Under The Skin: (Episode 3)

SkinYourScreen Podcast, and Windowblinds 5.0 beta.

Oct 14, 2005 1:52 AM by mormegil Discussion: OS Customization

Under The Skin: (Episode 3)
We are about a month late, but we finaly got the chance to sit down and recorded Under The Skin (Episode #3). This week we have Rich Kulesus, a.k.a. MrBiotech from skinyourscreen.com. He lets us know what's new with SkinYourScreen and his new podcast. We also fill you in on the latest in Skinning news, including the new beta of WindowBlinds 5.0
Show Notes: *Under the Skin*: Episode 3, Recorded October 6th, 2005. Host: Paul Boyer Guest Host: Kristin Hatcher. Special Guest: Rich Kulesus (MrBiotech) Intro, Skinning News: Topics: Allot has happened since episode 2. We did not get to touch on it all, but we tried to hit the highlights. The news item being discussed most this week was the release of WindowBlinds 5.0 beta, for the first time allowing alpha transparency in window frames and title bars. WB 5 is also the first version of WindowBlinds designed to work on Windows Vista. It is still in early beta, but is working pretty sweet already. For allot more about WindowBlinds 5 check out some of these articles. Windowblinds 5 Beta released and Windowblinds 5 Preview Guide. We also touched on Microsoft's intro into the Gadget world with Vista and MicrosoftGadgets.com, and the controversy that has arisen from it. For my views on this check out my article here. One of the big things that I ranted about was Microsoft's upcoming Xaml editor Sparkle. I personally think this is something that anyone who is serious about skinning should check out. To see a cool video on Sparkle check out this behind the scenes video over at Channel 9. The last Item that we touched on was Autodesk purchasing Alias Wavefront. Interview with Rich Kulesus (MrBiotech) Topics: We talk to Rich about his personal skinning website, www.skinyourscreen.com and his new SkinYourScreen Podcast. Rich lets us know about his influences as a artist, and a skinner, as well as his favorite skinning news site, www.blizzle.com All this and more, spiced with quite a bit of me ranting! ;) It's yours for free in this week's exciting episode. Subscribe to any of the links below or stop by www.undertheskin.net to check it out.
Support *Under The Skin* by subscribing at: and
*Under The Skin* thanks Stardock.com for their support and, more importantly, their bandwidth. Visit www.stardock.com for all the latest skinning software. Thanks to Wincustomize.com for hosting my blog, which I am abusing by hosting our show notes and the *Under The Skin*, index. If you have any questions comments or suggestions please email us at undertheskin@gmail.com

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Under The Skin, Episode 3, Questions?

Help us out and get your questions answerd "live" ;)

Oct 6, 2005 6:11 PM by mormegil Discussion: Community

Tonight we will finally be recording Under The Skin Episode 3. We will be joined by Rich Kulesus, aka mrbiotech. Creator of SkinYourSkreen.com and the new SkinYourScreen Podcast. We will get the skinny on what his plans are for the future of him and for his SkinYourScreen projects.

We will also be talking about the latest in Skinning news. Includeding how the beta of Windowblinds 5 is coming.

We would also like to answer some questions at the end of the episode. So here is another opportunity to stump us. Please post any questions below. And we will see if we can help you out.

Any Skinning questions are welcome, Technical, graphical, questions about apps, or developers. Let them fly.

Thanks for the help.

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Mac Zealots Strike Again!

Widgets & Gadgets, Objects, oh my...

Sep 15, 2005 1:14 AM by mormegil Discussion: Personal Computing

Mac Zealots Strike Again! Yesterday Microsoft announced Microsoft Gadgets. This came as a bit of an eye-opener to those of us who have been working with DesktopX for years. An eye-opener, but not necessarily a surprise... Way back with active desktop Microsoft played with this type of thing, and we knew that they had not stopped. XAML and Avalon are coming in Vista and have been in the works for years and it has been quite evident that desktop content, similar to what DesktopX can create was possible with these technologies. I started using DesktopX in 1999 with version .01 alpha and got quite addicted. I started making Zoomers, which are more or less "Suppr Icons", but before long I was making "Plug-In" Objects, which are more or less what we now know as widgets. I started with a simple Drive Monitor, then moved on to fancier things. My favorite was my media player object which I still use regularly five years later.
One of my favorite old Zoomers.	An early Drive Monitor for two drives.	A CPU and Memory monitor.	My original FauxS-X Media player.
These are from 2000. Two Friking Thousand!!!!. Now it was a bit annoying when, in 2003, Konfabulator came out for the Mac and everyone was like "this is the coolest thing ever" and "its a pity nothing like this exist for Windows". I remember the first time I saw it I was watching the Screen Savers about a year after DesktopX had been featured on the show, when, Konfabulators best friend, Leo LaPort showed Konfabulator off. The first thought I had was, "cool DesktopX for Mac". Well the thing that sucked was somehow Konfabulator became an over-hyped monster. I have to admit that I was not to concerned; Konfab was on the Mac, and it had no development environment at all so it never lured me over. Then it was released for Windows, and they had the gall to say "We wanted to bring it to Widows because nothing like it was available". This is 3 or 4 years since I made my first "Object" for DesktopX. Anyway, I was annoyed. But Konfab did do some things that I had to admire. They were smart enough to do high quality default objects and make sure they stayed on the top of their library so first impressions stayed good. So annoying. But they were good, good developers making a pretty solid competitor, if only they would stop saying that they invented the concept. I have to admit I chuckled a bit when Apple essentially stole Konfabulator about a year later and made Dashboard widgets. Which, as I pointed out in my last rant against Apple, is a piss poor implementation of Konfabulator. If you own a Mac, Konfabulator is still the best widget program. For the first time I got to see Konfabulator people screaming about how they were ripped off - which they were. Anyone who sees Dashboard cant deny that its style is so "inspired" by Konfabs default styles. Now the 900 pound gorilla comes onto the scene; Microsoft, with Microsoft "gadgets", putting aside that Windows will have had "widgets" and "objects" for six years by the time that Vista ships. I am not too mad about it. I think that in the long run Windows gadgets will be good for customization, and especially for Stardock. We will be able to do high quality gadgets quicker and better since we have been doing it for years. Much like "Luna" brought attention WindowBlinds and skinning, I think that Windows Gadgets will make more people aware of gadgets, widgets, objects, or what ever they are called this week. And I am sure that Stardock will be able to use its knowledge to capitalize on it. I think DesktopX will find new avenues that would not have been possible without Vista. Now the thing that is really chapping my hide, is this: Mac zealots are flaming Microsoft for ripping off Dashboard! Dashboard, which is a total rip of Konfabulator, which is at the very least a Mac version of DesktopX. Now as a big DesktopX fan I'm not going to the personal blog of the Windows Gadgets project developers and flaming them that they ripped of DesktopX. Yet just hours after the announcement of Microsoft Gadgets Mac zealots were on those blogs screaming, sometimes quite rudely, that MS had copied Dashboard. These poor developers, who have been working on this project since 2002, are now being accused of stealing their ideas. The funny thing is this; I bought my first Mac about the time that Apple released Jaguar 10.2, at the same time the first Longhorn screenshots were showing up. About that same time we saw the first "Longhorn Bar", which was more or less the what is now Microsoft Gadgets. You can even see the simple analog clocks and the obligatory "slideshow" widget. Keep in mind that this was OS 10.2, and widgets did not come out until 10.4. Let's remember that Longhorn/Vista is a 5 or 6 year project and many of its tools and features have been in the works for years. Perhaps Apple's great skill is that in their ability to put out point releases every 18 months they can implement new ideas faster - even those that have been "inspired" by other developers. Yes, even by Microsoft. So to sum up: Mac zealots, knock it off. I'm sick to death of you claiming everything good comes from the Mac. I have a Mac. I paid for it, I use it, but after reading what I read yesterday, I doubt I will ever buy another. And I beg you Steve Jobs, stop leading your fanatics by example. Ok, I'm done with my rant. Let the flaming begin!

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The Future of the UI

Sep 8, 2005 1:22 PM by mormegil Discussion: General Discussion

Chris Parillo, interviewd Brad Wardell a few weekes ago, on the future of the GUI, It is quite intertaining, since they fight like cats and dogs!, but alot of good points are made. ;) Check it out.

http://www.thechrispirilloshow.com/help/20050907_the_future_of_windows_gui.phtml

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Under The Skin: (Episode 2) Show Notes.

Meet Kris Kwilas (Nakor)

Sep 1, 2005 2:53 AM by mormegil Discussion: OS Customization

Under The Skin: (Episode 2)
This week on Under the Skin we do our first interview on the development side of skinning. We interview perhaps one of the most unknown, yet most important people in the skinning development world: Kris Kwilas (Nakor). We ask about Object Desktop, its history and its future.
Show Notes: *Under the Skin*: Episode 2 , Recorded August 31, 2005. Host: Paul Boyer Guest Host: Kristin Hatcher. Special Guest: Kris Kwilas. Intro, Skinning News: Topics: We talked about some of the cooler things being done by the skinning community, like the WinCustomize Subscription Contest. And the new site SkinningSOS.com. We also give props to www.skinning.net for their new 21 Questions skinner interviews. Interview with Kris Kwilas (Nakor) Topics: We spend some time with Kris, finding out about the early days of Stardock and the beginning of skinning, as well as his views of how it has grown, and where it might go. We manage to get some loosely veiled hints as to when we might see a beta of WindowBlinds 5.0. Last, I will be doing several panels at DragonCon this weekend. So if you are in Atlanta, stop by and say hello.
Support *Under The Skin* by subscribing at: and
*Under The Skin* thanks Stardock.com for their support, and more importantly their bandwidth. Visit www.stardock.com for all the latest skinning software. Thanks to Wincustomize.com for hosting my blog, which I am abusing by hosting our show notes and the *Under The Skin*, index. If you have any questions comments or suggestions please email us at undertheskin@gmail.com

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Questions for Under the skin! Quick! Now! Hurry

I said hurry!

Aug 31, 2005 7:04 PM by mormegil Discussion: General Discussion

Ok tonight I am we are sitting down to record Under The Skin Episode 2. I have managed to talk Kris Kwilss (Nakor) "The Secret Zar of the Object Desktop" to join me as a guest. I want have a few questions for the last part of the show. I have found a few on the boards, but would like some that have not been answered?. So here is you chance. You have about 1 hour, to let me have it. And you can get you questions answered on the podcast.

So come on Cough it up?

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Under The Skin: Episode 01, show notes.

Find out what Under the Skin is all about, and meet Mike Bryant.

Aug 24, 2005 3:13 AM by mormegil Discussion: OS Customization

Under The Skin: (Episode 1)
In every episode of Under the Skin we are going to try and provide as detailed show notes as possible. Today we take the time to introduce ourselves, as well as let everyone know what our Podcast is all about. Then we welcome Mike Bryant, one of the worlds most popular skinners, and co-founder of the SkinPlant.com.
Show Notes: *Under the Skin: Episode 1 , Recorded August 13, 2005. Host: Paul Boyer Guest Host: Kristin Hatcher. Special Guest: Mike Bryant. Intro, Skinning News: Topics: This week we spent a lot of time introducing ourselves and establishing the goals of what the Under the Skin* is all about. I had a lot of help on this from Kristin Hatcher (Cordelia) who is known for her tutorials series Skinning for Newbies, and for hosting the tech news Podcast PowerUser TV. Kristin was kind enough to keep me from rambling too much. Also joining us for this was Mike Bryant, co-founder of SkinPlant.com. Interview with Mike Bryant (MikeB314) Topics: Mike had a lot to say about his skinning experiences, from how he got into skinning, to how he has come to be one of the few skinners to actually make money doing it. Along the way we find out what tools he likes to use, and what he likes most - and least - about his work. To get MikeB314's skins, check out www.skinplant.com, and of course his wincustomize.com homepage at http://mikeb314.wincustomize.com. From the boards: Topics: This is a segment that we did not get a chance to do this week due to time, but we will be trying to do it in the future. We will look at questions people are asking on the skinning site message boards and try and give them answers. If you have any questions please send them to undertheskin@gmail.com Special thanks to Danny Dayton for the use of the "If You Display Joy" song; that was just too funny to pass up.
Support *Under The Skin* by subscribing at: http:\\undertheskin.poweruser.tv or
*Under The Skin* thanks Stardock.com for their support, and more importantly their bandwidth. Visit www.stardock.com for all the latest skinning software. Thanks to Wincustomize.com for hosting my blog, which I am abusing by hosting our show notes, and the *Under The Skin*, index. If you have any questions comments or suggestions please email us at undertheskin@gmail.com Thanks to Kristin Hatcher from Poweruser.tv for doing our editing and mixing.

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Under the Skin, gets a home.

Under the Skin, episode 1, is up, and has a place to live.

Aug 24, 2005 3:10 AM by mormegil Discussion: OS Customization

Under The Skin: (We have a home!)
Last week we recorded our first episode of the new Skinning Podcast, Under the Skin. My original plan was to host it on my Wincustomize.com website. This was a bit of a cheap solution because I was concerned about the cost of bandwidth. However, once again, Stardock has stepped in to give me a hand.
Under the Skin, will now be part of the PowerUser.tv "network". We will have our own home page, at undertheskin.poweruser.tv as well as our own shiny new RSS feed. undertheskin.poweruser.tv\undertheskin.xml. The beauty of this that Stardock will be paying for the bandwidth ;) We will also have forums for discussion, comments, and requests. I will still be hosting the detailed show notes on my blog at mormegil.wincustomize.com, and will be using the undertheskin@gmail.com as our primary email address. I will also be keeping up a Under The Skin episode index on my my blog, as I do my CorelDRAW for Skinners, and Icon-A-Day, tutorials page. Well, now all that is left to do is try and record a fun and interesting Podcast, so wish us luck! (Episode 1 is in the can already so it might be too late). ;) I am hoping to get feedback and questions from listeners, so please pitch in and help us make it a fun show.
*Under The Skin* thanks Stardock.com for their support, and more importantly their bandwidth. Visit www.stardock.com for all the latest skinning software. Thanks to Wincustomize.com for hosting my blog, which I am abusing by hosting our show notes, and the *Under The Skin*, index. If you have any questions comments or suggestions please email us at undertheskin@gmail.com Thanks to Kristin Hatcher from Poweruser.tv for doing our editing and mixing.

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New PowerUser Podcast up.

Neowin News Roundup

Aug 17, 2005 11:20 PM by mormegil Discussion: General Discussion

I just noticed that there is a new PowerUser TV episode up. I have not seen a new article about it, but it is a pretty interesting episode, with a cool panel. Check it out.

Neowin News Roundup

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Skinning Podcast in the works!

Comeing soon, need the communitys help.

Aug 12, 2005 6:31 PM by mormegil Discussion: OS Customization

Skinning Podcast!

As most of you know, Stardock and Neowin have joined up to do PowerUser.tv. PowerUser TV is going to be a tech news Podcast, and video cast. During the process of getting set up for this, I have been inspired to do podcast of my own about skinning and the skinning community.

The plan so far:

We are planning on doing two episodes a month. Maybe weekly if it is well received.

I will be hosting it, and we will be interviewing a different skinner each episode. I hope.

Each episode we will go over any skinning news that has come up. Also try and highlight new skins that catch our eye.

We will be recording our first episode Saturday night and my guest will be Mike Bryant from Skinplant. I am also hoping to get Kristin Hatcher (Cordelia) host of PowerUser TV, and author of the Skinning for Newbies tutorials to join me as a guest host. (She's my wife, so she's demanding lots of money).

At this point I would like to get some feedback form the community on what you would like to hear?

• What skinners would you like to see interviewed?
• What program developers would you like to see interviewed?
• Do you have any topics you would like to make sure we cover?
• Do you have any skinning questions you would like answered or addressed?
• And most importantly! What the heck should we call it? We thought of "Skincast", but it is taken, so I'm open to suggestions. Please!

This skin cast will be free, and I am going to try and trick Stardock into paying for the bandwidth. It looks like we will be part of the PowerUser.tv podcast channel, but only about skinning. This will be a non-denominational skinning show. We want to cover everything going on in the skinning community, not just what goes on on WinCustomize.

So? What do you think? suggestions? Names?

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