Design of the Day - April 19, 2008
Posted by Dan
I was checking out bestwebgallery.com and stumbled across the new Starbucks at home site….
Design of the Day - April 18, 2008
Posted by Dan
I’m a big typography fan and I thought this was really cool. I could spend hours on deviantART.com….
desire by ~DrZapp on deviantART
Derby Lane Poker Tournament Schedule for April
Posted by Dan
Being the geek that I am, I have been playing with combining two of my favorite things, the Derby Lane Poker Room and Google. I know the month is half over, but here it is….
Derby Lane Poker Tournament Schedule for April 2008
Design of the Day - April 17, 2008
Posted by Dan
I found this site on cssmania.com during my lunch break today. I love the overall design. It’s doing a weird side-scroll that I don’t think was intentional. Once that’s fixed, this will be awesome…
Design of the Day - April 16, 2008
Posted by Dan
Digg had a post today with some great Aviary tutorials. I had never heard of it, but I thought this image was pretty striking. So, you get a funky design and a tut on how they pulled it off…
Design of the Day - April 15, 2008
Posted by Dan
I was on CSS remix and came across this excellent design. It uses a unique, strong color scheme and features some of my favorite elements of the Web 2.0 style.
The “Design of the Day” starts now….
Posted by Dan
“My name is Dan and I am a design-a-holic.”
I spend as much of my day as possible consuming design. I work full-time as a web designer and during my lunch breaks, I scour css gallery sites, iStockphoto.com, SmashingMagazine.com and various other resources. If I’m not working my other job, I’m consuming more on deviantart.com and other great sites.
So, I have decided to share.
During my days, I’m going to pick one item to feature for my “design of the day”. It’s going to be a wide open category because my interests are so varied. Web design, graphic design, photography, architecture, etc. will all be rolled up into one. Basically, it will just be my favorite “eye candy” of the day.
Derby Lane Entertainment Launches in a Big Way!
Posted by Dan
Derby Lane Entertainment got off to a great start this Sunday, March 29th. 97X super DJ Fisher hosted his annual Birthday Bash featuring four bands: Rude Squad, Suburban Tragedy, The Matches and Blue October. Now, I have the opportunity to be very biased since I have worked at Derby Lane for approximately ten years and Blue October is one of my favorite new bands. (Foiled is an amazing album). Fortunately, I don’t have to be!
As a concert goer myself, I feel that Derby Lane is an excellent venue. It surely kicks the Ford Ampitheater’s ass! (I have vowed not to attend another concert there, everrrrr! Not even if Tupac had launched his “Coming Back” Tour and you bought my ticket.) So, Derby not only scooped up one of my favorite bands to come play where I work, they arranged for a kick-ass stage that allowed the tunes to flow into some incredible acoustics created by the 80-year old facility. The stage faced the entrance of the track and the jamming flowed into the grandstands. No echo, just solid acoustics. The show was general admission and there was not a bad place to be. The slope of the area in front of the stage is great for being able to see the bands no matter where you are. Space is ample! You can squeeze your way up to the front or chill with some “personal space” and still have a great view and great sound.
The facility offers some extra features as well which were perfect for this type of event. There is so much space that activity tents and the like are a cinch to pull off. The kissing booth and dunk tank were pretty popular. Plus, enclosed areas provide for VIP features like the meet and greet with Blue October! Thank you to Lex Money for getting me in there! Of course, I had to rep the poker room and get a chip signed by they guys. (Or, I’m just a groupie trapped in a geek’s body).
Blue October was awesome and I have to thank my boss, Jeff, for allowing me to disappear for their hour on stage. Thanks to the supervisors for covering the floor. I had to see these guys, I had heard such great things! They stuck mostly to “Foiled”, which was great because it’s the album that got me interested in them. Their early albums have some great tunes as well, but “Foiled” doesn’t have a bad song on it. The energy was great and Justin sounds just like he does on the cd. Busting out the acoustic guitar for “Hate Me” was a nice touch!
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by this event and even more so by the potential that the facility has for becoming a primary source for Tampa Bay entertainment. I look forward to future shows, including Huey Lewis and the News which is already this coming Sunday! I’m attaching some images from the 97X website highlighting the Bash!
Web Designer
Posted by Dan
I have been so busy that I haven’t had time to sit back and realize that I am now an actual web designer. Well, I actually started in January, but I began with the basics of updating current sites. Now that I have actually had a few concepts approved and coded out a site, I feel official!
It is so awesome because I am not a natural. I developed an interest in web design while learning pc repair and networking. The interest turned into passion and I could literally spend all day online checking out websites. (And I have a few times). I am definitely in the development process myself. Thankfully, I have an awesome team leader to coach me along the way. I want to learn more and more about the psychology behind design and the backend coding which is a challenge for me. My interest is mostly visual, so I have focused on styles and layouts.
So, I plan to list some of the resources that I find along the way that help me design. First and foremost is iStockPhoto.com. For my skillset, iStockPhoto is the number one resource for web design. My design process is more of a coordination of design elements instead of true start-from-scratch design. So, I find wonderful items at iStock for cheap. $1 gets you some pretty amazing stuff. If you haven’t joined up, I’m attaching a link for you to check it out. (Yes, it’s an affiliate link)
Webkinz
Posted by Dan
Webkinz are stuffed animals that come with a login for a website, www.webkinz.com, where they are a virtual pet. When you receive a Webkin, you adopt it by logging in. From there, you decorate its living area and care for it by feeding, bathing and giving them lots of loving. It’s an excellent way for kids to learn basic concepts of economy, dependent care and goal setting.
This stuffed animal collection is one of the best ways for geeks to spend time with their kids. A few months ago, a co-worker gave me a Webkin for my daughter to have. It’s a pink pony that Jasmine quickly named Webbie. Since then, we have spent lots of time together playing with Webbie and her new little friends.
So, I decided to create www.mywebkinzgallery.com to showcase the things that we do together and to practice optimization for a popular keyword, specifically webkinz. This site features some screenshots of our little Webbie as well as Emily and Mark playing and gardening and cooking recipes. Webkinz recipes are a fun way to learn how to combine foods to make meals for your pets. We make them and then I create a webkinz screenshot and upload it to the site to show it off.
Be sure to check it out and defintely check out Webkinz if you have kids….