On the Go. I've been tweaking the design of my site behind the scenes for the last few weeks and made the changes live tonight. Of course, there will be continuous tweaks, but I feel purged! Overall, I've tried to reduce clutter and simplify the structure and presentation - a proper cleansing. It's an evolution but also a return to an earlier version with less density.
Female Bloggers. I wanted to take a moment and thank the following bloggers and sites for including me in their recent lists of top/favorite female bloggers. I don't tend to pay the most attention to lists and rankings. There's always deserving people that don't get included and the general nature of lists is subjective. That said, I appreciate the recognition, the time it took to put together these lists, and I'm honored to be included among many of my own favorite female bloggers. It's a good reminder of what blogging is all about - sharing your own voice and ideas, whether it's to an audience of ten or ten million.
WordCamp 2008. WordCamp is a one day event organized by the creators of WordPress for users and developers. This yearâs event was held on Saturday at Mission Bay Conference center and featured talks by a range of people. In his âState of the Wordâ address, Matt Mulllenweg mentioned this was the largest ever WordCamp with over 400 people attending. You can see a selection of photos from the event at Mattâs post, including mine (also below). Thereâs also a good live recap of the event by Andrew Mager.
QR Codes: Mobile Tagging. I've heard about QR codes for years and Googled for them long ago before they were readily available for consumers, but for some reason tonight, they popped into my mind again and I decided to look them up. I was excited to see that you can make your own QR code easily online. In simple terms, a QR code is a graphic 2D barcode that stores information, such as addresses, URLs, business card info, or anything else. Scanning the code with software on your camera-enabled mobile phone will automatically launch a browser to the specified destination. More from the Wikipedia entry below.
Creating Panoramic Photos With Your iPhone. One of the main reasons I use my iPhone is to take quick photos. Even though the 2 megapixel camera isn't the highest quality, it's the convenience and added iPhone functionality (eg. emailing) and the applications that I enjoy. One of my new favorite apps is Pano by Debacle Software (download from iTunes), which lets you take seamless panoramic photos through the iPhone's native camera.
Take Part in Citizen Journalism for the 2008 U.S. Elections. Many Americans have already participated in early voting, but millions more will be voting this Election Day on November 4, 2008. If you follow me on Twitter, you're already aware of my political views and my support for Barack Obama. Whether or not you agree with my choice, I know you'll agree that as citizens we have the right and duty to vote, and to do our part to make sure the voting process is fair. As digital citizens, there are many ways to do this. I wanted to highlight a few that have come to my attention and urge you to take part.
Ocarina: the First iPhone Instrument. Ocarina is the "first true musical instrument created for the iPhone. Ocarina is sensitive to your breath, touch and movements, making it even more versatile than the original [instrument]. Unlike other musical applications, there are no pre-compiled riffs so musicians will find unlimited opportunities for self-expression. Advanced options allow you to choose between diatonic, minor and harmonic scales."
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