TextMate, the best Mac text editor out there, received an update a few days ago, and it is now Halloween compatible. Check out its awesome new icon at right. There are at least two other thematic surprises hidden within the application that I won’t spoil… 
Update: Halloween is over, and TextMate has reverted back to the normal theme. Apparently some people didn’t like the implications of the picture. They probably still live with their parents. Luckily the icon is still available.
(0)I’ve been trying OpenDNS this weekend and it seems to be quite fast. It’s extremely easy to set up using their clever instructions for any type of router or computer, and it starts working instantly. Usage of this service has been steadily growing over the past few months.
For those who care to know, DNS (Domain Name System) resolution is a service usually provided by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). When you type in a site name in your browser, the first thing it does is to query your ISP’s DNS server to find out the IP address of the computer that hosts that site. Once it has done this, it can load the page. OpenDNS claims to shorten the time that this IP address lookup takes by having a huge cache, meaning that they usually can return a result to you without having to ask another nameserver, which would take more time. In addition, they have servers at the main crossroads of the internet. Whenever you see “Looking up (example).com” in the status bar of your browser is when DNS resolution is occurring.
So maybe give OpenDNS a try, if you have access to your network settings. You may be pleasantly surprised at how fast your internet goes. They also claim to offer phishing protection and will block known phishing sites. The service corrects spelling errors, too, so if you type in something like “google.co” instead of “google.com,” you will be instantly redirected. Pretty cool!
If you’re seeing this, you’re experiencing my new webhost! The site should be much, much faster. It’s even faster for me, and I used to view it from the computer it was hosted on! If you’re not seeing this, then you’re probably not seeing anything at all, as I shut down the server on my computer.
I also decided to go with a new theme for Wordpress, the much raved about K2, with all of its AJAX goodness (live search, rolling archives). I’ve been rolling my own with the colors. I originally had a light-on-dark style, but it was too depressing, so I modified the CSS a little and I like what I see. The combination of dark edges with the white page is really pleasing, and I really like how the red titles and blue links stand out. The color scheme seems much more unified than previously. My favorite part is the picture on the top, which one of my parents took, and I edited. Enjoy!
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