I visited the public library today with the intention of checking my email, when lo and behold, I discovered IE7 was installed on each computer on the second floor. Since IE7 officially can't be installed on my home computer (it can only run on versions of Windows XP with SP2), I seized the opportunity for a quick post.

Note: This entry is not intended to be a comprehensive review of the new Web browser Internet Explorer 7, but rather my first reactions and initial complaints.

My friend S-chan once told me that IE7 was "a bastardized version of Mozilla Firefox." Somewhat true, although the graphical user interface forcibly reminded me of Opera 9.

Promising new features:

• Improved security
• RSS support
• Browser tabs (finally!)
• ClearType — smooths the appearance of text on the screen, eliminating pixellated font
• 1px dotted borders, instead of erroneous dashed borders
• Support for transparent PNGs
• Support for max-width, min-width, etc.
• Improved CSS support overall, apparently (including corrected bugs that plagued previous versions of IE)

Some caveats:

• IE7 cannot be installed on Windows XP operating systems without the Service Pack 2
• IE7 "fixed" some common CSS hacks, including the Tan Hack (* html). This'll definitely complicate my existence as a simple Web designer…
• The ClearType font, although easier on the eyes, is a little disconcerting…
• IE7 messes up this blog's layout (the current Orange Jellies theme) because of my dependence on the Tan Hack.

Other than that, I now agree with S-chan's "bastardized" comment. IE7 doesn't score much points on originality, since much of the touted "new features" were already implemented long ago among its competitors. And the new IE logo is just a twist on the old one, which frankly looks a bit cheesy.

School ended yesterday for holiday break, and not a day too soon.

What else…

Oh yes, I'm completely crazy about the Japanese rock group, Do As Infinity (now disbanded). Back in middle school (during my Inuyasha fandom days), I had already been introduced to the songs "Fukai Mori," "Shinjitsu no Uta," and "Rakuen," but I still wasn't very familiar with them. However, all of that changed when I recently acquired their first two albums, Break of Dawn and New World. And let me tell you… what a band!

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Well, S-chan, this review is for you… I was formerly disinclined to offer my opinions about this novel, since I know you would be waiting for a chance to attack my anti-Bella views. But, being the benevolent (and rational) person I am, I decided in the end that strangulation at the hands of S-chan over a measly juvenile novel… well, just wasn't worth it.

At any rate, here is my very objective and unbiased review of New Moon, sequel to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight.

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A while ago, I swore to myself that I would write less of these book, movie, and music reviews, but as you can see, this invariably resulted in failure… thanks to my overconfidence in my own willpower. At any rate, here is a lengthy review on Stephenie Meyer's young adult novel, Twilight. (Prepare to be bored out of your minds.)

When I first picked up this book at the behest of my friend, S-chan, I was both intrigued and fascinated by its premise: an average teenage girl, Bella, moves to a new town, meets an "exquisitely beautiful" boy, falls in love with him, and later comes to the realization that her beloved is a vampire.

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WARNING: If you dare to read this story, you become part of the Experiment. I know that sounds a little mysterious - but it's all I can say right now. — Max.

That is the cryptic warning a certain heroine named Maximum Ride gives right before the opening chapter of James Patterson's novel, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. But the intrigue doesn't end there. In fact, the novel proved so engrossing that after stealing this book from my brother (ahem), I flipped to a random page in the middle, began reading, and couldn't stop until I reached the back cover. Which is really something, since 1) I don't usually begin reading a book from the middle unless I think it's worthless, 2) this novel is written for middle schoolers, whereas I'm already a high school sophomore, and 3) I loved it so much, now I'm reading the first half.

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