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Weeknotes - W41/2026 (No.7)

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Not a lot going on this week that I want to write about here. (Read my rants in the fedi.) But over the weekend I started to learn a new CSS thing and am generally getting back into improving my web dev skills. Yay for HTML and CSS!

Goings on 🚶‍♀️‍➡️

  • Workplace outing! In the rain! Yay! (Not really, though, as my jeans got really wet.) But besides the rain, it's always nice to spend time away from work with my colleagues. They are all great, I am happy and thankful for them. A great team is the most important thing at work, I think. After the drastically shortened hike, I happened to not sit with my usual gang at the restaurant, which meant I got to talk longer with people I don't usually sit with a lot. That was really nice. Of course we did also talk about work, but in a very constructive way.
  • I am re-discovering the <cite> and <q> elements and starting now will try and use the former for all blog posts, articles, book titles, episode titles, song and album titles. Basically every title or name I'd wrap in quotation marks. That's probably only half correct as I am currently not wanting to use it for websites, webpages, and authors. But at least for now I don't care. My site, my rules. I am only a hobbyist learning things one step at a time.
  • I started to learn about CSS shapes. I am using Temani Afif's article The modern guide to making CSS shapes. I dug out an old notebook and used some coloured pens to take notes to visualise things. Writing things down, sketching shapes and arrows and stuff helps me a lot in understanding complicated things like that. And all of a sudden, things aren't so complicated anymore. We're speaking basic shapes, though. I expect things to get really really complicated soon enough, where no notetaking on my part will help with anything anymore. LOL

Media 📚🎞️🎧

  • Caught up with my DS9 rewatch. "Last week's" episode was season 6, episode 15 Honor Among Thieves. Another O'Brien must suffer episode. But Colm Meany is too good to not give him stories like that.
  • I also watched "this week's" episode, nr. 16 of the season, Change of Heart. A Worf/ Jadzia episode with real consequences for Worf (at least for a while). Strangely funny. I wished it was a bit more serious in respect to what's acutally happening.
  • After I asked for tips for space opera/ adventure audio dramas last week, Joel suggested I'd listen to Wolf 359, which is set on a space station orbiting said star. Of course, the Trekkie that I am has very different associations with that star systen than a comedy show with horror elements. But that didn't hold me back. The first season started a bit slow, but changed pace after episode 7 or so, and ends on a cliff hanger, naturally. I don't know yet if I'll continue, or when. Because...
    Spoilers

    Why is always the doctor/scientist the foul egg!? Why is the station AI always female? Why is there always a conspiracy happening on a lonely space station? Why does at the end almost everyone have their dark secrets? Very unoriginal and therefore boring. - The doc reminded me a lot of Archer's Krieger. Am I the only one? Though Krieger is so wild and unhinged he was never boring and always funny.

    Anyway, I'm glad I listened to more than just one or two episodes as I did the last time I tried the show. So don't feel bad, Joel! I appreciate every suggestion. 😉 Importanly, this is not a bad show! The voice acting is great. The mystery is interesting enough, though certain parts of it are a bit old. I love that there is no love story going on for a change. (I am not opposed to a good romance, but not every time two humans meet there must be romance, love, and sex following.) However, this show is just not exactly what I want right now. Maybe at a later time. I'll keep it in my podcatcher for now.
  • Re-watched WALL-E after I last saw it back when it came out. I feel like it's the perfect film for the current state of things. I needed a dose of WALL-E and EVE sooooooo bad. This film is hope. The DVD however, I got it secondhand, is jumpy as heck. Maybe cleaning it will help.

The Web 💻

  • All the lighthouses of the world and many more maps can be seen and explored on mapped.earth. Via Eclecticism.
  • The European Correspondent has a nice article about Why the world thinks all Germans wear Lederhosen.
  • Another beautiful article from the Europen Correspondent: Want to understand Europe? Hit the road. It's about driving down south from Northern parts of Europe for the summer as a family of "guest workers" - and how it changed (but not necessarily for the better) over time. Almost a plea for an open Europe. As it's supposed to be.
  • In his article A Past Tense Word Matthias Ott reflects about an interview with a musician he watched, and finds a good and read worthy way of expanding what he heard to creativity as a whole, web design in particular, the "AI" of it all, and, I would argue, ultimately everything. My favourite quote: If all you focus on is making the safe choice, you'll end up with something that sufficiently works. [...] But also something nobody will remember [...].
  • Back in the day I used to play Solitaire on the computer for unhealthy amounts of time. Thank you, Blake, for getting me back into that. 🫣 However, Blakes version uses really frustrating rules. LOL Does that keep me from playing? Of course not!
  • css.earth is a very cool site where you can explore our solar system, but also outer space objects. On its Github page it says it is
    [a] 3D astrovisualization platform that renders celestial bodies as HTML geometry through PolyCSS, without WebGL or canvas. It turns open space data into browser-ready meshes, textures and volumes, all fit into one model of the universe.
    I don't understand any of that, but it is pretty cool.

- Elena.

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