| What a year!
Everything 'normal' seems so trivial after 9/11 but we've decided to not
concentrate on those events that occupy so much of the news and our
thoughts but rather attempt to create a 'normal Christmas Card' for you
to enjoy. Hopefully you will not be offended by the 'normalcy'
depicted herein but rather, possibly, enjoy the change from the constant
barrage of bad news, threats and war happenings.
I have a few notes before you begin
reading the card:
Sound:
Turn your sound on now if it isn't on
already. There is music on every page that will play after a few
seconds (depending on the speed of your modem). In my haste to get
the card done this year I didn't have enough time to spend figuring out
how to pre-load the music.
Pre-loading:
This year I've tried something a bit different with the web site but it
requires your cooperation. Last year we heard several complaints
about how long it took to get through the card with a modem. This
year I'm trying to shorten it up a bit but I'm also trying to 'pre-load'
the pictures. What this means is that for it to work you cannot
jump from page to page quickly... you must read each page through.
While you are reading I'm having your computer load the pictures on the
next page. Hopefully it will shorten the time you spend
waiting. Of course, while you are reading this page your computer
is trying to load the pictures for the next page.
A few other notes on computers, the web and security
As you all probably know R.B.'s field is computers. This year has
been a particularly bad year for viruses, worms and security flaws being
taken advantage of by hackers. When you get done with the card and
finish signing the guest book come back to this page and click this link
to see some instructions on protecting your computer, your data and your
personal information. Also, the updates that will be recommended
will also help your computer run better since they fix many, many, many
bugs in Windows. They may even help your computer view our site
better so after you're done with all the updates, come back and seen if
you notice any differences.
The guest book
Please sign the guest book before you leave... even if just to say
"Merry X-mas! Of course, we love to read what you all have to
say so feel free to write whatever comes to mind!
We use the guest book for many purposes:
First, it gives us an indication as to whether you received our e-mail
inviting you to the card this year. We have had problems with our
lists (old e-mail addresses, etc.) and having an entry helps us confirm
our list is correct. If you don't "sign in" in a
reasonable amount of time we start doing some research to see if your
address has changed. We would feel very guilty to miss anyone due
to a bad address.
Second, it lets us know if there may be a problem with the web site (one
year we had trouble with it for a day and the absence of guest book
entries tipped us off).
Third, it really brings us joy to read something written by our friends
and family. We look forward to this every day during the holidays.
Lastly, we use the previous year's entries as the starting place for
this year's mailing. If you don't sign in you may inadvertently be
left off the list next year. So...
Please sign the guest book when you're done with the card. The
last page will take you to it. |
