I found ways to use a CGI script to mail me the contents of an HTML input form, but I don't have CGI access on the server I'm using.

Is there no way to hide the e-mail address using pure HTML forms... or Server Side Includes or something else really simple that my free webspace could handle?

I realllly don't feel like getting spammed at my shiny new business addresses.

Is $40 too much to pay for a year of hosting on a very decent web server? Where you can make whatever email addresses you want, at whim. Each with IMAP, POP3 and WebMail access, plus optional forwards, auto-responders and server-side spam filtering... Supports all the current web goodies; PHP, PERL, MySQL (you can have 2 databases), multiple domain parking on the same site, sub-domain creation, etc... Fairly nice control panel too.

If you're going to register or buy a domain name, you should really dump the idea of running on a free feature-less host.

You can (should) use NMS Formmail (or other "secure") method to have people contact you. Don't use MSA (Matt's) Formmail. Otherwise you can put up a graphic image with low-contrast distortions and your email address written within it and let people copy out your email address by hand.

If you can click (a link) and have it pop the email address into an email client, then it's of no use to stop spam.

Bruno

Is there any reason you can't just use an image of your email address?

I understand that we all want things easy, but are we really at the point where manually typing in an email address into our mail client is too much work?

Here's one possible solution using the image idea.

EDIT: Argh! Beaten by Bruno!

You have to have something more than HTML forms and SSI in order to send an email at all, regardless of hiding your email address, other than having a mailto: link, which must obviously include your email address.

If you don't have CGI access, what kind of services do you have?

$40 a year for all of those goodies? Which reliable trustworthy webhost offers that good deal? The only services I quickly looked at were $10/month, which isn't much, but it's a little nag.

Yes, I have been using images for e-mail addresses. I just wanted to jazz up the main Contact page with some "secure" form (using the premade CGI mail script provided with my webspace). Ah, it was a silly idea.

I wasn't going to buy the domain name because it's being squatted. Instead, just host it off my ISP space. Lame, but easy. I'll try for that domain name. But all of the sudden, I have no time. This is odd.

Check out http://www.ICDSoft.com

Their normal price is $60 per year, but as I'm an existing customer I can get someone else hosting for $40/year. I just renewed my hosting package and got a further discount when paying for two years: $75. I've already been with them for two years and they just recently increased their basic-level storage and bandwidth limits too (that was a nice surprise to see when accessing my control panel).

Contact me via PM if you need any more details. I can set it up for you if you'd like and then you can just pay me via PayPal.
Bruno

Thanks for the tip, I'll check them out! I haven't recovered the domain name(s) from the squatters yet, so I may just launch it on my ISP space for now. Eh, I can switch it later, keeping a forwarding link. Most important thing is to get these buttons out to you all, regardless if the site looks pretty. It's almost done; this weekend!

It took me too long to get around to it but here's the results of a couple afternoons playing around.



I first tried making button caps out of PMC3 silvery clay but when they're fired they shrink about 20% so that didn't work out as planned. (top left pic) The I tried aluminum embossing foil to make a button cap that would allow light through the side but not the center. (lower left pic). It was too fragile but captured the idea of what I'd like to have in a button cap so I may revisit the idea with some PMC. I'd like to have button cage that matches the wheels on my car.

The last try was based on the idea of embedding fiber optic rod in the knob. (pics right) I drilled out the knob "bumps", inserted pieces of fiber rod, glued them in with white hot glue, and ground down the rod sticking out the front followed by sanding and polishing. I was pleased with how well the polycarbonate sands. I'd like to try doing the same thing with thinner rod. The purple that you see is light from the UV leds. The center is a silver insert from the failed PMC knob that I ground to size.

Thanks for the chance to play with these FireFox.

Woooooooah. Thanks for the pics, those are some clever hacks. You really make the fiber optic shine, and the PMC silver clay looks very promising. I wonder if the area to be covered with PMC could be carefully etched out with a Dremel so the PMC could recess into it. Might help hold it in place.

Now, if only I could get my Dremel back from being on loan, I could try the ideas brewing in my head. But first, back to work on the website.

Cool I’m glad to hear the buttons are almost ready can't wait to get a blue set on my Empeg. Sadly I wrecked my car so it’ll be a while before I can show it off to my friends. Oh it wasn’t a bad wreck no one was hurt, it was just stupid less than a 20mpr hit. The air-bags going off caused my car to be a total loss, bummer.

The announcement happens Monday 6/20/05. That's when the website goes final, the URL is posted, and orders are accepted. Thanks for your patience everyone, the end is in sight.

Damn the man who came up with parlay!

It was a Frenchman.

Now let's get those black buttons up for sale already. Hmmm.. You know what would go really well with some new black buttons? A black aluminum fascia....

Bruno