I've been working on some improvements to Pastoid lately. It started out as more of a response to the URL shorteners that keep popping up everywhere and getting all the press, which Pastoid languishes in obscurity.
For those that don't know, Pastoid is a site that serves two major functions. First, it functions as a URL shortener, like the ubiquitous TinyURL. Second, it functions as a pastebin, like pastebin.com. It has a few little extra features that set it apart, and I have a lot planned for it that will break it out as something really different and special from those other tools.
I recently updated the look of the site. It has been getting mostly negative reaction. I think people don't like the grungy purple. Maybe I'll revise it again, but it does affect the change I wanted where the sidebar is moved to the left to allow code sections to expand in the liquid layout on the right. In addition to that, I've been working on the thumbnail improvement project, which is the true impetus for this post....
more
On IRC a few weeks ago this question was posed by an unassuming visitor:
What makes Habari different from any other blog application like WordPress?
I blew a mental gasket sitting at my desk, but managed to scrawl out a few words that managed to be quoted here and there by folks in the community. It may have sounded profound to others, but it was really offered up in haste and without much consideration.
Since then I've been thinking: If I had to give a serious elevator pitch about Habari, what would I say? more
Over the past week, I've watched, read, or listened to all of these, and I thought I would give you my quick impression of all three.
Tipping Point is a book by author Malcom Gladwell that outlines the properties of epidemics. It presents the author's ideas of what is required to make an idea, product, or fad "tip" from obscurity into the mainstream.
The theories seem well-thought, and the examples make for very interesting reading. The section on stickiness has me looking more into the Blue's Clues kids show, which apparently puts a ton of effort into making the information it present stick in children's minds. The sections on crime as a factor of an environment's appearance and on why teens smoke are both very interesting.
The concepts in the book fail to pass the Berta test, though. In this test, I retell the theories to Berta, and they either make sense or sound fishy. She was skeptical. Plus, the book offers no direct practical advice for making something tip, which is probably why most people bought the blasted thing. more
Sometimes I wander into unknown web territory and discover things I really shouldn't. Today, it's the knowledge of the upcoming release of Movable Type 3.2. I read through Jay Allen's list of a few of the new features, and thought I would compare some of them to what's already available in WordPress, and in what's to come.
First, I want to mention that I'm getting tired of disclaimers, but if I don't add one then I'll needlessly get my butt handed to me in comments. Yeah, it's likely to happen anyway. Second, the actual disclaimer: I'm not proposing that one tool is better or worse than the other. If one tool is better for you, then I would expect you to ignore any bias I might subconsciously instill in this comparison.
Here we go. more
Over the past week, I've watched, read, or listened to all of these, and I thought I would give you my quick impression of all three.
Tipping Point is a book by author Malcom Gladwell that outlines the properties of epidemics. It presents the author's ideas of what is required to make an idea, product, or fad "tip" from obscurity into the mainstream.
The theories seem well-thought, and the examples make for very interesting reading. The section on stickiness has me looking more into the Blue's Clues kids show, which apparently puts a ton of effort into making the information it present stick in children's minds. The sections on crime as a factor of an environment's appearance and on why teens smoke are both very interesting.
The concepts in the book fail to pass the Berta test, though. In this test, I retell the theories to Berta, and they either make sense or sound fishy. She was skeptical. Plus, the book offers no direct practical advice for making something tip, which is probably why most people bought the blasted thing. more
