Failure in Web Development and Deployment: Pizza Hut

I eat a lot of pizza. A WHOLE lot. At any given time in my apartment you can usually find at least 2 empty pizza boxes, quite often more (yes, I am a bachelor, and yes, I do work late hours). You can imagine my joy, as an Internet-obsessed credit card holder, when online ordering became common amongst my favorite pizza joints.

Papa Johns came first - great service, only a couple small hitches. Nothing exceptionally fancy or crazy about the UI, and it all seemed to work well. Eventually they added credit card processing, which made it all the better - even though they had autocomplete on for the CC field (big no-no). Not sure if it got fixed yet, but I made sure to report it once I noticed it.

Pizza Hut finally started offering online ordering in my area recently, and I enjoy their breadsticks, so I gave them a go. The look was slick - smooth AJAX interface, attractive UI. I placed my order, and waited. Pizza Hut is notoriously slow for delivery in our area, so the hour and 15 minute wait wasn't surprising. When it was delivered, however, I was presented with a conundrum - I filled out my check for the order price reported to me from the website, plus tip. Problem was, the bill the pizza guy brought to me was 5 bucks more - and was also missing my breadsticks. He says to call the manager and they'll hook me up, so I go ahead.

The manager informs me that online ordering NEVER works right - some items don't get on the order, and the price is always wrong.

They problem is, it has been since they launched it here, apparently.. Yet it is still live, without any warning that it doesn't work properly.

See a problem?

I sure do.

-WFL

MySpace: It Sucks.

Yeah, I said it. MySpace is an unworthy hole in society that seems to suck in nearly all of us who are social, anti-social, hip, online, or any other descriptor you see fit. I don't even want to link to it, dare I increase their search engine viability any more (if that is even possible).

I have been a MySpace user for a few years now - I have 3 profiles. Some would call it overboard, but I call it proper usage - two are band profiles (one for my neoclassical/blues/jazz/rock music, another for my industrial/neoclassical fusion work), and one is a profile for promoting myself as an artist. Therefore, I think I have a good amount of insight as a user regarding the suck-factor of MySpace.

I'll try and keep this short, and in no particular order.

• The code is quite obviously a monstrous pile of steaming crap. Downtime, regular unexpected maintenance, exploits galore, and much more.
• Profile customizability was found in the form of bloated CSS hacks until only recently, when they finally started offering prefab templates. Beyond that, the fact that MySpace still uses table based layouts shows the sad state of web design in the mainstream world.
  
• Mobile accessibility is a nightmare - try interacting with it on your PDA. Sure, they offer cellular access, but I'm not about to waste my money on it - and I'm sure much of the userbase (aside from the teenagers who don't pay their own cellphone bill) isn't willing to, either.
• Spam is so prolific that you (well, men at least) will spend more time weeding out webcam girl friend requests than actually interacting with real human beings. Of course, that is assuming that he can figure out that the girl who thinks he is a stud is really just trying to get him to buy some Viagra, or something else that is commonly promoted through spam. This goes for band profiles, too.
• For some reason MySpace still hasn't figured out that you might actually want to automatically subscribe to someones' blog if you add them as a friend (aside from bands, of course) - there is no setting for this. Why not? With every friend request I have to click "Subscribe to blog", and confirm that I REALLY want to do it. I firmly believe Vista's "Confirm or Deny" was inspired by MySpace.
• MySpace's blog system still has problems with "alternative" browsers and "alternative" OSes. I try posting a blog to MySpace in Firefox under Linux, I get switched to a lesser editor.
• The advertising doesn't serve the users. I'm sorry, but I'm insulted by the fact that they allow crap like "You've just won a free iPod!*" and more.

That is my rant about MySpace, and why I'm leaving her for someone who is a little more mature. I already use Facebook for my personal profile, and am looking towards Virb.com for my music.

That concludes my rant.

Link Discussion: "Misprinted Type" and "I Love Typography"

The two most recent additions (as of this post) to my links on the sidebar are Misprinted Type and I Love Typography. Here is a small summary of the two links for your consumption..

Misprinted Type is the home of talented artist and type designer Eduardo Recife. You will find some of his work in use on this site, even - the headings for the sidebar were created using the freely available typeface "porcelain". Eduardo has a number of other free typeface releases, as well as a series of very attractive commercial releases. If you have a passion for grunge typography, you owe it to yourself to check out Eduardo's typeface work. Don't forget to browse his portfolio - he has some incredibly creative works on display on his website.

I Love Typography is a blog about type. If you are curious about typeface design, the designers behind the type faces you see, or how type should be used, you owe it to yourself to bookmark, subscribe, digg, and whatever else you do to this blogs of this caliber (hopefully it isn't trolling). I myself have discovered a number of typefaces I will be purchasing as soon as I can afford them from reviews on this site.

That's all. Keep an eye out for more commentary on my links in the future.

-WFL

Added some linkage.

I launched this blog with the intent of continually modifying and upgrading it, much like Classicwfl.com. Recently I've added my Twitter feed and some links to the sidebar. Go check em' out. I'll continually update the links when I get time (I've got plenty more to share), and also give descriptions on occasion.

Speaking of Classicwfl.com, I'll hopefully have the content layout done in an aesthetic manner (and have part of it rewritten) soon. After that, I'm off to rewrite the NGNCMS, which is the CMS I developed to help me manage my websites. I realize it is bad form to launch a redesign that isn't complete, but the face-lift was rather important at the time, more so than anything else.

Thank you, drive through.

-WFL

The Bands~n~Fans Interview

Today I was interviewed by a local music promotion group that's home base is located on MySpace. Here is the Q&A that went down..

1) What are your short term and long term goals with your music?

Short term: Finish the new blues album, the new industrial album, sell em', and promote em'. Just to see if I can actually build a fanbase on paid music again (I need money, bad). I'll still be releasing stuff for free through various means, and will give away CDs locally, though.

Long term: Work towards actually scoring out my classical pieces, do a few more theatrical scores (I miss doing that), actually learn how to play piano (rather than improvise in a few keys), play live.

2) We all know you are sexxxy...why are you single?

No idea. Just keeps happening. It used to be attractive to be a starving artist and musician, but not so much nowadays. I keep my eyes open, but can't seem to generate any real interest anymore.

3) What music artists have inspired you throughout the years?

B.B. King, Holst, Son House, Trent Reznor (NIN), Vivaldi. KMFDM for my early RMT stuff.

4) You record and produce all of your own music...what equipment do you use and how did you learn?

When I first started, I used Modplug tracker to sequence instruments I couldn't play, and do percussion. I'd record outboard instruments using Cooledit Pro 1.2, straight into my PC. Now I use Reason 3.0 for percussion, orchestra, and everything else I'm not playing outboard. I still use Cooledit Pro 1.2 to record outboard instruments. I used some amp-simulators on the PC (guitarsuite FX), but now I use a Johnson J-Station for my amp sounds.

As far as outboard gear goes, I use an EV mic (can't remember the model, but it responds like an SM57) for acoustic guitar and vocals. Guitars wise, I play on a B.C. Rich Platinum Bich that is falling apart (great neck, good body for a classical playing position), a Jay Turser JT-RES (electric resonator, mostly for my blues/slide work), and a Ventura classical guitar (cheapy, but plays fairly well). I've got a few dirtboxes that are either discontinued or modded by various FX modders, too.

That's the short list :) I still use an old Rogue 20 watt bass amp live, because I can't afford better. Most of my gear is assembled by buying stuff on the cheap. I've got a somewhat out of date list here.

5) What kind of music do you listen to on a regular basis?

A variety. Right now my playlist features Saul William's new album, NIN's Year Zero, some Eric Sardinas, Einsturzende Neubauten's various works, a lot of Robert Johnson's works, and I've recently been getting back into KMFDM. nearLY's "Reminder" also manages to creep into my playlist when I feel like listening to a "one big piece" album. Aside from that, I'll usually throw in Brahm's German Requiem, or some Holst. I'll also regularly go back to my really, really early recordings and try and figure out why in the hell I thought that was a good idea at the time :)

6) How did you learn to play instruments?

Self taught, aside from trombone (which I had to quit due to TMJD - about 13-14 years of hard work down the drain, now). I spend at least an hour a day practicing, sometimes 3-4. Scale theory plays a big role in any instrument I play - once you learn your scales, you can do a lot.. improvise, build chords, figure out good basslines, etc. Never did the book thing. Just worked to apply my classical and jazz training as a trombone player to any new instrument I play.

7) How does your TMJ syndrome affect your work?

Well, I was pretty close to a professional level at trombone (had the chance to tour Germany as the bass trombonist for a concert band - director and his wife called me personally for it - but I instead chose college :)), until I got TMJD. Now I can't play for more than 15 minutes without pain. Any other instrument I play tends to not be affected, however. Singing can be difficult when my jaw locks, but I'm trying to work around that. Otherwise, it has influenced my music fairly significantly - The entire first half of "Completion" was practically about TMJD and stress.

8) You are very multi talented...you are a photographer, you do web design, you write, record, and perform music, and so much more...If you had to chose one career that payed well, which would it be?

Something that would allow me to do it all on my schedule, and also give me an avenue to help people and promote the dissemination of accurate information.

9) What are your favorite songs by yourself? Why?

"Tone Poem for Janaina" was a great accomplishment in my book, as was "A Late Reprise". "Baby Makes Me Cry" was a great delta piece that I really enjoy listening to. From my really old recordings (Rusted Metal Tears era), I still pop in the self-titled track on occasion. Other than that, my favorite stuff is the stuff that I haven't released yet :) Either from my new blues album, my new industrial album, or songs that I've written as gifts to the people I love.

10) Why don't you perform more...like in bars or coffee shops, etc?

People don't want to hear a guy playing to a CD, and I can't afford to gather all the people and gear I'd need to accurately reproduce what I do "in the studio". I'm working on that, though - the new blues album is being written with the intent of playing it live, and I've gotten a few requests from venue owners to play, so once it gets done (and I collect the people), you'll get to hear me do some live blues. Also, a lot of people just don't go for instrumentalists anymore, or stuff that is focused on the music rather than the words. That's why pop music is so popular.

Anything else you would like us to know?

I'm a (passionate) Christian, but I'm not a Christian Artist. God (in his incredibly enigmatic nature) infiltrates all of my creative works, and my life, but I refuse to label myself using Christian as a genre to sell music (basically). I will not sit here and try and force people to believe what I believe - I just hope that my creative expositions will serve to show people that you don't have to wear khaki and follow the theological doctrines of man in order to believe. Be an individual, think, study, etc - I don't recall God saying you have to accept the words of man to be Truth (in the theological sense). Also, If anybody sees me out at a bar or at Java Jive, feel free to swing by and chat :)

I'll close with a line my old vocal instructor used to say often - "Better to be vulgar than non-existent".

-WFL

Real blood sacrifices to report what is happening..

..and they aren't even professionals.

(image credit AP/CNN)

Another Chinese blogger faced consequences recently when trying to cover an event of importance. China has been known for its lack of love for bloggers and other potential avenues for online dissent, but that hasn't stopped many from trying to get the word out to the public and share information that would otherwise be censored through official media channels in China. Others have become motivated to aid Chinese bloggers, giving them an outlet not controlled by the Chinese Government.

These people risk their own lives to bring you the news - through a medium many reporters won't touch, still yet.

Stop waiting until your daily publish time to get a story out. Consider teasing it through a blog - or even better, publishing it online right when the story is done. I still can't fathom why many local newspapers can't get it in their head that they don't have to publish online just like they do a regular newspaper - people want their news, and they want it now. The online medium has given them an avenue to pursue it, but many news outlets have failed to embrace it.

-WFL

Album Review: Jimmy Eats World's "Chase This Light"

(This review was written a number of months back shortly after the release of "Chase This Light")

That's right, I'm listening to a Jimmy Eats World album. I'm on the last track - and since I'm writing this review while listening to it, you can safely assume that I don't think highly of it for one big reason..

It doesn't require any real thought to listen.

I'll break the review down into ADD-friendly pieces, so bear with me..

#1: The production. The entire album is mastered like any pop album - loud, pumping. There are practically NO DYNAMICS in this album - just loud. Take this album, and compare it to a quality recording of Holst's "Mars" (yes, a concert band piece). Of course, since this is a pop album, and is under Interscope records, it's obvious that it is designed to sell (obviously, Jimmy Eats World is selling, since they actually THANK their label in the liner notes - which means they managed to recoup the investment the label put in, even considering the dirty methods of Interscope). Loud sells. Sad, but true.

#2: The musical structure. I'll start with the good - plenty of harmonies, and some creativity with vocal structure and lead guitars. The bad? Everything else. 2 measures of one chord, 2 measures of another, 2 measures of another, usually even 8ths. Ad nauseum. The bass line only deviates from the root of the chord to lead into the next on occasion. Some of the progressions in the chords don't even make SENSE - see "Electable". It feels like the guitarist is just getting bored with standard major progressions with power chords and decided to change something somewhat musically sound and drop one or two chords half a step. As a supplement, also check out the lead in to 1:00 on "Here It Goes". Ugh.

#2.5: (2 was getting long) - more musical structure. I'm so sick of the verse-bridge-chorus-verse-

bridge-chorus-verse-chorus-chorus structure. It's a crutch for pop artists, and they need to stop - now. It's as if they spend their entire lives listening to what gets played on pop radio, and decide that's how to write music.. Oh wait, this is a pop band. Sorry.

#3: The lack of flow in the album. There is no obvious (or mildly subtle) progression of the songs. It's just a collection of stuff with the same vague pop themes put forth by bands in this style.

#4: Vocal melodies. Like many pop vocalists, you can hear the lead singer clinging to a single note in the scale like a blanket - he'll pull away every so often, but keeps climbing right back to it. No variation. Granted, he isn't given much room in the overall structure, but.. c'mon. Play a little more. It's not BAD, per se, but I know better could be had.

#5: Did I mention the album is loud? Even the quiet stuff? The strings in "Gotta Be Somebody's Blues" lose a lot of subtlety with the heavy compression they use, and it is depressing.

#5.5: "Gotta Be Somebody's Blues". Why, oh why, does the rhythm guitarist have to be chained to 8th note strumming? This song could be redeemed with a little creativity - even just arpeggiating the chord would be enough, maybe with a little freedom in the tempo.

Finally, I would like to say that there was one song I liked on the album. "Chase This Light" has a beautiful style that reminds me of some better pop-friendly songwriters (Trent Reznor's early stuff, and Jerome from neARLY). The chord structure works very well, and feels musical. Nearly all the criticisms from other songs on this album actually FIT here in this song (sans the loud part - please, just give me a little more in the dynamics dept).

In conclusion, I don't want to say I hate Jimmy Eats World. No. I hate the producers, I hate Interscope records, and I have a mild distaste for Jimmy Eats World. If it weren't for the profiteering of the record labels, managers, and producers in this world, we might actually have a great album right here.

Actually, I also blame the consumer, to an extent. Not their fault, though - not everybody wants to actually think about the music. Sure, they'll consider the meaning of the words, but you'll notice I left out any criticism there - I think that the lyrics are "ok". Well written, decent meaning in a few, but nothing spectacular.

I want more art. I want more meaning in the music - the melody, chords, and how it all comes together. This is nothing more than glorified poetry to a lute, to put things in a very blunt manner.

An open note to Jimmy Eats World - Jimi Hendrix pushed against his record label, guys - take a lesson from him (don't do the drugs thing and screw up the music, though). Look at artists like Radiohead, and Saul Williams. They are producing and distributing their works aside from the record label, and doing WELL! The music is over half the cost of a copy bought in a record store (on average - they actually allow you to pay what you want, or not pay at all, to download their new albums).

That's a business model to be proud of. Get off your butt and make make music - don't let other people tell you how, when, and who will be allowed to enjoy it.

-WFL

Album Review: nearLY's "Reminder"

This album is simply beautiful - it is interesting to note Jerome's progression in his branching off from Nine Inch Nails. This album has a dark folk feel with lots of headroom in the sound - the instrumentation is almost entirely acoustic, and is very crisp. SUPERIOR usage of orchestral instruments in a rock style. It isn't exactly Industrial, but it has a percussive feel like a full on Industrial album. I guess what would classify this as Industrial would be the techniques used in playing the instruments, and some of the sound engineering.

Musically, I really enjoy it. There are a number of deviations from rock progressions, and Claudia's voice is just perfect for the album. Chord progressions have a post-modern neoclassical background, but aren't completely unapproachable to the casual music listener. The fills in chord progressions by the "structure" instruments (rhythm guitar, piano, strings) feel very inventive, and maintain the listeners' interest, rather than being predictable (which is a fault of many modern popular artists).

Dynamics really shine, and were captured well in the studio. I'd love to hear them live.

Jerome approached this album with heart and intent. It is an all encompassing piece, itself - Fans of the early experimental NIN works, or Einsturzende Neubauten's album concepts should enjoy the effort put into this album.

There are a few areas where I feel the bridge/chorus/verses were just changed for the sake of change, and didn't really add to the progression overall, but I can forgive that sort of thing in this day in age. Most people in the music industry don't seem to have any reliable composition background - Jerome has been involved in music for nearly all his life.

I do wish he would have pushed harder in his experimentation with time signatures - the intro to Blackwing doesn't feel complete. However, I can understand the desire to maintain something a little more even, with the introduction of the left hand piano part. The even beat in an easily approachable time signature (3/4) aids the audience in capturing the piece in their mind without having to over analyze the structure.

Overall, the album has a delightful blend of instrumental and vocal works, with a mix of styles reminiscent of a musical without the theatrics. A beautiful story, well told.

-WFL

Cellphones are the new lighters: How music fans became music consumers and killed the artist.

(Photo-manipulation created from images by jatakuck and smitea)

Once upon a time, you used to be able to gaze out into a crowd during a popular ballad and see dozens, if not hundreds, of lighters. That was back when fans were fans - they loved the music and the artist, and were showing their support in a common way.

Now, the artist can rarely expect to see such love; the glow of cellphones and recording devices litter their view during what they might consider the pinnacle of their creative endeavors. The majority of music "fans" can no longer be described as such - they are deal hunters. Exploitative capitalists. Consumers looking for a product on the cheap.

Recently, Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame) produced Saul Williams' new album (which is very good, I might add). They opted for an online release, free of any record label, and gave fans the option of paying $5 - or paying nothing - in order to obtain it. Their confidence in music fans was sorely misplaced, it would seem, as only 18.3% of downloaders chose to pay.

I've chatted with a number of people - fans of my own music, friends, and even people involved in a creative profession - and discovered that an overwhelming number of people feel that you shouldn't have to pay for music anymore. Many feel no remorse about downloading the latest and greatest using various illicit means, and never sending the artist a penny for their work.

What causes this apathy? What causes people to care less for the livelihood of the artists? I thought it was hard enough convincing people to stop buying CDs from RIAA-affiliated record labels (due to their oft unethical, or even illegal means of controlling artists and the industry), but now that fans have an out, it seems that few are willing to take it. Major music providers are finally offering DRM-less downloads, which means fans will finally be able to listen to their music when they want to, and how they want to, without obnoxious restrictions.

It gets even worse. If you take a quick gander at YouTube, MySpace, and other video providers, you will find numerous bootlegged live concert videos. Of course, thanks to the slow advance of audio recording tech in cell phones, the quality is so abominable that most people would balk at using such content as a legitimate replacement for purchasing genuine live DVDs, but given time, I'm sure that artists will need to find a new way to earn a living.

At least producing music is getting cheaper, otherwise most musicians wouldn't be able to afford to create the product that consumers want.

The artist is dead. The fan is dead. Long live the industry, and the consumer.

-WFL

From Productiv: Secure Surfing, e-mail, and more using SSH

Many readers here probably know about SSH. Back before I learned about this useful little trick, I would do my surfing using Lynx on one of my shell accounts whenever I was on an insecure network. No longer is that necessary; this article will show you how to set up an SSH SOCKS proxy that will work with any program that allows usage of a SOCKS proxy.

First, you need 2 things;

1. An SSH client (Linux/BSD/UNIX users know where to look; Windows users should check out PuTTY)
2. A shell account with proper tunneling permissions – this can be a bit difficult to obtain (most free shell account providers don’t allow proxy usage, nor do shell accounts that come with Linux/BSD http servers). I recommend setting up a dedicated box @ home for this, or finding someone you trust online who already has a box for this purpose.

Once you are ready, we can move on to setting everything up..

Linux setup

In Linux, BSD, and any other UNIX-like environment, this is a fairly simple affair. Just type this command into an open terminal:

ssh -D 4567 username@server.net

where username is the username of your account, and server.net is the domain name (or IP) of the server. You can use any port above 1024, instead of 4567.

Once you enter your password and are greeted with a prompt, you can skip down to the software configuration section of this article.

Windows setup

Open PuTTY (see the list of requirements above for a URL). You should be greeted with a configuration screen. First, you will enter the hostname or IP address of the SSH server. Type in a name for your connection settings in the box below “Saved Sessions”, and click the Save button.

Now you need to look at the tree of options to the left; expand the SSH tree, and select “Tunnels”. Enter 4567 (or any port number above 1024) in the Source Port area, and click the Dynamic radio button to select it. Leave the Destination field blank, and click “Add”.

Now go back to the Session tree (very top of the left section), and save again.

You will be prompted to enter a username, which is the username of your shell account. Type that in, hit enter, and then type in your password when it prompts you.

With any luck, your SSH proxy should now be running, and you can move on to the software configuration section.

Software configuration

In order to use the proxy, you must configure your programs to use it.

In Firefox, go to Tools -> Options -> General, and click the “Connection Settings” button. Check “Manual proxy configuration”. Now enter “localhost” (minus the quotes) in the SOCKS host field, and put the port number we set earlier in the Port field.

In Thunderbird, go to tools -> Options -> Advanced, expand the “Offline and Connection Settings” tree, and click “Connection Setings”. Select “Manual proxy configuration and enter localhost and the port number into the SOCKS host field, just like you did for Firefox.

For GAIM, go to Tools -> Preferences, and select the Network entry in the menu on the left. Under the proxy section, select “SOCKS 5”, enter localhost for the host, and enter the port number you specified earlier. Leave username and password blank.

Conclusion

Using SSH to set up a SOCKS proxy is a great way to ensure solid encryption for general networking, but it isn’t perfect. If you decided to open a packet sniffer and see the result, you will notice that DNS resolution requests go out unencrypted, meaning people can still see what websites you are visiting (or at least the domain name). Regardless, this is still a useful way to keep people from capturing sensitive information such as passwords.

For those with slower connections, you can use the -C command line option to use SSH’s compression (gzip).

As well, (supposedly) in newer versions of firefox, you can enable the SOCKS5 to also perform DNS lookups via about:config and adding network.proxy.socks_remote_dns to true. This makes your browsing completely transparent. I was unable to get it to work, however, and DNS requests went through like normal.

From Productiv: Introductory Logo Design

Designing a logo (either for yourself, or for a client) should be, in my educated opinion, a serious undertaking. There are a number of things to consider when it comes to creating a proper branding - local, national, or global, translation to various mediums, mission statement of the business, target audience, and ensuring that it is as timeless as possible.

Some good examples of well done logos that you should research would be ones for AT&T, Nike, Pepsi, Coca Cola, and Apple Computers.

Once you've had a chance to look over the aforementioned logos (don't worry - I'll wait), I'll discuss a few elements you need to consider in designing one yourself.

Ready? Good. Here is a short list of some of the most important (in my educated opinion) elements in logo design.

• Typography. It isn't just about choosing the right fonts - it's about choosing the right spacing, line height, and general arrangement. It is also important to be cautious when reviewing existing type faces - some, while interesting, may not maintain a steady appeal for long.
• Pick 3 or 4 things you (or your clients) want to convey, and stick with them. These should encompass the basic theme of the business - family friendly, cutting edge, down to earth, etc. You can even focus on emotional/psychological responses, such as sincerity, devotion, and trustworthiness. Be cautious about getting too specific, though - too many subjects, or too specific a subject, can become a detriment in the creation of the logo, and can easily be lost within it.
• Whitespace doesn't always have to be filled with something. It isn't uncommon for branding usage guidelines to include requirements on whitespace around the logo, to make sure that it isn't lost in advertising or product design.
• Methods of display. Don't forget that your company's logo may be printed in newspapers, magazines, and more - and sometimes, the print quality may not always be quite what it should. Having multiple versions for various printed mediums (using as few plates as possible in CMYK or RGB printing, for example) is never a bad idea, and can also aid in creating variety and assisting product/advertising designers in coming up with aesthetic products and displays without being limited to a select shade.
• Don't just design the logo in Photoshop, or some other raster format. Having a vectored version of the logo is CRITICAL in newspaper printing, especially if your logo uses just solid colors and type.
• Have a few colleagues as well as non-artists of various backgrounds participate in criticism for the first draft, and subsequent revisions. It goes without saying that you aren't the end-all genius of logo creation, and that even you may miss something, or make a poor choice.
• Avoid rushing any changes, if at all possible. Whenever a client, or your review board asks for a revision, and you aren't under a deadline, take a week or so to analyze the suggested changes, to be sure that you aren't swayed by attractiveness before cohesiveness.
• Logo designs shouldn't (in my opinion) change more than once every two years, approximately. Even then, any changes you make should be minor revisions, such as typography, or updating to match a changing industry and client base.

Don't forget to do more research on the subject. Later on I may publish more detailed information on the subject of logo design, but even then, consider other professional opinions if you are new to the field.

-WFL

From Productiv: Photo Management using BASH

Here is a nice and lightweight shell script I slapped together recently (warning: it is a little rough) to help me manage my photos when I'm out on-site with the laptop, and need to backup the shots and clear my memory cards before the next set.

Note: you'll need to tweak it for your needs (for different file extensions). Usage is simple - run the script, and it'll tell you how you screwed up.

#!/bin/bash
if [ -z "$1" ] || [ -z "$2" ]; then
echo enter the source directory, and the target directory - date folder will be created automatically.
exit
fi

srcdir=$1
trgdir=$2
datedir=$(date +%m%d%Y)

mkdir $trgdir/$datedir
mkdir $trgdir/$datedir/RAW
mkdir $trgdir/$datedir/jpeg
mkdir $trgdir/$datedir/etc

cp -R $srcdir/* $trgdir/$datedir/etc/

mv $trgdir$datedir/etc/*.JPG $trgdir$datedir/jpeg/
mv $trgdir$datedir/etc/*.ORF $trgdir$datedir/RAW/

That's it. Hope you find it as useful as I do.

-WFL

From the History of WFL: "Like having a functional computer?"

Like watching DVDs? Like listening to your favorite band's new CD? Like having your computer run as fast as it should, and not crash?

Too bad.

There is a good (well, not for us) chance that the gov't will allow businesses to install software on your computer to monitor your usage, collect data, and prevent you from doing things such as backing up your music or DVDs, or even PUTTING MUSIC ON YOUR FAVORITE MP3 PLAYER!

What, you say "Oh well. As long as I can still watch my DVDs", "As long as I can still listen to my music in my car", or "as long as my computer works", and expect it all to be true?

The new proprietary DVD formats that are being pushed to mainstream have rather extreme forms of DRM - Digital Rights Management. Stuff that makes sure you aren't trying to copy it in any way, shape, or form. The big problem with that is not every player will always be able to play it. Heck, we already have a big problem with new DVDs being released not being able to play in old players.

DRM on music CDs have been common for a few years now, too. Many older CD players can't play a lot of these new formats, and in some cases, the music labels aren't allowed to place the official "Compact Disc" logo on their CDs because they aren't actually following the standards, and aren't playable on many consumer devices!

Lets not pass up an opportunity to discuss the Sony CD DRM, which created a huge security hole in your computer by installing software discretely when you played an audio CD with it, which could be used to install spyware, or malware. That is the stuff that makes your computer run low, and puts porno on your desktop when you didn't actually want it.

Think once it is implemented, everybody will get all the bugs worked out, and everything will be hunky dory? Wrong. Within days of a DRM format becoming available to consumers, it is usually defeated by people who want to be able to make a copy of their DVD (to keep the original in mint condition, or otherwise), or play their music on a home-made mp3 player (it actually isn't hard to make one). Then, Big Business will get upset, and will change the rules for DRM again - and you'll have to buy all new hardware all over.

This has been a problem for a number of years, now. Are you going to get off your butt and care about your privacy? Your right to use the products you buy? Or are you just going to lay back, accept it, and shell out a few hundred for a new DVD player for home, a new CD player for your car, and a new mp3 player that can only play 1/3 of your music library?

These changes don't have to happen. People used to stand up for their rights as consumers - Remember the Boston Tea Party? Yeah, that actually happened. They weren't lying to you in history class. Don't repeat history. Don't let it get so bad that we have to fight an uphill battle to get our rights back. We can do things now that are cheap, easy, and legal in order to prevent this disaster.

-WFL

From the History of WFL: "Another Blog on American Linguistics"

Here in America, we have allowed our language to be warped so much that translation is incredibly difficult. There are numerous phrases we use that have become distorted much like what occurs in a game of telephone. For instance, when someone says "I could care less", they really mean "I couldn't care less". Saying you "could care less" gives the partner in the discussion nothing to accurately gauge how much you care - you are actually saying you DO care, at least to some degree.

Another interesting conundrum isn't directly related to linguistics, but rather, social nature AND linguistics together.

I just recently got in a conversation with someone. We met earlier, but they never spoke to me. I just discovered why - Apparently, I was incredibly attractive in their eyes. The irony of that is the fact that attractive is essentially defined as having a quality or qualities that make you approachable, or draw people or things to you.

There are numerous facets of American Linguistics that warrant analysis. It is a shame that we (as a culture) don't have the motivation to move forward and improve our ability to communicate. In fact, we tend to take many steps back as we progress into the future. Our children are unable to write papers anymore using proper English. I myself, someone who has a deep appreciation for the written word, will find myself making dumb mistakes regarding my own writing.

Sadder days are ahead for lovers of communication, I'm sure.

-WFL

From the History of WFL: The Stigma of Digital Art

Many people have an intense disdain for digital art. Those whom I have talked to think digital artists let the computer do the work for them - just type a few keys, punch a few numbers, click randomly, and BOOM! Fake Warhol.

If it were only that easy. Sure, people can take a photograph, open it in Photoshop (or The GIMP), run a few filters, and it looks like a piece of crap (relatively speaking). It looks like what people perceive as digital art, in many cases.

Some older art fans even think that fractals printed on a dot matrix printer is what digital art is today - which is asinine.

The computer is a tool, and we can paint using one in a similar fashion to "real" painters. We have our graphics tablets. We have our brushes, which we can design. We can even emulate real painting using software such as ArtRage (they have a free version if you'd like to try it).

We can reach details not even open to consideration from regular painters without huge amounts of time. We don't have overhead of paints and canvas. We have a greater array of colors available to us. We can even attain superior photo realism, should we desire it.

Digital art is a beautiful, open medium. Don't criticize what you don't understand.

-WFL

From the history of WFL: "Trite Idealism Refuted"

In order to flesh this blog out a bit more, I will be posting a few blogs I've written elsewhere (since this will become my primary blogging medium). Here is one from a number of months ago..

"You can do anything you set your mind to."

This phrase is still way too prevalent in our society (or, alternatively, in specific subcultures). We are known as people who grow and learn, but there are still a number of kinks in the progression - and we are certainly consistent in our own fallibility.

Lets create a hypothetical situation. Lets say 3 people enter a contest to produce something. Each one says "I'm going to set my mind to produce the best product within the constraints of this contest". Who will win? If we can do anything we set our mind to, then, from a purely technical aspect, each one should produce the best product within the constraints.

Realistically, though, it won't happen. One person will have better resources, more technical expertise, or some advantage over the other participants.

We live in a world with constraints. Circumstances that control the outcome. You can certainly interpret these circumstances in various ways, but the idea of being able to win 100% of the time is pure motivational drek that serves little purpose other than to motivate the unmotivated, in my opinion.

Discussion welcome.

-WFL

Informal Professionalism.

I'm serious in my lack of formality. I'm willing to draw an uneven line as a separation between work and play.

Yeah, I'm one of those guys who ends up going into work in the wee hours unshaven, wearing a tight fitting graphic tee and trashy-yet-stylish jeans (I would mention my New Rock boots with the metal heel, but I'll wear those with a suit or jeans, either way - best boots I've ever owned).

I'm Will, AKA WFL. I work at a newspaper during the day doing graphic design, pre-press, advertising layout (dummying for those "in the industry"), web design, web development, a little photography, and whatever else they command me to do.

During the evenings and weekends (when I'm not still at the newspaper), I create artwork, take pictures of pretty young ladies, write and record music in a variety of styles, study information security, do freelance web design on the cheap, and also find time for some new media consulting.

Believe it or not, I do have "fun" outside of all that (I obviously enjoy what I do, however). I frequently spend time with a few friends at coffee shops (soy decaf mint latte, decaf earl grey tea), bars (gin & tonic, churchill martini, greyhound, brandy, or a nice glass of shiraz), or wherever else we can be casual (please, no long walks on the beach for me).

Fun fact: I hate the texture of news print. In fact, I hate the texture of most paper.. Which is why I push online as much as I can (of course, it doesn't hurt that the future of news is here, and it is the 'net).

Keep an eye here if you are curious about politics, social issues, music, art, photography, technology, or the newspaper and advertising industry.

-WFL