New Year, New Look, and Change of Contact Info

Happy 2010 everyone! It's always nice to do something new in the new year, and so you may have noticed that I've made some minor changes to this site. Hopefully the update is agreeable.

In other news, please take note if you have tried to email me during the past 4 weeks: the hotmail email address that was previously listed in the Contact Info here is kaputt and I am locked out of it. If you've sent me emails and have not heard back, please be so kind as to re-send them to: "filigreevelo-at-yahoo-dot-com". Hope no one felt offended as a result of not hearing from me; I kept thinking that any day now I would regain access to the hotmail account, but apparently that won't be happening.

A sincere Thank You to all for your comments and advice in 2009, and may 2010 be filled with lovely bicycles and joyous cycling for all!

Comments

  1. Happy New Year. I am one of your fans. Your blog is simply the loveliest and most informative about bicycle culture. Bravo!!!

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  2. Hi Filigree, love the new artwork at the top - very appropriate and encompasses what this site is about: photos (and info) of lovely bicycles. The black and white gives it the necessary old-fashioned feel. What's the font by the way?

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  3. Thank you Anon., that is so nice to hear : )

    Carinthia - I've just begun using Gimp instead of Photoshop and it is a font that came with Gimp: Zapfino Italic. That's the loopy font. The smaller plain font is Optima Italic.

    The banner seemed like a good idea for all the reasons you mention (thanks btw), but it's a little weird seeing myself with a camera pointing at myself every time I open the blog! So I am considering slicing it at the waist and only using the lower strip as the banner, like this.

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  4. Hi Filigree, it looks a bit weird as a slice... the human mind keeps wondering what happened to the top half of the body! :-) With the photo you have the camera (which looks a little old-fashioned if you don't look too closely) obscures you anyway. The other solution is simply a pic of one of your very lovely bicycles.

    I haven't heard of Gimp. I'll check it out. Hmm, just realised I already have Zapfino Italic,.. just haven't used it!

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  5. Really nice photo, definitely I prefer the complete banner, not the sliced one...

    By the way, I have recently discovered your blog and like it...

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  6. I really like the header! I think it's perfect as it is. I like the sliced version artistically, but the camera is defining.

    Great choice of fonts. I love Zapfino and use it a lot.

    Happy New Year!

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  7. happy 2010 to filigree and MDI as well!

    i think the new banner is lovely, and apropos to so much of what this blog is all about!

    looking forward to more interesting and lovely perspectives on bicycle culture in 2010...

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  8. I'm with Anon -- this is definitely the loviest bike blog. However, I'm a little uneasy about the changes. Maybe I just need to get used to things. I really liked the bold colors of the previous layout. The logo was at once distintive and unobtrusive.

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  9. very nice... I look forward to this new year both as a reader, co-Bostonian cyclist, and possible contributor (?) -- not that I have anything planned other than my usual chiming in.

    Happy New year!!

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  10. Thanks all, looks like people are mostly okay with the in-your-face camera. The Co-Habitant does not like the sliced-at-the-waist version either; he thinks it's too weird for this site.

    Giffen - I understand what you are saying. I sometimes feel "betrayed" when a website I like changes its look, regardless of whether I like the new look or not. The old banner was nice, but I never intended to keep it permanently because it incorporated imagery that I did not make myself (pieces from a William Bradley poster). I tried to draw my own version of the banner, but it didn't look right as my drawing style does not lend itself well to a logo/banner format. Meanwhile, the new banner is 100% our own work and does reflect the "philosophy" of the site quite well. Will see...

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  11. I love the new look! As Carinthia said, it conveys what your blog is all about very well. I may be the only one who also loves the sliced version, visually captivating. On the other hand, the camera is a big part of the theme, so it's better to keep it in. Most of all, you should use whatever you like best, since a blog is such a personal creation.

    Happy new year!

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  12. "I've just begun using Gimp"

    A bit of free software to go with the free transportation. Liberté, égalité, fraternité, GNU/Motobecane.

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  13. Ooh! I love love LOVE the new banner. It's modern yet old fashioned at the same time somehow; a lovely juxtaposition. I too prefer the full version, even though it means I have to scroll further to see the posts on my netbook. Both options convey the feel of the site really well, though.

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  14. did the font change as well? or just the background color? i have to admit, i think the previous background color was more earthy and distinctive; the current shad of gray is more internet-generic.

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  15. I've adjusted the background colour back just now. But there hasn't really been one stable background colour; I keep changing it to different versions of "sage green" every couple of weeks or so.

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  16. I like the new template and banner. I also like the changes to text colours. I notice that the bgcolor looks more green on Dell PCs than it does on our lovely Macbook Airs. Perhaps desaturate a bit toward grey?

    Looks like the full banner won over the slightly cropped version.

    The page also loads way faster on phones, etc., now that you cut down on the number of posts per page. And it fits on the screen. Love it. :)

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  17. Change the banner weekly if you're so inclined. I have no doubt that most variants would be pleasing to the eye. In any event, it's content that counts!

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  18. Like the new look, been enjoying the blog for awhile now, as a fellow Cambridge old-fangled bicycle rider (green Rivendell Quickbeam with albatross Bars here). One request: can you set up the blog to show full posts in newsreaders? All I get is a headline with no other clue as to the contents of each post, and I'd prefer not to have to click thru each time. Thanks!

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  19. Happy New Year! Hope your 2010 is fantastic both on the bike and off :) Cheers!

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  20. Belated Happy New Year to Lovely Bicycle! and your new header graphic is awesome!

    Chris

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