-As I promised, we have traversed the good and the bad, and the old and the new. We have journeyed to Ancient Greece, and to a galaxy "Far, Far Away...". We have been to "Oz", "Mongo", and "Middle-Earth". We have probably all had enough...at least for now! -Probably the most important tning I have learned from this Fantasy Retrospective, is how basically human these diverse "supra-human" characters really are. Every tale we have touched upon, is a morality tale of one sort, or another. The Ancient myths, ("THE ODYSSEY", "JASON & THE ARGONAUTS", "MERLIN", etc.), seem to address the issues of finding one's inner self, and one's place in a spiritual world. -When the "Fear of Death", (...or lack of an understanding of death, to be more to the point), obsessed the intellectual, as well as the common man; religion served to answer the great question...Is that all there is? As Man evolved intellectually, and reason began to answer his "questions" in a far more rational manner; Man began to scoff at his treasured Myths, and their value was diminished. The practical world now faced him, and long hours of labor, left little time for amusement. After years of technological development, and with the availability of labor-saving devices; Man finally found time for reflection. -Eventually, he began to appreciate these tales, fables, stories, psalms, etc., for their artistic merit. The storyteller soon began to regain his posture in a society, that had scorned him, (..excepting for the obsessive fundamentalist atavists, who take such tales, as the "Gospel"). We now honor our storytellers with enormous sums of money, fame, and adoration. -Equally prevalent in these tales, is the desire to be more than oneself. "SUPERMAN", "BATMAN", "FLASH GORDON",etc.; all give the viewer the vicarious thrill of being heroic, or strong, or extraordinary in some manner. People trapped in "hum-drum" lives of repetitive drudgery, need to see themselves as something else. Even a few hours of imagining oneself as "Superman", or "Flash Gordon", or "Barbarella", (No ladies, I haven't totally forgotten you!); can be therapeutic to one's mental health. Watching an exciting film, can stimulate one to daydream. Whether this is as helpful as night dreams, is not known. -The third most important role of Fantasy is escape. How often have we dreamt of a better place, a magical land where we can go and leave our cares behind. A land such as "Oz", or "Shangri-La", or "Eden". We would all agree that a vacation from our environment would be wonderful. A little time, and a little peace, to gather one's wits, and relax, away from it all! Much like the desire to share an adventure; the desire to escape is a common bond within us all. We realize that in our respective lives, none of us are, nor ever will be, truly free. So a short respite from the clamor of our own turbulent, chaotic lives is always welcome.
-I undertook this project in May of 1999. I was to develop a series of webpages, with a central theme, for an independent "Web Page Design" course. I had no textbook, and very little PC, or Internet knowledge. My "Homepage" had been mostly designed by my daughter Kiera...and I thank her now for it. (She is now a professional Web Page Designer...Check her out, at the link below.) I subsequentally updated and refurbished that page over the ensuing weeks. My Instructor Frank Bayer and I conferenced on the phone a few times, but for the most part...I was on my own. -Most of my initial understanding of HTML, came from the "Trial and Error" method of learning. What a nightmare! I discovered that certain protocols and hiearchies existed within multiple commands. I eventually reasoned them out. Hex values and color charting were another initial barrier, but by reading others' "fragments" and uploads, I finally realized that I should have gotten a textbook, or clicked on "WEB-MONKEY". -"SHAZAM!" It was wonderful! I gleaned more from the "WEB-MONKEY" site in a half-hour, than I had in two weeks of hit and miss! -I am still having trouble determining which fonts are supported by Angelfire, and I plan to upgrade my existing sites with some new features. (Menu boxes, scrolling, personally made animations, banners, a web-ring of my own creation, search functions, and buttons.) -In closing I would like to thank Angelfire, Webmonkey, my daughter Kiera, Frank Bayer, and all of the other web-sites from which I "borrowed" animations, banners, info, etc. (By the way, I have finally discovered "Front Page Express". This is a remarkable tool for building Web-Pages. Check it out!)
-Well, it's been a sizeable walk, and it's time to sit back, and rest your feet. Pour a nice cup, take off your shoes, and ponder the little voyage we have taken.
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- Specific gratitude is expressed to Angelfire.com, Bravenet, LYCOS, Beseen, National Periodicals/DC Comics, Best Brains, Python Productions, the BBC, World of Poetry, Mildred Elley the College for Careers, Jared@geekboy.com, & Kiera Brown