Sunday, August 31, 2014

[Geek Stuff] CSS - Animated Social Icon Links



Have you played with these little icons at the top my blog before? If you haven't, go ahead, do it. I personally find them to be amusing. Anyway, the code is rather simple, and I wanted to to show you how I did it in case you want to do it yourself!

Here is the full code:




<style>
{
  -webkit-box-sizing: border-box;
     -moz-box-sizing: border-box;
      -ms-box-sizing: border-box;
          box-sizing: border-box;
}
 
body {
  background: #333;
}
 
.pic {
  border: 0px; 
  float: left;
  height: 75px;
  width: 75px;
  margin: 0px;
  overflow: hidden;
  opacity: 0.75;
}

.pic:hover {
  border: 0px; 
  float: left;
  height: 75px;
  width: 75px;
  margin: 0px;
  overflow: hidden;
  opacity: 1;
}


/*TILT*/
.tilt {
  -webkit-transition: all 0.5s ease;
     -moz-transition: all 0.5s ease;
       -o-transition: all 0.5s ease;
      -ms-transition: all 0.5s ease;
          transition: all 0.5s ease;
}
 
.tilt:hover {
  -webkit-transform: rotate(360deg);
     -moz-transform: rotate(360deg);
       -o-transform: rotate(360deg);
      -ms-transform: rotate(360deg);
          transform: rotate(360deg);
  width:150px;  
  
}

</style>


The class .pic is pretty standard. I set the opacity to 0.75 (or 75%) for .pic and 1 (or 100%) for .pic:hover. As you may have guessed, this means that the icon will be semi-transparent when left alone, and will become opaque once a cursor hovers over it.

As you can see, I used a webkit for the rotation. This will show up at the beginning of the code and also under /*TILT*/. Under .tilt, I set the transition time to 0.5 seconds, and under .tilt:hover, I set the rotation to 360 degrees to suit the specific effect I was going for. These can be changed to whatever you'd like. Play around with it and see what you may find. Also under .tilt:hover you'll find the trick I used for getting the icons to separate when hovered over. 

Notice how under .pic, the width and height are set to 75px. However, under .tilt:hover, the width is set to 150px. Crazily enough, this actually works as long as you have a transparent background and no border. Of course, you can set the widths to whatever you'd like, but as a rule of thumb I make the hover width double that of the image width for nice, even-looking spacing when the icons separate. Perhaps if you had a wider-spaced slew of smaller social icons, you could also add an enlargement effect with a transition time so the icon "zooms" larger when you hover over it (something I thought of doing but didn't employ myself).

And then, as might be normally expected, here is a code sample for one of the icons (URL obviously changed).



<div class="tilt pic> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank"> <img src="http://imageshack.com/a/img577/1897/fo6b.png" width="75" height="75" /> </a> </div>


As you can see in this example, the size of the image is rescaled to 75x75 to match the sizing on the style sheet. You can resize your icons to whatever you want, but make sure the sizing is the same in the style sheet, or the separation-upon-hover trick won't work properly. Since I really only have six icons in this example, 75px works quite well. Notice also the div class is "tilt pic". This selects the .pic and .tilt classes to be applied simultaneously to the icon. The div should be done separately for each icon. I tried grouping before, and it didn't work smoothly with every browser. Keeping them separated will ensure consistent operation across a multitude of browsers.

Uploading the icons to your own photohosting account (such Photobucket) will ensure the links don't get broken later on. There are several sites where you can find entire packages of various social networking icons. 

It's simple, but simple is how I like to operate!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. 

Friday, August 29, 2014

[Payday] - New Camera Day

Today is payday! Being the first payday of the semester, it'll be my largest paycheck until at least Thanksgiving break. Having calculated my current finances, anticipated income for the semester based on my set schedule of work hours, and estimated expenses, I'll be able to pay my non-loan debts, buy a couple things I want, take care of normal day-to-day necessities, and still come out ahead without having to fall back on student loans. I can't express how happy I am right now about this. For the first time in my collegiate career, I don't have to wonder if I'll be able to pay for basic things like phone and laundry. This year, I'm going to have extra.

I'm a pretty lucky dude.

I get to work 19 hours a week between two departments (I.T. and cafeteria) while others are practically begging for hours. I know that to some extent I've earned it; I've made a name for myself by working hard and doing well. At the same time, I also know that what takes years to build can be torn down in a minute. This is going to be my busiest year yet, and if I don't maintain a healthy balance between work and play, I'm going to burn out. This year is going to be all about discipline: work first, play later. Go to bed at a set(ish) time each night regardless of homework that may be due. And, importantly, make time to get away from campus and adventure.

That said, I ordered a new camera today! Back in July, I bought my first GoPro (Hero 3 White Edition) and spent the last month getting used to using it. Now that I've somewhat got the hang of it, it's time to upgrade to the real thing, the Hero 3+ Black Edition. It's a bit of an investment (roughly $550 for the camera and accessories), but it's one that I know I'll far beyond my money's worth. I'm definitely pretty stoked for the adventures I'm going to have with it and, further, the ability to document them in 2.7K resolution at 30fps!

This is going to be a fun year.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

When Seeing (Still) Isn't Believing




"I'm afraid that I am me and I have no say in it. I dare to be self-aware when ignorance is bliss." 
-Showbread



I have a confession to make.

Perhaps it's a natural byproduct of depression, but I'm a doubter. I doubt other people's abilities to follow through on their promises and my ability to follow through on my own. I doubt the truth and sincerity of things people say. I doubt my resolve in following Christ and the persistence of His love for me. I doubt the things I've studied for three years. I doubt the so-called relentless "grace" that the evangelical Christian subculture often seems to over-hype. I cock my head and raise an eyebrow when someone justifies a choice or an action by saying, "I felt peace about it." 

I've seen enough experiential "evidence" in my own life to justify my longing to have faith in God but often question my reasons for believing. I find myself trembling on the edge of disbelief more often than not, "searching" more than "certain," asking for answers that I'll probably never receive in this lifetime. I sometimes avoid talking to certain people simply because they talk so arrogantly about their beliefs and why they "know" that they're right. Sometimes my stomach just can't handle another debate about creation vs. evolution, free will vs. predestination, cessation vs. continuation, or any of the numerous other topics that people dance in circles around. Because when it comes down to it, I'm skeptical by nature and cannot hide it anymore.

I'm skeptical.

I grow tired of people assuming they know me when their presumptions regarding my faith and resolve are probably wrong. The truth is, I don't believe in a God who satisfies the emotions or the intellect. I don't believe in a God who fits into a box of understanding. I can't justify it when there are so many Christians with so many different conclusions that they come to by the same word. Each will claim to have the (or a) correct interpretation of scripture, but it only leaves me skeptical. Who, if anyone, is right? Augustine? Luther? Calvin? Piper? Wright? Lewis? Sproul? Moody? Chan? Cottrell? Driscoll? Reese? Moore? I shake my head and walk away from the table.

I grow tired of sitting in chapel and listening to the same words repeated over and over. I grow tired of being asked to agree to lifestyle guidelines that I don't agree with. When I see content and formatting being changed to satisfy the donors who fund this college, my mind flashes to Galatians 1:10 and I question the motives of those on the board of directors. And when I'm urged not to question but to "simply trust", I question the person urging me. Perhaps life was just easier when I was more naive, but I cannot pretend as though I can't see what's going on. 

I question everything around me.

I'm not one to intentionally step on toes, but I'm not here to please anybody. I can't pretend that just because I'm a bible college senior I have it all together. The truth is, I don't. I don't have the passionate zeal that I used to and half the time I wonder why I follow Jesus at all. Just as much as I question why I follow Jesus, I question the Jesus I'm following. Am I following the real Jesus, or am I following some 21st century idea of Jesus diluted by two millennia of theologians, polluted by postmodern philosophical ideals and catered to those with the funds to line the preacher's pockets and fill the institution's coffers? More importantly, how am I to know the difference?

I've abandoned the Jesus I was handed in youth groups under the conclusion that what I was given was really just a fluffy idea under the label of Jesus designed for the purpose of behavior modification. I've left the image-obsessed tabernacle of name-it-and-claim-it, feel-good preaching designed solely for the purpose of keeping the business of the church economically stable. I grew tired of seeing demonic activity passed off as workings of the Holy Spirit. I grew tired of false teachers forcing and coercing false phenomena and passing them off as genuine miracles.

I grew tired of this so-called "Christianity."

But ultimately I'm concerned. There is a longing inside every person for something more, and I'm no exception. I want to follow Christ, but I'm afraid of subscribing to yet another idea that will only lead me to live again by what I see. If I am to walk by faith and not by sight, am I to trust that what I see is not what is? Or am I to have faith that what is is not what will be? Too often I forget that the hope Jesus promised to his followers is not for this life. I find myself looking for an anesthetic when Jesus promised that this life will bring troubles and pain. 

Perhaps I'm too self-aware for my own good, delving deep into parts of my mind that I suspect may be best left untouched. But what I've discovered is that once something is known, it cannot be un-known. Each new thing I discover affects the rest of my being in ways that I can't entirely explain. It leaves me trying to reconcile fact with faith and once in a while I come up short. Sometimes I need to question and re-assess things I had previously accepted as true in hopes that I'm not just believing blindly. Sometimes, I find myself doubting, trembling on the edge of disbelief, searching, asking for answers that I'll probably never receive in this lifetime. Sometimes, I find it hard to believe.

I'm not afraid to admit that.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Calm is Coming

At least, that's what I'm hoping for.

The past few weeks have been pretty crazy. As I've written about, I've been everywhere for a while. The week prior to leaving home was spent running around Eau Claire, looking for buildings I could climb, views I could photograph, and getting as much video footage I could with my GoPro. I even found myself a little frustrated when I left home because the one building I had spent years wishing and the entire summer searching for a way to climb, I finally found way up that would allow me to film the sunset over the entirety of downtown and the river (two rivers, actually), and I just didn't have enough time to do it.

After leaving home I went to visit Dubuque, Waterloo, and Des Moines. By visit, I mean run around and search for views to capture, buildings to climb, and things to film. Des Moines was also a weekend with internet friends. I found myself at peace in Dubuque, frustrated by my lack of guts and physical ability in Waterloo to gain access to a fire escape that would allow me a way to the top of the tallest downtown building, and tired halfway through the weekend in Des Moines because all the running around was starting to catch up with me.

These two videos sum up the end of my summer.






By the time I returned to campus last Tuesday, I was exhausted. But the busyness continued with re-setting up my room, working, visiting a friend, getting things squared away for (and starting) classes, visiting another friend, treating a nasty poison ivy reaction, and other somewhat normal things. 

Classes will be in full swing next week, which means I'll be able to settle into a consistent sleep schedule again. Priorities will settle into order and I'll find out how my attachments may have changed. One internship will end and another will begin. The excitement of being back on campus and people (freshman in particular) will settle down. Nights will become quiet again. Breakfast will be regular. Schedules will solidify. Structure will emerge and order will rule my days. Calm will come.

But there is another calm that I'm hoping will come.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

A Week Already?



I've been back on campus for a week (well, since last Tuesday), but it only feels like it's been a couple of days. I'm not sure if this is because I've been simultaneously tired and busy, but I'm certain that both have definitely contributed. I'm sure depression is playing a factor per usual, but with as tired as I am it's difficult to gauge the extent to which it is involved in my current state of being. Fortunately, working in I.T. is keeping me occupied enough that I'm not just sitting around swimming in an ocean of what-if. Plus, classes are starting Thursday. That'll give me something to keep my mind occupied.

I find it ironic that I was originally slated to come back early to help with Student Council activities and ended up not being involved in any so far, save helping a few new students move in last Saturday. But if I have to be honest, I'd rather be working anyway. Aside from the financial motivation to work, I find myself inexplicably uninterested in student council. I didn't initially want to be in it last year, but the idea grew on me over the summer. Now I'm feeling kinda so-so about it. I'm not going to state my reasons for that quite yet.

I can't really express how nice it is to be back in my own room again. The privacy of being able to close the door completely is something that I missed over the last three months. The room I was in for the latter half of the summer did offer privacy, but being able to lock the door means I can sit and think without someone barging in on me. There's also a sense of familiarity and comfort to this room that's difficult to think of coping through my last on-campus year of undergraduate study without. 

Still, I've already found myself getting away from campus when I can. Last week I revisited some old rooftops. Over the weekend I drove an hour to visit a friend, then visited another friend before I returned to campus the next day. This week I've already gotten in a round of frisbee golf. This weekend I'll be out of town as well. Still, intermittently I'll just drive around for ten minutes or so before returning to campus. I guess I'm just not much for sitting on campus right now.

I've been itching for rooftops recently. I think I spoiled myself a little bit when I left home early to explore some different cities. Moberly has rooftops, but they don't have the rooftops I'm looking for. Of course, there goes that natural human tendency to want more. Once you've experienced the view from atop a ten story building, two stories feels like a children's playground. More and more, each time I come back, Moberly feels like a necropolis. The "magic city" certainly is magical, if you consider its ability to suck the life out of a person.

It's 12:49. Why am I still awake.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Home Sweet "Home"





Though I arrived back in the dismal dump that is Moberly on Monday night, I didn't return to the little nugget of peaceful solace that is campus until Tuesday morning. Since I was nearly a week early, my first order of business was to head straight to the I.T. department and verify with my new boss that I will be working for him this year, and then to the cafeteria to check in with my other boss that I'll be able to continue working for her in the cafeteria. After that was squared away, I drove over to the dorm and went in to let my R.A. know I had approval to move in early. Then I was able to start moving in.

The afternoon was spent hauling my larger items out of storage and back to campus, setting up my room, and helping others with their rooms. At long last, a very dear friend made her way back to campus and I spent the greater portion of the rest of the day helping her situate her room before I finally went back to getting my own situated. The remainder of the night was spent editing photos and going through footage from vacation.

Wednesday turned out to be equally busy. A run to Wal-Mart to replenish some basic supplies, more room setup, more figuring out my work situation for the year, an evening cookout at the Dean's house for student leadership, and a sunset rooftop exploration left me exhausted by the time I finally returned to the dorm. I finally went to bed right around 11. I must have fallen asleep and slept soundly, because I left my windows open overnight and was not awaken by the 1am and 2am trains. 

Now that it's Thursday, I've finally started work in I.T. This isn't the first time I've worked for the department. I had a brief stint during my freshman year that ended when I quit. I.T. was headed by a different person then who had an I'm-better-than-all-of-you attitude that I didn't want to deal with. But this summer, the new head of I.T. emailed me asking if I would work for him this year, and I was excited to say yes. Even if the work isn't always exciting (some things can be monotonous, but they're still necessary), I'm really looking forward to working with this guy for my final year on campus.

I have to be honest, though, and say that I'm not quite sure what keeps bringing me back to this place year after year. Aside from academics, there's really nothing steady here. Then again, there's not much that's been steady in my life anyway. The only constant has been change and the only stability has been found in knowing that nothing is stable. But there's something else this time around that has me wondering why I came back. Perhaps I'll blog about it soon.

Tomorrow I get to work again, possibly (hopefully) most of the day. As fun as traveling adventures can be, they can be expensive and my budget has been amply depleted. Aside from that, working gives me something to keep my hands busy and my mind preoccupied. Right now, I'm grateful for that and it may be just enough to give me the motivation I'll need to get up in the morning. This place may be home to me more than Eau Claire is, but even that is growing faint and weak when I remember the frailty of the temporal. 

It's nights like this where I should probably just take a shower and go to bed.

Picture This

I took my last week of summer off of work to go on an adventure before returning to Moberly for my senior year of college. I thought I'd make a post to share some photos I captured during that adventure. These are all my own photos.
You can click on each picture for a larger view.





Sunset from atop one of the cliffs looming protectively over the North Crossing (Hwy 312) in Eau Claire.



Highway 312 (a.k.a. the North Crossing) bridge over the Chippewa River in Eau Claire, WI. My apologies for the ghost edges on the right side of the picture: the product of bad stitching.




The cliffs at Mt. Simon park, downriver from the previous picture. One of my favorite places to hang out during the summer in Eau Claire.




Downtown Eau Claire as I'll forever remember it.




Though this is actually just a still frame taken from a video, I love the angle here. This is part of the route I took to access the rooftop from which the previous picture was taken.




It's not just the sights that make downtown Eau Claire special, but the sounds as well. Speakers like these are attached to streetlamp posts up and down Barstow street, and the music plays all day.




This van looked pretty rad, so I took a picture.



This small quarry in southwest Wisconsin caught the corner of my eye as I drove past. So, naturally, I just had to venture a closer look.



270-degree panorama of the beautiful downtown of Dubuque, Iowa from atop the Central Street parking ramp. 




The Mississippi River from atop the HWY 151 bridge. Wisconsin is on the east (right side of the photo) while Iowa is on the west (left side of the photo). 



The south side riverfront, downtown Waterloo, Iowa. 



 While walking around Des Moines with some internet friends, I couldn't resist a quick building climb to get a picture.




More of downtown Des Moines.



Capital building in Des Moines. Quite a beautiful place, really.



Home sweet home at this little nugget of solace in Moberly.