Kubrick Site Headers

Regarding today's initial news item, I would like to make the best of it and try to foster some innovation. I've noticed quite a few sites that have picked up on the image rotation concept, but I haven't seen anyone do processing, dynamic HTML or different Flash-based headers.

So, to try and spice things up a bit, I am considering organizing a contest and offering a rotation slot up here (yes, atop my site) to anyone who comes up with a neat, interactive site header concept for Kubrick. This is just an idea I've had, and is as official as just about anything else out there (i.e., it's not).

• Your site header MUST consist of a single Flash file under 50KB in size (I am currently geared to display JPEG and Flash files in rotation, and Flash is supported by everyone, so SVG and Java aren't really an option for the masses). Dynamic HTML is also welcome, but bear in mind that the idea is to provide drop-in solutions for people without the time or inclination to code. Keep it very simple.
• It MUST be exactly 720x180 pixels in size, to fit the current Kubrick template. Rounded corners are optional, but I can try to supply a template.
• It SHOULD provide a basic navigation menu similar to the usual Kubrick setup ("blog", "archives", "photos", "links", "about", etc.). You can skip this bit, but I've seen a lot of people use a transparent div on top of their site header to hold a menu, so I guess it's popular.
  • Ideally, the navigation menu should be configurable with either arguments or an external text/XML file (your pick).
• It MUST allow for a standard PNG file (with alpha channels) to be added (so that people who use your header can customize it for their site).
  • You can add that as part of the configuration options (best) or provide source so that the file can be compiled/dropped in (acceptable).
• It MUST include a link to your home page (in a corner, as part of the animation or displayed after the animation/interactive bit is completed).
• All the contributions are to be released into the public domain (either here, on a Sourceforge project or somewhere else - I'll have to think about what's best), and you should make it plain under what terms you allow them to be re-used. I suggest looking at Creative Commons licensing, and deciding early on whether or not you'll provide the source code as well (binary-only stuff is welcome, but won't allow other folk to learn from what you have done).
• You can do whatever kind of animation/interactivity you like under those size restrictions. Anything goes, but of course, the smallest the files are and the more polished and smooth the animation/game/menu/whatever is, the better.
• Submission is via my site comments (for now, will think of something better later). Just set up a page with your entry, and post a link to it.
• There is no single winner. I will pick out up to three entries to host during six months or so, maintain a list of submissions, and make sure the best entries get the exposure they deserve.

So, anyone up to the challenge? Any suggestions for the contest itself?