December 9, 2010

Application Shopping

I tend to get stuck in my computing habits during the year. So each December vacation (since last year anyway) I've taken to trying out new applications. Here's the list (so far) for this year:

• TotalFinder

  Adds tabbing, docking, folders-on-top, and more to OSX's native Finder.app.

  So far I love it. The docking feature (named "Visor" and not to be confused with their other app of the same name) allows for a Finder window to animate in/out with a hotkey (⌥` by default), or whenever I switch to the Finder app. And with tabs, I don't have to manage 50 different Finder windows any longer.

  It's priced reasonably at $15 and has a 14 day trial period. I'm sure I will be buying it.

• Visor

  I've been learning Git lately (github.com/ryanfitzer) which involves a lot of Terminal.app usage. Like TotalFinder, Visor allows you to dock Terminal to your screen and animate it in/out with a hotkey (^ by default).

  Free and open sourced at github.com/darwin/visor.

• XRefresh

  Refresh your page Firefox whenever a file changes. So, I give a path to my working directory (I use MAMP so it's "/Applcations/MAMP/htdocs") and whenever a file changes, Firefox simply refreshes. No more toggling back and forth between Textmate and Firefox, constantly hitting ⌘r to refresh the changes just made. Working with 2 monitors makes this even easier since I can have Textmate running on one and Firefox on another. I never have to toggle over to see my changes.

  It is composed of an addon to Firebug and Ruby Cocoa (has a native OSX installer). Start the server via the command line with xrefresh-server, open a new Firefox window and watch with wonderment.

  You can also set it to soft-refresh any css updates to avoid page reloads.

  It's awesome, free and open sourced at github.com/darwin/xrefresh.

• Tower

  Since my Terminal skills (mostly it's my typing skills) are pretty rough I thought I'd also try a GUI for Git. I use Versions for SVN and Tower has so far proven to be the equivalent for Git.

  It's currently free and in beta, but it will be priced once they have a solid release. I'm sure I'll buy it.

• Alfred

  Billed as a "productivity application for Mac OS X, which aims to save you time in searching your local computer and the web". And that's exactly what it is. I've used Quicksilver for years, but the original developer ceased updates a log time ago and the community has kept it (mostly) alive (you find a good build at github.com/tiennou/blacktree-alchemy).

  I new I'd eventually have to find a replacement and Andy Clarke posted about Alfred this week.

  It's free and currently in beta. An intersting note on how they plan to make money giving it away for free their FAQ page states [emphasis mine]:

  "We can provide the Alfred core for free thanks to users who support it by purchasing the Powerpack. We also include affiliate codes in Amazon links"

  It's a great model and I'm interested to see it how it scales. I might buy the Powerpack, but I want to get familiar with the Alfred core first.

If anyone has any other recommendations I'd love to hear it.

December 3, 2010

My Starting Point

It's been a while since I've been to my studio. But I am now on a month-long vacation and I have big plans.

Along with the photo compositing I wrote about earlier, I'll be working on a series of works on paper. Here is one that has been ongoing for a long time now.

And a little process.

I'll also get the rest of the India photos posted as my responsibilities start to unwind.

December 2, 2010

Two Sides to the Story of Support

Side one, the Developer

To the question:

"Do the thanks and appreciation go anywhere near compensating the constant e-mail asking for support? What inspires your desire to give without return?"

Alex King responded, in part, with this paragraph:

"In talking with other plugin developers, it seems fairly universal that the reward for a successful plugin is a deluge of support email that includes the worst kind of sense of entitlement, rudeness and ignorance. The community as a whole seems to expect to be able to pay nothing, yet received expert and individual help and support for free."

Every time I've thought of releasing a plugin for WordPress (or jQuery), I've had to think through this same issue. It hasn't yet stopped me from releasing a plugin (I still have yet to release any, but they're in the works), but it definitely stakes a claim in the "How" of the decision making process.

So far I have yet to find a bulletproof solution. The 3 best options I've observed are:

1. Directing all support to the WordPress forums via tagging.
2. Directing all support to Alex King's WordPress Help Center.
3. Create a subscription-based support structure as exemplified by Justin Tadlock's ThemeHybrid and Ingenesis Limited's Shopp Plugin.

Even with one (or all) of these strategies in place, there are still going to be issues. Mostly, that you're not able to fully recoup your efforts managing support work (via payment and/or hours that could have been devoted to coding). Plus, it's not really that enjoyable, for either party.

Side two, The User

As a WordPress user, relying on free plugins that provide little or no support can get frustrating very quickly. I started using WordPress in 2005 and later joined the community in 2006. Not long after, I realized that relying on the free, forum-based support model was unsustainable. As a result, I quickly began contracting developers to write plugins I needed.

Most users would be surprised to find that the cost of contracting a plugin is minimal, especially when compared against time spent in the forums asking and waiting for help. The range for a plugin (one that doesn't need to reinvent the wheel) is around $100-$400. I realize this price range could be prohibitive depending on your financial status, but I wasn't making much then (first job out of grad school and a heap of student loans).

To be sure, the forums are a great resource, staffed and frequented by a lot of excellent and helpful people. I owe them for a good bit of help and have contributed back over the years

Choosing a great developer is key. Their reputation and hourly rate isn't necessarily indicative of your potential cost. Great developers work quickly and have a vault of stored solutions they've developed over the years that will directly benefit your project's budget. An inexperienced developer charging half the hourly rate may take 4x as long to complete the job. Not to mention that the code quality may have you needing frequent fixes and upgrades as WordPress evolves.

A few points in support of my opinion:

• They're normally willing to give you a flat rate. This avoids any surprise overages.
• They'll usually provide free support, especially if they feel it was their mistake or that they could have written the code to be more forgiving of certain edge cases.
• They tend quote lower if your idea presents good challenge. Developers love to be challenged.
• They usually will not charge for time spent learning something needed to code your solution.

Regarding choosing a great developer, start by contacting the most prominent names in the plugin community. I've never had to go further than contacting 3 people for a given project. The best ones are always busy, but if your schedule is flexible you'll have more luck.

Small disclaimer, I am currently using Alex King's WordPress Help Center for 2 large pieces of client work.

November 29, 2010

Some Links I Want to Check Out

In need of a blog dusting, here are some links I'd like to check out.

From AddyOsmani.com

• Essential JavaScript And jQuery Design Patterns – A Free New Book

  Hey guys. Today I’m happy to announce the release of a free book I’ve written called ‘Essential JavaScript & jQuery Design Patterns For Beginners’. Design patterns are reusable solutions to commonly occurring problems in software development and are a very useful tool to have at your disposal.

• JavaScript 101 – A Free 10 Hour Audio Course

  Hey guys. Today I’m happy to announce the release of a free 10 hour downloadable JavaScript audio course for beginners called JavaScript 101. This is a course you can listen to at your own pace and covers many core JavaScript fundamentals ranging from the basics to syntax, objects, ajax and it also includes an hour of training on jQuery.

From Rebecca Murphey

• jQuery Fundamentals

  The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of the jQuery JavaScript library; when you're done with the book, you should be able to complete basic tasks using jQuery, and have a solid basis from which to continue your learning. This book was designed as material to be used in a classroom setting, but you may find it useful for individual study.

From Andy Clarke

• Working on MobiCart

  Andy shares his files and technique on using Dropbox as a client-friendly versioning system. The code contains his use of HTML5 and CSS3. Seeing this in an actual client project from a veteran like Clarke is a great opportunity to learn real-world use-cases for the new and upcoming specs/modules.

November 18, 2010

A Brief India Update

So much for my plan on keeping a day-to-day journal. My workload has pretty much kept me from doing any non-work related stuff during the weekdays, other than seeing India from the back of a taxi. Although, I did have a great driver, Srinivas, who helped me learn a little more about his country. Here are a few pics from Monday, day 2, from my 2 week trip to Bangalore, India.

This is the business park where the office is located. On the walk back from some really horrible coffee, I grabbed a blurry image of women recycling cardboard. The cardboard is neatly stacked, tied and balanced on their heads. Some stacks I saw were probably 3 feet thick.

Some of the language differences amused me. "Stick" felt so harsh, while the below text reading "Defaulters will be Prosecuted" felt a bit formal.

These little hole-in-the-wall quickie marts were everywhere. And they always had a monkey-sized batch-o-nanners hanging around.

From what I could gather, this was a little morning/evening pit stop for hungry commuters. I passed it every morning and evening. Always a good crowd.

An "Auto Rickshaw", or simply "Auto" for short (I asked, cars are simply called cars). Loud as shit, feisty as hell in traffic and a consistent belcher of black, sooty exhaust. I spent waay to much time behind these things. I'm sure I lost a few years of my life as a result. Next time you see me, just disregard the extra nostril on my forehead.

This woman, from I could tell, was employed as grounds keeper. When I snapped this I just thought she was picking up the pretty orange flowers for some decoration. The nicely woven basket sure didn't seem like a receptacle for trash. That still might be true as a lot of the cars, bikes and buses sported beautiful strung flowers across them, most likely for Diwali. But, as I drove by each day, she was doing other, similar tasks as well. Yesterday, as a result of a big rain, she was scooping water out of large puddles in the street and pouring into the bushes using a cutoff water bottle. A we drove by, Srinivas made sure not to splash her as she stared me down with a look of indifference. It was difficult to meet her eyes.

November 9, 2010

India | Sunday | Day 1

I'm in Bangalore, India on a 2 week trip for my job (web development) and am trying to keep a log of my thoughts and experiences.This is the first installment of images, with more to come.

This is my first time out of the US (except for Niagara Falls, but that doesn't count) and am looking forward to seeing a totally different culture.

View from the window outside of my room.

begin rant

The flights from LAX -> Heathrow -> Bangalore were pretty cramped (23 hours in total), but not as uncomfortable as I’d imagined (I'm not a small dude). There was a seat hustler (my own term) trying to get my bulkhead isle seat with some story that he just wanted to sit next to his brother. Or at least that is what I thought he said. He was grinning ear to damn ear while explaining, so I couldn’t really make all of it out. My inner Samuel L. Jackson was screaming “Yeah right, motherfucker!”. I later realized he didn’t even know the other dude. He got me back by hitting me with his fat ass/fanny pack every time he got in and out of his seat.

I’m going for the upgrade on the way back.

The cabs here = fucking mad men! It’s no wonder, the highways have yellow and black racetrack striping on each side. My guy was doing 120+ kilometers/hour all the way here. Usually not a big deal as it’s around 75-80 miles/hr, but there were cars and motorcycles all over the road. I knew inner city traffic was bad here, but I didn’t realize they also drive like nut-jobs on the highways. (If your name is Becky Fitzer, please skip to the next paragraph). We almost got smushed by multiple buses and came about 3 inches from taking out a motorcycle with 2 people on it. And I actually mean 3 inches. I was pretty scared during that one. Not too mention the numerous red lights he ran and dirt shoulders he drove onto to get in front of everyone so he could run said red lights.

And the horns? WTF!? They beep at each other like a fucking forest of birds during mating season. When it comes to the art of driving like shit these guys make American cabbies look like my damn grandma, R.I.P.. And why do they have to straddle the lanes... constantly? Is picking a damn lane for wimps? I asked one of my Indian counterparts and he responded sarcastically with "what do you mean, lanes?".

end rant

So, I’ve gotten about 3 hours of sleep in the past 42 hours. I’m sure the above made that clear. I hope I will crash tonight so I can get right on schedule sans lag. My chances are very good.

Saw my first head bobble! Man, it's such a weird mannerism. At first I thought it was just something done for foreigners sake. It has a very non-committal quality that would work well to put one at ease when you had no idea what they were saying. But, they also respond to each other they same way. It's more convoluted that I thought. I look forward to many more.

Everyone is so polite. Feels weird as it has the opposite effect on me. I feel like I’m imposing even more. I guess it’s all that genetically inherited colonialist white man’s guilt.

The classy vinyl wood flooring in my room (its uncanny resemblance to cheap-ass maple is exquisite) is freezing cold. And what I can only imagine is a cruel joke, the flexible Styrofoam® slippers they provide to walk around the cold floor barely even fit on my big toe. Needless to say, but my feet feel like little 5-headed kings.

The hotel buffet is great. The Indian food is very good to say the least. Plus, it came with a complimentary head and shoulder massage. The masseur spent most of his time on my head and I walked out of there looking like some hairsprayed-up glam rocker from the 80’s. Even worse, I went strait to the bathroom and then walked through the hotel lobby with the barn door wide open. My employer's reputation is in good hands.

It’s very green and lush here. Plus we are having a lot of rain. I have yet to see all the Bengalore skyscrapers. I feel like I’m pretty far away from the city. Hopefully there are some places to walk to.

Anyway, good so far. Looking forward to meeting all my team members on Monday. I expect to be greeted by a sea of smiling mustaches. They take their facial hair very seriously out here. The hotel valet (really nice guy) looks as if chia pet exploded on his mouth. As an added bonus, he reminds me of every sword-wielding villain from Indian Jones.

Waiting for my new hairdo/massage session.

It was Kids Day and the hotel had some entertainment, an Indian musician who played mostly Eric Clapton (and sounded dead-on) and a potter. I couldn't wait to give it try. The wheel is made with an old tire (the thick outer ring) and is powered by a big pole that fits into a hole where you spin it around.

My pots are the 2 big ones in the back. He liked to fix my "mistakes" which was pretty interesting how are techniques differ. When I tried to make a shape I liked, he would interrupt with a "no, no, no" and do a little Ghost move putting his hands over mine. I really wanted to take my shirt off at one point. He was great and let me play for a bit.

Little desserts from the hotel's $56 buffet. They were very pretty and yummy.

August 29, 2010

Photo Compositing

Scanned and altered photograph

Among all the projects ongoing (and collecting dust) in my studio, I've been thinking about a photo series as well. With the recent purchase of a Hasselblad and the long hours at my day job, making photographs has been the most accessible creative output for which I've been able to make time.

I use my cameras for many reasons, but one that has been standing out more often is that of recording something I later want to use in a drawing. The process has been feeling less successful lately. While the photos have been making more sense, the taking-things-from-photos-and-trying-to-replicate-them-on-paper part hasn't been working out. It's just felt like poor copies, some part never quite transfers to the paper. It could be my lack of proficient materials handling (I really suck at it) where in I'm actually trying to replicate something instead of just pushing materials around until I'm pleased with the result. Or it could be that whatever it is I'm trying to transfer loses all integrity when outside of its environment. It's probably a little of both.

So I thought that maybe what I really want is to draw on the photos directly. To this end, friend and coworker Cris Stritmatter was nice enough to give me 2 hours of his time to show me some of the techniques for photo compositing in Photoshop. The above image is the result.

Layer blending, layer masks and brushes haven't really made their way into may skill set in all the years I've been using Ps. One of the hardest parts will be losing that "photoshopped" feel. That wasn't necessarily the goal of Cris's demo, but I believe it will be the most challenging piece. The suspension of disbelief is key for these to be successful.