Belgian Trotter » Writings

A quiet Amsterdam night…

psykik — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:35:00 +0000

Anyway, I feel the sudden (not that sudden, I’ve had it for 2 weeks now) to again completely redesign this site. I’m never happy with the designs I make/use. I like the simple colours but the overflows are not clean. I need more gradients
I guess one should always have a basic idea and then make a design out of that idea. After finishing the design you probably end up in an endless loop of never ending tweaking
Well with me it’s even worse: I have a basic design, and I am pleased with it for about 1 month and then I get bored with it.
So what’s my challenge? I guess… making an “untiresome” design .

I should also point out that for this site I never made the basic design. I found a good looking theme (or a theme I found good looking at the time) and ported it to my blog engine. There is nothing wrong with doing that of course, it made me learn the template engine of EE which is still the best I’ve ever seen Just too easy…

So here I am with this urge to redesign it completely, although I’m still working on another project. Yes! while already thinking of redesigning this site, I’m currently working on a new website self made website. It will probably be a website built in Asp.NET using the latest technology tweaks (Linq, asp.net 3.5, ajax …) That way I don’t get behind on the latest web development trends and practices .
I also do not want to pay $250 for the commercial license for EE ! (That’s the other argument… )

The website will mainly be used as a portfolio of the sites I’ve made for my clients.
As I still have to begin with this website (design & code), I’ve been busy finding a name for it for the last 4 weeks!!!! YES FOUR weeks. Every time I come up with a good idea, the domain name is already taken.
This just confirms all the people out there buying up catchy domain names hoping to get big bucks out of it. (pizza.com was just sold for $2.5m so even more people will try their luck…)
It just feels there’s no good catchy domain name left to buy in this world This is of course not true but it just feels that way for the moment… (if you can read between the lines, this is an attempt to let you comment on this entry with your kick ass domain name ideas )

I haven’t actually said anything usefull in this entry, have I? uh… I guess not…

My battery is nearly dying on me so I guess I’ll end this general ranting just about now

It’s in the little things

psykik — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:39:00 +0000

This is what I call marketing in all its greatness wink
Peeling off a coupon liked tab with all the info of that great wine you just drunk

More here.

A Dream revived…

psykik — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:10:00 +0000

I was just browsing the web on a rainy Sunday when I found this site. A UK based company specialized in preparing Land Rovers for overland expeditions. Take this image for instance: a custom made 6×6 overlander how cool it that uh!?
This is something that I’ve been dreaming about for years now: An overland expedition with a few friends and 2 or 3 vehicles. Starting in Antwerp and finish in Cape Town And if that’s not enough, then the whole way back as well

Take this guy for instance, an Austrian guy who has been on the road for the last 3 years!!! He owns one of these 6×6 rovers. He now is a freelance photographer during his more than extensive journey
Amazing!

I also found other “heroes” on these sites:

A nice journey of 2 people from Germany to South Africa and back
A Brit and a south African doing about the same route
Sandy and Michael who have just finished their 2 years global tour
A couple doing the South American continent: 22.000 km’s
A dutch couple doing the whole world!

You need a car like this with as less electronic switches as possible (as these images proof )
And finally much to my surprise is that the same company offers RENTALS! So you can rent a 4×4 and starting planning your expedition

How cool is that!

My eyes ….

psykik — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:22:00 +0000

Signs of workaholism? I think my eyes are falling out my eyeballs again
I’ve been looking at the same monitor for the last 14 hours and I’m nearly blind… My lenses are really misty…

I think some people would say that Anyway I was going to start a new blog entry about something useful but I guess I’m too tired to write something useful.
I’m just gabbling around here instead…

Need… to… move … away…from…screen….

over and out

IE7 nightmare!

psykik — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:56:00 +0000

This is just ironic! I just finished a blog post on FireFox3 comparing it a bit to IE7. For some reason I opened my own blog in IE7.
Wouldn’t you just die?

I was about to post a message that the redesign of my site is looking good… I guess I’ll have to wait and find why IE isn’t showing the site right.
It’s not my design (I’m too lazy) but I ported it from a WordPress theme to Expression Engine. (my blog engine).

Now this is supposed how the site is to be rendered:

Africa Works

psykik — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:40:00 +0000

Benetton supports and promotes Africa for Africans. In partnership with Youssou N’Dour.

Benetton puts the spotlight on entrepreneurial Africa. Its global communication campaign for 2008 promotes the Birima micro-credit program in Senegal, a co-operative credit society founded by the Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour. The programmer will also receive financial support from Benetton Group.

Africa Works – the slogan of the campaign developed by Fabrica – will appear on billboards and in the press throughout the world, from February 2008. It features Senegalese workers who have used micro loans to start small, productive businesses. Photographer James Mollison portrays them with the tools of their trade against a neutral background. They include, amongst others, a fisherman, a decorator, a musician, a jewellery-maker, a farmer, a tailor, two textile sellers and a boxer.
These everyday people become tangible symbols of an Africa that uses the dignity of work to fight poverty, promote equitable development, maximise its resources and take back responsibility for creating its future.
A Benetton website devoted to the campaign and its related events and the www.birima.org portal. The Africa Works campaign will also be on stage during the Senegalese singer’s world tour, in particular during his concert at Paris Bercy on 5 April 2008.
Apart from being the title of one of the singer’s international successes, Birima is the name of a legendary king of Senegal who, speaking to his people only once a year, became a symbol of the value of keeping one’s word, of a moral code reflected in the credit society’s key tenet: those who ask for a loan need offer no other security than their word and the good name of their family.
From Senegal, Birima’s style of advanced credit will be gradually exported to other African nations.
For more information:
www.benetton.com/africaworks-press
www.birima.org

Merry X-mas!

psykik — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 10:24:00 +0000

Well,

It has been a while since I posted anything on my blog!
I’ve been busy as hell.
Anyway let me be the first to wish all of you a Merry Xmas and a happy New Year of course!

It’s been hectic.
Yesterday our client went LIVE with their new Dynamics AX platform. The project was huge! About 2 years of development and a enormous amount of Interfaces that connect to the AX system.
But we succeeded in delivering in time and went live yesterday.

Although the big test will be on Thursday went all the users are let loose on the system. For me that’s the real go-live.

Anyway on Friday I leave for my winter vacation: a week of snowboarding in the French Alps. Man! that will do me good!

Anyway it’s Xmas today, enjoy
(and a far better xmas picture )