Weekly Rant

Overdoing it with Online Graphics

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But on the Web, you can pull in a heck of a lot more than a thousand words in the time it takes the average image to spew onto the screen. Granted, some are very cool. At work, where I have a direct connection to the Net, they are even cooler. But when my phone lines are being clogged up with pixels, I long for the simplicity of text.

The links to other sites (Gratuitous Links) may contain a lot of graphics, but my own pages, in general, do not. Maybe an icon here or there, and the obligatory nod to Netscape with my Hall of Shame-approved background texture. And yes, you can find a shot of me and mine in a couple of places. But you'll primarily find words.

Whether I'm ranting about the weather or drooling over the latest Voyager episode or writing song parodies or short stories, I'm focusing on the words. What photos I've got, I've either bogarted or had to get scanned by the coworker with the scanning equipment and the penchant for making you suffer for bothering him. (For scanning in the family portrait, I had to spit-shine his keyboard and give him unrestricted access to my Skittles jar.) Words are free, at least the ones I think up in their proper order.

The Web lets people express themselves however they can, however they like. I am frankly awed at the artistry, taste and skill with which many people blend words and images to give the world their best face. Granted, some pages are little more than cyberspace toeholds, but more than a few are nothing less than spectacular, and I am left to stare enviously while clicking View|Source to see how in the world they did it.

Okay, I'll shut up now. One lesson I haven't completely learned is the value of brevity.


Last Updated: April 27, 1996
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