Archive for March, 2007

Vale Jean Baudrillard

March 22nd, 2007

I completely missed hearing that Jean Baudrillard had died, aged 77. His book – Simulacra and Simulation had an enormous impact on how I viewed the world way back when. Whilst I probably don’t subscribe to all of his ideas now I still think his exploration of created reality, or simulated reality, is particularly relevant. Especially in light of the changes in media and popular culture over the twenty? years since he wrote it.

Probably the only other figure who influenced me more was Gilles Deleuze. I mean who can go past “be the Pink Panther…”?

“The Pink Panther imitates nothing, it reproduces nothing, it paints the world its color, pink on pink; this is its becoming-world, carried out in such a way that it becomes imperceptible itself, asignifying, makes its rupture, its own line of flight, follows its ‘aparallel evolution’ through to the end.”

“Be the Pink Panther and your loves will be like the wasp and the orchid, the cat and the baboon.”

(Gilles Deleuze, A Thousand Plateaus)

pMachine becomes EllisLabs

March 15th, 2007

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I have noted with some pleasure the continued progress of ExpressionEngine (and it’s parent company pMachine) and the expansion of the EE brand. Now pMachine (the company was named for the legacy CMS tool that started it all) have evolved into EllisLabs. The new name is drawn from the surname of company founder, Rick Ellis.

I was one of the early pMachine customers and then later migrated my blog to EE. Whilst not a power user by any stretch I have always been most pleased with three aspects of the now EllisLabs and EE:

- Extensibility
- Flexibility
- Incredible support

The EE product is easily and quickly extensible and even I have delved into the source code on occasion to make tweaks and edits. It also extremely flexible – allowing configuration of EE sites for all sorts of purposes. I merely use the simplest iteration – a weblog. But others use EE to create forums, online catalogues, magazines, pubications, books, a ticketing system!, and a myriad of other esoteric uses.

Lastly, and probably most attractive to me, is the support. The community and the dedicated support team are amazing. Support requests are promptly answered, the community provides enormous numbers of practical examples of how to solve particular problems or achieve particular outcomes, and critically new users are generally treated with respect rather than the newbie derision that occurs in some other projects. Very few other projects I am involved in have a level of enthusiasm and community involvement as EE. Additionally, unlike some other companies, as the organisation has grown and expanded that level of support hasn’t suffered. Finally, EllisLabs have no forgotten that one of their most valuable resources is the community that has adopted, fostered and taken EE into new directions and new places.

I am greatly looking forward to seeing where they go next.

Neocon Lessons

March 14th, 2007

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Brilliant article. Well worth a read. It also frightening in how it articulates the irrationality of some of the neo-con imperialists rhetoric.

Back, back, back

March 6th, 2007

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Back from Vietnam – sick as a dog from something bad eaten on the last day or so. Ruth and I both sick – her on the way back and me when we arrived. I throughly recommend never really, really, really needing to go to the toilet whilst you’re waiting to be cleared by customs. It does so give the wrong impression.

Otherwise wonderful trip, Ruth and I still speaking to one another (not one fight!), beautiful country, (mostly) lovely people, mind-blowingly amazing food – if you get the chance go to Tamarind Cafe in the Old Quarter in Hanoi and Highway 4 on Mai Hac De, also in Hanoi (eat upstairs in the Japanese room). Mind-blowing food. And so, so cheap.

But enough waffling – we have photos! (including Ruth in a bikini!!!)