The cat, she is out of the bag
Well I guess it is now okay to talk about this little endeavour since khaled has seen fit to announce it and all.
Wow, talk about a "dream team" Michael and khaled are both fine designers and I think between Joshua and I we can handle anything code-foo wise that should rear its ugly head.
Hmmmm... I think we should call ourselves the A Team... cause you know they had a smokin van.
So gentle readers, taking a cue from khaled, what are you looking for in a new, shiny improved backend for WordPress? What we will be creating is a top -to-bottom conversion of the admin area. New UI and layout as well as new functions I would imagine. I have some ideas for some productivity functions that I am going to be hacking on, and I know that Michael and khaled will have some technical hurdles for Joshua and I to jump through as well. Should be fun.
So leave your gripes/complaints/wishes for a new UI in the comments here so we can start to get a picture of what we are dealing with.
January 31
I Got the Call
That's right, I got the call from Apple Computer on the 25th of this month. Now what could this call be all about you might ask? Yeah I was asking that too actually, so let's sit back and imagine shall we?
1: Random Chance
Was it finally my moment in the sun? Had some Random Apple V.P. of Something Really Important stumbled across Sillyness and was blown away by my prose and mad design skillz, prompting them to pimp me to his Big Headness The Jobs and now there is a position waiting for me at Cupertino? Will I now be able to have lunch on "the campus" with people like David Hyatt and Dunstan Orchard? Do I get a standard issue black turtleneck and Reality Distortion Field? Or am I under the influence of said field at this moment?
2: What could have been, just may be
Ooh, ooh or was the call in response to my aborted application for the web design job that is now being advertised? Had some Middle Manager of Coolness seen my entry and then on a whim searched out my website thereby starting a chain reaction of ooh and ahhs that culminated in being blown away in much the same way as Random Apple V.P. of Something Really Important from scenario 1? Was this call the first overture of Corporate Courting, complete with a leer jet ride to Cupertino for a more personal interview with the Jobsovian Hordes? Or is a lack of sleep and a lack of artistic fulfillment at my current job leading me to this delusion?
Well gentle reader, to make a long story a bit longer, neither of these scenarios are correct. No, the truth is a completely different scenario all together.
The follow-up call
Having that type of nature that demands mysteries be solved I called the number in my caller ID. And you know who was at the other end of that call? Who picked up the phone and said "Thanks for calling Apple Computer"? A freakin machine that's who.
Apparently Apple was just following up on my laptop purchase, trying to whore me some applecare or to tell me about, get this, Mac OS 10.2... 10.2, seriously people update your freakin automated dialer programs!
Out of Contact
I am in training for the Apache WebServer all this week, so don't expect much activity from me until the weekend.
Groovy stuff, DrBacchus is the instructor, so this looks to be fun. There are 3 other students in the class, one from as far away as Fairbanks Alaska. 5 days of fun, free bsd jokes and coding... what more could you want?
Much ado about themes
I have mentioned themes briefly before, but in light of some questions I have been fielding I have decided to dedicate some time to a proper tutorial. Hopefully we can flesh this out a bit more fully, just remember the mantra: "We write the theme, We love the theme, We are the theme."
WordPress Support for "nofollow"
Well I am sure you have heard about the "nofollow" initiative making its rounds, courtesy of google.
There are no words
In other news I am apparently a Design Ninja! And with that I have joined the ranks of the ninja elite, there can be no higher compliment.
There are just no words to describe the overwhelming coolness that is Apple product releases.
I am blown away. I am undone.
Estafette via NuclearMoose
I usually refuse to memes, but I thought to myself: "Self I says, NuclearMoose sent this one your way, you have to do it." And let me tell you there is no arguing with him, I mean you try and he just crosses his arms and clams up; here is a pic of the last time we had an argument... look at him all arm-crossed and sullen. Jerk.
BlogAid
I, along with many others are participating in BlogAid. While I wasn't "cool" enough to get an invite from Andy (I'm looking at YOU Heilemann! heh.) I do, for whatever reason have a healthy readership.
Charity
All Eyes on Asia
The recent tragedy in Asia has affected the world, causing us all to stop and think what we can do to help.
Bloggers are no different.
I am participating in BlogAid spearheaded by Andy Budd.
I have pledged all the revenue from this site's google ads during the month of January to the cause, and I am adding to that any revenue I get for:
- Persian Donations
- This calendar, from these images
- Any donations I get for my plugins and hacks
- Purchase of images found in Visual Experiments
If you have been thinking of donating for Persian or one of my hacks/plugins then this is the time. There is so much suffering in Asia today, so much that could be stopped or lessened by the kindness of strangers. Now is the time, we talk alot about the power of blogging... lets show the world we do have power by using it to help our fellow man.
Not a big fan of donating to individuals?
If you are more comfortable giving money to an organization rather than an individual I understand, here is a list of those organizations that have the best chance of helping (hat tip: apple.com):
- American Red Cross
International Response Fund - AmeriCares
South Asia Earthquake Relief Fund - CARE USA
Asia Quake Disaster - Direct Relief International
International Assistance Fund - Médecins Sans Frontières International
Tsunami Emergency Appeal - Mercy Corps
Southeast Asia Earthquake - Oxfam
Asian Earthquake & Tsunami Fund - ReliefWeb
Information resource for the humanitarian relief community - Sarvodaya
Relief Fund for Tsunami Tragedy - Save the Children
Asia Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Fund - SEVA
South Asia Emergency Fund - UNICEF
South Asia Tsunami Relief Efforts - US AID
United States Agency for International Development - World Food Programme
Tsunami Disaster Appeal
Parting Words
One of the greatest virtues man possesses is compassion for others. This is the time to exercise your humanity and bestow hope, comfort and love on those who need it most. Please act now, don't wait.
Speaking
-
ApacheCon US
November 3-7, 2008
New Orleans, Louisiana
Register for ApacheCon!
Buy my book!
