Invisible escreveu:
> OK, so once again I've been looking at this:
> 
> http://www.mezzoblue.com/zengarden/alldesigns/
> 
> I still don't get how this is actually possible - for two reasons.

There's only one reason: you enjoy being surprised at how people 
overcome limitations and work out a way to make the impossible possible 
instead of crying that it is not possible. :)

> First of all, I'm astonished that you can actually perform radical 
> layout transformations like this just using CSS. It boggles my mind that 
> this is even theoretically possible.

RTFineM, specially the parts on flow layout.

> Second, how in the name of goodness can a human being look at a blank 
> screen and come up with something as cool as some of these designs?

there's nothing better than a blank screen to let imagination flow.

> How 
> is it possible?! How do you just /create/ ideas out of nothingness like 
> that? I don't understand how it's possible.

Fiat Lux. :)

> - Many designs have photographs of cinematic locations, exotic flora and 
> fauna, historic artefacts or beautiful female models. Normal people 
> cannot obtain such things.

Then they either buy from stock picture sets or have more luck than you 
on vacations.

> - Lots of designs have astonishingly elaborate calligraphy. Again, not 
> something that normal humans can do.

They are called calligraphers.

> - Some designs feature hand-drawn artwork. Almost nobody can draw as 
> nicely as this.

They are called painters and pencilers.  Check out vast amounts of such 
gorgeous works from the best in the industry here:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=137

It should be noted that technology certainly helped here in that old 
painters had only simple brushes at their disposal, while today you have 
textured brushes, clone brushes, and many layers of painting separate 
scene elements.

> - How on Earth can you take a 
> photograph of some grass and then loop it seamlessly?

You use some seamless filter in your picture editor of choice.

> How can you make 
> tea stains or splintered edges using just computer software?

It's again a filter building up on some selection, randomly disturbing 
it's edges and then filling it.

> How do you 
> fake the texture of wet paper? It all seems so impossible...

You look at a huge bulk of metal flying and say it is impossible. 
Surely some optics illusion.

> I suppose we can sum all this up as "I really suck at graphic design". :-(

Like most of us programmers.  That's why web design should be in the 
hands of designers, not programmers.  They come up with some cool 
design, you code the needed CSS. ;)

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