Steelso V6.0

Well it’s been a great week, I got my hands dirty with the new Mono website and made myself Ricky’s bitch. A position a bot could only dream of. It’s looking good and I’m hoping that it’ll be all done, all dusted in the next fortnight or so.

We had a good meeting with Langs in Glasgow on their new web design and that went well too, working out content. This week is looking sweetly hectic with interviews being held on Thursday for our new member of the team. Not a developer, someone else. If you are looking at this blog candidates (and I sincerely hope you are….) then see you Thursday!

Dating website is getting passed to Allan to work his magic after Jamie sprayed his mojo over the pages. That should be up soon too.

I’m going back to Prince lyrics as the inspiration for the titles of my blogs. I have no imagination.

Been playing with a couple of wee things. First up is Google Talk which is ok, it’s another IM client. ooo. Next is a crazy wee app for visualising your web statistics from Visitor Ville. We had a right laugh on Friday watching people coming off teh Google bus and taking a taxi around our website.

Another way people are looking at visualising information is at Gvisit. You can see where people have come from in biscuitmedia’s website by going to here. It’s pretty cool but doesn’t seem to be wholly accurate. Fun though.

Can I also say that this software has made me so much more productive. I love this device, so simple, so clever, so needed……

Top notch weekend, finished Season 5 of The West Wing which I really enjoyed. It did start of a wee bitty wobbly with everyone fighting each other but that quickly passed to some really good stories. Continunity dodesn’t seem to be a big concern but the acting easily made up for it. Watching CJ vs The Muppets is worth the admission alone.

Also saw the last two episodes of House. I love House, it’s getting past the ‘illness of the week’setups nad really adding some emotion. I hate cliffhangers and was delighted that House didn’t go down that route. What it did do (whcih is so much better than a cliffhanger) is add some spice to make the next season well worth watching. Hugh Laurie, you’re a god in my eyes.

Talking of Gods, Jamie’s on holiday for two weeks. You’ll miss his blog. You know you will.

Glasgow’s leaves are falling off the trees. This is not good nor desirable. It means that summer’s over. I love autumn though and looking forward to O.D.ing on freshly juiced apples and pears. Chestnuts too.

Nearly six, must get back to the magic.

Watch the Roads!!!!!

S
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steelso :: Aug.29.2005 :: TV, Thoughts, biscuitmedia :: 4 Comments »

Sunday was good, went to see On A Clear Day and enjoyed the whole evening. Met up with Tina, got soaked, went to GFT, bumped into Peter (who I hadn’t seen in ages), met with various peeps then went to see the movie.

I really enjoyed it, it’s funny, it’s brilliantly acted and I was glad I saw it. Billy was great in it and I did feel that the whole thing worked. I totally get what Peter said about it being ‘a nice Sunday afternoon’ movie as it’s not going to challenge anyone in anyway but it is a great bit of escapism for 100 minutes and I would throughly recommend it. I think that the best thing I can say for the movie is that at the end of the film I was still interested in the characters and wanted to know more about their return home. If you’re still interested 100 minutes in then it has to have something going for you.

Also it was nice to see Glasgow in film protrayed as a ‘nice’ city and not one that is dingy and grim. You can see a nice interview with the director of the movie at a wee website we did for the Glasgow Film Office. It was also great to see Peter again after so long. It’ll be good to catch up with him and hear his chat, we did some great work back in the old days.

After the film had a few more drinks, met some more people then went up the road. A very lovely night all in.

And the episode of House that was on when I got home was pretty good too.

steelso :: Aug.23.2005 :: People, TV, Video :: 3 Comments »

A sad day at Biscuitmedia, The Major, the Godfather of Code, the hardest working man in dot business, Big Al, is leaving to see the world. It’s a sad day for biscuitmedia, a great time for Allan. He’s going to be missed but he’s not leaving just going on a sabbatical. As such his blog will still be part of biscuitmedia’s and his entry is the ‘About’ section will be merely altered. Have fun Al, see you next year. We still have his Zen like presence here for a couple of months which gives me plenty of notice to plan his leaving week. Yup, that’s right, week.

So that means that we’re looking for a developer. Not just any developer, a developer who loves Glasgow, loves web design, loves being creative with code, loves learning, loves new things, loves old things, gets excited about the good stuff, gets even more excited about the old stuff.

Have a look around here, see what you think. You interested? Then have a look at the recruitment page, see if you have the things we need and send us your CV.

We love you all.
S
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steelso :: Aug.23.2005 :: People, Travel, biscuitmedia :: 1 Comment »

It’s been raining heavily for the first time in ages here in Sunny Glasgow (the Miami of the North I was recently told). Normally rain doesn’t bother me but it does when it starts seeping into my shoes. Time to buy new shoes. Joyous.

Busy at work, showing a new design for a dating website that we’re building for a client and, as always, Ricky’s done a first class job. It’s looking very polished at this stage and I can’t wait to show the client tomorrow the first draft of the design.

Other stuff since I last blogged includes Macromedia annoucing the release of their latest software suite, Studio 8. I’m sort of so-so about it which is odd for me coming from a pro Macromedia kind of place. I’m not sure what it is that’s making me so-so. Some of the features in Dreamweaver will be helpful and should’ve been done some time ago (background FTP will be hugely welcomed) but I don’t see any huge leaps in usability in the software. Of course I’ve not got stuck in so I’m reserving judgement until I get it next month.

Interested in the advances that the Flash player is going through but, apart from a couple of things, I’m left scratching my head at some of the additions to the player such as being able to put a motion blur on items, photoshop type filters, etc. Performance gains within the player are welcomed but I really want to see what the community does with all these fancy new filters that actually improve the experience of being on the web. With some of the changes I’m a bit feart of seeing Flash being thought of again as the thing that you have to click on ‘Skip Intro’ to avoid. I’m sure I’m being a little nippy about it. Looking forward to seeing the new video codec in action as well as being to upload files in Flash.

Sweet Jesus, I’ve used more jargon there than in the last month. You can tell I’m tired.

I have a small mountain of expenses to collect from biscuitmedia and have decided to treat myself. But to what? Well it’s either a new Ipod with a speaker system thing or a PSP. I’m leaning to the side of the Ipod with the cool speaker system that either Bose or Altec system thing for the house as my amp was destroyed by the little pigs. Frubes and Wharfdales amps do not make good bedfellows…

I do want a PSP, I’m interested how the PSP and the inevitable video ipod will change the way that video is delivered to you. I think that’ll porn will be the first to capitilise on the new way that you can view video but then I can’t waait to see if , for example, the BBC will create 10 minute news downloads that you can dump onot your device that you can then view on the bus, train, whatever. I’d so it, more interesting than Metro. We’ll see. Anyway, I’m weaning myself of the PSP idea.

I did however pre-order my Xbox 360 Deluxe package. Firstly because I want one one and secondly because I’m a deluxe slut. I would buy two gallons of rancid milk as long as the stinking paper bag it was held in was marked ‘Deluxe’ in big gold letters. Or small silver letters, it’s not the presentation, it’s the word.

Sites to go to. King Danny I has a great website and I would urge you to join his country. A great website, well thought out, designed and funny. The national anthem is brilliant but I wish it was a easily downloadable MP3. Actually as a citizen I demand it! Noam Chomsky’s involved, it must be good!

Well, crazy day tomorrow, working on Saturday morning, playing Power Rangers on Saturday afternoon, Justice League Sunday (I have it on expert authority that Wonder Woman’s power is actually wondering about being a super hero) then off to see a wee film Sunday night with some old and new friends. All go, all good.

Excuse the spelling, grammar, it’s late and I’m sleepy headed.

Take care of yourselves
And each other.
*wink*
S

steelso :: Aug.19.2005 :: Flash, People, Social, Thoughts, Video, biscuitmedia, new clients :: 4 Comments »

So, not blogged for two weeks, start writing it all down here than Firefox (yup, Firefox!) crashes on me. I had written everything down, the soloution to all mankind’s problems and stuff and then *konk*!

I hate/love/hate computers.

I am going to have a pint with Russell and Debs to make up for this. I will blog later and it’ll probably be bigger and better with a few pints of Stella and some laughs down me.

Bams.

S
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steelso :: Aug.15.2005 :: Bad Computer, Bad, Idiot, People :: 1 Comment »

Had a very good meeting today with a potential client. Very early to tell if it’s going anywhere but I really enjoyed the energy and possibilities that the project holds. It made me think of how I got into this business and how past experiences shape my current views on web design and the process that goes into that.

Bit of background: when I left school at 16 I went on a Youth Training Scheme in the Village Theatre in East Kilbride. I was an apprentice technician and had a great 18 months or so learning the ropes. I applied and was accepted for the RSAMD.

The RSAMD. 2 years of drinking, laughing and meeting some of the best people in the world. Oh yes, and learning bits about theatre too. After receiving my diploma (something that still baffles me considering) I then was fortunate to get a job at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow as junior kack shifter to the senior kack shifter.

I progressed quickly becoming senior kack shifter to the Technical Manager, a sour faced swine by the name of McCall, Nick McCall. Nick taught me so much about theatre and lighting design and laughing. He is by far the best LD that I have seen and worked for, his design for Good by CP Taylor was inspired and I was proud to be his deputy on all the productions we worked on. It’s a great feeling to know that you are creating art. And I saved his life too!

Nick left the Tron to become an international play boy or localised lady boy or something and I became the Tron’s lighting designer and technical manager. My artistic boss was Michael Boyd, now artistic director at the RSC. The work that I am most proud of at the Tron was the adaptation of ‘The Trick is to keep Breathing‘ by Janice Galloway.

I loved ‘The trick…’ it was as liberating an artistic experience that I ever had in theatre. Michael was always a great director to work with as he knew what he wanted and he also trusted me to do my own thing without having to check with him. While that is very freeing it was also incredibly terrifying. Michael is great man manger and knows what buttons to push to get the best out of his people. I can’t find any of the reviews of the production but was a great production to work on and with a great cast and crew. Even now Dave, who became my deputy, and I will get all pathetically sentimental about it. Even though he never got to go to Toronto. Heh.

Michael left the Tron, another director came in then I left the Tron in ‘97 to become a freelance lighting designer working mostly at the Brunton Theatre with Mark Thomson. He had silly hair back then but in spite of that we did do some great work and I really enjoyed chin rubbing with Mark to create some great theatre.

In 1999 I had had enough. I had started doing web design at the Tron around 1995 and by 1999 I was getting more enjoyment doing websites for clients than running up and down ladders for people. Also out with the sweet, creative incubator that was the Tron I just wasn’t good enough to cut the mustard in the Big Bad World.

So why the shift from LD to WD? Well the process is remarkably similar. As a web developer you are asking the same questions to a client that you would if you were a lighting designer to a director. Questions like, What are you trying to achieve, who are you trying to talk to, how will your text flow, what is the end result. All the time working collaboratively with each other to create the best possible experience, the right experience that the director/client is looking for. It was a simple shift. Instead of actors, scripts and sets you’re dealing with companies, mission statements and site design.

You are trying to create an emotional response using a technical medium. The client/director tend not to care about the guts behind the website/production, they just want it to produce the end result that they want.

They are both hugely collaborative process. In theatre you need to talk to the director, designer, actors, stage managers, etc to make sure that the whole production comes together. It’s identical in web development. If there isn’t a common goal, an end result and if no one shares ideas and inspirations then it’ll all fall apart.

At biscuitmedia we aim to create great Internet experiences. At the Tron our job was to create great theatrical experiences. Experiences are emotional responses to what you are seeing or doing. Every new project is essentially a new production with new challenges to deal with.

So that’s why I feel that the leap from theatre to web isn’t really a huge one. I think it’s a logical progression and I’m grateful to have worked with so many great people in both my careers.

I get a bit passionate about this and that tends to get to sound a bit pretentious. It just that it’s what we try to create here at biscuitmedia and I like to share this information with client. Ususally doesn’t take 800 words though. What’s the best Internet experience you’ve had? I’d like to see your examples.

I’m going to lie down after spewing my mentalness. Dimitri, you calm down at the back!

steelso :: Aug.02.2005 :: People, Thoughts, biscuitmedia :: 5 Comments »