Author: John Otter

Web 2.0: A Pattern Library: “What Web 2.0 is”
I like webmonkey, and this is a nice article. And the blurb about the author says “Tim Ziegler builds websites in Texas with d2p. He wants to fabricate a giant bicycle-powered gyroscope. He hopes he’s around when the robots all break free. “

I love this bit:

In the old days, you had to code every separate web page, and even code each section of each page with information like what font to use. This is an awful, time-consuming and painful way to make websites.

The trend over the last several years is to make the pieces of websites more and more modular, so you have:

• An external and linked stylesheet that defines all fonts, colors, and other visual elements.
• A handful of display templates, one for each kind of page design.
• A database of information that includes the content of each page as well as meta information about each piece of content (which can be author, “post-on” dates, notes, location on maps, anything).
• A system for throwing all this stuff together on the fly.

The beauty of this kind of system is that the user sees a web “page,” but the page itself reflects the latest content, the latest design, and even can pull in information from other websites or services. Goodbye web page, hello pull-it-together-on-the-fly thing-that-I-don’t-know-what-to-call-yet.

Though spring break isn’t finished yet I just about am. Its been a very good, fulfilling week. I only went to work on monday. As if by magic, Wednesday (or maybe late Tuesday?) I was handed money for a painting that I had nearly given up on. Money came at a perfect time since I was nearly broke from all the spring break festivities. The next day I received a check in the mail for a painting I had sent to an art auction in Altalnta. Also, a friend who’s in town for a few days has confirmed her interest in commissioning a large painting. I’m hoping to get to an art store with her and start on this immediately. If not this week then certainly next. Tonight may hold more spring break antics. Currently I’m cleaning house and catching up on current events.

this morning I received several very nice work e-mails, which was just what I needed after the stuff I went through last week. No gripes today.

I’d like to think it’s rare that I complain about work. I believe my job is great, but once in awhile a day comes along like today that throws me for a loop. [deleted paragraph] I’ll just say there are too many people with hidden agendas who sacrifice quality for quantity. I think I’ll have to change my game plans and strategy. It seems I’ve been playing a friendly game and having fun, while others have been out to win. I should’ve known this from the start, I probably did. I just somehow forgot. Little irritants can create large problems. Maybe I’ve become too invested at work. Maybe I should spend more of my free time figuring out how to get the funds to frame my recent works and travel instead of printing out documents and reading them at home. The underlying gripe is that it doesn’t seem to be paying off for me to go the extra mile, and if no one else is going the extra mile why should I? I know its because I like to. I don’t like knowing only the surface of things, I want to know the background, foreground, inside, the invisible elements, the why. It’s a curse. Somedays I really wish I could enjoy fiction, narrative, television and block-buster Hollywood movies, luckily that sensation doesn’t last long.