Hi 👋, I'm Jadiction, but I usually go by Jad. I'm an IT enthusiast and I often mess around with random projects, this website being one of them.

The idea

Messing around with the top bar was a blast. It started as just a bunch of empty space, with my main aim being to add a theme switcher, internationalization options, and a collapsible menu. Eventually, my idea expanded to having an animated dog do something simple up there. Without spending too much time on some complex CSS animation, I went looking for any "cartoon-like" dog GIF that I could animate to walk back and forth.

What the dog doin'?

It took me a bit of searching to find a dog GIF that really caught my eye, but eventually, I stumbled upon one on Giphy featuring a normal-looking dogs without any outfits, and it was perfect. I was content with the idea of having just one dog strolling around. As I browsed related GIFs, I came across a few more options and thought, "Oh, cool, I have more choices!" It turned out they were all from the same creator. Intrigued, I visited their profile and discovered a plethora of similar dog GIFs, sporting various outfits, festive costumes, and amusing event-themed clothing. There were enough themed-dogs to cover a multitude of US holidays and random fun dates so that each day has a variety. Some examples: May 4th: Darth Vader costume dog, April 26: Office-themed costume dog (which is an "inside joke" date within the show), April 19: Simpson-themed dogs (A Google search tells me this is "World Simpsons Day"), April 22: Earth day-themed dog, and much more. I even found a birthday-themed one, prompting me to add a bunch of friends' birthdays so the dog could wish them a happy birthday. Depending on the event, the dog can be clicked to cycle the various costumes. Refreshing the page also randomizes the dog.
I want to give a big shoutout to Stefanie Shank for the fantastic dog GIFs. Her profile also linked to a website - https://weenieton.com/ which seems to be a part of her passion and/or career as well!

The topbar background

In addition to the themed dog animation, the background will dynamically adjust based on the date, reflecting seasonal changes and major holidays. During winter, snow will gently fall, while Valentine's Day will see hearts raining down. Halloween will have a dark, spooky background and Independence Day / New Year's, fireworks will light up the sky in celebration.