Commentaries
Ramblings, Musings & Noise
Writings (hopefully useful) that are likely verbose and just don't fit into any other category.
- T-Shirts! Get Your Microformats Made Simple T-Shirts!
- 1 comment
- 03/11/2010
- Show your love for microformats at SXSW, and you could get one of these t-shirts! Photo by NDesigns.net If you're going to be at SXSWi this year and you dig microformats, find me! You could win a free Microformats Made Simple t-shirt! The rules are simple: Find me at SXSW (rel="met" is a requirement) Do two of three things: Answer a microformats trivia question. I will have a handful of cards with questions. You pick one. Show me a site …
- Going Back for SXSW Seconds
- 9 comments
- 03/02/2010
- To say I had an amazing time at last year's SXSW would be an understatement. So, of course, I'm going back this year. I'm taking the same approach this time around: flexibility. I'm not planning anything. Yes, I want to make it to Happy Cog'aoke 2. Yes, I want to be sure to catch Stephen Anderson's panel, The Art & Science of Seductive Interactions. Yes, I want to hit the frog design party. But stuff happens … hangovers, running into …
- Microformats Made Simple: It's a Keeper!
- 02/17/2010
- It's time again for me to pimp my book, Microformats Made Simple. In case you don't know, Microformats Made Simple is 291 pages of easy–to–read explanations of and easy–to–understand markup examples for 20 microformats. It covers benefits, challenges and new developments. It focuses on semantic markup (POSH for you geeky types). But best of all, it includes my amusing, yet still pathetic, attempts at humor. It is, simply put, awesome. And you must buy it. Now. But I realize that …
- Microformats Workshop Summit
- 1 comment
- 01/08/2010
- I'm honored and excited to be giving a three-hour microformats workshop next Friday, and I hope you can join me! Microformats Workshop Summit Friday, January 15, 2010 9:00 am – 12 noon, CT Individual ticket: $250.00 Meeting room: $700.00
- All I Want for Christmas
- 2 comments
- 12/23/2009
- It has been just over two months since my book Microformats Made Simple went on sale, and I am now calling on the folks who have purchased or received a gratis copy. I need Amazon reviews! I'm not going to beg and plead for good words about my book. I'm not going to tell you what to say. I just want to know what you think. Whether it is good, bad or indifferent, please add your two cents to the …
- Take The Survey
- 12/15/2009
- I have but one question for you: Are you a web professional? If the answer is yes, then take The Survey for People Who Make Websites.
- Feeling #00f
- 11/30/2009
- It's that time of year again. When web geeks get even more geeky. When standardistas pat ourselves on the backs. When I take to my all–too–comfortable soapbox to preach the good word about web standards. It's the 3rd annual International Blue Beanie Day to promote web standards and accessibility!
- So, I Wrote a Book: Microformats Made Simple
- 4 comments
- 10/19/2009
- Seven months ago, I posted the first article in this series, announcing that I had gotten a book deal. I was thrilled and excited for the new adventure. During the months of writing and editing, the thrill and excitement faded; replaced by stress, frustration and a growing realization that writing a book just isn't something that I would ever do again. Now, about a month out from completing the book, my emotions have shifted yet again. The stress is slowly …
- So I'm Writing A Book, Part 4: The Editorial Process & Design
- 4 comments
- 09/30/2009
- As I write this very sentence, I am writing without stress. Without looming deadlines. Without anything more to do with the book. Yep. I'm done! Which means it is time to finish up this book writing series. In the first three articles, I explained everything from how I got the opportunity to the proposal to the contract to the actual writing. Now it is time to dive into the editorial process. I'll also give you a sneak peak of the …
- It’s All About Me!
- 08/26/2009
- Some of the things I've been working on have gotten a bit of attention outside of my blog, so I figured a shameless self-promotion post was in order. Because, it really is all about me.
- So I’m Writing A Book, Part 3: The Questionnaire, The Templates & Getting Started
- 6 comments
- 07/01/2009
- I can't believe it is July already. Which means I've been writing my book for three months now. That's even more astounding to me than how quickly those past three months have flown by. July 1 also means that I have under two months to finish said book. While I would've figured that would have me even more stressed than I've been, I'm actually just relieved. It is almost over. I can do anything for seven weeks. You may be …
- Happy Anniversary, A Blog Not Limited!
- 6 comments
- 06/20/2009
- One year ago today, I started this blog. It has been a crazy year, and A Blog Not Limited has been a major part of my life during that time, so I figured a bit of "reflection" is in order. Before I dive in, I must give a huge shout-out to my buddy Chris Kenworthy who spent some time messing with my Google Analytics (and, no, that is not a euphemism) to give me some statistics about this blog's first …
- The Next Level
- 5 comments
- 04/23/2009
- Ever since I started this blog and became active on Twitter, my professional life has taken some dramatic (at least to me) turns. Before, I just had a job. A rather unsatisfying job. And while I still have that same (soul-sucking) job, I'm much more satisfied in my professional life. Why? Because I actually have a career now. Just looking for the presentation details? Feel free to skip right to them.
- So, I'm Writing a Book, Part 2: The Topic, The Proposal, The P&L and The Contract
- 5 comments
- 04/17/2009
- When I announced I was writing a book, I mentioned that I intended to write a little series about the process. For the most part, this series is for me: I have a tendency to forget details and suffer from a "can't see the forest for trees" syndrome. I'm hoping by documenting what happens as I write this book, it will help me remember and appreciate. But I also like to think that anything I learn during the writing of …
- Findings From ALA's 2008 Survey: My Two Cents
- 3 comments
- 04/12/2009
- The results are in from A List Apart's 2008 Survey for People Who Make Websites. And the findings aren't all too surprising, not only based on the previous survey's results but also just from my own experience working in this field.
- I Survived SXSW: The Diary
- 12 comments
- 03/31/2009
- It's been under two weeks since I returned home from SXSW '09 Interactive and I'm only just now recovering …. Recovering from 6 of the best days I've ever had in my life. As I predicted, my first year at this conference was all about the people. Of the hundreds of panels I could've attended, I only saw four. And I don't feel even slightly bad about it. My dime, my agenda. If my employer ponies up the fundage for …
- Webuquerque: A CSS Survey
- 03/12/2009
- Webuquerque hosted its second event last Wednesday, "A CSS Survey: From Syntax to Rounded Corners." Once again, we had a great turnout with about 20 attendees. This time around, Webuquerque co-managers, Emily Lewis (that's me!) and Jason Nakai presented. Here's what you missed if you weren't able to join us.
- So, I’m Writing a Book
- 9 comments
- 03/04/2009
- Yeah, you read that right. I'm writing a book (holy shit)! Crazy! But so very awesome. And exactly the sort of thing I hoped would happen during the course of my career as a web professional.
- Poppin' My SXSW Cherry
- 3 comments
- 02/26/2009
- In exactly two weeks, I'll be heading to Austin, TX, to attend the SXSW '09 Interactive conference for six days of socializing, partying and, oh yeah, probably some learning. This will be my first year attending, and I'm (finally) starting to get pretty excited.
- One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
- 02/20/2009
- I started the 100 push ups program back in early July 2008. It is now 7 months later, and I still haven't completed the program. Crazy, I know.
- Introducing Webuquerque: A Success!
- 2 comments
- 01/22/2009
- Last night was the inaugural event for Webuquerque, a new Adobe User Group for New Mexico web practitioners, and it was a great success! Over 25 people attended Introducing Webuquerque to learn about the new NMAUG group and our 2009 schedule, meet some of the presenters and other attendees, and win schwag.
- Webuquerque: A New Mexico Adobe User Group for Web Professionals
- 2 comments
- 01/15/2009
- I'm excited and pleased to announce that I am co-managing a new Adobe User Group for New Mexico's web professionals: Webuquerque. While this is a post to introduce and promote this new group, this is also a personal post. So indulge me while first share some history (or jump to the deets on Webuquerque).
- It’s Bacon’s World. We Just Live In It.
- 01/08/2009
- Back in early November 2008, Chris Harrison, Jonathan DeLaigle and I launched BaconTwits, a site that pulls Twitter entries that reference "bacon."
- The State of the Web: Survey Results
- 2 comments
- 01/07/2009
- A few weeks ago, the folks from Web Directions and Scroll Magazine launched The State of the Web 2008, a new (hopefully annual) survey to help collect data about the industry and its professionals. The results are now in.
- I'm Feedburning, So Update Your RSS
- 3 comments
- 12/10/2008
- I decided to give Feedburner a try a week or so ago. Why? Curiosity. I want to know how many folks subscribe to my blog. I definitely know there are four (thanks to my mom, my sister, my boss and my best friend), but perhaps there are more. Oh shit, I just rhymed. I'm a poet and didn't know it. Okay, enough. Today my friend Jason Beaird posted that he, too, had moved his feeds to feedburner, and he bothered …
- My Weekend With Upgrade NM
- 2 comments
- 12/08/2008
- This past weekend I participated in Upgrade NM, a 24-hour "code sprint" where local web developers and designers volunteer to build a web site for a New Mexico non-profit. (Thankfully it wasn't 24 consecutive hours, but 8am–8pm on both Saturday and Sunday.)
- The State of the Web: A Survey
- 1 comment
- 12/03/2008
- One of the more frustrating things about the web industry is the fact that it is comparatively new and, as such, there is an overwhelming lack of data about the industry and its professionals. There is ALA's Survey for People Who Make Websites, which is in its second year and focuses a fair amount on the HR aspects of the industry, including salaries, benefits, job titles, responsibilities, etc. Then there is Opera's MAMA research, which focuses more on web sites and …
- Rockin’ a Blue Beanie for Web Standards
- 5 comments
- 11/28/2008
- Today is the 2nd annual Blue Beanie Day to promote the awareness of web standards and accessibility. Of course, as a self-professed standardista, I just had to participate.
- Getting Semantic With Microformats, Part 7: Themes & Issues
- 4 comments
- 11/20/2008
- According to what I planned when I introduced this series, we are at the end of this thrilling and exciting journey into the world of microformats. And after spending all this time reviewing specific implementations of microformats on A Blog Not Limited, I didn't want to just end the series without some sort of conclusion. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I'm not ready to conclude this series. There are still more microformats that …
- Back on Track … Finally
- 11/04/2008
- As I've blogged previously, I've been doing the 100 push ups program. And, as I've also blogged previously, my progress has been slower than the program's "advertised" six weeks. Yet, I've been extremely pleased with my (slow) progress. From my first exhaustion test of 9 push ups, I've more than quadrupled my maximum with an exhaustion test of 41 push ups. I hit a plateau along the way, stuck at a max of 33 push ups for almost 7 weeks. …
- 15 Minutes
- 5 comments
- 10/20/2008
- I was always suspect of this pop culture nugget: “In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.” — Andy Warhol, American artist I mean, seriously, everyone? Well, perhaps he was right — at least in some regard — because I'm a "Designer in the Spotlight". Yeah, I'm totally famous now.
- Getting Semantic With Microformats, Introduction
- 4 comments
- 09/05/2008
- I'm an organizer with a sometimes frustrating need to pay attention to the smallest details. It shows itself in my home: my DVD collection of over 500 is organized alphabetically, as is what's left of my CD collection. I spend hours in iTunes assigning genres (because the defaults just aren't good enough for me) and creating playlists for over 10k songs. My books are organized by genre. My dresser drawers and closets are pristine. It is just me. This personality "quirk" …
- Web Accessibility Is Important
- 08/28/2008
- The National Federation of the Blind v. Target lawsuit was settled this past Wednesday on the following key terms: By February 28, 2009, Target.com will be fully accessible to blind users. Target will pay $6 million in damages to claimants.
- Plateau
- 10 comments
- 08/27/2008
- As I posted previously, I'm doing the one hundred push ups challenge: a six-week program designed to get me able to do 100 consecutive push ups. I am now on my seventh week.
- Fellow Web Geeks: Just Do It
- 07/29/2008
- A List Apart's 2008 Survey for People Who Make Websites is here.
- Midpoint
- 5 comments
- 07/28/2008
- It has been three weeks since I started the one hundred push ups training program, which is the halfway point. Here's an update on my progress and what I think so far.
- The Forest for the Trees
- 3 comments
- 07/03/2008
- Since my last post, my main goal was to implement comments. Simple enough, no? Technically speaking, the process for allowing comments in ExpressionEngine is simple. That is, unless you are a person who is picky or anal-retentive or has a tendency towards over-thinking. In other words: Me. For me, it has been an exercise in frustration. While I did manage to get comments working, they aren't working as I would ideally like them to work.
- Turning a Corner
- 1 comment
- 06/25/2008
- It has been three days actively working with ExpressionEngine, and I think I'm turning a corner. Note the tense: "turning" not "turned." Things are starting to make a little more sense to me, and I'm more comfortable manipulating the templates and admin features. However, I suspect I still have a fair amount to grasp before the proverbial "light bulb moment."
- And So It Begins
- 06/20/2008
- This is my first blog post on my first blog (isn't that special?). I set up an account with ExpressionEngine in March 2008, and I am finally getting off my lazy ass to make this thing a reality.
