« July 2007 | Main | September 2007 »

August 28, 2007

Your Life Will Change

Back in 2001, I started catering after the agency where I worked lost a major client & laid me off. That is to say, whenever a movie mogul, studio or other large, wealthy organization in Los Angeles needed an army of people to serve them dinner on a lawn I was one of the people who got called.

The catering companies always overstaffed so the gigs were easy. Not to mention they paid well and we got to gawk into the homes and workplaces of the very rich & famous. There was always plenty of down time between setting up and tearing down so the catering folks would fade into the darkness and chat to pass the time.

On one of these occasions I crouched between luxury vehicles and smoked a cigarette with a guy named Dax. He had never had a 'real' job in his life. He felt that the nine-to-five model was very stupid because everyone knows that human beings aren't productive for eight hours straight, so why should they be expected to sit there and pretend? He and I saw eye-to-eye on that topic. The difference between us was that he had either managed to fulfill his financial obligations without violating the basic tenets of his principals or made peace with the fiscal loose ends.

For the next six years Dax maintained confidence in his writing and acting ability and continued to build his reputation. He started to land small movie roles and development deals. He persevered through tough times that would have sent most people running for the temp agency. After years of fits and starts, he made an ingenious move and all of his hard work and determination instantly paid off. He did something that would open every door in Hollywood, increase his per movie rate by millions and guarantee him the starring role in at least three upcoming films. Dax made the master stroke that spelled "check" and "mate" in the game of life.

Dax Shepard made out with Kate Hudson in front of paparazzi. Brilliant!

August 17, 2007

Empowered In Evanston

Dear Baby Genius,

I know this sounds crazy, but I think something strange is happening to me. Just recently I've begun acquiring and retaining enormous amounts of knowledge. Every day when I wake up I almost feel like I'm not the person I was the day before. Rather a bigger, faster, stronger and more intelligent version.

Was I somehow born with latent superhuman abilities?

Sincerely,

Empowered
8 months old
Evanston, Illinois


Photo of Baby Genius in his office.Dear Empowered,

Yes, you were! In fact, in the near future your intelligence will eclipse that of your parents. Unfortunately you will continue to be dependent upon them while your motor skills catch up.

Eventually your motor skills will also be superior to those of your parents and your mind will be infinitely powerful. The ability to change the world will rest in the palm of your hand. Be aware that at this stage you will also become your own worst enemy.

Until then, enjoy the ride!

Ask a Baby Genius is the world's first on-line advice column written by babies for babies

August 15, 2007

Cleveland Web Standards Meetup Group Association

Each successive web standards meeting has brought a higher attendance level, last night's being no exception. 23 submitted an RSVP for the evening and about 19 attended.

We're still trying to get the correct venue for these meetings. Impulse, our most recent location, has the casual environment and WiFi that we need but the music is too loud and just gets louder as the evening progresses. I will miss the people watching. Top Gun blended with Saved by the Bell and a dash of MC Hammer.

Our next location should be better. Some of our friends at Cuyahoga Community College have offered to try and get us a room there, perhaps even for the next meeting.

There are enough dedicated members that we, as a group, decided to become an association. Specifically, the Cleveland Web Standards Association. Brendan Cullen will be lending his domain, clevelandwebstandards.org and/or .com to the cause and our meetup organizer, Joseph James Frantz, already has our host machine ready to go.

Bridget Stewart has a pro bono project lined up for us. We'll be redesigning a web site for Seeds of Literacy, an organization that provides assistance to adults in need of reading, writing and math tutoring with the goal of empowering them to advance in society.

The last 1/3 of the evening was spent discussing the brave new world of self-employment. A decent percentage of the group members work from home and many of them run their own businesses. It was exciting to hear about what successful business owners like Vince Frantz and Craig Minch had to say about making the leap and, most importantly, succeeding on your own once you leave the security of your full time job.

August 09, 2007

Migration


IMG_7909.JPG
Originally uploaded by decaturshooter
My old friend Doug Rhödehamel just wrapped up his latest installation. It was in Orlando so I didn't attend, but judging by the photos it was otherworldly.

You can view the whole photo set on decaturshooter's flickr stream by clicking this photo. If you go there, view it in slideshow mode for maximum enjoyment: Set "Migration by Doug Rhödehamel" > View as slideshow.

Doug has been treating Orlando residents to a different perspective of the world for over ten years now.

Dan Ott Latest "CSS OFF" Champion

Here's what the CSS OFF is, in the words of its creators:

Every month, we’ll design a web page in Photoshop and host a competition to see who can turn it into the best web page. The designs we release will present specific markup challenges, along with design and coding considerations for everyone from web newbies to experienced developers.

The point of CSS Off is to make you think critically about web design, and then execute it on a dime. You’ve got 24 hours to take our design and slice it up. Be thoughtful, be creative. Above all, use flexible markup, lean CSS, good design and your best judgment.
This month, 25 solid entries were submitted by developers from all over the world and Dan came out on top. Congrats, Dan!

Dan Ott's personal site.
CSS OFF official site.

August 08, 2007

One Page Web Site

One of my favorite things about web development is the community. There's a refreshing spirit of sharing that I want to contribute to when possible. Part of that is acknowledging real accomplishments when they rear their handsome heads.

Craig Minch is a web developer in Cleveland. We've not met in person, but I admire his talent. One thing he did in particular changed the way I look at small web projects: I'm now convinced that it's OK to propose a one-page web site for a business.

Anyone who's built a web site for a friend or friend's company has faced the "build first, fill in content later" dilemma. The major flaw being that the company never actually gets around to providing the content so the site ends up looking like a new house with no curtains or grass and a couple loose sheets of Tyvek flapping in the wind.

The best one-page web site I've ever seen (and maybe the first I've seen that didn't feature an animated GIF)

August 03, 2007

Frustrated in Solon, OH

Photo of Baby Genius in his office.

Hi. Welcome to the very first edition of my column, "Ask a Baby Genius." Due to the large amount of confusion among the babies of my generation about, well...everything, I've decided to start an advice column that, hopefully, will help them deal with hardships of being a baby. Nobody understands a baby like a baby and we have to stick together. I hope you enjoy it.

Dear Baby Genius,

For my entire life, my dad has carried me into mom & dad's bed when I cry in the middle of the night. The past few nights, though, when I cry for him to come get me he just stands there and strokes my head but won't pick me up. (??!?!)
I seriously need to get back in between them at night - what should I do?

-Frustrated in Solon, OH

Dear Frustrated,

Sounds to me like your parents are trying to make you start sleeping the entire night in your crib. This can become a huge problem because the mattresses in most cribs can't compare with the soft, cozy comfort of a grown-up bed. Also, if you're breast fed like me then you'll lose that instant access which is key to satiating late-night snack cravings.

If your crying in the past hasn't worked, then you weren't working hard enough. Cry harder. If possible - push an arm, leg, or both through the rungs of the crib before your parents come in. If you can't do that, then wrap your blanket around your neck and paw helplessly at it. It sounds simple but it will scare the bejeesus out of them, scoring you a guaranteed pick-up.

Once they pick you up you're in the home stretch. Stop crying immediately and snuggle your face into your parent's chest and pretend to go to sleep. Repeat these steps until they become too terrified to put you back into the crib.

Best of luck!

"Ask a Baby Genius" is an on-line advice column written BY babies, FOR babies.