Welcome to eXalTer.NET

™

This site is an assemblage of ethereal, esoteric, familial, spiritual, technical and otherwise personal insights, at least until I can populate this site with its intended content ... of much greater eternal value (and as this site grows, that seems quite unlikely).

Beneath all that we claim of our collective knowledge, life is unequivocably an unfolding mystery and an immense challenge.
To deny a supreme, merciful presence is to only further confound our earthly existence and obscure us from our only reliable resource.

Remember
09-11-01

Is It Realistic, Even Fruitful, to Give Thanks to God In The Face of Disasters? Here's a recent perspective.

An eXalter.Net
Quick Look from
That Escape From Reality a/k/a
Madison, Wisconsin

Andrew and His Family's Journey with Apert Syndrome. Our son's added life challenge, wrought from a wayward #10 chromosome at the moment of his conception.
After several surgeries and a bout with hearing loss, Andrew is gaining in speech development — and does amazingly well for having man-made fingers and a reconfigured skull.
He has just completed his seventh surgery in four years — this one requiring ma and pa to use a tool to adjust distractors (see two of them, above) to gradually move his midface forward.

What are those devices in the above boy's head?
Andrew's midface surgery report. Two of the most challenging surgeries to date, the first requiring us to torque four distractors on Andrew's head twice a day at home after surgery for a couple weeks. And a major, risky realigning surgery took place in February 2004. Can we now exhale and relax for a while?
•
Come see the site I designed for an author who helps others get published, too. He now maintains it himself, as best he can, though not a knower of HTML or CSS.

On The Inside:

Graphic Issues: Are Some Things Unteachable?

ExalterBlog: Both sides now, but badgered by Amery

RSS Online: What Is Goth? Darkside Design or Fad?

Theology Askew?: God, Not As Religion !! NEW !!

RSS Online: Mick's Data Hierarchy Axiom

Developer NewsFeed: The Latest for Web Coders

Odd News: OffBeat NewsFeed

RSS Online: What JavaScript Is and Isn't

Theology Askew? We Are All Bozos On This Bus

On The Outside:

Why Nerds (and Geeks) Are Unpopular

Phill's Useless Information: Trivial, Not Useless

The Coriolis Effect: Ever Discussed In Science Class?

NOTE: "On the Outside" links open in a new window

Space ...
for Reasons To Believe... a science-based Christian apologetics site of sorts. Also, the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry site is worth a visit or two. Or three.

DATA THAT YOU CAN ENJOY DESIGNING. If you really need your data well organized, and well designed, then you really need nothing but FileMaker Pro.
It's also one of the few database-development environments where you can really design the interface to your liking, as well as multiple layouts and some comparatively easy scripting support.

I have long advocated using Adobe Acrobat® as a proofing and distribution/workflow mechanism. I believe that I brought in a demo to an audience at my corporate employer as early as 1994. (Wasn't Acrobat first introduced to the market in 1992?) Corporate America didn't begin thinking about the Web until at least 1995. But people forget how valuable PDF is for the print and pre-press world. And those people who don't understand PostScript® or have page-layout programs . . .

How many lifetimes would it take to download the entire Internet? Check this dialog box to get an idea.
But until then, I will praise the Lord, hug my Bundle, change Androomeda's diapers and help make My Wiferly Wonder happy.
Whatever's possible.

Another Systematic Resource.
Actually a shameless plug for Resource Systems Services, in the fortuitous case that you're curious or similarly provoked.

The de facto online standard for Unix Geeks everywhere. Will Macophiles like me migrate to it when OSX requires that we appreciate this robust, legacy operating system? (As it is now beginning to?)
•
Speaking of legacy, wanna know where I like to shop for end-of-line, surplus, refurbished and used computer hardware and software? The first eight sources that come to mind are listed here, and I'll bet you haven't heard of them.

The RGB version of Publish, a magazine for design and publishing. I miss that it has de-emphasized its original focus on print-based publishing, embracing the Internet, as if nobody else is currently doing that. (Your mother and toddler nephew both design Web sites for Fortune 500 companies, too? Doesn't everyone these days?)
Another good choice for designers and publishers is Canada's Graphics Exchange online magazine.

The PDF Zone.
Someday, everone (?) will appreciate the value of this integrity-preserving distribution format. This site just helps expand your options.
Or, for a discussion of the specs and benefits of PDF, let me lead you to my page on the subject.

Ever had to work with a file that really wasn't designed for export, but that's what you need? You end up printing to file (generating a .PS or .PRN file), distill to PDF and export to EPS. But it can be well worth it.

[ View Guestbook ]
[ Sign Guestbook ]
Get a FREE guestbook here!

My beginnings in the HTML world only date back to 1997 — at least in terms of hand-coding pages so I really knew what was happening beneath the browser-displayed surface. So, in some ways I was a bit slow at getting onboard the new technology introduced by Tim Berners-Lee, the true inventor of the World Wide Web (not the Internet, mind you, just the Web ... but that's a mighty significant "just").

And this link actually represents a path to . . . "Tales from Vienna's Woods" (Apologies to Strauss, and not the printer.) ... one of the first sites that I built out of vanity and surprise birthday sitings.

Therefore, for all who dare, enter the original iteration of home-wrapped HTML from Hazelnook, circa 1997 and beyond. It is showing its age but, hey, this Vienna retrospective becomes more of a museum arhive by the day.

Our previous church. We worshipped here more or less regularly for almost a decade, where I ended up building their Web presence, too. The site is far from complete, but then again, what Web site really is? They all happen to be works-in-progress (not unlike those self-willed creations of God known as human beings...)
And let's not forget a recent work-in-progress, a startup enterprise founded upon Grace. Elsewise known as the Grace Community Network. A budding Christian startup for a community that could certainly benefit from a sincere, growing Christian fellowship. Now that we have a pastor, our family worships here (Not that we have all the answers, but we know where to seek.) I also built this site. Grace's first pastor started in July 2004 with a premiere Grand Opening public service in October 2004. Some good, unabashed Biblical preaching and an encouraging start.
I did not build this one, a place we worshipped at in early 2004 with some long-time Christian friends of ours, until our mission church got its pastor. I don't have to build a site to worship there.... And then there's the wit and wisdom of a special, ALS-affliced Mac developer whom I feel I know, but have only exchanged an email or two.

CONTACT eXalterNet:
Send your inquiries to: —
one of four at Hazelnook,
the home base for eXalTerNet

Also, any questions you may have about PostScript and PDF workflows, cross-platform issues and file formats, running Virtual Pentium machines on a Mac (classic or the UNIX-based OSX) and, increasingly, Windows troubleshooting (a life-long pursuit in itself)... well, you know how this sentence should end. I'll do my best to answer. (And, speaking of professional preoccupations, I shan't forget, my wife is a good technical and styles editor. Good cook and baker, too. Just look at my waistline.[No, it's not her fault.])

We're here, plugging away, fully knowing that we're not the one who is sovereign over this unpredictable world. But increasingly glad He is. Amen.

And in the beginning, I saw the code. It made no sense to me then, but with the help of BBEdit, I perservered. Still use BBEdit, but also use DreamWeaver from Macromedia, developers of other apps such as AuthorWare, Director, Flash and FreeHand.

...And now I even understand. But there is no salvation in the virtual world; I must return to reality to encounter that . . . (and even then I need to look up at least 30 degrees above the horizon).

. . .

. . . How Long Have You Been Here?
OTHER SITES I'VE BUILT:
New sites: J.L.Fredrick Online — an author of mystery books also offers help to other aspiring authors.
Also new as of May 2004 is The Greater Waunakee Rotary Club Website. And, as of October 2005, I helped another Rotary organization with a site design: The District 6250 Rotary Org.
Not so new, but still active, are: DeForest E-Free Online • Grace Community Network
IngleLiving.Com - Now populated by pages from its own staff.
Leroy's Laser 200 - A site about remote-control aviation and plane building ... at a personal level.
Phill Thill Design's 2000 Site
Sherpe's 3-In-1 Site
Utility News Network Utility news and links, still in its infancy.
Vienna Township Gov't Site

Page last updated 03.11.06
(Just don't pass the salt; be the salt.)

TICKER UPDATE AT EXALTER.NET
TOP OF PAGE