Ninjineer

a Nerd with Delusions of Wonder

Tumblr Theme: Sleeping with da Fishes — As a favor to Brian Abrams, I whipped up a theme that was Godfather-esque. Perhaps others of you out there will find it suitable for your needs as well.

Here is the Theme Garden link which ought to be the preferred way to install the theme.

Tumblr Theme: Undercover Operative 2.0 — The spy returns with a new disguise. If you look closely, though, some of the details shine through from the previous version. Hopefully, this theme will pop up in a theme garden near you very soon. And if it’s rejected again, well, at least I can say I’m using it for my tumblelog.

A Little Background

A while back, I submitted a theme to the the Theme Garden that was rejected with the ever-so-helpful feedback, “Does not fit accepted Tumblr blog aesthetics.”

This came as something of a disappointment. I looked but saw no obvious technical flaws or egregious style violations. I was left with an irritating conclusion: the reviewer just did not like the way it looked.

I became indignant at that point. While I grant that the theme did not possess universal appeal, I also felt it was the equal or better of many themes already in the Garden. In light of this injustice, my enthusiasm for theme-ing withered, and I focused on other interests for a time.

Eventually, I took another look at my rejected theme. I did so with new eyes and discovered there were some aspects I no longer found so aesthetically pleasing. I conceded perhaps the reviewer had had some basis for his judgement after all.

All was not crap, though. Some elements I still found innovative. I decided to return to the drawing board, so to speak. Over the course of a week, I evolved a new prototype theme. The new incarnation incorporated several new ideas with all the things I liked best from the original theme.

Apply Palm to Face

With the new prototype in shape, I set to convert it into the format of an actual Tumblr theme. During this process I had occasion to reference the original theme’s source code. The following line of code jumped out at me:

<h1><a href="/">Undercover Operative</a></h1>

That line is perfectly correct. For a prototype. For theme source code it should have read:

<h1><a href="/">{Title}</a></h1>

The later fills in the blog’s title with whatever value the blogger defines. This behavior is expected of all general purpose Tumblr themes. The former sets all instances of the blog to have the same title, which is a clear violation of the aesthetic rules.

A technical flaw existed all along.

Myriad Emotional Responses

As that realization sunk in, I experienced a number of emotions:

• Chagrin — I strive for perfection in my writing, whether it’s prose or code. Mistakes where I know better are unacceptable, even if they occur with distressing frequency. Sure I’m human, but I don’t have to like it.

• Annoyance — If instead of tossing out a generic, all-encompassing boilerplate rejection, Tumblr had offered something specific I probably would have found the problem. Something like “Theme is missing a required variable” would have been sufficient.

• Regret — While Tumblr makes an easy scapegoate, truth is I made the mistake. I caved into doubt. I robbed myself of my enthusiasm. These are all my missteps, my failings.

• Gratitude — If the theme had been accepted, I never would have iterated the design. With a second go-round, the theme is much improved, even if I say so myself. I’ll post it soon, and you can judge for yourself.

Tumblr Theme: Practical Solution — This theme grew out a layout I saw in a backpack catalog.

Tumblr Theme: Chain of Thought — Another theme in the tradition of “turning something you see into a Tumblr theme”.

Tumblr Theme: The Cat’s Meow — This theme arose from a page header in a magazine that I glimpsed in passing.

Tumblr Theme: Bygone Era — This theme harkens back to an aesthetic of yesteryear, which some may find a delicious juxtaposition to the modernity of tumblelogging.

Tumblr Theme: Corkboard — As its name suggests, the last theme in this evening’s flood emulates a cork-board adorned with Post-It notes. Placement of these notes is rather variable.

Tumblr Theme: Terminal Flashback — My third theme marks a triumph of the inner-geek over common aesthetics. Experience the novelty today…

Tumblr Theme: Snack Stack — The fun continues with a column-based assembly reminiscent of the symmetrical book stacking incident in Ghostbusters. “No … human … would stack posts that way.”