well i'm not going to respond to anything in particular here but to deathshadow i'd just like to point out that my roots are very firmly in design, and i think from a technical standpoint i actually have a very good grasp of how web pages should be built. you are a retired software engineer - you have geek running through your veins. we can't all be so utterly technical in every single aspect of web design. despite a few glitches in this particular project i would place myself a lot higher than you seem to give me credit for (www.webbymatt.co.uk, www.northernweb.co.uk). i'm a designer, you're a developer. that's why your site looks like it does and mine look like they do.
Colour schemes a bit wacky. Also the thumb nails are practically the same size as the image you click through too.