Author: chris

OpenOffice.Org horizontal rule revisited

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Ever since I wrote about my exciting adventures in inserting a horizontal rule into an OpenOffice.org Writer document, something has been bugging me: how could I, if I wanted to, add a graphical horizontal line to the rulers gallery?

I can see that if I go to the main gallery (“Tools -> Gallery” or the Gallery icon in the toolbar), and look under “Rulers,” I can browse the selection of graphics available under “Insert -> Horizontal Ruler…”.

As far as I can tell, there isn’t any way to add a graphic to “Rulers” though.  The graphics that are available on my installation are not particularly attractive to me.

Each one of the headings in the Gallery is a “Theme,” according to OpenOffice.org documentation, and the ones that come pre-populated don’t seem to be editable without going to the shared folder they live in, with administrator privileges, and adding files that way. In fact, I even tried that, and although the file was now in the folder, no new ruler became available in the Gallery.  I may have missed a crucial step, I suppose, so YMMV.  Also, I haven’t checked how all of this works under Windows; just Mandriva Linux running OOO 3.1.1.

Now although I can’t access my ruler with the “Insert->Horizontal Ruler…” menu dropdown, I can add an image to my own “theme” under “Tools->Gallery” using the “New Theme…” button, and after that, insert the image into my document by right-clicking on it in the Gallery and selecting “Insert->Copy”. I’m not sure this is any less trouble than doing “Insert->Picture->From File…” though.

It’s a good thing for me I haven’t yet come across a use for a graphical ruler.  A normal single or double line will do for me, so far, and I figured out how to get that a while back. More of a loss for me, in that light, may be that I actually felt compelled to spend time trying to figure this out.  There’s always the remote possibility this will be of use to someone else, though…

Traffic signs and road markings: Part II

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Moving on from signs that annoy me to ones that just make me smile…

Around here they don’t seem to use a template for some of the road markings; they appear to be done freehand with a brush or roller.  This one means you can walk on this part of the pavement (and, accordingly, that people shouldn’t drive cars or bikes there).  As you can see, there’s a bit of artistic license employed.

This guy has groove in his stride.

This guy needs to stride a bit more often.

This guy, um.  Stopped in a hurry.

The bicycles are a similar story.  There’s no template.  Each bike is a hand-drawn original.  I find this interesting because so many people have no idea how a bicycle goes together and couldn’t draw one to save their lives. These road painters do, whether they like it or not.

You can see that most of the important elements of a bicycle are actually there.  Excepting that apparently some paint has chipped off this one, the bits are connected to the right other bits.  Things do get a little distorted.  Often the seatpost descends into the rear stays instead of the seat tube. They have to be a bit tall in accordance with the idea that you’ll be seeing it foreshortened as you approach.

This one is for people with really short arms.

You can discern the distinctive styles of different artists. By a coincidence, I discovered some newly-repainted ones glowing in the half-darkness on my own route not long after.  This one’s trademark is bikes for people with really long arms.  They stay in this style for quite a few repeats along here.  Some one guy had a lot of bicycles to draw before he could go home.

Traffic signs and road markings: Part I

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I’ve been noticing signs a bit lately.  Features on everyday routes can become a bit invisible, but I’ve wandered around a bit in the warmer weather and some of the ones on other people’s routes caught my interest.

I wonder what it's like to park over there. Sadly, I'll never know.

Here’s one I’m glad I don’t see every day, because, actually, I think it would annoy me every day.  As far as I can tell, there is no approach to this nice covered bike rack not prohibited to cyclists by one variety of sign or another.  Except, perhaps, across the lawn behind it.  To even get to the lawn from this location (in order to test whether you’ll get shouted at for riding across it), riding the right way around the one-way system, would first require riding a block further away.

Despite the fact that it’s a bit of a walk to any building in the area, these racks are reasonably well used.  Probably the people who use it are more sensible than I am and just ride in instead of fuming at the silly signs.

I admit to occasionally suffering from a temptation to design a sign telling motorists they have to get out of their cars and push,  Mr Bean-style (YouTube), in order to get to their parking spaces (I’d have to learn, or coin, a succinct word or phrase for “get out and push”).  Even more diabolical would be to simply place “no entry” and “one-way” (the other way) signs on every approach to an attractive row of free parking.