<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[stevegrenier.wincustomize.com]]></title><link>http://stevegrenier.wincustomize.com/</link><description>Download free Skins for ICQ and WinAmp, Windows desktop themes, WindowBlinds, DesktopX and More!</description><language>en-us</language><pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:06:18 -0500</pubDate><lastBuildDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:06:18 -0500</lastBuildDate><generator>Carbon RSS Manager http://www.shellscape.org/</generator><managingEditor></managingEditor><webMaster>pford@stardock.com</webMaster><item><title><![CDATA[Calling It Quits...]]></title><link>http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=92732</link> <description><![CDATA[ It's been some time since my last skin, and an even longer time since my last original skin. I've been working on different skins over the last year, and I have some outstanding designs. Although it seems the farther along I get, and closer to finishing the theme the more problems I run into. Time after time I have run into problems due to the restrictions Windowblinds has. Now some of you may tell me to simply suggest it to Neil, but I have conversed with Neil many times and most of my problems are things that just aren't possible. So I sit there with a buggy theme and don't know where to go from there. Some problems can be corrected by limiting the design and making the theme suffer in order for it to work properly, other can't be fixed without completely changing the design, and in my current position that isn't possible as it would result in a theme that doesn't match itself. Therefore the only one to correct a few minor problems is to redesign the entire theme which as most skinners would know, a little bit of work    So I don't know what to do from here, I've contemplated just calling it quits and not bothering to make any more themes, and just put these themes I've been working on, on the shelf and let them collect dust with the rest of my unfinished pieces. On the other hand I have a fan base, that would like to see my work and would be unprofessional to just call it quits and not bother finishing the themes they have been waiting for. I'm not sure what I expect to get out of writing this, I guess to see if there are any other authors who experienced similar things. I'm not going to call it quits just yet, I'm going to try and finish my themes and overcome these problems I have, but there are some that just can't be done without a complete redesign and I don't want to throw away the current design I've worked so hard on. No one should feel obligated to reply, I just wanted to vent out and maybe get some insight from other authors. Thanks to those that read.]]></description> <pubDate>Sat, 19 Nov 2005 06:56:46 -0500</pubDate><comments>http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=92732</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">604e237f-dbe6-4645-9c46-c4eda6dc926c</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How To Make Windows Look Like A Mac]]></title><link>http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=66871</link> <description><![CDATA[ 
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  How To Make Windows Look Like A Mac


  
    Steve Grenier's??Guide For Making Windows Look Like A Mac
  



Features

  Applying The WB Theme
  Changing Schemes
    
      Aqua
      Platinum
      Brushed
    
  
  Aqua vs. Graphite
  Customization 
    
      Titlebar Buttons
      Start Menu
    
  
  Troubleshooting
  Extra Programs    
    
      LogonStudio
      Iconpackager
      ObjectDock
      Objectbar
      AveDesk
      Konfabulator
      WindowFX
      CursorXP
      Trillian
    
  
  My Mac OS X Tiger Desktop



  The following is for Windowblinds themes made by me (Steve Grenier), 
  skins made by other authors may differ.


Applying The WB Theme


  This is a very easy process, but I felt the need to add it so people know
  don't email me saying it doesn't work.



  First off, you need to have Windowblinds installed, the latest version
  is always best to have. Now before you install the theme make sure
  you don't have any other version of the theme installed. This is
  mainly directed at the Beta Testers who had tested the theme
  during it's creation. Now, you can apply the theme you download from
  the bottom of this article. Simply double click or open the .wba file you download
  and Windowblinds should auto detect the file and install it for you.
  If not, open your Windowblinds Configuration. Select Install from
  disk and browse for the .wba you downloaded and open it.


Changing Schemes

Aqua


  There are a couple ways for you to change the schemes in Tiger.



  The first way is to open your Windowblinds Configuration, (double clicking
  the Windowblinds icon located in the system tray) select Mac OS
  X Tiger once selected on the right of that a combo box should
  appear. Click the arrow to open the list and there are 2 sub-schemes
  for the Aqua scheme. There is the standard Aqua, which is the default
  scheme, and there is Graphite. Both classified as the Aqua scheme.
  Select the style you want from the menu, Windowblinds will load a
  preview of the scheme, if it's the one you would like click Apply
  this skin now if your not happy with it, click on the arrow again
  and choose a different sub-scheme from the list. The Aqua scheme
  is the default theme for Mac OS X Tiger which will be coming
  this Spring.



  The second way is to open Control Panel, in category view, select Appearance
  and Themes. Then under the Pick a task header select Changes
  the computer's theme. A new window will open (Display
  Properties) select the Appearance tab. Then select
  the scheme from the second combo box. The first should have Mac OS
  X Tiger selected, if not, select it, then proceed to change the scheme.


Platinum


  This is done very much the same way as when changing the Aqua scheme. Instead of selecting one
  of the Aqua schemes (Aqua & Graphite) look for the schemes labeled
  Platinum. There are again 2 sub-schemes, Aqua and Graphite. Select
  the style you want, view the preview and apply. The Platinum scheme
  is new to the Mac OS X interface. It's used mainly in the Mail program
  and the System Preferences window.


Brushed


  My personal favorite of all 3 schemes. The Brushed scheme is applied the same way you applied
  the other 2 schemes. Select the sub-scheme you want from the menu
  and apply. The Brushed scheme is well known throughout the Mac community
  and even the Windows community with iTunes. On Mac the Brushed scheme
  is used in a variety of places and a variety of shades. iTunes and
  iChat both have a lighter shade Brushed scheme then the Finder does.
  This scheme is based off the Finder Brushed shade.


Aqua vs. Graphite


  As you may (hopefully)
  had noticed when changing schemes there are 2 different sub-schemes
  for each scheme. The differences between the 2 are as follows. Aqua
  has colour and is the most popular of the 2 schemes. Graphite is
  a desaturated version of the Aqua with a slight hint of blue and
  some minor differences. Generally speaking the difference between
  the 2 is that Aqua has colour and Graphite does not.


Customization

Titlebar Buttons


  In the past I had an issue with some users who did not want the full Mac experience and had
  grown to used to having their buttons on the right hand side. So
  instead of waiting for people to complain I added it by default in
  this version. It's very easy to switch between the 2 different styles.
  The same way that you change the schemes, instead when you click
  the arrow to view the list select the ones labeled (Right)
  the ones that are not labeled (Right) are the default which
  has the buttons located on the left hand side.


Start Menu


  There are 2 different styles of Start Menu's included in Mac OS X Tiger. The first is the standard
  Start Menu with all the regular features, Programs list, Places list,
  Shutdown/Logoff Buttons, Username, ect. Then there is the Apple Menu
  which is made to resemble the Apple Menu found in Mac OS X. Although
  it doesn't have many of the same features it at least looks like
  it. There is a minor issue with the Apple Menu, you need to be using
  Small Icons in the Start Menu for it to look proper. To set
  your start menu to use small icons right click an empty space on
  your taskbar and select properties. Click the Start Menu tab
  located in the top left of the new window that just opened. Then
  proceed and click the Customize button located in the bottom
  right. A new window will open, in this new window in the top center
  you will see the option to select Large icons or Small
  icons, select Small icons, click Ok, or Apply
  then Ok. Now in order for this Apple Menu to actually be useful
  you may need to add a few shortcuts to the list, by default Windows
  has Internet Explorer and Outlook Express located at the top of the
  Apple Menu, they will be in Bold. Before you start adding shortcuts
  to the list you need to find the Applications you want to add. I
  suggest, My Computer, My Documents, Control Panel, and Run. Whichever
  you choose simply right click the programs and select Create Shortcut
  you may want to rename once it's created to remove the Shortcut
  to label. Once you have the shortcuts all ready it's easy to
  add them. Click and hold the shortcut you would like to add, then
  press the Windows key on your keyboard (has a Windows flag on it). Then drag and
  drop below a shortcut in the Bold list. By default you would be dropping
  your new shortcut below the Outlook Express shortcut. Do this as
  many times and you want, to remove a shortcut simply right click
  Remove from this list. Once you add all your shortcuts it
  will be much more useful and a nice change from the standard Start
  Menu.


Troubleshooting


  There are a few common problems that I can try and clear up here, although there are countless number
  of errors you could run into depending on what programs and configuration
  you have.


Fonts


  I included the fonts that this theme uses in the theme directory (folder)
  it should auto install when you apply the theme if you do not have the fonts. 
  Although it will not replace them if you already have them installed. Now as there are a number
  of versions of the Lucida Grande font the theme may look "screwed"
  up at some parts. For example those using FlyakitesOSX
  there is a known problem with the his version of Lucida Grande. Now
  as the majority of the theme looks fine with his version of the font
  the tabs however do not, they have a very large gap to the right.
  If you have this problem remove your version of Lucida Grande from
  your fonts folder (you may have to go
  into safe mode depending if it's in use or not) and the install
  the version that came with this theme.



  Another common problem is when the fonts don't look the same as in my screenshots.
  The usual case there is that Cleartype font smoothing is not
  turned on. This is easy to change, open Control Panel,
  in category view, select Appearance and Themes. Then under
  the Pick a task header select Changes the computer's theme.
  A new window will open (Display Properties)
  select the Appearance tab. Once that loads click the Effects
  button. You will see Use the following method to smooth edges
  of screen fonts: click the arrow and select Cleartype.
  Click Ok, then Ok or Apply and Ok in
  the next window. Your fonts should now look like the ones in my screenshots.


Miscellaneous


  If you are having problems with the titlebar buttons having black edges, check and make sure
  you have the latest version of Windowblinds installed. The odds are
  that you have a version older then 4.2, if you do, upgrade to the
  latest, 4.5 or higher.



  Another problem some users are experiencing is that the dialog background do not have the lines
  on them and that they are a solid colour. That can be changed in
  your Windowblinds Advanced Configuration window. On the left
  under Settings click Basic Settings. Under the heading, Skin
  window backgrounds check off Dialog backgrounds (see Backgrounds
  to override). Save and apply and you will now have the lined
  backgrounds.



  If the theme isn't loading properly or some features are missing, delete the theme and make
  sure the folder is removed from the Windowblinds directory and then
  re-download and install the theme a second time.



  Some programs might not look properly with this theme applied, that is mainly due to the
  programs design. Windowblinds does it's best to properly skin as
  many components as possible but sometimes it just doesn't look right,
  that's not a problem that you can fix.


Extra Programs

LogonStudio


  There's no reason why your desktop theme can have all the fun. With a LogonStudio theme you
  can change your login screen so it looks like the login screen of
  Mac OS X Tiger. This is a great tool to have when you are
  looking for the complete Mac experience on Windows, I highly suggest
  it. Download LogonStudio here.
  To install a logon just double click the .logonxp file you download
  and it should auto install and launch LogonStudio.


Iconpackager


  If you want to add to the
  Mac experience I made an Iconpackage last year that is great for
  replacing the majority of the system files to match Mac OS X, you
  can download it here.
  It's a simple thing but it makes it feel more complete, another program
  I highly suggest. It's easy to install iconpackages. If they are
  .ip you can just double click them and it will install and launch
  Iconpackager. If they are in a .zip file, you need to open the archive
  and extra the folder inside into your Themes directory which is located
  within the Iconpackager folder inside your Stardock directory. You
  can download Iconpackager here.


ObjectDock


  Objectdock is a fantastic application for creating a replica Dock. You can download Mac OS
  X Panther Icons here.
  Extract them to your Objectdock folder which is usually located within
  your Stardock folder, which is in Program Files. The free version
  of ObjectDock is all you need to re-create the Mac OS X Dock. Although
  the Plus version includes a lot of extra and cool features. This
  is a must have when trying to make Windows look and perform like
  a Mac. Download ObjectDock here.


Objectbar


  Objectbar is the a fantastic program and has a lot of capabilities, my personal favorite is being
  about to create a replica Finder bar. The Finder bar is the taskbar-like
  bar located at the top on Mac OS X, it also replaces the Menu bar
  in Windows. I will be creating a new Objectbar skin to replica Mac
  OS X Tiger, but as of right now my latest was Mac OS X Panther which
  myself and Ian Black created. Download Mac OS X Panther for Objectbar
  here.
  and download Objectbar here.


AveDesk


  AveDesk is a donate-ware so help show your support to AndreasV and donating 
  here.
  AveDesk will enhance your desktop experience by making your desktop
  visually more pleasing and to give the possibility to add interactive
  icons and tools, called desklets. In order to download AveDesk you
  need to be a member of the website/forum Aqua-Soft
  to get the news on the latest versions. If you are already a member
  visit here
  to get all the latest news on AveDesk.


Konfabulator


  In my opinion it is the best program for Widget's out there. It is incredibly easy to use,
  fantastic looking widgets, one of the best widget libraries on the
  internet. Fast, and makes your desktop look to good for words. Konfabulator
  is share-ware this their site here
  and try it out, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.


WindowFX


  WindowFX is the program which is best known for it's ability to add Shadows around your Windows.
  It also can do a lot more including animations, transitions, and
  more. Even if your just using it for Shadows I suggest you give it
  a try, it's another one of those must haves when trying to make Windows
  look like Mac OS X. Download WindowFX here.\


CursorXP

  I personally love this application.
  It's fantastic because it can do so much more then the average Windows
  XP cursor. Here
  you can download a Mac OS X CursorXP theme which will give you the
  cursors that Mac's have. If you don't have CursorXP there is also
  a standard Windows XP version of the cursors available 
  here.
  I take no credit for making the cursors. I just use them. Download
  CursorXP here.


Trillian


  Trillian itself is a very useful program as it combines all the major chat programs into one
  easy to use program. The main reason I use Trillian is so that I
  can use the iChat skin made by Daniel Lapointe (Danimator). It's
  the closest thing to the real iChat you can get on Windows. Download
  his iChat skins here.
  Also head over here
  to download Trillian.


My Mac OS X Tiger Desktop


  A lot of people have been asking what programs am I running and how did I get my desktop to
  look the way it does in my screenshot here. So here I am going to
  clear it all up so everyone knows. I will post download links to
  all the items mentioned at the bottom of this section. To begin,
  the theme I am running is Mac OS X Tiger made by myself. It's for
  Windowblinds. I have the Brushed Aqua scheme currently running. Next
  is the Album Cover and Info. That is a skin created for AveTunes
  which is a Desklet for AveDesk. You need to be using iTunes as that
  is where it gets it's now playing information from. The skin was
  made by NKJ and you can download it at his site in the stuff section.
  Then we have my icons and their layout displaying the hard drive
  information. That is AveDesk, just using simple Desklets to link
  to my hard drives. At the bottom I have ObjectDock. I'm using some
  custom icons and the rest are from the Mac OS X PNG icon set that
  I posted a link to above in the ObjectDock section of this guide.
  The clock and the weather in the bottom corners is Konfabulator.
  The weather widget comes default with Konfabulator and the clock
  is called World clock, made by Ricky Romero and Harry Whitfield.
  That iChat like program is Trillian using the iChat AV skin is created
  by Daniel Lapointe and I modded it so it looked better for my personal
  use. Another thing people have been asking me was how did I remove
  the throbber from my explorer window giving it that clean look. The
  answer is I install Flyakite OSX. It is a installer that replaces
  parts of your system files that will make it look more like OS X.
  It is a fantastic package and I highly recommend you give it a try.
  You can uninstall it if it doesn't appeal to you or if you want to
  change from the OS X look. The shadow's I'm using are the OSX Perfect
  shadow theme created by Magnus Wild for WindowFX. Make sure you check
  off "for shaped windows" within the WindowFX Shadow properties.
  The Apple Menu shown in the screenshot has shortcuts not buttons.
  A lot of asked about the Logoff/Restart/Shutdown shortcuts so I included
  them below, extract the folder anywhere and drag the shortcuts into
  your start menu. I believe that is everything. If I have missed anything
  I will edit this and include them.


Files/Programs Download Links:


  Mac OS X Tiger WB Theme - Download here.



  Album Cover AveTunes Skin - Download in the "Stuff" section, here.



  AveDesk - Download in this Aqua-Soft thread.



  iTunes - Download here.



  ObjectDock - Download here.



  Mac OS X Panther (PNG) Icons - Download here.



  Konfabulator - Download here.



  World Clock Widget - Download here.



  Trillian - Download here.



  iChat Trillian Skin - Download here.



  Flyakite OSX - Download here.



  WindowFX - Download here.



  OSX Perfect Shadow For WindowFX - Download here.



  Logoff/Restart/Shutdown Start Menu Shortcuts - Download here.



  And that is the guide, I hope you found it helped you when using this
  theme. For more customization visit Aqua-Soft
  and browse through there forums.



  Steve Grenier

]]></description> <pubDate>Tue, 01 Mar 2005 01:16:23 -0500</pubDate><comments>http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=66871</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">d1b3d5ce-52b1-4f26-800f-19ab2536f3d7</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your thoughts on Marijuana]]></title><link>http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=57952</link> <description><![CDATA[ Hey,

I have tried having this conversion on other forums but it always gets out of hand with people flaming eachother. I just want to have a conversation about the subject and hear peoples thoughts on it and maybe clear some rumors about it up. There are many people who think it's bad and that it's very bad for your lungs. Me being from Canada I smoke it regularly so I don't have a problem with it. The only factor I can see is that it is bad for the lungs as is any smoke to inhale. I was thinking for medical reasons, if they extracted the THC from inside the plant and simply put it in canisters and distrubute it to patients much like anesthesia. That way there is no lung damage from inhaling the smoke and the patients can be given certian dosages to scale rather than having to smoke up.

Say what you have to say. All opinions welcome.  ]]></description> <pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2004 03:41:02 -0500</pubDate><comments>http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=57952</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">d5b0d8df-c1b3-4efc-b98b-5fa85ddcd2f7</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Facts of Santa]]></title><link>http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=57519</link> <description><![CDATA[ Here are some interesting facts.

No known species of reindeer can fly. But with 300,000 species of living organisms (mostly insects and bacteria) yet to be classified, flying reindeer - which only Santa has seen - cannot be ruled out.

There are two billion children in the world. But since Santa doesn't appear to handle Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish children, his workload drops to only 378 million, or a mere 91.8 million homes averaging 3.5 children each, assuming that at least one has been good.

Thanks to time zones and the rotation of the earth, Santa's Christmas day lasts for 31 hours if he travels east to west, and visits 822.6 homes per second. This gives him 1/1000th of a second to park, race down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining gifts under the tree, eat the snacks, climb up the chimney and into the sleigh and fly to the next house. Assuming the houses are all the same distance apart - 0.78 miles - the total trip will be 75.5 million miles, plus bathroom stops.

So our jolly old friend is travelling at 650 miles per second, or 3,000 times the speed of sound. For comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle, the Ulysses space probe saunters along at a poky 27.4 mps and the average reindeer runs at 15 mph.

The sleigh's payload adds another factor to the equation. Assuming that each child's gift weighs only 2 pounds, the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, plus Santa, who is always depicted as obese. On land, conventional reindeer can only haul 300 pounds, so if a flying reindeer can pull ten times as much, eight or nine will not cope. We now need 214 000 of them, which adds another 353 430 tons to the weight.

Here's where it gets juicy (literally)...

675,000 tons travelling at 650 miles per second creates massive air-resistance, like that of a space probe re-entering the atmosphere. Rudolph, who leads the pack, will face friction that generates 14.3 quintillion joules of energy. Per second! In fact he will explode instantaneously, exposing the next reindeer to the same experience. These explosions will cause deafening sonic booms as the whole team is vaporised in less than five thousandths of a second. Santa will also experience 17,500 G-forces, which will pin him to his seat with 4,315,000 pounds of pressure. This will unavoidably mean that the maiden flight of Santa's sleigh will also be his last.

Yes, there was a Santa, but now he's dead.]]></description> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:12:22 -0500</pubDate><comments>http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=57519</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">99d0582d-d329-4bb8-969f-71f8ecb87db2</guid></item></channel></rss>