Microcosmologist

If this is your first visit to the site, I believe you are looking for this page.

If you want to contact the site creator, send email to JB {a+} microcosmologist [d0t] com

 

(the basics)

Q: Why did you choose the name “microcosmologist” A: I love the concept of microcosims.  Tiny little places with a giant amount of detail to scrutinize.  Looking around at the aspects of my life, many different things I enjoy could appropriately be described as microcosims–using Reason to create electronic music, digital photography and Photoshop, building loudspeakers, model railroading, writing poetry, etc.  These are all subjects that most people don’t care about, but attract dedicated followers who devote themselves to learning all the nuance and subtlety within those spheres of knowledge.  Sometimes these areas overlap, as with painting and model railroading.  I want to be someone who devotes their time and learns deeply about these compartmentalized, yet inter-related subjects, and all their fascinating minutae.  It is a thing to aspire toward.

Q: Why does it say “U-cosmologist.com” on the blog header?  A: The “U” is the Greek letter “Mu”, written as “μ“.  This is a prefix for SI units denoting 10 to the -6 power, and is written as “micro”.  So by this convention, meters measured to the 10^-6 are shown with a Greek letter Mu in front of them is abbreviated as “μm” and written out as micrometers (aka microns). Likewise, seconds measured to the 10^-6 are “μs” and written out as microseconds.  One microsecond is one millionth of a second.  A billionth of a second would be a nanosecond.  A trillionth, a picosecond.  Anything on the micro scale is very small, but not unable to be studied.  In my professional career, I run three different types of microscope; optical, acoustic, and x-ray.  So the name of this site is also relevent to how I earn a living, as well as the hobbies I practice in my free time.

Q: How do I bookmark a specific page? A: Break out of the frame by clicking the middle mouse button (scroll wheel usually), or by right clicking and choosing “open in new tab”.  Once the frame is gone, you’ll see the full page URL in the address bar (anything longer than www.microcosmologist.com).  Then bookmark away!

 

When navigating to http://www.microcosmologist.com, your webpage is split into two frames.  Some people despise the use of frames.  They are used here to provide persistent navigation, and continuous music.  No matter where you navigate, as long as the frame remains, the music will never stop and you can easily reach all the main parts of the site with one click.  If you wish to remove the upper frame, simply navigate to http://www.microcosmologist.com/blog

This site was designed for screens with a resolution from as low as 1024 x 768 to as high as 1920 x 1200.  The higher your resolution, the more of the background images you’ll see.  For example, the background images in the poetics section will reveal a lot more of the sky if you have high res.

There is a clever trick to see all of the pictures, if you want: hold the CTRL key and press + and – on your keyboard’s number pad.  This will increase and decrease the size of the webpage you’re viewing.  Most browsers also support CTRL + o (zero) to return to normal size (100%).

The site looks best in Google’s Chrome browser or Firefox 4+.  I have Opera, Firefox, IE, Chrome all installed and I check the appearance of the site in each.  And remember, best way to view anything on the web is fullscreen, by pressing F11 (all browsers support it).  If you want to exit, just press it again.  Easy.  Also, an awesome trick for Chrome: Press CTRL + Shift + B to hide or unhide your bookmarks toolbar.  Hiding the toolbar gives a fuller view of the page.

There is a mobile version of the site, which you’ll be redirected to if you come here on any mobile device.  There won’t be any links to any pages beyond the blog, but you can still access other sections by typing in the address manually, such as www.microcosmologist.com/music (or “photos”, “poetics”, “etc.html”)

Some elements in the Poetic Table have different backgrounds than others.  All poems are displayed in the Bitstream Vera font, but only if you install it.  Read on to find out how.

There are SECRET LINKS.  See if you can find any.

 

“Executive-platinum, limited-edition, premium refinement, for the discerning surfophile who knows the difference.”

So you want to get the best experience out of your web surfing on Microcosmologist?  We’re very pleased that you feel ready to step up to that next level.  Follow along with these easy tips to extract the ideal conditions.

Step one: hit F11 to maximize your web browser to fullscreen mode.  Hitting F11 again at any time will take you back to regular windowed mode.  (The only exception would be if you’re interacting with flash content.  You can always click your mouse once anywhere in the top navigation frame, then F11 should work again)

Step two: get yourself a beverage.  If it’s the evening or night time, Microcosmologist recommends a smooth fermented beverage, served in a frosted schooner glass in the instance of wheat-based fermented beverages, or served in a wide-mouthed, C-shaped glass in the case of grape-based fermented beverages.  If it’s any other time of day, we advise a cool glass of water.  Enjoy this beverage.  Make sure you take a sip periodically.

Step three: close your eyes, take a very deep breath, and don’t open them until the conclusion of your exhale.

Step four: clear your mind.  Remember to pause briefly between paragraphs.  Not long, but enough to momentarily contemplate what you just read.  This is a good practice for reading anything, anywhere.

Step five: hit the play button on the music player at the top right.  If you prefer silence, or have your own music that you’re really into, then don’t.  The music player here is designed to play only when you tell it to.

Step six: browse.  Leisurely.

Once you’ve mastered the above, and feel that you’re ready to take it up a notch further, right click the following link to download the Bitstream Vera font, the official font of Microcosmologist.  To install it, place the .ttf files in the windows/fonts directory or the Library/fonts directory for Macintosh users, and restart your browser.  Both elegant and modern, the words here will take on a new weight with the refinement this font imbues.  Congratulations.  You are now a member of the upper eschelon of viewers who understand how to glean fullest spectra of meaning and enjoyment from Microcosmologist, and are familiar with the way it was meant to be viewed.  To complete your induction into this high order, post a comment either below, or one better, on a blog post.