Coming Attractions
Posted at May 8, 2007 04:11 PM - Category: Site
This will likely be the last blog entry I make on timdorr.com. However, that does not mean I'm stopping the site. On the contrary, you should see a much more dynamic and regularly updated site going forward. Specifically, I plan to cross into Web 3.0 territory.
No, that's not a typo. While Web 3.0 isn't well defined yet, this site will be at least partially in that realm. Specifically, this will be what I call a Person Aggregator. I'm a very active individual on the web, but it's reflected on other sites. I regularly update my status on Facebook, post pictures on Flickr, digg articles on Digg.com, etc. But little of that makes it's way back to a central point. As a result, this site will become the hub of information about myself that is generated by other sites. This data is exposed within the semantic web, and I intend to aggregate it here on the site. This falls within the Web 3.0 context because the content is not generated directly on the site by the owner (Web 1.0) and isn't collaboratively created by visitors of the site (Web 2.0), but pulls it's content and functionality from other sites using underlying data services (Web 3.0). If you've used Yahoo! Pipes then you've used a Web 3.0 application. Pipes does have some Web 2.0 elements to it (a community of user-created "pipes"), but the actual end-functionality for it is based on external data services and the semantic web. Pipes by itself does nothing, and relies on external sources to have any amount of functionality. In essence, while Web 2.0 is about the collaboration of people, Web 3.0 is, at least in part, about the collaboration of websites themselves.
At least one element missing is the signature of a Web 3.0 design. That hasn't yet been developed to the point of the gradients, wet floors, and "beta" starbursts that Web 2.0 has, but it's too early for that anyways. There is also talk of redefining the browsing interface into something three dimensional (which I'm sure will make movie-makers extremely happy), but that's not something I want to adapt here. I think there will need to be a massive change within web browser functionality for that to happen anyways. There is also talk of artificial intelligence in Web 3.0, but that's something that I have no interest in attempting to tackle. Although, I'm sure with many years of research I could have the ability to not only show what is on my Netflix queue, but also what I'm likely to add in the future.
I'm still defining the services to include here, and I also need to come up with a design. Chances are it's going to look pretty bland until I settle on something. But it will work and will be cool, I assure you. I'll also be sure to have the facility to make the occasional blog post, as needed, but it will be far from being a blog. I'm pretty excited about this, so hopefully I'll have it done in the next 3 to 5 years :P
Testing The Treo
Posted at January 10, 2007 01:57 PM - Category: Site
Provided all goes according to plan, this is a post coming from my Treo 750. I'm still planning the tumblelog format, but have to do some housekeeping and redesigning first.
For Your Consideration
Posted at December 30, 2006 04:19 AM - Category: Site
So, I'm considering a slight change of format for my blog. I'd like to switch to more of a tumble log format. That is, one where you get daily posts of a much shorter variety that can vary between links to images to thoughts to quotes to whatever. I think it would be interesting, and certainly make this space much more usable. I'd still sit down and write up something more substantial from time-to-time, but it would keep downtime from forming.
I'm actually desparately waiting for the Treo 750 to land at Cingular. It's my perfect device. The greatness of the Treo smartphone line combined with the 3G speeds I've been craving for my laptop. I just hope to god it tethers easily.
Using that, I should be able to post to this blog from anywhere and it will be my primary phone, so I'll have it with me at all times. So, it really could be a stream of consciousness. So, thoughts?
Doppelganger
Posted at October 19, 2006 02:17 PM - Category: Site
So, I was fiddling around with Google's updated Webmaster Tools and came across this guy's website. Holy shit, how did I miss this for so long? Looks like he's a web designer, too. Kind of freaky...
Comments (10) | TrackBacks (1)
Uhhh....
Posted at January 25, 2006 03:05 PM - Category: Site
Sorry for the repeated brevity of these posts, but I just noticed something...well...brief. It could be fixed by the time I post this, but I just noticed that the month is gone from the "Posted at" timestamp for all my posts. What the hey? I'm pretty sure this hasn't been going on for all of January, so I don't think it's a Y2K6 bug or anything like that. I checked and my MT template tags are all kosher, so what's the deal? Maybe I'll have to start paying SixApart for support.
Update: Fixed it. My language was set to ef, not en. Whoops!
Whoops!
Posted at January 18, 2006 05:16 PM - Category: Site
Sorry about the GPLv3 post. I put that up on Digg and it somehow decided to post it here. Even though I had turned off blogging posts...
In other news, I'm working on a web design "division" (aka, other side of the office) for ASO with my friend Martin. That's still months away, but I'm already very excited about it. We're planning some thigns beyond just basic web-design that should be pretty neat and unique. I'm all about unique products and services!
Commentation
Posted at October 10, 2005 08:44 AM - Category: Site
I finally fixed up commenting so you don't have to re-enter your information every time you make a comment. I'll see about adding TypeKey support for those that want to use it when posting. Enjoy!
Upgrade Ahoy!
Posted at August 20, 2005 12:54 PM - Category: Site
I've upgraded to the latest MovableType beta version on this site. They're on their final release before finalizing, so it's very stable so far. Basically, I could wait for all the new features! The interface is improved, but in most transparent ways. Little things here and there that add up to a big boost in usability and interactivity. The upgrade was a breeze, except for the Smarty plugin I needed to move around. Let's just hope I didn't inadvertently break anything!
A Question To Ponder
Posted at August 9, 2005 02:07 PM - Category: Site
To those that read this, do you prefer shorter, more frequent updates or longer updates with more time between them? Or, perhaps some mix of the two? I've generally considered this my blog for mindless, logically flawed, meaningless rants, but I suppose that could bore some people. Let me know what you think in the comments.
The RSS. The RSS. The RSS is on fire
Posted at July 19, 2005 07:37 PM - Category: Site
I've switched over my RSS feed to run through Feedburner. It's an entirely superficial change, but I like the ideas they have for their service, so I've decided to jump on board.
For those that don't know, Feedburner basically takes existing site feeds, proxies them through their servers, and adds some extras on top. The basic service is entirely free and includes a wealth of functionality. You get stat tracking of your feeds, which includes a good amount of detail. It can throw information into the feed, such as your location, Google AdSense ads (for your account, not theirs, so you make some money), and your Flickr photos. They also make the browser-based view of a feed a little more friendly than a raw XML document. Take a look
Probably one of the biggest reasons for using FeedBurner is compatibility. Just like web browsers, different readers interpret feeds in different ways with their own unique set of quirks. Feedburner translates your feed for each individual application to handle these differences. This is a big issue in podcasting, because Apple's inclusion of podcasting support in iTunes adds a number of weird behaviors and non-standard tags into the mix. So, Feedburner accomdates this and serves up the appropriate translation of your feed for the type of reader that requests it. You can also have your feed automatically translated to RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0, Atom 1.0 or any other standard that comes along. It's basically backwards compatible and future-proof at once, since Feedburner's doing all the work for you.
I also get a nice little reader counter for my RSS feed. So, subscribe and let's see that bugger grow!
