SamRayner.com

Long time no speak.

Just wanted to plug my friend Sam Rayner's new website. His old website has been linked from here since it launched, and version 2 is now up, as of New Year's Day 2008.

I have to commend him for his great design, excellent content, great research into mark up, coding techniques and general techy stuff that has stopped me from ever producing something I can be proud of on the internet. He deserves the credit he is getting, and I know that he will truly appreciate the vast traffic I send his way by giving him a little leg up. Enjoy browsing his site, and gold star if he stalks you through Mint at the time.

I also might as well say that I'm posting this from my new iMac which I got avec Leopard around a month and a half ago. It is gorgeous, I love it, and I'm one happy man. It also slightly proves a theory I mentioned in a long ago post entitled "Well Hello" that everything I mention that I want on this blog magically wings it way to me. Whilst I said I wanted a Nikon D40x and actually got a D80, and I wanted a MacBook (Pro) but instead got an iMac, I have to be grateful to the man upstairs for providing me with such brilliant things that I hope I can honour him with.

Tomorrow I sit my Government and Politics Unit 1 module. Should be fun.

I write this through MarsEdit, via Gruber, which seems to be pretty damn nice. Might make me actually post more. No promises.

All the best until we speak again

New Directions

With the upcoming launch of wakingupsober.com, I want to start posting more about my thoughts on design and technology. So here goes what will hopefully be interesting reads and promote me to immediate internet stardom.

I was just sitting eating tea, and somehow the conversation got round to hi-fi's. My sister proclaimed that even though she's had her hi-fi unit for over 3 years now, she's only just worked out how to get onto the radio with it. Admittedly she's only 10, but still, it got me to thinking about how rarely we actually do use technology to its full capabilities.

The more I started to think about it, the more it dawned on me how really simplicity is often the best idea when it comes to providing a service to Joe Public. Now I'm not trying to suggest that the general public are incapable of using technology to its full capacity, but think about it, continuing to use my hi-fi analogy, even though I would call myself relatively tech-savvy, I still don't change or explore the settings on it. I could, if I wanted to, try and sit down and come up with different modes for different types of music, but don't, because I know that if I press "Tuner", the radio'll play, and if I press "CD", and put a CD in, I can listen to my music. What's the point in doing much else with it? 

I sort of came up with a catchphrase; "we tend to use technology only for what we know it can do, not for what it could potentially do". Which I guess is where creative's come into it. People who are constantly exploring and challenging hardware and software are the most likely to use technology in more creative ways, in ways that people don't think to use the technology they have available to them. These people are coming up with creative solutions, using technology, to come up with really amazing final products.

So what am I suggesting? That we should be creating simple products for the general public and then more advanced products for people who deem themselves to be able to use the technology to it's max. No. Put simply, no. I'd argue strongly against a two-tiered format for technology, but instead I'd strive for people to be given the opportunity to create amazing things with their ordinary day to day items. Without giving them the opportunity, how can they even begin to experiment and potentially come up with something incredible? So I'm wanting something in the middle.

The iPod.
One example I can think where simplicity really shines through is the iPod. Apple's hugely popular iPod is of course, due to its sheer sexiness, but also down to its complete simplicity. I believe design is about the experience of something; a well designed website is an experience for the user for example, and the iPod has nailed it. It's so simple to use that people who often struggle to use computers manage to get along just fine. And why? Because the iPod focuses on doing a few certain things really well, and when you come to think of it, what more do you need? You'd just find that these extra features that you'd paid for are never used, so what's the point in them being there?

More to follow...

Well Hello

Well... it's been a while eh! Here's a brief update.

School is hell. GCSEs are hell. Ok... maybe I'm over-exaggerating a little here. School is not hell, though is not amazing, and GCSEs are not hell as they havn't started yet. Revision for them however, is starting now, so that ain't nice. Generally life is decent, so I can't complain.

Website work is full steam(ish). Nearly got a home page full CSS and xHTML mockup done. Currently for the design, I need a photograph that's key to the whole feel of the site. As of yet, I have a temporary picture but it really isn't a high enough quality after being cropped, then stretched, to fit the size I want it to be. For it, I'm going to need a new camera...

...which nicely brings me onto my next points. I'm hopefully getting a new Digital SLR camera! At the time of typing this, I hope to get it for my birthday. One of the main reasons I'm writing this is because it occured to me that for every major techy item I've wanted over the past year or so, I've mentioned on here... and then I've got them! For example... I mentioned I wanted a tablet... bingo! I mentioned I wanted the "D900 from Samsung" in my last post.. and hey presto, it's right infront of me now! So call me supersticious, but I'm gunna do it again.

Ok, ok ... I hear you. You wants to know the dslr I'm looking at! Well, here it is. The Nikon D40X. Looks a beauty.. and to be released at the end of this month/beginning of April. I'm hoping the end of this month, so I can get it for my birthday. I've agreed a sort of financial agreement with my parents about it... so fingers crossed.

Secondly... I need a new computer. This ol' Dell ain't been too bad, it's served me ok, but well.. as all Windows systems seem to do.. it ain't working as well as it should/could. After finding out that Megan is going to Handsworth, as well as recent ...discussions... about use of the PC, it's become apparent that we're going to need a computer for my work, and a computer she can use. So of course, I'm hoping to buy a Mac! I'm thinking at the moment that it will be a MacBook Pro, but I want to wait first until June.

Why? June brings with it the arrival of Leopard, and there's no point buying a MacBook and then having to go and upgrade it a few months later. Plus there's the fact that who knows what Apple could be releasing. I heard a rumour that there could even be a black iMac, that's got the best everything. Swwweeeeetttttt! That would put me in a serious dilema!

Anyway, that's pretty much me drooling over tech stuff.

I'd better get back to work.

Recap

 Well, just a quickie. I'm doing Biology coursework at the mo (or apparently not)

Christmas is coming up. Wahey

I need a new phone. E900 or D900 from Samsung at the moment, or so I'm thinking.

PurePwnage Season 1 has finished. A brilliant final episode, its liek totly gna pwn u n00bs wn sesn 2 comes out



This is what I'm talking about

I suck

Why is it that when you fully appreciate someone, their love is gone?

Quick update

Hey. Havn't been on here in ages, so I thought a quick update was in order, to let you know how things are going. I'm typing this on my first baby-sitting job too, and everyone apart from Rosie is asleep, so it's the perfect time.

Ok, well, summer was pretty good. Keswick rocked, was really good, and the second week in the Lakes wasn't bad. Then, Soul Survivor. Man, I could write a whole post on this, and I really should keep some sort of diary, except there's really no time at it. However over-used the word awesome is, it really is the only thing that can be used to describe SS. God was really there, and even though the group was very different in terms of age, I still loved it. Some memories that will never be forgotton are in my head!

Then, France. Overall was pretty good - went very quickly, which was good and bad. The travelling was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but havn't the 2 night stops meant that it dragged the journey out a lot. I've got some nice-ish pictures, which I'll post later.

Oh, gotta go

Last before the summer

Yo yo yo! How's it doing dawg! Havn't been on here for a while so I'll update you guys on me.

I just got back from Belgium - it rocked! We made loads of money and the whole tour was great. I will never forget the people on it, and how great they all are. I've taken loads of pictures to help me remember everything, although the stories I will never forget. It really does seem so sad when things like this end, because ultimately you get so close to certain people, that to then have to leave them behind doesn't seem right. We got really close (all 43ish of us), and had a great time. Legends were made, and no one shall be forgotten.

So yeah, summer! It's coming, it's bloomin' hot too! First week Keswick, second Ambleside. Then Soul Survivor, and then France for 2 weeks. It's going to be good, and I really can't wait to catch up with Keswick mates. Soul Survivor is also going to be a lot more intimate this year - none of the older group are going, and there's only 3 guys!

My exams went pretty well, and my report was good. Just got to work hard now.

Work on my website has stopped - exams stopped it, and after the exams I've had nothing except work to do. The teachers seem to have forgotten that after the exams it's meant to be just a dos - we've been set tons of coursework, and it's no fun believe me. Virtually every subject has given me something of some sort . We also havn't had the revised timetable, something that everyone loves. Ah well, at least I remember the good old days before Parker became Head - I do believe he's taking down the school. Bring on Hedley! So yeah, back to web design. I shall briefly outline my ideas and projects.

1st: derailed.com becomes free on 4th September 06. I hope to buy the URL. This shall be where my personal portfolio shall be. I hope to do this in Flash, although maybe with just a plain text version, with full CSS to follow.

2nd: derailed-exp.com - this is already available, but I am not buying it yet. It will be a place where I experiment with design. I plan to do this again in Flash, but with a proper xHTML and CSS compliant version. This will not necessarily have main content, but will be very very experimental, as suggested by the exp in the URL name.

3rd: designsundays.com - whilst I'm not totally sure about something like this, I'd quite like to do a collaborative website with someone - I had someone like Sam Rayner in mind, but I don't know. I don't know what It'd be, just something experimental, although currently a concept is needed to make it anything worthwhile.

4th: wakingupsober.com - available as ever, this will be the home of my blog. The blog WILL be xHTML and CSS compliant, and will have proper pages.

So yeah, as you can see, I need major hosting and major money. DAMN! Ah well. Trouble is, I'm going into GCSE year. I'm going to have to become very organised if I'm ever to do anything from the above. This blog can stay as it is, but my personal portfolio has to come first. Problem is I keep coming up with concepts, but then not sticking to them. I really want it to be creative and good, but I'm struggling to do something that's really ... arty..and...cool. However, derailed-exp should come along afterwards. I've just got to get round to doing it, and it won't be this summer. Whilst I love going away, it really leaves no time to make websites.

So yeah, that's a post about my summer holidays, generally about me, and my web projects. If it ever gets done, I'll be surprised. I may post after Keswick, but don't count on it. I will however take many pictures, so it'll be remembered.

Ok, bye!