Our landlord recently dug up an interesting, umm, toy. EarthClock is a somewhat skinnable clock that displays an analogue clock on top of a view of the Earth.

“EarthClock displays a realtime view of the earth, and overlays a clock. It's fully skinnable. Focus it on your city and watch the night slowly move in. Focus it on other cities to see what's up. It's like a gift to your desktop. It's also free.”

The nifty aspect is that it pulls its images from sites like the Earth and Moon viewer or whatever site you specify. It's best if that site can provide images in ‘planet mode’, so you get the globe effect, but you can also use webcams.

Here's the current time and weather over in craeland.

The skinnable aspect of it is the clock that blends with the earth view. Pretty straight forward: one overlay for the frame and an image for each of the hands of the clock.

You can't change the circular shape of the clock at skin level, although I did find a file which appears to be the transparency mask for the app. So perhaps it can be changed.

Sad thing though, is that it's a tremendous resource hog. Which is why the pandamon is looking for coders willing to port it from Python (which is why it's a four meg download: it ships with all the Python .dlls) to something more low level, like C++. || craeonics | comments (5)

Wisbar has been around for quite a while and has been freeware. It basically ended up being what Pocketblinds (created by Stardock) had set out to be, but dropped the ball badly right at halftime.

Recently Wisbar became shareware, but I have to say w/ all the new features and bugs killed I think it's wellll worth it.

Features:

• Skins both top menu and Bottom Taskbars

• Skinnable two state buttons (meaning both depressed and non depressed button states now)

• Complete system sounds for all actions

• Skinnable program icon on start menu

• Skinnable start menu and program menu, and now is cascading!

• You can custo all system colors! (something that is not being taken advantage of by everyone else but is now available and easy to config if you know how to convert RGB colors)

• Assign both tap and hold = two custo apps of your choice assigned to launch per your own skinned image/icon on top Menu bar. (as many as you can fit)

• Skinnable bottom ‘menu buttons’

• Live skinnable Battery and Memory Meters

• Skinnable volumn control

• Skinnable connect and disconnect icon and also system notification icon

• Custo your sys clock's apparence on the taskbar

Pros and cons:

+ Makes your device not only look cool and fun to use, but most importantly easy to launch your apps the way you want, numerous cool skins around the net to download but you will need to open up the old files and update them to add the latest configs (extremely easy to do w/ alil concentration) =)

- Not too many I can see since it now is fully skinnable and causes no lag. however it has so manyyyy new features that most are not taking advantage of them.

More skins can be found over here. || Doreen | comments

We're currently experiencing database issues. The blasted thing will flick on and off, complaining about too many open connections.

I have a hunch that one of the 440 sites on this server is running a very, very database intensive script, which locks up all access to it for all the other sites on this machine.

It's a bit like a neighbour playing loud music in the middle of the night. Maybe I should go complain to our landlord, but then again, he's got them issues as well.

Until then, you will see an automagically generated ‘bang on the ceiling’ message from time to time when that neighbour of ours is cranking up his volume again. A bit like customize's old ‘high server load’ message.

Can't say I'm too thrilled about it though. || craeonics | comments (12)

This is one of those rare devs who can describe his app in one line:

“Mp3CoolPlay-X is a small media player capable of playing various types of music file formats.”

Version 3.0 of MP3 CoolPlay Xtreme (Mp3CoolPlayX for friends and family) was released a couple of days ago.

“Another new version of Mp3CoolPlay-X is available, this update has some nice extra features and bug fixes.

Here is a list of changes for version 3.0:

• Optimized the decoder plugin loading engine, it's much faster now.

• Decoder plugins react much faster now when you play a file supported by it.

• Optimzed some startup code.

• Fixed a bug in the transparency code, it sometimes caused random crashes on Windows2000 systems.

• Now Mp3CoolPlay-X does not check if transparency is available on startup everytime, it only checks once and then saves the info to the settings file. This optimization makes startup also a bit faster.

• Changed the 'About dialog' a little, it now contains a nice Mp3CoolPlay-X logo with the version number in it.

There is also a new decoder plugin available on the plugins page, this decoder plugin enables Mp3CoolPlay-X to play MusePack (mpc) files.”

Despite this bearing an uncanny resemblance to WinAmp2, it has MusePack support, so yay! || craeonics | comments (3)

Premiere sysmetering app Samurize sees its 1.6 release. Most noteworthy feature here is the addition of SpeedFan compatibility, since development on MBM was halted. You've got to monitor them components somehow.

The changelog is a mile long, so I'll forward you to blizzle, where you can browse it. Normally I would link to the changelog on the dev's site, but they seem to be overtaxing their server. || craeonics | comments

Three weeks after their initial announcement, French tongue customisation ezine Esthetika launches their very first issue.

I can feel a fresh wind blowing through the damp and murky corridors of skindom already.

Esthetika #1 covers the following:

1. 40 seconds chrono — ext ponders on why people take screenshots of their desktop, the part of the interface you see least, and the stagnancy resulting from it.

2. Bubka, l'autre moitié de CXP — BruB interviews one half of the people behind customisation site (duh) CustomXP, Bubka.

3. Docks, Docklets, Icônes? — Docks are fashionable at the moment, so maarch gives us a guide of what's hot and what's not in dock land.

4. À la mode des Widgets — Meanwhile, fashion guru BruB lets his models show off the various widget engines out there.

5. Indispensable #1 — fiz gives us a micro review of sysmetering app Samurize as the first in a series of essential apps.

6. Les inutiles — Swiftly countered by brubbles with this article on ‘the useless’. Brub could only wish he was as cool as Scooby!

7. Exode vers Firefox — On the customisability and enhancibility of browser of choice, Firefox

Recurring theme in this first issue is what they call ‘desking’: the mainstream focus on skinnability on the desktop level, by means of widgets and docks and the disregard of other parts of the interface.

Great start of this ezine and I could elaborate on this subject much more, but if you'll excuse me, I've got to go watch reruns of The Avengers (Emma Peel is sexy). || craeonics | comments (11)

Whereas as recent as a couple of months ago docks were ‘The Next Great Thing’, their throne has been overtaken by the machinations called widgets. Widgets are a sort of modules powered by one and the same engine. So instead of seperate apps doing this, you have one app providing all the power.

Or that's what I make of it. Never ran any widget engine, other than the ancient and long forgotten Verona Desktop Enhancer. And that one didn't last long.

Back on topic: one of these widget engines is Kapsules and three days ago developer Andrew Powell released version 0.9.4.5.

“October 10, 2004

Kapsules Version 0.9.4.5 Released

Version 0.9.4.5 offers a wide range of fixes to the previous versions. Widget Developers and Users alike will enjoy this new version as it boasts even more performance enhancements, brand new widget development functionality, new program options, and better Widget debugging and error handling. This new version also boasts a highly accurrate and fast Information Query Language which has been in development since version 0.9.0.5. The new Information Query Language will allow widget developers access to all sorts of critical and non-critical system information. All current Kapsules users should not hesitate to upgrade to this version.

Be sure to check out;

• Getting Started Guide

• The User Guide.

• Frequently Asked Questions.

• Changes for this version.

• Download Kapsule”

That query language sounds good. Still bloody .NET-based, so make sure you have that framework. || craeonics | comments

Tek's star is rising. Everyone wants to be in our links section:

“Well I know that Teknidermy his en english website, but I would like to have my website Winboost.org in the linkage section

Winboost his a website, in french, where you can find Docks/Docklets and Icones. But you can also find Programs, Wallpapers, Tips and exemple of Desktops

Winboost.org isnt new, before Jul was the owner of the website but he decide to give it. So me (Maarch), W2K and Max have decided to take his project and continue it.

So if you could post the winboost in the linkage section, it would be great. And maybe made like Esthetika and Create a News for it :D (well whit luck, it might happen, lol)”

Story sounds familiar. Sounds a bit like how Tek ended up in the hands of Doreen and me. Currently brubbles owns all the French sites in our link list, so that's reason enough to add this one.

Thus, WinBoost.org is a French (speaking) site that… managed to lock up Firefox. Twice. @#$%!! || craeonics | comments (11)

• [wc][app|rls] – IconDeveloper 1.1

• [au][scn] – /enter skinning.net

The reason Tek-kahuna Ken Ray took a break from skindom and threw me the keys to this joint, is because aside from his full-time day job, he was studying as well. He found he had little time to devote to Tek.

Guess what? I started a new study last month, next to my day job, and I can only say that I can sympathise with him one hundred percent.

Time to catch up on some news. || craeonics | comments (6)

Odd, I figured there would be more to post after a two week hiatus.

Anyhow, about a week or two ago I asked Doreen if she could send me some news regarding skinnable apps in the world of the Pocket PC, since she's into those and I am not. Here's what I got.

“FlashDash

FlashDash supports full screen animation running behind your typical today screen plugin's for your inbox, Calendar, and upcoming Task, it's extremely limited buttttt cool and also comes w/ 3 additional plug-ins that lets you have snow falling on your today screen or a worm squirming around etc. etc.

You can have a large analog clock in (3) different choices of transparencies (just the word transparency gets me excited) hehe!

so that is nice so you always have the time at a simple glance on top of your swiming fishes or whatever animated or even static theme you have going on.

pros/cons

+ Is definetely cool

- Creating Flash themes is not for your average John or Jane Doe Skinner therefore you either only have the default themes that come w/ it or you pay the one person that has a site set up to download his)

But they do have some assistence available though not much over at: [a ridiculous 420 characters long address, {crae}].

It called "Animated Theme Injector" and it will let you inject your .swf file into the .tsk file but again how do you create theeee .swf file? hehe

(So not much help in reality)

PPX

Sky's the limit plus easy to skin you can design and create your skin and/or launch menus or make tatoo's on a background image and then create hotspots on top of the tatoos to launch your applications from.

Since I myself first downloaded this program I have never been able to keep anything else on my device for more than 5 mins after checking them out because to me it's clean, and at the same times has all the frills of everything else such as being fully customisable w/ outside party plug in support but yet it still remains quiet and unintrusive of loud bells and whistles. (I just like it alot and have a certain background image w/ a voodoo doll on top which has a hotspot to launch my fav app cuz I want to torture someone forever w/ my stylus since I can't use a pin on him) hehe! =)

pros/cons

+ Not only cool but w/ a good imagination and skills you can totally customise your device such as one I've seen that is a virtual 3D environment w/ books that you tap and they fly open to expose your calendar appts or contacts phone numbers (things like that)

- You need skills to make these themes or know how to backward engineer someone elses design close enough to what you want (another words rip someone elses theme apart just don't dare upload it and call it your own, keep it on your own device)

And here's a link to grab some cool themes for it in case you're a lazy one and don't want to try your hand at making your own.

• PPX Themes

• Killer site for more skins and themes

Beta also available to download (Highly recommend)

PocketWin 1.9

PocketWin is a more robust app to totally skin your Pocket PC w/ pretty much no limitations however it does take some work to design and create your theme.

pros/cons

+ Again cool and no limitations to what you can design and customise on your device

- Again complicated for most John and Jane Doe Skinners

• Plug ins

• Screensavers”

Attached was over half a meg of screenshots, the biggest ones being animated PPX shots (click on the PPX screenshots up there to see those). One day I'll have to inform her about concepts like ‘disk quota’ and ‘bandwidth’.

Doreen being Doreen, five emails later she added:

“also on the plus and negative on FlashDash I meant to put under the negative that it's unlike the other two apps mentioned as it only supports an animated flash image but you cannot alter the original design of the program whereas the other two apps are similiar to Litestep on a desktop or DX and let you can design a theme w/o too many limatations? Argh! I don't know how to word it dutchy

That app is not similiar to building blocks where you can build what you want, you can only "paint over" the original building blocks (you can't change the structure of it)”

‘Painting oveṟ here is akin to skinning WinAmp2. You can only ‘change the colours’, not rearrange things.

But as you can see, skinning is alive and kicking in Pocket PC land as well. Too bad you have to pay for everything. || craeonics | comments

Last week, _Martin_ posted this little blurb at WinCustomize:

“As we all get more sophisticated in creating DesktopX widgets we are setting parameters. The issue with this is that, if these parameters are not organised in a consistent manner then where several objects need the same kind of information we will find ourselves having to configure these each time.

Before this becomes too much of a problem I propose that we create some standards that users can set and developers can access.”

After this post a first and second proposal soon followed.

Not being a DesktopX user, this is all Greek to me, but I can see what they're getting at. If you are a DesktopX skinner and care about inter-operatability and related matters, you might want to check this out. || craeonics | comments (1)