One of my favorite things about the internet is the free stuff. I love that people share their creations with others. I love that people share their knowledge.

I learned to build web pages by looking at other people’s code. I’ve also tried very hard to learn about graphic design. For some reason, I just don’t get that. No talent, I guess. Not to worry, though. There are people who offer free graphics that are really good.

One of my favorite sites for free graphics is vecteezy. Vecteezy is a collection of free vector graphics for everything from web sites to Halloween invitations to school projects. Naturally, you’ll want to read the license information for anything you’d like to use since some of the free graphics are for personal use only. Still, free is good.

Go ahead and take a look around Vecteezy. And tell me what you think of it.

Everyone has to start somewhere when learning something new. I turned to HTML for Dummies when I first learned to code; it was perfect for someone with no formal education in computers in general or web design in particular.

That was back in 96, shortly after I got my first dial-up account. Even though I’ve built several websites and tweaked many others, I still need a kind of “cheat sheet” of HTML tags now and then. One of the best ones is the Bare Bones HTML Guide from Kevin Werbach.

I’ve used the Bare Bones guide for many years and while it hasn’t been updated for a while, it’s still a handy reference. Especially nice is that it has been formatted for download as a text file or html and also includes an introduction that can be downloaded separately. Kevin also makes a zip file available with both formats and intro included.

The older I get the more I need these kinds of little reminders. If you’re looking for something that gets right down to the Bare Bones, this may be just what you’re wanting!

No, my page is not broken. It looks like this on purpose. I’m part of the 2nd annual CSS Naked Day, promoting Web Standards through the proper use of xhtml and css.

All of my usually witty, insightful content is here and still readable so please don’t go away. Just enjoy the pure simplicity of my site in all its nakedness.

My normally lovely, eye-appealing Scribble On The Wall will return on April 6, fully clothed.

And a special welcome to those who are stopping by here from the CSS Naked Day Host Website.

The point of using CSS is to separate design from content. It’s a simple theory and works well if you put the effort into understanding it. One of my greatest thrills was when I figured out how to do a page of thumbnails with no tables.

Those who are expert with CSS do more than simply separate design from content. They push CSS to do more. They play around with it until it does what no one would expect. It doesn’t matter that CSS isn’t the most efficient way to do something, when you’re pushing the envelope the point is to just do it because you can. And that’s exactly what Stu Nicholls does at CSS Play.

I first wandered into Stu Nicholls’ world when I was looking for a CSS photo gallery. I went through the entire site, amazed at what I was seeing. How could I choose one photo gallery when each one was so unique and interesting? And all were done with CSS.

But it wasn’t just the photo galleries. Stu Nicholls did things I never thought were possible with CSS. How about a CSS animation? Done! The first CSS generated font? Got it! How about some “through the looking glass” text that corrects itself when you hover on it? Oh, yes! And be sure to check that one out.

I love the CSS generated graphics that Nicholls has done. An American Flag with all 50 states or a CSS art gallery, Stu has done it. And check out his Lego house! Now, that is cool.

But you probably want to do more than just look at a few neat things that someone has done with Cascading Style Sheets. Well, how about some interactive fun? You can try finding your way from the top of the pyramid to the bottom. You could attempt to stay on the right path to find the middle. Or you could play my favorite, the traditional maze puzzle.

Whether you’re interested in design and like to see what others are doing or simply have an appreciation for the most unique applications of this technology, this site is one you ought to be prepared to visit for a few hours. There’s just that much to see. I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun with CSS before or since finding this site.

I love this stuff! Anyone can use CSS to layout and style a web page. But to go the extra mile and do a little - or a lot - more, that’s genius.

So, how about a game of cards? That’s right, except for the back of the cards, everything is rendered with CSS. Go ahead, view the page source. See how it’s done.

Makes the little bit I do with CSS seem like child’s play, doesn’t it?

I like information all in one place. I like it easy to find. If you’re going to call it an “Advanced Reference” then I expect to find it complete.

And that’s exactly what you’ll find at Index DOT CSS, The Advanced CSS Reference. Not only will you get an alphabetized list of every CSS property but also Support History, Spec History and Browser History.

You can also look up Syntax and Selectors, there. And if that isn’t enough to keep you coming back, a quick click will take you to Index DOT HTML, too. What could be better than everything you need to build a website, all listed in one place?

I still remember the first time I realized that I could use different fonts on my documents. I’d been working on an old 386 and was barely able to create a simple document without freezing the machine. That’s when I broke down and bought a brand new Windows 95 Pentium computer from Gateway2000. Yeah, they had the 2000 after their name then.

One of the first things I did with that new computer, after I’d gotten it online through dial-up, was search for fonts. I’d been reading about fonts and graphics in my various computer magazines and couldn’t wait to go hunting. I became obsessed and it seems that obsession is still alive and well.

I’ve been poking around UrbanFonts, thrilled at all the selections. I love to Download Free Fonts and this place makes it so easy. The site loads quickly (not all font sites do) and the fonts are organized logically.

My only complaint about this site is that there is so much to see that I forget that I have laundry to fold or supper to put on the stove. In other words, I can’t leave this place. I want evey font I see there, especially the ones I’ve never seen anywhere else.

Anyone who does design, for the web or for print, will want to bookmark UrbanFonts. Just don’t leave the water boiling on the stove when you hit this place. Trust me on that one.

I’ve got to make a plug for Semiologic. I’m loving their very customizable theme.

I’m brand new to WordPress and until now never touched any php at all. Oh, sure, I’m okay with html and css but that’s as far as my coding has gone. So naturally, I was thrilled to find the Semiologic theme that makes customizing so easy.

How easy was it? Well, after spending a weekend with it, I got brave enough to actually drop a custom.php file into the theme folder, too. In fact, I think I’m beginning to undetstand and learn php because of this theme.

Now I’m going to use it to try to mimic a static website. I’ll have to make a number of changes but I think I can do this. Semiologic is definitely living up to its name.