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- May 2, 2005
Keyboard Nuts
May 2, 2005Read moreSince switching to notebook computers for my day-to-day production machine, I’ve become a fan of the docking station. Why? It’s because I like using my trusty IBM Model M Space Saver Keyboard from the 80s. It has superior feel to anything out there on the market, and I’ve tried everything I could get my hands on. As a bonus, there’s no Windows Key.
I periodically scour Ebay for them to make sure I never run out of them. Occassionally, PCKeyboard.com has a few. Then there’s this split ergo keyboard that I’ve never seen before with buckling spring technology…I must have it!
Lately I’ve been noticing a neck crick, so I think I need to raise the laptop up by about a foot. And like my buddy Bo Jordon, I have a high resolution LCD that gets kind of hard to read far away. So I’ve been eyeing one of those vertical laptop stands, such as the Oyster Ergodock. Would solve a lot of problems, though I would lose access to some docking features.
- May 1, 2005
WordPress Advanced Cache Woes
May 1, 2005Read moreI’ve been using that new Caching Plugin by Ricardo Galli since April 14th. Which means that my email contact form has been broken since then. Sigh.
The WordPress 1.5 system has a new hook that allows a caching system to be inserted. It’s not a simple plugin that you activate/deactivate. It works pretty well on a plain vanilla WordPress system, but if you’ve added any dynamic content to your site within the WordPress hierarchy, such as an Email Form, then you need to be careful. In my case, the email-form.php file I have uses the WordPress structure…and it gets cached. Which means that form POST does not work, because the PHP never executes.
This also may be the cause of the “can’t leave comments” problem my sister reported.
So I’ve probably lost a lot of email during a critical time, dammit. Beware the Cache! I’ve modified my version to accept an array of files NOT to cache.
UPDATE: I see version 1.5.5 of the plugin has addressed this very issue, so I reverted to that.
- May 1, 2005
Developer-Designer Human Hybrids
May 1, 2005Read more
I like both visual design and computer programming, and I’ve developed my career simultaneously (more or less) along these lines. I admit to feeling pretty good about it, being able to work both with the complexities of coding and the subtleties of graphic design. It imparts a certain freedom, and at times I think I’ve got all the answers. Until I see the work of real designer/developers…then I realize that there is much improvement I have yet to put myself through in order to become world-class. I’m just some punk with a vanity website until then, even as I slide into my 40s :-)
Anyway. here’s my watch list of people who have created unique niches for themselves through the combination of multiple disciplines:
- joshua davis Pretty pretty generative Actionscript programming, wrote a beautiful book to disseminate his technique to the masses.
noel rubin / teknoel Physics major turned ass-kicking visual artist / information / interface designer. Just add Physics to any profession, and it seems to act as a powerful alloying agent.
joel spolsky / joel on software He codes, he opines, and he writes. So what’s the big deal? It’s his philosophy…ultimately he cares about how people interact with each other, and he writes to get the message out there.
keith peters / bit-101 I can’t believe I haven’t come across this fellow before. New addition, still reading.
eugene potapenko A developer with “the eye”. New addition, still reading.
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p>This list will continue to grow.
- April 29, 2005
Quick Poster for the New Media Group
April 29, 2005Read more
We’re having our first meeting this Saturday, so I figure we need a poster.
Originally I was going to make a stylized line halftoned version of some ancient computer, but apparently I no longer have that plugin, nor do I have a Postscript printer that I can manually set a screen on. Oh well. I grabbed a bunch of old advertisement scans from the Internet (particularly 1000bit.net, which has many awesome scans of old computer advertising) and made a collage instead. I need to get some old copies of Byte magazine from that era so I can have my own collection.
The caption originally was something like, “I remember why”, to describe some ineffable draw that all these old microcomputers had on me back in the day, when everything was new and full of possibility. I picked computers that I felt were particularly relevant to today’s New Media scene. Today, all those machines combined have less computing power than a modern cell phone.
Typography has never been my strong suit, so I’ll continue to play with it. I have a higher-res source that I’ll take to Kinko’s after getting some feedback.
- April 29, 2005
Pizza Choppers
April 29, 2005Read more
Jeff forwarded me this great link of artist Frankie Flood MFA Thesis at UIUC. He writes in his artist statement:
I utilize the industrial processes of machining, stamping, anodizing, and powder coating to create one of a kind functional objects. Having worked in an industrial setting, I observed machinists who are highly capable in their field, but unable to appreciate the artistic value of their methods and techniques. My interest in machines and tools and the influence of my working class upbringing is a source of inspiration.
Very cool. I wish I could buy one.
