David G. Shrock's Blog, page 3

Web Icons for Apple Devices

Similar to the favicon, Apple touch icons support iPad and iPhone to promote brand identity. Larger resolutions than standard favicon appear much nicer on retina displays. You may create only one icon, but you’ll be at the mercy of scaling by the device.

An iPad or iPhone user may save a bookmark in Safari browser, or save the bookmark to the home screen, generating a web clip icon. Without a special icon on your site, Safari will use a generic placeholder and a tiny preview image will appear on the home screen.

See Apple guidelines on creating webpage clip. Like the favicon, place these PNG images in the root folder of your website. Optionally, you may use alternate icons for sub-pages. Here are the image dimensions and names to use shown with my (copyrighted) images for my sites, Kandy Fangs and this blog:

 

The base file is apple-touch-con.png with expected size at 60×60, which will be used if the others are missing. Other image sizes work for this file as well, but may be scaled. For each image, append a hyphen and then the size, such as, -76×76.

Here’s what my icons look like on an iPad saved to Safari Favorites and the home screen:

Notice the generic solid-colored icons for sites without apple-touch icons in Safari.

That’s it. When creating your favicon, don’t forget to include some icons for apple-touch.

Apple and iPad are trademarks of Apple.

Wraith continues at Kandy Fangs

My #FridayFlash this week is over at Kandy Fangs, 2 of “Wraith” which will finish up next week.

Time has gone crazy for Kandy, and she believes she’s tracked down the wraith haunting her restaurant.  The three-part “Wraith” can be enjoyed on it’s own or as an episode for the serial.

Dee Count Update v1.64

The latest Dee Count for iPad update adds increment-by-tap for items in the list and also fixes an issue with text clearing when keyboard dismisses.

If items lack UPC codes, or you just need to add quick counts, tap the item in the list to open the menu and select the ++ button. This is quicker than performing a copy-paste, useful when you have many items to increment. Opening the menu first helps prevent accidental increments while still allowing for fast incrementing.

copy and increment menu buttons in Dee Count.

Other changes:

fixed text in Add item box clearing when dismissing keyboard
updated UI for more natural order of input

Memor Mora, Flash Version

Fanned out over purple pillow, dark hair glistens in sunlight. Powders color serene face. Black dress, snug in the middle, flows in folded waves meeting toes. Something Mora might wear dancing barefoot in a moonlit meadow.

Lost to shadows, Mora is a shifting haze crawling from the depths taking on the details of the woman resting on purple enclosed within the glass casket.

A purple procession enters the stone chamber. Memor glides before them, but their eyes ignore him. They watch the glass casket. None ever remember his passing, forgetting him in an instant if they notice him at all.

A young man speaks silent words. An older woman bows her head.

Approaching the man, Memor reaches out tasting a memory. Sounds come alive, water dripping, voices murmuring. He feels the warm dank air, a castle, the linking memory tells him. The man is a prince. Memor drinks in a memory finding more. Kira sleeps within the glass casket.

“My dear son,” says the queen. “The girl is a doll.”

“Kira will make a wonderful bride,” says the prince.

Searching for the clue, Memor consumes memory. Shooting up from the abyss, a bubble spears into another, memories transforming. Caught within the flow, Memor rises. Birds chirp. Leaves rustle. In a breath, the world falls silent.

Memor stands at the edge of shadows between his world and the other. Clouds float in pale blue, sky dimmed by the shadow-side. On a nearby tree, leaves wriggle dancing to a spectral breeze.

Others stand beside him, all apparitions. Memor is barely a shadow in their world, and they are phantoms on the shadow-side.

The prince bows his head.

Memor watches the casket lower into the ground, shade eating away at the glare on the glass. Kira rests on purple, arms over chest. Black dress, serene face, midnight hair remind him of Mora. Body lowers, dress blending into darkness, but the face brightens, and Memor sees it, a trickle within.

Memory.

“She’s alive,” says Memor. Nobody hears him. He shouts again.

Stepping into the grave, Memor peers into the casket. He imagines Mora lost within overcome by sensory bliss. The dead harbor no memory. Kira is alive. The trickle of memory drifts within beauty, subconscious thought. Eager for a taste, he reaches out.

The stream is so calm.

Peering at the serene face, he sees the gleaming smile of Mora, her dress flowing as she dances in the meadow. The moon floats in the sky. Frost speckles the fir trees circling the meadow. From within the waving grass, snow rises into mounds, winter eating autumn. Frost kisses the dark dress and flowing hair. Mora dances kicking up snow.

Lunging, Memor bites into Kira. He takes it all inside, filling himself with frosty air soaked in warm blood. A linking memory carries him to a forest, a cottage covered in snow.

Silence cracks.

Standing before the cottage, Kira holds a broom. Her hair waves in the breeze, but she is a statue. Slanted eyes peer at Memor.

Memor glides over snow, untouched. Kira shrinks back, expression slamming through uncertainty, fear, surprise. Memor locks his gaze with hers.

Kira swings the broom. “Keep back, wraith!” Her voice sounds distant.

“You see me,” says Memor.

“Yes, I see you!” Lunging, Kira swipes the broom passing through Memor. “Thief.”

“I seek another,” says Memor. “She is Mora.” He considers describing his love, but stumbles realizing he has no idea how Mora might appear to Kira. Another taste, he considers.

Lashing out, Memor grabs hold. He drinks. Chills scramble down. A tree groans.

Standing in snow, a shadow defies the light nearly like a reflection. The slender wraith reaches out, smoky wisps trailing in the wake. Within the hazy edges, shapes rise from the darkness forming a cloaked man with face full of sadness.

Kira recalls the shadowy creature. A memory wraith she calls him.

Fear crawls deep inside. Memor drinks it in.

A torrent rises, memories splashing together. A sensory explosion floods over: chilly air, sweet flowers, singing birds. Following the storm, he passes memories so vivid, so delicious, he samples each one tasting fear, surprise, love. Floating on euphoria, he rides the wave splashing in on itself diving deeper into bliss.

Mora! He tastes her, the rhapsody to his melody.

Memor consumes memory.

Frost bites flesh. The memory wraith, Memor, stands in the snow with his arm reaching, claws digging. Like peering into a mirror, he sees Kira. Frost weighs down her dark hair, blood trickles from her mouth, face frozen in fright. Her eyes stare like death.

Within the memory mirror, he sees another. A wraith stands in place of Memor. Long smoky hair floats defying breeze. From his side of the shadows, Memor sees Mora reaching into Kira reflecting his own touch, both consuming memory.

Kira falls back, snow puffing. Warmth wraps around. Gray sky turns blue.

Memor claws for freedom.

“She’s not dead,” a voice says.

Memor releases hold crashing into silence.

Standing half in the grave, Memor watches men pull on ropes. The prince falls to his knees. The glass casket rises into sunlight, reflection blazing. Memor drops back stumbling on the shadow-side.

Wrapped in the arms of the prince, Kira awakens. Peering back, her gaze finds Memor. The fierce eyes tell him to stay away, forget. The crowd falls in around the couple, sweeping them across the graveyard.

Memor watches them take his sweet Mora away, a memory within a memory. Departing apparitions, each one fades until Kira walks alone. Then she fades away, forgotten.

He remembers the meadow, moon floating in the sky, and falling in love. Mora is his memory.

_______________________________________________________________

740 words. Originally published in Soft Whispers anthology, Deadly Love, Be Mine, for Valentine’s Day 2010. A longer version at over 2000 words by the same name resides within my story collection, Shadow Memories. (Free download this week with coupon code: FB62D.)

I prefer the longer version as the content cut loses a bit of meat helping the story arc. Longer or shorter, this was a challenge to write at the time. Memor has much in common with other wraiths I’ve shared, primarily in Kandy Fangs series.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Sharing

Bloggers at Cindy Vaskova – A world of my own and Feidor S LaView were kind enough to mention my blogs with “awards.” Cindy nominated me with the Pink Liebster Award, and LaView nominated me with the ABC Award for my Kandy Fangs blog web-serial.

Thanks Cindy and LaView. Very kind. Both writers participate in Friday Flash with good stories.  Cindy also blogs about books and her projects. LaView runs an imaginative web-serial, Seagrave’s Journey. Go read!

I’ll break the rules and simply answer Cindy’s questions. As for ABC, I’ll try to work some letters in with red text.

I created my own award graphic, which is free to use, of course. If you’d like to know more about these awards, you may follow the nomination links at the top.  Bloggers are a weird bunch, eh?

Cindy’s questions:

1. Who’s your hero?

Albert Einstein.  When scientists were confounded by finding that the speed of light was the same in every direction (they wanted to find what the speed of light was relative to using Earth’s movement), Einstein elegantly showed how the speed of light was constant no matter how the observer moves.

2. What gave the beginning of your writing experience?

Beginning: I sort of answered this in an older posts, and it’s the title of this blog. I write for Torre. First, I began to realize very few authors write the kind of stories I enjoy reading the most. Second, I wanted to improve my communication and software writing skills.

Sixteen years ago, Draco Torre (backward in Western world; Torre is her given name) came into my life filling the void of stories I had been searching for. Torre took me on so many adventures, I realized I needed to write it all down before I lost them. I haven’t published any of Torre’s stories yet, as I have been working on improving my skills. In 2006, I wrote Raven Memory in my spare time, and rewrote it several times until 2010.

In 2009, I started participating with Friday Flash to learn the secret to concise writing. I think it was then I realized I was taking writing fiction seriously.

Writing also helps release the monsters from my head.

3. How do you engage on a story? Do you outline or are you more of a discovery writer.

Engagement: When I read or write, I must live in the story. I am there with the characters. Before I write, I travel along with the character, which may take weeks or months to the point I know every detail.  I stick with them until I identify a story worth sharing. Only then can I write, and I generally write stories out of sequence. Since I know it so well, I can jump around and write the sections that fit my mood at the time. I get to know the characters beyond their stories as well, because I’ve lived with them. Torre, Steve Reynolds, Julie Walsh, and Kandy are my friends. I take rough notes instead of an outline.

I’ve only written outlines once, and that was for Kandy Fangs: Venom. Since I allow readers to choose their own paths through the non-linear story, I wrote three outlines with extensive notes to make sure that my telling of each story path remains consistent.

4. In what genre/s do you write and why?

I primarily write software. For fiction, I almost exclusively write within Draco Torre’s world which includes Kandy Fangs, Raven Memory, and my Draco Torre series. I rarely think about genre when reading or writing. As a whole, my Draco Torre stories could be considered cross-genre, fantasy with some science fiction and a dash of dark western . Kandy Fangs is the easiest to label, which I call urban fantasy. Kandy includes time travel, but the story stays out of the science.

5. What’s the one line you’re really proud of?

I don’t take pride in any one line. Lines work together. I’ll pick one sentence that tickles me, and pick it mostly because it’s from the only poem I’ve ever shared in my adult life.

“We dance, entangled, pouring shadows on our pain.”

From my poem, “Pendant for Kisses.”

6. You get to bring to life one character for 24 hours. Which one is that and why?

I already live with Kandy and Torre. Why? Because they challenge me and take me to amazing places.

7. Do you regret reading a book?

No. There’s something to learn from every book, even the poorly written ones. Some fiction shows us what to avoid and why.

Reading is learning.

8. Pick a childhood favorite book.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary for its exciting, imaginative story. And the author is from my home town.

9. How many books do you plan to read in 2014?

I make no reading plans. Most of the books I read are on physics, software, or science history. I read them as necessary for research or interest. I read fiction fast, consuming a novel in three or fewer sittings. I’ll pick a novel whenever I find available time to read it all in a day or two.

10. You have been given a one-way rocket offering to any fictional destination. Which one would you choose?

Already made the trip to Draco Torre’s world, and I may never return.

Three blogs with great content

Keeping with rule breaking, I pose no questions or reveal rules. Continuing to create, share, and inspire others is perfect. Cindy’s questions are good, so these bloggers may choose to answer the same ten if they wish.

Icy’s Blunt Pencil by Icy Sedgwick. She writes fantastic Friday Flash, posting every week, which includes some of her wonderful “Underground City” stories. You’ll also find pics of her pretty jewelry creations. Icy has a new novella coming soon called, The Necromancer’s Apprentice (Dark Continents Publishing). Look for it!

The Mockingbird Sings by Mark Kerstetter. Mark writes brilliant, thoughtful poems.  Back in 2009, he encouraged me (comment link) to try poetry. After some busy years at work, I finally wrote a poem in late 2013, “Pendant for Kisses.” Someday, I may write more.

Melissa D Johnston, a former Friday Flash regular, creates and writes about great art. Some of her visual poetry is quite inspiring. She’s an editor and contributor at Creative Thresholds.

Wraith Friday Flash at KandyFangs

My Friday Flash, “Wraith,” is a three-part story found over at Kandy Fangs starting with Part 1. This story may be enjoyed on its own, or as part of the larger serial, Venom. “Wraith” is also a reasonable place to begin following the serial as the reader may link back or forward in the non-linear story.

Part 2 will post on the 21st and part 3 on the 28th.

Kandy is Back from Break

Last time we saw Peter, he had spotting someone snooping around in the restaurant. The startle sent him tumbling down the stairs taking a few injuries. This week, Peter rides back from the hospital in a hearse and spends the evening listening to Tigris explain vampires and nudity.

A longer episode at 2000 words, but continues with a short 600-word episode this weekend.

Read “12. Tigris on Vampires” at KandyFangs.com.

Currently Reading: Neuromancer

I’m reading Neuromancer by William Gibson again. 30 years later and it’s still cool and futuristic. Gibson coined, “cyberspace” and described it in chapter three via a children’s program as “a consensual hallucination experienced by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts… A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system.”

Reading the novel now with the world wide web ingrained into our lives allows a new perspective.

We still don’t have hallucinogenic virtual reality, but we’re beginning to wear our devices keeping us connected, access to encyclopedias and geo-data. We conduct business remotely, or share our lives in online. Some troll the web in anonymity, mine data, bully others. We talk a great deal about gadgets and apps, and some pay more attention to their gizmos than physical persons around them. We’re nearly as addicted to technology as the characters in the novel.

Us poor humans are easily dazzled. We’re also regularly seduced by alternate reality often found in a good story.

Girls, Blood, Rock #FridayFlash

My #FridayFlash is over at Kandy Fangs. The 1000-word story side step from the serial finds Kandy rocking out at Red’s with her guitar. Reading other episodes is optional, but if interested in catching up, check the contents page. This is the 5th episode on Kandy’s side and 11th in total.

Read “Girls, Blood, and Rock-and-Roll” #FridayFlash at KandyFangs.com.

Latest episode at Kandy Fangs, “Haunted Twilight,” for Fr...

Latest episode at Kandy Fangs, “Haunted Twilight,” for Friday 13th. Peter’s unlucky day when he discovers he isn’t alone late night at the restaurant. 1250 word-episode on Peter’s side of the story.

Venom is a two-sided, non-linear story. Follow Peter, follow Kandy, or follow both. See the table of contents.