// --- common properties ---

  this.flakesMax = 128;           // Limit total amount of snow made (falling + sticking)
  this.flakesMaxActive = 64;      // Limit amount of snow falling at once (less = lower CPU use)
  this.animationInterval = 33;    // Theoretical "miliseconds per frame" measurement. 20 = fast + smooth, but high CPU use. 50 = more conservative, but slower
  this.excludeMobile = true;      // Snow is likely to be bad news for mobile phones' CPUs (and batteries.) By default, be nice.
  this.flakeBottom = null;        // Integer for Y axis snow limit, 0 or null for "full-screen" snow effect
  this.followMouse = true;        // Snow movement can respond to the user's mouse
  this.snowColor = '#99ccff';     // Don't eat (or use?) yellow snow. #99ccff - blueish  #fff - white
  this.snowCharacter = '•';  // • = bullet, · is square on some systems etc.
  this.snowStick = true;          // Whether or not snow should "stick" at the bottom. When off, will never collect.
  this.targetElement = null;      // element which snow will be appended to (null = document.body) - can be an element ID eg. 'myDiv', or a DOM node reference
  this.useMeltEffect = true;      // When recycling fallen snow (or rarely, when falling), have it "melt" and fade out if browser supports it
  this.useTwinkleEffect = false;  // Allow snow to randomly "flicker" in and out of view while falling
  this.usePositionFixed = false;  // true = snow does not shift vertically when scrolling. May increase CPU load, disabled by default - if enabled, used only where supported

  // --- less-used bits ---

  this.freezeOnBlur = true;       // Only snow when the window is in focus (foreground.) Saves CPU.
  this.flakeLeftOffset = 0;       // Left margin/gutter space on edge of container (eg. browser window.) Bump up these values if seeing horizontal scrollbars.
  this.flakeRightOffset = 0;      // Right margin/gutter space on edge of container
  this.flakeWidth = 8;            // Max pixel width reserved for snow element
  this.flakeHeight = 8;           // Max pixel height reserved for snow element
  this.vMaxX = 5;                 // Maximum X velocity range for snow
  this.vMaxY = 4;                 // Maximum Y velocity range for snow
  this.zIndex = 0;                // CSS stacking order applied to each snowflake

  // --- End of user section ---