Sunday, July 16, 2006, 06:13 PM
After nearing 100,000 hits in 10 months I am getting tired of the blog idea. The traffic shows that there is interest in creative commons or legally-distributed music, however, and I am not going to throw in the towel just yet. I have been working my tail off at my consulting job for the past 2 months, but I haven't given up on the idea of revamping the site.
The first idea was to reboot the css and add an admin interface tailored to my needs that would simplify the addition of new content. This however doesn't reduce my work, just makes it easier. Besides, this crappy blog uses flat files and not a database and that is unacceptable.
The next idea was to build out a new app that would keep the same format, but would allow me to ditch the flat files and customize the design to work around an artist->album->track hierarchical structure instead of a blog-based timeline structure (Posted @ 12:27 on July 4th). I also considered building a userbase of a few, trusted moderators to handle posting. This is what I was thinking last time I posted.
Since then the vision has changed a bit. Ok, changed a lot. I'm not going to give too many details, but it will be moving to a community-moderated design that will allow a much more interactive approach to defining your tastes and collection. All post, all mod, all benefit.
There are a lot of technical details to layout, but my requirements list is fairly well built out for a version 1 app. The stage I am in right now is the choice of technology to utilize. I am currently working in ASP/MSSQL and i hate it. I hate ASP for ruining my php and being a sick, old language. However, I do love SQL Server and see it as an ideal platform for production usage. It may not be a viable choice for me as I do not intend to develop on any other MS technology and have no easy way of setting up a production environment running linux and getting a Server 2003 unit plugged in anywhere. My choice of framework may reduce some of my perceived benefits of MSSQL, however.
I have avoided laying out my DB schema for the past week as I am investigating using Ruby on Rails to develop (or I'm just lazy). What I really love about RoR is the migration abilities and the capability it has to layout DB schemas in ruby. This would allow me to version the database along with the code and roll forward or backwards in time. I like the idea of the RoR framework, but still do not know enough about it to really know if it fits my needs yet. Really, I have a lot to learn about MVC frameworks in general (It's not something the really get into in Graphic Design 2). I have also looked into Django as I have some (limited) experience in Python, but do not see the same community activity that RoR enjoys. Also, I have investigate Symphony, but quickly turned away after seeing some benchmarks. Not production-ready IMO.
So, it's a tossup between RoR and standard php. My existing php skills can build this app. If I do RoR I need to learn MVC and Ruby at the same time.
At the very least I need to reboot this CSS (getting sick of pinstripes) and move servers (flat files aren't THAT slow).
Sorry for all the technical info. I just had to tell someone...
PS. If anyone has any input or experience with rails or other MVC frameworks, shoot me an email.
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Imogen Heap
Sunday, July 16, 2006, 05:42 PM
OK, it's time to post. I'll start with the music and move on to some technical stuff and my vision of where this is going to go is going in another post.
"Hide and Seek" basically makes Imogen's latest Solo Album for me, as I am a bigger fan of George's work with her in Frou Frou. Basically, I think Speak for Yourself is an overproduced mess and a great example of artists doing it 'because they can'. Little beeps and arpeggios and clicks and anything else you can throw in just end up getting in the way of the music and "Hide and Seek" is the oasis of that album. (And what is that "I am in Love with You" song all about? Bleck.) Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I have a bit of pent up aggression to get out here.
After positively wearing out my iPod on "Hide and Seek" I found this "remix" of it. It adds some tasteful strings and brings a new angle to the direction without really destroying its simplicity. It's not perfect, but it is something different. And... being a remix, it's legal to distribute! All hail the vocoder!
Artist - Imogen Heap (kinda)
Song - Hide And Seek (kinda)
Album - Speak For Yourself (kinda)
Genre - happiness
Artist Page - imogenheap.co.uk (warning: annoying site)
Ich bin umgezogen.
Wednesday, June 7, 2006, 05:19 PM
Well, things have been going fast lately and since last post I:1. Graduated
2. Moved home
3. Hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail
4. Accepted a consulting job in another part of the state
5. Moved out of home
6. Moved into a duplex in an unfamilar place
All-in-all, I have been busy.
I have some things to post now that it is slowing down again, but unfortunately I do not have internet yet. I should have a line run by the end of the week so I'll be up and running with full capacity next week. I don't think I want to upload an mp3 file over my phone right now...
Nonetheless, just an update and a promise to be back online in the near future.
Bottle it up, boys.
Celebration
Thursday, May 18, 2006, 02:30 PM
Things are really wrapping up here fast. Tomorrow evening I will be moving home... for one day. Then I will be on vacation until next weekend or so. Then I think I kinda accepted a consulting job up in Elkhart for a couple months. Oh well, it should be fun.
Then, who knows? I still want to raft the Mississippi.
I mainly am posting to reveal 2 things to you all:
1. I am alive and will continue posting in a couple weeks when things settle down.
2. I am planning a complete reboot of the site for mid-summer.
The reboot will be hefty. I am already drawing up some requirements and dabbling with a little database design already. Depending on how much I have to do and when I need to do it and when I want to do it, it will be done.
Until then, eat, drink, and be merry.
Ladytron
Sunday, April 30, 2006, 01:46 PM
Not much time for a real post today. The next 3 weeks are going to be quite crazy, so don't expect too much. Just bookmark, wait, and come back in late May.
Now I leave you with the ice queens.
Artist - Ladytron
Song - Destroy Everything You Touch
Album - The Witching Hour
Genre - Seismneumonical haberdashery
Artist Page - ladytron.com
Yes, please.
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