random notes, news, ramblings
  June 1, 2013Subject: IE and Chrome Browsers are Killing Me! Have spent almost the entire day recoding parts of Frightbytes. What worked a few days ago before installing IE 10 no longer displays correctly. Corrected things to look good again in IE then go check out how things look in Chrome - they look OK but now animated gifs do not work in Chrome. My head is bloody from banging it on my desk trying to resolve these issues. Don't even know why I bother. None of my websites has been meant for mobile use and they never will. Seems like the major browser players are turning their backs on desktop/laptop computer users and catering to the mobile users. I can see their point, to a degree, but my sites were never meant to be viewed on a tiny phone or tablet screen. Frustrated today. June 1, 2013Subject: I Hate X-Box One As a hardcore gamer since the 1980's the X-Box One rumors and subsequent announcement has me broken hearted. Definitely will NOT be getting this new console. It requires connection at least once a day to the internet, it won't play old X-box 360 games, privacy issues are huge with the mandatory Kinect hardware, and you may not be able to play used games on it. Plus it's Butt Ugly. Going to stick with my 360's and wait for a company to come out with a real game console. January 2013Subject: New Year Angst Will any quality Halloween/Horror websites even exist come next year? This is just sad. One long running halloween resource site has changed their entire format to duplicate Facebook! Now it's just cold and generic. Nobody is going there anymore. And you know what...after all that time, energy and expense put into doing that, the site owner is ready to close down the site. He changed his entire website because he thought that's what people wanted. He was wrong. It's apathy, pure and simple. All the joy, light and fun has been sucked out of the internet. The creative force is gone. All that's left is a bunch of cat pictures or people wanting you to join them playing Farmville or something equally as lame. I'm stubborn and will continue with Frightbytes. You can't replace storytelling with a Facebook or Twitter page, it's just not the same. I want to control how my pages look, I own my content, I am an individual and will remain that way. People -- start creating again. Stop looking at grumpy cats and Walmart freaks. Create something original and build on it. You'll be happier and you'll maybe start waking up the others. Stop being zombies. My faith is not completely dead - yet. Last year I was fortunate to have met 2 other individuals with great creative spirit and spark and their websites are alive and well! November 2012Subject: HALO 4 - What a Bitter Disappointment I had high hopes for 343 Industries HALO 4. Graphics are pretty, but so are graphics from other new games coming out. Everything in HALO 4 is geared for online X-Box Live. 343 Industries pretty much gave single machine co-op players who are not Online players the old one finger salute. Instead of gouging us $60 plus dollars, they needed to offer single-player/single machine/no online co-op for maybe $20 - that's all the 8 short missions are worth. Plus there are no extras like Firefight! Forge is there but it's such a dismal joke as to be painful. Gameplay fell short as well. The soul of Halo has been sucked out of HALO 4. I won't be buying another HALO game at it's release date ever again. Instead will wait for it to go into the bargain bin. It's apparent that Microsoft is trying to force gamers online and being very greedy all the way around. October 7, 2012Subject: More real websites D.O.A. A few days ago I did my semi-annual check of links at my Horror Links Directory. As suspected it turned out to be once again a dismal experience. So many deletions! Why are people abandoning the concept of a "real" website, with "real" content? Either people are finding the creative process too difficult, or else people are just getting lazy. Building a site takes a little bit of skill and a whole lot of time. IMHO Facebook, YouTube,Twitter, or Blogs will never be a replacement. As for me I'm committed for at least another 5 years to keep Frightbytes.com a viable website. If you're a website owner with halloween/horror related content contact me about a link exchange. July 30, 2012Subject: Blame It On The X-box Not proud of being a couch potato. Should be updating Frightbytes, but the sirens call of the gaming world is too seductive. So here I sit, sprouts growing about my bits. June 1, 2012Subject: Dish Network Dropping AMC? What? Are they insane? I'm following THE WALKING DEAD wherever they go and will leave Dish Network like a starved maggot if they do! OK, it would be suicide and they know it. Hopefully they'll stay with decision to simply move AMC to another channel #. If you have Dish Network and enjoy the AMC channel make your voice heard if they start threatening to remove AMC. February 17, 2012Subject: Empty Haunted Houses? I really, really, REALLY miss visiting the spooky websites others built, it was fun. OK, alot of them (including my own) were sometimes goofy, but so what! Each one despite its flaws was unique and different looking from all the others. So many sites have disappeared, and too many of the classics that have been around for over a decade are like sad ghosts. Their pages are filled with dead links, X'd out images, and it's obvious nothing has been updated in years. There's nothing sadder than a haunted house without spirits. It's no longer a haunted house, just a dilapidated old house that should be torn down. It's hard for me to believe that I've been working on this site for almost 15 years! Things sure have changed. I made a vow a long time ago to Optimize for No One, mainly because you can't please everybody. I doubt I'll ever design my pages to be viewed on a cell phone screen or other mobile device. I'm too old and blind to put up with that BS. So here I sit in the crypt continuing to use Notepad as my html editor and creating graphics with a hodgepodge of graphics programs which hopefully will still run in the future (doubtful and frightning). I'm stubborn and I like my Retro way of doing things - are there any others out there who feel the same? It does my cold dead heart good when I stumble on a halloween or horror related website that has creative, useful content to offer other than the cookie cutter sites with little to show than links to YouTube, Twitter, Facebook feeds, or massive amounts of ads that bury any hope of digging up the content. To all you "retro" webmasters and webmistresses out there writing your html code, updating, creating original content and refusing to join the herd - my heads off to you. Keep up the good work. Create for yourself. January 21, 2012Subject: "January Doldrums" Restless, unmotivated, drifting on the mirror like smoothness of eternity waiting for the January doldrums to end. December 3, 2011Subject: "BLAH HUMBUG!" I'm hiding in the Frightbytes® crypt waiting for this Christmas madness to end. November 3, 2011Subject: "The Ghost of Halloween Past" What do you mean it's all over! Halloween ends when I say it ends (which means NEVER!). Have no fear, work will continue on Salems Marsh Asylum and other projects for Frightbytes® October 13, 2011Subject: "Where Are All The Crazy People" Do I have to get out my butterfly net to catch you? The Asylum needs victims - I mean patients.....please send your photos to me. You need to be locked up! October 4, 2011Subject: "Ugh...." ...my brains are rotten. Have spent over 3 weeks producing 4 new pages for Frightbytes® Salems Marsh Asylum. With any luck will have them live this week, that is if enough of my brains remain intact to upload new episode. August 21, 2011Subject: "Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun..." ...but I'm too busy. Missing my X-box time. Nothing relaxes me more than shooting, sawing, stomping or performing other acts of extreme violence on fantasy bad guys and monsters. Late September can't get here soon enough. Going insane waiting for Gears of War 3. August 6, 2011Subject: "Farewell Cruel World" Horribly disappointing day. Many sites I've had in my links directory for years & years are gone. Blown away like dust. It felt like a scene at a mass suicide as I jotted down the site names to be removed. The Bone Garden Estate is one, but I refused to delete it from the links list. It's still there but won't take you anywhere. They started about the same time I did - somewhere around the 1998 time frame - Yes, the last century. Another favorite was a U.K. website called The Headless Horseman. Who knows what caused these sites to disappear without a trace. Only one left a farewell note - simply stating R.I.P. and the sites date of birth/date of death. I buried about 25 sites and wonder who's next? Maybe you? Maybe me? July 2011Subject: "I Hate Blogs" I hate blogs, I hate bloggers, here I sit creating my own version of a blog. Something must be wrong with me, perhaps it's the low oxygen level down here in the crypt. Seriously, Rants & Raves is here mainly to keep anybody who's even vaguely interested in Frightbytes.com abreast of new stuff on the site. |
 March 2014The Spooky Webmistress has been busy with her turtle, Clyde. He has a new tank set up and is enjoying his bigger and much improved habitat. Halloween 2014 is a long way off so we're taking a break. A new story has been started and a short preview of it is hidden at Frightbytes.com. The rest of the time has been spent playing hours and hours of Xbox. Been enjoying Army of Two Devils Cartel, Resident Evil 5, and Dead Island 2 Riptide. That's all for now Ghouls. November 2013(shedding a tear) Halloween 2013 has crossed over to the other side....now it's time to start a new story project for Halloween 2014. Like the other stories I never know where it will lead so it's always an adventure to see if I follow a dark or light path. Right now I want to go with the darkside of a terrifying night spent in a very haunted house. Hidden previews of the story will be available. Not yet...maybe soon? For the next few weeks I'll be catching up on my X-box game time. Stay tuned. September 2013New Story Sounds Sounds have been updated for several of the stories. However, in order to get the sounds I want to work the way I want them to work they now are Flash files. But I think the quality is greatly improved. If you have a device that is not Flash compatible you will not hear any sound effects or music. Frightbytes is designed to be viewed on desktops or laptops. I have no idea how the site is displayed on Smartphones or tablets. September 2013Frightbytes Carnival of Terror Our spooky carnival is now ready for visitors. The fortune teller has given you the task of retrieving the hidden Soul Orbs and for you to find the Exit ticket out of the Carnival. Join us if you dare! Complete with Evil Clowns. CLICK HERE to enter. August 2013Do You Like Scary Clowns? Frightbytes.com will have another new attraction in October - just in time for Halloween 2013! You're invited to the Carnival to ride the Frightbytes Tunnel of Terror ride. Be sure to visit us in October. May 30, 2013Subject: X-Box 360 Fun OK, so I've been goofing off alot playing games. Have been ignoring the Batman series of games thinking they wouldn't be something I'd like. Boy, was I wrong. Started with Batman Arkham Asylum and now playing Batman Arkham City. Both are wonderful and I got both of them as Game of the Year editions so lots of extras! Fun puzzles, lots of gadgets, and plenty of fighting. Also went back to a driving game I've had for a few years - Forza Motorsports 3. Found a good deal on a Microsoft driving wheel and found it much better for playing - with the controller my thumbs go numb during long races. April 6, 2013Subject: Frightbytes Manor Tour The Webmistress has brought some new life to the site. My visitors can now take a fun tour of my home to help find my hidden treasures. At the end, if you're successful, a secret story about Frightbytes dark deadly history will be your reward. Come in, if you dare.... CLICK HERE. December 15, 2012Subject: Frightbytes Christmas Scavenger Hunt The Spooky Webmistress of Frightbytes has created a quick little Flash website where you get to open Christmas presents filled with ghoulish things. Who knows what else you'll find on those pages. Join the hunt by clicking HERE. December 14, 2012Subject: Early Christmas Present Picked up an early Christmas present for myself! Borderlands 2 for the X-box. If it's anything at all like Borderlands I'll be happy. November 1, 2012Subject: Halloween 2012 Frightbytes and the Spooky Webmistress celebrated 14 years online with this passing Halloween. Thank you to all our loyal fans for your visits. We're always hungry for feedback so if you have comments or suggestions on improving the site, or have problems with the site please let us know. Hope you all had a great Halloween. Work is already underway for some great new content. New sections will be added as they are completed so you won't have to wait for next Halloween to discover something new. Drop in from time to time to see our progress. October 8, 2012Subject: Elder Scrolls - SKYRIM (xbox 360) What a beautiful game in so many aspects. The music score is refined and elegant, and the graphics first rate. It takes a bit to learn the interface (there is so much you can do!), but if you've played other Elder Scrolls game (Oblivion for example) you'll be a quick study. I am saying farewell to this realm for what could be months. Broke down and paid full price and kicking myself that I didn't pick it up when it was on sale for half. But seeing that this is the only game this year I've paid full price figured I owed it to myself, plus it was my birthday! September 24, 2012Subject: Salems Marsh Asylum Complete Just in time for Halloween 2012, the Asylum story is complete! It's a darker story than I usually write but that's just the direction it went. To enter the Asylum CLICK HERE. I can't wait to start another project. Hard to believe that my website has survived 14 years! I love getting emails from people telling me they came to Frightbytes as kids and now they visit with their own children. Thanks everybody for hanging with me. Wow! May 6, 2012Subject: Added a very low, low price advertising option If you have an entertaining content rich personal site or blog or if you have a Halloween product or service you want to promote check out our newest sponsorship advertising option. It's called The Zombie Mall and for a ONE TIME $10 DONATION your site will be buried forever, I mean LISTED forever HERE (click). Donate $10 one time and rest in pieces, um, peace. Frightbytes needs your continued support to stay online. I started this site to not only entertain horror fans but mostly to raise money for many animal welfare charities. Please consider becoming a sponsor or if you're able to, even donating a dollar will help. Times are hard and helpless animals are paying a steep price by ending up in pounds, being abandoned or being abused. If you don't want to send me a donation then please send a donation to your own local animal shelter today! April 9, 2012Subject: Zombies have eaten my brains Know what I've been doing the last few months? Goofing off by playing lots and lots of X-Box games. But my favorite so far is DEAD ISLAND. I so love bashing in the skulls of hundreds of semi-rotted zombies using melee weapons like axes, nailed baseball bats, sledge hammers and sometimes just stomping on their heads. Such fun! Such nasty surprises when you turn a corner and run into a big fat MUTANT zombie - needless to say that leads to soiling of the underwear. What a great action RPG and what a shame so called "expert" reviewers panned it. If you like RPG, lots of quests, tons of action, nasty bloody gore and a big big world to explore you gotta give this game a try. It's "brain lickin' good". And don't forget I've got my own big Zombie saga at Frightbytes.com. Face the zombie invasion and explore all 3 scenarios. Click HERE to be eaten alive! December 27, 2011Big Christmas thanks to our new sponsors: Halloween Costume.com, Halloween Costumes.net, Costumes.net, and Halloween Costumes Ideas.com. If you have a great halloween or horror product or website please consider advertising with us. December 3, 2011Frightbytes.com has a new sponsor. Thank you SPIRIT HALLOWEEN. November 12, 2011Subject: Salems Marsh Asylum New Episode New episode starts shedding some light on the patients and a sneak peek of what's to come. October 25, 2011Subject: Halloween YouTube Video Look what you can do when setting your Haunted House lights to "THRILLER" CLICK HERE. (Thanks to Sue's Haunted Mansion for turning me onto this link.) If you want to see the full length version of Michael Jacksons THRILLER video you can view it on YouTube by clicking HERE. October 13, 2011Subject: "Wish All Teachers Were This Cool" (email received from a 6th grade teacher) I'm contacting you because I want to eat your brains LOL. Actually, I want to let you know that your website has been very helpful to me! I am a sixth grade teacher and my students and I are working on a project for Halloween, and I'm sure you've already guessed what it could be related to. Yes zombies! We have been using your page, Frightbytes Link Directory and have found it to not only be resourceful in our zombie project, but has provided a whole bunch of great ideas for us. Thanks! October 5, 2011Subject: "Despite My Rotten Brains" Salems Marsh Asylum has been updated and uploaded. The poll results that asked if the story should be continued was very favorable - 99% of you said "yes" only 1 person said "no". A curse shall be placed on them immediately. The polling has ended at this time. September 10, 2011Subject: "Tooting My Own Horn" It's not often I get to do this. Mostly being out here in internet space all I hear are chirping crickets and maybe the whisper of a passing tumbleweed. When somebody actually takes the time to write me it reminds me of how good it felt (at times) to be alive. Anyway, I'm posting an email sent to me - and "no" I didn't bite them! TOOT TOOT! Hello Ghoulish One, *wrist out, palm up, awaits bite* ;-} I'm by way of being a long-time fan. I visit your site regularly, and truly enjoy your efforts. I've been doing the self taught computer thing since '99, however I'm but a t-baller compared to your pro player status. I admire, and am quite envious of your work. I'd offer my second born for a fraction of your knowledge and talent. (I kind of like my first born, so you can have my second... well heck, take 'em both! I warn you though, in their 20's and scarier than anything even you can imagine.) August 21, 2011Subject: "Episode 3 of Salems Marsh Asylum" The better than expected feedback about my new web series has me all fired up. Literally -- my shroud is burning. Putting together ideas for Episode 3 and hoping to post it online early September. August 21, 2011Subject: "Episode 2 of Salems Marsh Asylum" Surprised myself - The Asylum story is proving to be way too much fun to create. Episode 2 is finished and available here at Frightbytes.com. People are giving me the thumbs-up (you're lucky to still have yours!) to this new story. Thanks to all you boils and ghouls who are voting in the poll.  This could be you. Send a photo of yourself, a loved one, even a pet. You'll be part of the Asylum. Find yourself in a strait-jacket behind bars. Please, please, pretty please send a picture. Once you go in, you never come out! August 12, 2011Subject: "Dodged That Bullet" The poll asked if visitors would like to see a FORUM area be put up. Only had that poll up 24 hours. Nobody voted either way. In the end I'm happy NOT to do it. It would be a pain in the butt. So thank you for NOT caring. Nobody needs forums anymore. We have Facebook and Twitter. RIP forums. August 10, 2011Subject: "The Salems Marsh Asylum POLL" People are actually participating in the poll. So far getting positive response and if trend continues there should be more episodes coming. For the first time at Frightbytes® a story is being presented "byte by byte" in episodes. Creating the graphics takes much longer now than it did in the past - blame it on Flash. Anyway, thanks for voting in the poll and leaving your comments. Please keep it up a little bit longer. To vote in the poll you'll want to view the introduction of Salems Marsh Asylum by clicking HERE. At the end of the episodes you'll be given the chance to place your vote and even leave comments. |