Web site fixes, new features

Web site fixes, new features

On the iPod - "The Fine Art Of Falling Apart" - Paint It Black

I've fixed the problem with the CSS that was effecting the display on several browsers. I hadn't noticed that when I had modified the copyright information in the footer of my static HTML pages, that I had reset the margins in some way. This problem was rectified by using a 48% margin from the left to return the page to center.

Don't you feel better for knowing that? Also, I wanted to let you know that soon, I'll have finally finished the photo galleries that I had intended on creating some time ago for the site. I just needed to think of the best way to display them without allowing them to be taken. I've solved said problem by going to a Flash based solution called SoundSlides.

I had experience with SoundSlides when I was working Monroe, but hadn't been aware that a PC version of the program had been developed. I bought a license for my home computer and the work machine and am already hard at work on cranking out a few galleries. I like this solution as an alternative to a lot of the crappy slideshows that are oh, so prevalent on the MySpace profiles (sorry darlin').

At any rate, keep your eyes peeled, but don't let them dry out. I'm full of empty promises lately.

On Web 2.0

On iTunes - "I'm On Fire" - Bruce Springsteen

I've been doing a lot of reading lately on Web 2.0. The reading led me to thinking about the wealth of information available on the Internet, how the changes that have occurred in the last five years have affected our privacy, how we communicate and how we interact with our world. I wrote about it in my Web World column today. I've posted it below.

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One of the qualities of the Internet I am most fond of is access to research and shared content. There is never a shortage of weird news or items that intrigue me.

For instance, did you know that Lipstick kills?

Research done on manual dishwashing performed at The Ohio State University found that food left on dishes after washing harbors bacteria, but lipstick can have "antimicrobial" properties.

Other research that has really been intriguing me lately is that done by Michael Wesch, associate professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University. Wesch studies media and produced this little beauty and posted it on YouTube.

The video shows us the evolution of the Internet, the evolution of HTML and the Web to the mysterious Web 2.0. And if you still don't know what Web 2.0 is, the short answer is that you are Web 2.0 because you are the editor, organizer and gatekeeper. It's a fascinating concept, but really makes you think about privacy, sharing and the shrinking world.

If you're looking for more of a theoretical analysis of what Web 2.0 might mean to media outlets as we know them, I highly recommend Epic 2015, an interesting mockumentary about the merging of Google and Amazon. It details the rise of Google and predicts what might happen in 2015, a year where the press doesn't exist. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem all that far off to me.

Can the press exist with Web 2.0.? We can now all broadcast our own thoughts via podcast, publish through blogging, share through RSS and open our entire lives via Web 2.0. I'm interested; what do you think?

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So. What do you think? Leave me a comment.

On being busy.

On the iPod - "The Boy's No Good" - Lifetime

My apologies for being really, really busy. I have a few things to touch on, so let's get right to it.

First and foremost: MySpace. Yes, I deleted my personal profile. I'm working on a new page that I will use solely for business and marketing purposes. I have a lot of reasons for deleting my personal account, the main one being that the people I was writing or commenting to on a regular basis are already directly touching my life in some way. Everyone else was hanging on to threads that were long frayed anyway. And, to be perfectly honest, I don't have the time, energy or will to give anyone reason to hang on to a fading heartbeat.

It's never been a secret to anyone I'm close to that I go through periods of extreme isolation and that I eschew relationships on a fairly regular basis.

Now, on being really busy. I have a wedding I'm in the middle of planning with the finance (not a typo, that's what I call her. It's endearing), working solo in a three person department and dealing with a fussy dog and a few personal demons. Thankfully, most of that is melting like a lot of the snow here in the mitten. The wife-to-be will soon be home and I can get some sleep again.

In design related news, I'm plugging right along on learning Flash, Dreamweaver (you'd think I'd know that one by now) and the ins and outs of my new CS2 Suite. I've also got a new client that I'll tell you all more about in a future post.

So, that's my quick update. I have also been reading a lot when I can't sleep. I have some articles to reference throughout the week, so this shouldn't be static for long. Also, I'll clean up a few pages around my own site. I'm getting an off center display on some machines and browsers. Are you seeing things dead center or are they off to the side? Comment and let me know.

Thanks.

MySpace daniel j. is dead, long live daniel j.

I've destroyed my MySpace pages. Wanna know why? Check in later this evening. I have a plethora of reasons.

Htting the road

On the iPod - "Pony's Last Trick" - The City on Film

I'm hitting the road for Kirksville this afternoon. I'd be lying if I said I really didn't enjoy the drive. It's one of the few times I really tune out the rest of the world, my work week and all of the other problems I'm facing. I enjoy the time, the vast areas of farmland I pass in Illinois and the quiet of Missouri roads between Hannibal and Macon.

Of course I love seeing what I've got at the end of that trip as well. It's going to be a fantastic weekend. I can just feel it. I'll blog when I return home on Monday.

Fate is not always fair.

On the iPod - "Fear is a man's best friend" - Channels

I'm usually not one to get preachy or latch on to causes, but J. Robbins (an amazing person I've met on more than one occasion in my obsession with punk, indie and hardcore) is facing something absolutely horrible. I first met him when he was a member of Jawbox back when I was about 16 and subsequently starting talking with him after shows when his bands, (Burning Airlines, Channels) would play in Detroit.



J. and his wife Janet (two of the founding members of Channels) had their son Callum in January of 2006. As Callum began to develop, he began missing some of those "normal" development milestones. They learned through subsequent visits with specialists that Cal was born with a genetic motor neuron disease called Type 1 SMA, or Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

This disease is a child killer. Most Type 1 babies will die before their second birthday. Those infants who survive into childhood are in for a long road of occupational therapy, wheelchairs, and assistive devices.

As I'm sure you can imagine, J and Janet need some financial assistance. I'm not telling you to do anything, but if you'd like to, visit DesotoRecords.com/cal and do what you can to help or at least get the word out.

On packaging.

On the iPod - "Summer Skin" - Death Cab For Cutie

It's snowing in the city. And as beautiful as I think a snow covered Detroit can be, I hate driving downtown in the stuff. The drive to work was particularly hectic today, and my only saving grace was some fun things to design at the office and some interesting posts on the news wires and on my favorite daily stops.

One of those stops led me to an interesting article on the often linked by yours truly PingMag.

The article covered packaging practices in Japan and other Asian countries. Anyone who knows me even reasonably well knows that I'm fascinated by Eastern art, philosophy, marketing and advertising practices and culture.

What I find most interesting about the marketing and advertising campaigns (and the design of packaging for that matter) in this region is the dedication to some wild color palettes. Asians seem to have affections for the brighter colors, are more accepting of cartoon mascots for everyday products and seem more adept at handling numerous stimuli attacking the rods and cones in the eyes.

I'm actually longing for a trip to Japan, if nothing else than to people watch. Sure, I'd love some real sushi, would jump at the chance to take in a Dharma talk at a real Zen temple and would be giddy at the different technology, but just taking it all in and immersing myself in a visual playground is very appealing.

I know a lot of this packaging would never make it stateside, but it's still fascinating, as someone who appreciates interesting design.

I've got maps.

On the iPod "Mr. Ambulance Driver" - The Flaming Lips

One more update for the day before I start watching Sunday night cartoons on Fox. I added myself to Jade Tree Records' MySpace page a few weeks back. A lovely young woman from Pittsburgh made a comment about the photo I had added to said profile while marking my location on the map. After doing a little looking into things, I thought it might be fun to add a map of my own to the Contact area of this site.

Below is a screen capture. Go add yourself if you'd be so kind. I like to know who's eyes are prying. Good night.

On Jackson Pollock, Art.

On the iPod - Little Red Rooster - Sam Cooke

A fellow developer and old friend recently referred me to Very Short List a nice little page dedicated to high and low culture and Web gems. They were the ones who provided yesterday's link to The Go! Team's video for "Junior Kickstart." Well, I've got something from the same page for today as well.

They linked to a Jackson Pollock related site. At Jacksonpollock.org you can create your own Pollockesqe work thanks to the wonders of Flash and the inspiration of an Etch-A-Sketch.

It's a nice little site if you're looking to kill of time while waiting for a finance who swears she wants you to wake her up at 8 a.m. but then fails to wake up despite repeated phone calls to Missouri. But it also got me thinking about "Art," more specifically, the "art" of Jackson Pollock. Personally, I don't see what Pollock did as being particularly brilliant. Full of torment? A little bit off? Yes. Full of artistic vision? Not in my opinion. Is it art? I would say so.

While many in the art world believe his work is "brilliant" and "beautiful." I experience crap on canvas. But that goes to show how subjective "experiencing" art can be to the appreciator. I love the work of Joel-Peter Witkin, who can be considered off in his own right. The photographer uses the remains of human corpses to recreate baroque scenes, wildly distorts his negatives and then prints.



I love the work of Witkin and certainly see it as art, but is "Art" itself inherently subjective? I would argue that no, it isn't. Of course we experience art in a direct and tangible way that can be expressed in specific emotions. But that isn't any different from how we experience everyday life.

Our emotional reaction to an artist's work has nothing to do with whether it is art or not. It is quite possible to set aside our personal prejudices and evaluate art for its qualities rather than merely how we react to them at a personal or emotional level. That's how I feel about Pollock. I personally think his work is crap and that it doesn't do anything for me aesthetically, but his technique, vision and methods can very much be considered as artistic.

More music videos

On iTunes - "Junior Kickstart" - The Go! Team

I was surfing a little bit this evening, stuck on The Go! Team, when I came across the band's video for its fantastic song "Junior Kickstart." Not only is it a great video, it features Ms. Pacman. You just can't get more indie than video games from the 80s.

Happy Saturday.

On Wedding Web sites.

On iTunes - "In the Sun" - Michael Stipe

I've been subjected to a lot of "wedding" stuff lately. My best friend is getting married here in Detroit at the end of March, and I'll be in the wedding party. I suppose this is also just as good a forum as any to let any of the rest of you who don't already know - I will be getting married in 2008. I proposed to my wife to be on the 20th of January. If you feel offended for not knowing sooner, don't. I'm just keeping a low profile these days and am trying to stay focused on other things.

But back to the topic at hand.

I should first point out that I think weddings are a racket. But despite my thoughts on this, I've been subjected to viewing many of the "popular" online wedding destinations.

First up: theknot.com.



Yes, I know every woman loves this Web site for "how easy" it makes planning the big day. Still, let's take a good hard look at this design and what it is attempting to convey.

The problem with the Knot is that it's trying to cram way too much information into one space. It's sensory overload. Newspaper sites like The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have similar problems. The "My Knot Tools" area along the left hand navigational bar should really be moved to the top. I always praise top navigation sites, but if the site's designers are insistent on using the left navigation, they should move those to the upper left. The current navigation on the top is more for bridal searches. If you need a gown, place etc. That is the stuff that should really be in the left.

I come to this conclusion because most users are using theknot.com for building a wedding web page. Yes, it's used for planning, shopping, etc. but the overwhelming use seems to be for building individual pages like the one belonging to the aforementioned best friend.

I like some of the features, but am of the opinion that the knot's design sort of sucks. Solution: I will build my own wedding announcement Web site via danieleizans.com.

Next: brides.com



Now this site is more of what I think a well designed, thought out Web site should be. Brides.com has a nice, eye-catching graphic in the upper left landing space that immediately grabs the attention of the user. They have navigation running not only across the top, but across that attention grabbing image. There are numerous ways to get to the key areas of the site and the information is organized into logical dhtml tabs that expand upon mouseover. It also has planning functionality and numerous tools for the busy bride to be.

So far, I prefer the look and feel of brides.com. But thankfully, I don't have to do too much of that upkeep. I'll write more about these wedding sites in the coming months and as I become exposed to them. I'll also provide a sneak peak to my own wedding page when I get closer on the color palette and font choices.

That's all for now.

On the quiet.

On the iPod "Cannons" - Jeremy Enigk

There really is nothing quite like a quiet newsroom. Normally, these are busy, bustling places. People yell, swear, demand copy and hurriedly push news to wires, pages and Internet tools. This morning I walked into a bit of a ghost town. Apparently there is a meeting somewhere that I'm missing. I couldn't be happier.

I quickly linked in the iPod and put on my current musical obsession – which is actually a blast from my past – Jeremy Enigk. His voice has been very soothing to me lately. And to be honest, I haven't been too up on much of the music I used to be so passionate about. I've been less passionate about music in general. Jeremy's latest album "World Waits" has been one of those albums that has reminded me why I began loving music so much in the first place.

It's an ethereal, soaring record with extreme highs and lows. The record is a perfect alone time record for me, so when I had the shot at a quiet newsroom, reflection and Enigk, I jumped. I feel so much better about being here already. Some days I forget how powerful music can be to your psyche. If there is a God, it truly is a special gift.

On iPhone

On the iPod - "Sound As Ever" - Track A Tiger
Below is one of my recent columns. Drooling for the iPhone.

Contrary to some of my readers' beliefs, I'm actually quite fond of a lot of Apple products.

I've been an iPod user for years, have long been a fan of the iLife suite's flexibility for audio, video and image management and have been using a MacMini for some personal projects in recent months.

All that is aside from the fact that I'm of the belief that Mac offers much more stable operating systems in comparison to Microsoft's Windows platform.

Still, nothing has gotten me more giddy than iPhone. Everything is still spec, but the geeks at Apple have managed to cram a computer, phone and an iPod all into one deliciously small device.

Visit the site above. I can almost guarantee that you'll want to toss your Blackberry, Blackjack or your Treo out the window.

It senses when you flip it over, organizes your phone book like you organize iTunes. It's not in production yet, but the possibilities are more than exciting for a geek like me.
Apple iPhone will be available in the state this June for $499 or $599 for the 4GB and 8GB models respectively with a two-year service agreement from Cingular. You can bet I'll be waiting outside my local Cingular store for a trade-in.

And if you're curious about what other metro Detroiters like in the way of their phones, Crain's Detroit Business did a nice addition to our wireless section this week. Click here to read the main section story, and here for the skinny on your peers phone habits.

And if you still can't find something you like from the links above, you can always check out Mobiledia.com. The site reviews just about every available cell phone on the market and offers numerous links to plans and outlets to buy the next driving distraction of your affections.

On Video.

On the iPod - "Never Meant" - Owen

Lately, I've been learning a lot more about online video and video production. This recent venture into this recent venture into yet another new Web-oriented medium was born out of necessity to learn Brightcove's user interface. I've basically been learning how to convert QuickTime (.mov) and .avi files into Flash Video format (.flv). Brightcove has the capabilities of doing this for you, but I've been learning how to compress raw digital video files through Sony Vegas 7 Platinum Edition.

What I've come to find out is that Sony Vegas Platinum Edition is about as crappy as Sony's products. In retrospect, I wish I had Adobe's Premire or Final Cut Pro to work with. At any rate, all this focus on new video got me in the mood for checking out more video online.

Yesterday, I stumbled across a Bright Eyes video done by Cat Solen. I fell in love with its simplicity and its beauty. I'm not particularly a huge Bright Eyes fan, but it even made me like the song. Click on the image above to launch a clip.

More on video later tonight.

On patience.

On iTunes - "Wonderful" - Josh Rouse

I've been yearning for a game of chess. I think it's the angles, logic and the strategy that goes into it. I like picking things apart to the most basic of levels, whether it's someone's defenses on the chess board or in their ability to navigate an argument.

I think missing Vita (the at times aforementioned better half) has me missing the game more than usual. I've been teaching her since just before the holiday season. And while it is still apparent that she has some things to learn, she has the makings of a fine chess player if she'd learn to be a little more patient and to look a few moves ahead. That comes with time. It's something I learned only after years of being the mop for my grandmother's superior play.

Chess taught me patience, and how to wait for the right moment to strike. There are so many parallels between life and the game of chess that it's frightening. Every time I play, I look back on the impatience of my youth. In my younger days (as young as 12 and 13) I was preaching the benefits of Communism and Communitarianist thought to Grandma. She forced me to defend my ideas in the same way I had to defend my king with a rook and a pair of pawns.

I found myself reflecting on the same lessons this afternoon, right before I flew off the handle at someone in regards to a Web issue. I sacrificed a little time and humility in lieu of being able to fight another battle another day. As little as two months ago I would have flown off the handle. I'm happy that my old lessons have started to reappear in my 20s when I need them most.

Sorry for the soapbox. I'm just taking a moment to reflect on a tough day. Oh, I have labels (see the end of this post) and individual archive pages working for the blog. I had the template set up all out of whack. I believe this blog should be much more functional now. I'll also start posting some of my "Web World" columns from work from time to time as well. I'm not sure if I'm legally allowed to do it, but I'll check into it.

See you tomorrow.

I'm a mad hatter...

On the iPod - "Sunday Papers" - Joe Jackson

This morning, I awoke to what I could have sworn were gunshots. It turns out, said noise was actually exploding cans of diet coke. I neglected to bring in about 12 cans of the stuff (which belong to my girlfriend, not me) and the extreme cold we've been experiencing in Michigan finally did them in.



Needless to say, cleaning up 12 cans of frozen, exploded coke was no easy task, especially with a Labradoodle lapping away at the contents and razor sharp cans. Nothing like feeling frozen for an entire day thanks to a 5 a.m. disaster. Today has not been a good day.

I always say this... but...

On iTunes - "Wonderful Thing" - Garrison Starr

I need an outlet. The writer in my is screaming, pounding on my insides and pushing my veins out as strongly as my rising blood pressure.

I'm finding myself drinking coffee in the evenings again, shying away from designing Web pages and yearning for the feeling of ink on my fingers as opposed to the clicks and clacks of computer keys.

I gave up on my novel about 7 months ago. It has become incredibly stagnant and gone into a hibernation of sorts. I have found that I don't want to write music and don't really want to play shows. I haven't even dusted off my guitar and two of them could use a good restringing. I'm not sure why, but it feels like that part of me (the musician that is) is really becoming more of my past.

But there is something in me. I just need a medium. I really, really need a medium.