{ October 2, 2002 }

Germ Tube

It has happened to me again. That alien creature that rudely invades my carcass every time I get on and off an airplane. Somehow, someway, I picked up a nasty cold immediately after returning from my Michigan trip.

I've spoken to one other person who always seems to get sick or pick up a bug of some kind after extensive travel in an airplane. It would make sense - airplanes merely recycle air throughout the cabin, and the longer you're airborne the more junk you'll inevitably inhale.

But a healthy immune system should be enough to ward out the invaders, right? True. But I have another theory - air travel has always made me anxious, and since 9/11 the feeling of dread that creeps over me every time a plane enters that sinking pocket of acceleration after takeoff has only magnified. Maybe, just maybe, I'm unconsciously stressing out to the point of sickness.

I'm not sure what it is. But for now, I'm coping.

In other news, the k10k crew has done a marvelous job of replacing their rollovers with PNGs and CSS to lighten their page loads. On my side, the front door loads at least 50% faster than it did before, without losing a bit of quality. The technique, which involves using transparent 24-bit PNGs and swapping out background colors, reminds me a lot of what we Flash developers do, except in HTML. In an ironic twist, the only browser that doesn't support the feature is the most popular browser on the planet - Internet Explorer for the PC. Mozilla users can benefit, as can Mac Internet Explorer.

Comments

stress does increase your chances of getting sick. In fact, lots of people in the deadline-creative field somehow manage to *stave off* being sick through crushing projects only to become sick once the pressure is off.

Next time: boost your immune system with natural herbs like Echinacea (tablets, lozenges, tea) , and a dose of Vitamin C can't hurt, either. For the truly germophobic amongst us, like my wife, a packet of antibacterial wipes is an essential (pay phones...bathroom door handles...taps...anywhere really). Even if it's just a placebo, at least you'll feel better, right? Right?

Posted by: AJ Kandy at October 2, 2002 3:57 PM

IE/Win can support PNG transparency if you add a bit of script to reference a behavior that handles it.