What have I been up to since I last mashed my fingers across the keyboard and published something of worth? Well, I was offered and accepted a position with AOL/Weblogs, Inc. as a designer for their network of sites. My first thought was; they pay people to design blogs? It’s become more than a dream job for me and I couldn’t be more thankful for the friendships I’ve formed and lessons learned.

There’s that, on the job end of things, and as a far as my personal life is concerned we’re plugging along quite nicely. My daughter Zoe just turned 4. For those of you who’ve followed this site for the 4+ years I’ve been maintaining it this is a huge milestone. My son, Quinn, is now 2 and between the two they manage to keep us busy, thanks in part to how often they annoy each other. We are expecting another child as well so there are more adventures to look forward to.

Speaking of which, this site, my favorite pet project has become more stagnant than ever. You could search the archives… oh wait, no you can’t because that’s yet to be fixed, but hey, if you could you’d find plenty of posts describing some sort of post-mortem. Moving on from here I’ve finally decided to use Expression Engine to use as the engine of this site. One reason for settling on EE is because I’ve used it sparingly in the past for projects and the road map of feature additions & interface enhancements (as showcased at SXSW ’08) looks pretty fantastic.

The other reason is I had dinner with Michael Boyink, recent hire of Ellis Labs (the team behind EE), and through his own articulation and excitement I myself became utterly convinced this was for me. He’s also the man behind Train-EE which is both an incredible and informative resource on all that is Expression Engine, oh, and he offers training course ware on it. How cool is that?

It’s been awhile and I realize that and it bothers me, but, it’s clear to me that the progression of this site is to become something more than a blog, but also it needs to be fun again for me.

With this data the hackers, using an automated script of some sort, added SEO links/inframes to every instance of index.html or php.

This is the last straw. I’ve been with Dreamhost since mid-2004 and recommended them on more than one occasion and even went so far as defending them when others complained about slow service or half-baked customer support, the latter being something I never experienced.

Not any more. It’s time to look for a new home.

Over the past two hours I’ve had to comb over my files, looking for anything that could have been stolen and to my knowledge some files might have been removed.

Not only that, but the password I used was one of the best passwords I’ve used in a long time and now, thanks to this, I have to piece together a franken-mash of numbers.

It’s sad because while I represent, according to DH, only .15% of the customers whose data was changed in some way, I just wish something could’ve been done to prevent this.

Yet, who am I to say that web hosting is safe from this kind of thing, which apparently it isn’t. I suppose I wanted to believe that they were impenetrable, even if that was a premature wish.

The culprits added inframes and linkage pointing to offshore sites displaying garbled information; SEO tactics indeed.

On the bright side of things, my entries are safe, every one of them accounted for since 2004. This wasn’t an issue really considering I’ve kept backups of my DB since the beginning and make it habit to do it frequently.

I’m also planning on moving to a new CMS and will be taking the entries with me to preserve for the future, when robots make swiss cheese sandwiches with George Forman machines.

Does anyone out there have any suggestions for a new host? 

For weeks on end I’ve been patiently waiting for a Joost beta invite. Why am I so excited about something that on the surface seems like Tivo™ for the web?

There’s an easy answer for that, so let me spill it. Before I do that however, I’d like to thank Paul for sending me the invite.

Joost Oozes With Quality

It doesn’t take a special decoder ring to figure out what Joost does. The official site describes its functionality quite perfectly:

The magic of television, with the power of the internet built right in. Joost puts you in control, and TV will never be the same again.

This could be construed as a bold claim, as if the creators/developers/masterminds (the people responsible for Skype and Kazaa) behind this operation could not possibly convince themselves otherwise.

Yet, when you connect the dots, evaluating the whole enchilada for a service like this (branding, web site and technology) you can’t help but be enthralled by the polish.

Spectrums, Rainbows and Magic

Have you ever looked through a spectrum? There’s a infinite amount of colors that appear if you hold one up to a light source. It’s interesting that the creators of Joost chose to theme their service around the concept of spectrums and color variety. Although, I must admit they do look a bit like colored Kryptonite, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Earlier today I was doing my best to describe the promotional video on the What’s Joost? section to a friend. Halfway into explaining how cool it was I realized it’s just one of those things you have to see for yourself.

At first glance the demonstration video seems a bit awkward, or at least it did to me. After watching it I realized it seems familiar and that’s because it’s somewhat like a medley of Batteries Not Included, Cocoon, The Last Starfighter and Tron. Like I said, you need to see it firsthand because my description just won’t cut it.

Beta Means Slim Pickings

I would say that my only beef with the service is that the channel offerings are slim at best and the video output ranges from near DVD quality to sub par Youtube quality. One moment it looks great, the next it just distracts from the overall experience but I’m sure in time it’ll improve.

As far as the content is concerned other than watching some “vintage” Ren & Stimpy cartoons with my daughter and a couple Discovery Channel specials on lions and pyramids, there’s nothing else that peaks my interest for the time being.

That will change as Joost continues to sign content providers but in the interim there just isn’t a lot to consume at the moment. Although, this is still in beta so that’s just par for the course. Joost has promised to continue signing content providers; for instance, they just added a variety of shows from providers like Comedy Central, VH1 (the channel you switch on when you’re bored, or, at least I do) and MTV.

Beta Invites

If you haven’t experience Joost yet, well, that’s just not right. I’ll tell you what, leave a comment and I’ll use the magic of the internets (and a handy script to randomly select a number) to choose three lucky people to send an invite to.

Ready, set, go! 

Here’s a description of the panel (straight from the horse’s mouth):

Fine arts have long held a subtle, yet influential grip on both information and design. From cartoons, illustrations, digital art, photography and more, you’ll hear firsthand from some of the best in their fields, have a chance to explore the past, present, and future of the techniques that you see around the web, and how it can improve your own work and get both sides of the brain working better together.

Turning Thoughts into Reality

To backpedal a bit, before I made the commitment to go to last year’s SXSW Interactive conference — my first visit — I made a promise to myself that come the next conference I would be on a panel. Certainly it’s fun to actively participate as an observer, but to present your thoughts to people, to engage them, to make them think and all said and done, if they can get something out of what you’re saying, well, that’s saying something.

I kept that thought in the back of my mind, that I would somehow, using some force of nature have the opportunity to be up there amongst a group of my peers and share something, even if at the time I hadn’t any idea of what that might be.

Months later during a late night IM conversation with Anton Peck he mentioned the concept of the panel to me and it didn’t take much convincing on his part, I was hooked..

The Dream Team

Next week I will be sharing meatspace with the following creative-minded people:

• Dan Rubin (our fearless moderator)
• Glenda Sims
• Anton Peck
• Dave Shea
• Patrick Haney

Come join us on Saturday, March 10th (11:30–12:30pm) and be sure to mark it on your SXSW calendar.

It’s a win-win; you’ll have a blast, learn a thing or two and I can genuinely promise your creativity will kick into overdrive. 

It also focused somewhat on the shortcomings of the WTC, such as stairwells hugging the core of the building providing what they thought was extra stability, that led to so many civilian casualties during the 2001 attacks.

There was obvious concern over the methods used for high-rise building evacuation. In most cases stairways are used, provided that they are in working condition. The planes that struck the WTC buildings destroyed a large portion of the stairs which in turn contributed to the lack of proper evacuation.

As I watching this, I was thinking about better ways for efficient and safe evacuation during high-rise building emergencies. One solution (not necessary failsafe) that occurred to me was an enclosed slide that essentially loops around the building. The slide itself would be oiled so that when groups of individuals are preparing to evacuate, they descend in such a manner where clogging of the slide would be prevented.

Again, not a failsafe method of course, but I believe one that doesn’t rely on the shortcomings that occur with stairways. If you’ve ever used the stairs in a high-rise building you know that this isn’t an efficient means of getting people out of the building in a timely fashion, especially during an emergency when people typically lose the ability to think sensibly.

Yet, when I was thinking about this I realized that using a slide could also lead to oversights in the process of evacuation. It’s possible that like the stairs in the WTC building, a portion of the slide could also be destroyed. That said, it’s difficult to try and come up with various ways to efficiently transport people out of a building and at the same time making sure the means of doing so are safe and expedient.

There are other methods such as zip lines (think James Bond or the military), extendable slides and chute systems that could work but again, which of these would actually work when the real thing occurs, as opposed to just testing them in labs.

I personally don’t think we’ve found a perfect system yet, despite how much technology has improved in the past 20 years, and I don’t feel like we ever will.

What should be stressed however is that we need to have alternate ways of evacuating people from structures to prevent massive casualties when an emergency occurs. 

However, I came to the realization that when you look past the negative aspects and focus instead on the positive outcome of reconnecting with people that you might have lost touch with, well then it doesn’t seem so bad.

In fact, it’s safe to say that despite the countless amount of good and bad press, which any good journalist or sane person would tell you is just effortless advertising, there are a lot of interesting outcomes that occur when you set up your own space on the web.

To me, MySpace is a messy combination of personal journal and media, mixed together with self expression and sometimes self reflection. If one were to attempt to map Myspace it would probably be neither here nor there.

Frankly, it’s a phenomenon that would sound wonderful on paper or pitched to in front of a group of investors, but in it of itself it’s like a swap meet of individuals coming from various social, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds on display for the world to see, a messy one at that.

It’s also a potentially dangerous breeding ground for stalkers, but that light has already been shone many times by the media and it’s not worth revisiting that hazard since it steers the purpose of this article in another direction.

Back on topic, it’s worth noting that within 3 days of activating an account on MySpace — as well as making it pretty thanks to Mike Davidson’s Hacking a More Tasteful Myspace — I’ve reconnected with people that I lost touch with 4 to 5 years ago and that alone is remarkable considering I felt it’d be difficult to do so otherwise.

The thought of contacting and reconnecting with people from my past, the majority of them from high school, has always been in the back of my mind, but the conversation starter, for example; “How I’d approach the person or begin the conversation” always seemed a bit difficult. Also, there never really seems like a good moment to do so and the notion that it might be awkward as such can make what would otherwise seem appropriate and good willed turn into something contrived or put on.

Sad to say, but Myspace has allowed me to jump right in and test the waters. To show friends from my past that I really do care despite the lack of communication. For that, I can forgive the site for being a mess from a functionality standpoint and instead remained focused on sifting through the vast resource of individuals and egnited friendships from yesteryear. 

Elementary Schools and Teachers

Ever since I accepted a position working as a cleaner (janitor, custodian, slop mop guy) at an elementary school I’ve gained a new perspective and greater appreciation in regards to everything that occurs behind the scenes.

Prior to working at an elementary school, I had a very one-dimensional view of how schools actually ran, seeing as though my last encounter with a peewee educational fortress was many years ago.

Yet, when you pull back the curtain and realize that teachers have flaws, library shelves do in fact get dusty and there’s a bittersweet human element to it all that’s hard to describe, only then do you realize why schools continuosly run themselves.

All of this boils down to the teachers themselves, who in turn are modivated by their student’s achievements, which fuels their inner passion to educate, looking past the spitballs and dirty looks, knowing full well at the other end there will be a result.

On that note, since we live in the era of Google, I was thinking how much smarter a teacher can seem if he or she has access to a computer in their room. With Wikipedia and Google at their fingertips, said teacher can instantaneously look up unlimited subject matter, print or project, and contribute endless amounts of information to the education process.

It’s really fascinating, considering when I was younger all we had is an Apple II and maybe, depending on if you were good or not, Oregon Trail with buffalo shooting action all at a grueling pace.

Wii!

For weeks on end I’ve been thinking about Nintendo’s recently unvieled and renamed console, Wii. I’ll admit that at first I was a bit taken back by the name (shocked even), seeing as though the console and it’s premise sounds kind of silly.

However, after thinking about it some I’ve grown to actually love “Wii” and all it has to offer. Especially after seeing the slew of E3 demos that have popped up on sites like YouTube and Gamespot.

There’s just no denying the fact that you’re no longer just playing, but participating in a game using their Wii-mote, which looks like your average TV remote but recognizes 3D space and movement. How cool is that? Way cool!

Spore

With sites like Total Spore appearing out of thin air, there’s something intriguing and undeniably mouth watering about Will Wright’s newest sim creation, Spore, that has the media and blogosphere and maybe your neighbors in a gaming frenzy.

Spore isn’t just going to change the way people look at simulation games, it’s going to turn the gaming realm upside down. From the previews to demo footage and demonstrations given by Wright himself, it appears to be a mish mash of evolution, creation, old school gaming, clay modeling, strategy and sci-fi (amongst other things) all rolled into one.

I haven’t been this excited about a video game in years, not since I first laid eyes on Simcity and Populous. 

That said, it makes sense to tell you that while I’ve been having a blast here in Austin, TX with newly made friends, I also miss my family. My daughter is only two years of age and has been asking about my whereabouts since I left. I’m not sure how to handle that, but I’ll say that she, along with my wife and new son, have been on my mind alot.

Apart from that, it’s been extremely rewarding to participate in these panels and for once in my life to pay attention to what’s being said without drifting off into a trance. A wealth of information is being shared by industry-leading people, many of whom I admire.

That in itself is particularly cool especially considering that up until a few days ago I only associated myself with various attendees and presenters solely by digital means (ie IM’ing, email, Skype, etc.) instead of having face-to-face conversations.

I’m not sure that I’ll go into extreme detail about the panels I’ve attended because it would only be a rehash of what’s been discussed on sites already. Rather, I’ll just say that what I’ve gotten from these panels is not only knowledge of design, code and business practices and techniques, but also a newfound appreciation for those who are at the forefront of all this, expressing their opinions and knowledge with a great deal of passion and understanding.

As far as the people I’ve met and had the opportunity to chat with, they’ve all shared the same characteristics that I noted above, but most notably passion, which drives most of us towards our intended (or unintended) goals.

Sure, there’s the notion that a good majority of the attendees of SXSW are here for networking purposes and that fits within the context of the event, but there’s another element here that’s difficult to isolate. The fact that most people want to put a face to whatever online persona they’ve become familiar with due to blogs, communities and forums.

It makes people more comfortable to actually share a conversation in person instead of just recognizing an avatar or nickname and then shooting an email off, hoping for a meaningful reply.

I’ve gotten more from the human aspect of this conference than what would otherwise be attending a few panels and exchanging business cards. This is a life changing event and I know the true effect and end result will grow exponentially over time.