yellow on green color schem, you might try increasing your line-height. More space between lines will make the lower contrast text easier to read. I usually use 18px line-height with an 11px font size.
Hey Brad, Good on ya! I personally prefer the good old green and gold, but it will be nice not to have to read irate comments from readers who feel otherwise. I was particularly struck by the commenter the other day who told you to “get rid of” the color scheme and the siren/flasher. I remember very well back in the 50s when our school blackboards were replaced with green ones and they switched to yellow chalk, on the theory that that color combination was easier on the eyes. But of course this is all about style, and what makes your blog unique is its content. Keep up the fine work, friend – we all depend on you more than you can know, and it sounds like at least a few people in the CMSM have become BB readers. 🙂
The white-on-light color scheme sounds more mellow than the dark-on-black color scheme.
But the choice is good 🙂
“Idea For The Bradblog
I do think it might be a good idea for the Blog to link to an accompanying webpage which outlines the basic flaws in e-voting”
Very good idea. There’ll be more and more folks showing up here who don’t understand the logical problems that undermine any attempt at a current e-voting implementation.
They’ll have, as some well-meaning politicos had, an implicit faith that e-voting can be made to work because “we’ve worked out so many other e-problems”… an implicit faith that does not comprehend that it’d take more than tech savvy to solve e-voting flaws with the techniques we have on paw… it’d take a miracle.
DAMMIT! I voted for ‘classic’ and I’m getting pounded! Is DIEBOLD running the vote? I’m writing to Haas…
Here we go. Another Bradblog Theme Choice.
Dark Grey / on Black Text, White / on Blue Titles, w/ Green Links. (Late Night Theme For Bradblog)
http://userstyles.org/style/show/1419
I voted for the “Sarasota option”, but I didn’t see my vote counted in the tally. Oh well…
I like the yellow text on green background style, but I like black text on white background for readability. What to do? Hmmm I’ll probably flip-flop as the mood suits me. Thanks Brad for the option.
Dark Grey On Black Theme… update
I guess userstyles.org went down (Ruby On Rails Problem?) right after I just signed up and published this trick.
Anyway, http://sacxtra.com/mbs/?q=node/69 is My Secret mirror. For those Firefox 1.5’ers interested
I’d rather here hear Bradblog than read it some times . . . . . So I’d like see/hear an mp3 connected to each article some day. . .
Whoa………slow down guys..!! Give poor Bradley a break, he’s doing his best with what little time that he has to spare.
Save the other ideas for later on down the road when he’s wrapped up this voting machine debacle..!!
You wouldn’t want him to lose his marbles now would ya..!!
He might just throw a hairy and shut down this site, then we’d all have to find someplace else to go vent… 🙂
A day without Bradblog is like a day without sunshine.. !
I love ya Brad….But…
This website has been color-challenged for a long time.
Yes if you love the Green Bay Packers it looks great…for the rest of the world…maybe not so much.
Do you like Blue?
Just askin’
At a minimum I would suggest you retire the patchy-puke effect on the background green.
With affection,
Your fellow citizen e-theft commando,
Blue Shark
I like the distinctive yellow on green. Never had a problem with it. No doubt, I would still be checking Brad Blog daily in the other color scheme, too. Really, the content is what I’m interested in.
Nevertheless, please keep the “classic” style as an option. That’s the Brad Blog look to me. (And I’m a “green” kinda guy, too. BTW, #21, David Francis, I’m another University of Oregon alumnus…I remember those colors!)
Come to think of it, those were the colors of my other university, too — Humboldt State — although I think they called the yellow “gold”..green and gold.
I knew there was something familiar about the Brad Blog colors.
Thomas L. Jones said:
While I’ve yet to test on IE7, I have tested on IE6, Firefox (both on Windows XP Home, SP2) and all works just fine.
When you say “does’t work” what do you mean? The scheme won’t change for you from the “Classic” green/yellow theme?
Make sure that Java script is turned on in your browser as that *could* be the reason the change doesn’t occur if that’s what’s happening. Also, make sure you’re allowing cookies, even temporarily to make the change.
Beyond that, please email me any specifics on the problem and I’ll be happy to try and fix it from here if possible.
The dark on light is a blessing for those of us with eyes older than 50 years. Otherwise it gets tough to read after a paragraph or so. Thanks!
My problem has always been moving from Brad’s Classic Yellow on Green to other web pages. The shift in color contrast (as my eye focuses through the change) is very noticable using the Classic view.
I’m switching to Dark on Light.
Hey Brad,
Thanks for responding, and I deserved the jabs. You do an awesome job, and I DO appreciate the new dark/white version, thanks, and thanks for listening about font-size too. You are one of the best of the young whipper-snappers, indeedy.
John 🙂
I’m just glad to still be considered a “young whipper-snapper”! 😉
THANK YOU for the option to go dark on light! I’m one of those who found it very hard on the older eyes – it does cause eyestrain for some of us. The ORIGINAL colors are a great blend, just difficult for some of us who want to read all the posts.
So – THANK YOU again! and {{{{{HUGS}}}} to you for giving us an option! My eyes feel better already!
Re #39
I have Firefox & Windows XP & have had no trouble making the switch.
Also [Ctrl +] works to enlarge the text [Ctrl -] works to shrink it back. You can do this multiple times to keep enlarging or shrinking the text as long as it’s not a picture [i.e. .jpg] file.
Just to clarify —
Hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the + or – key once or multiple times.