Bradezone

The moment has arrived. Bradezone has been redesigned. I hope you like it.

Much like the previous iteration, this one was coded and styled in a flurry within only a couple of days. But the ideas have been stewing for a while. I knew I wanted bold contrast, larger type, a liquid layout, and a design that plays to my strengths. I’m pleased with how things came together, although WordPress’s methods of dealing with site domains and image URLs assured the redux wouldn’t happen without a fight. But I do like WordPress, particularly its seemingly new feature of finding the correct URL if you enter one that is slightly different.

The big thing for me was organization and placement of content and links. Prioritizing based on text size and color is at the heart of the redesign, and I spent much time thinking over it. Hopefully the many things I’ve learned since working at BigBlueHat are evident in the logic behind the site’s new layout. Eventually I just needed a primary color, and what better choice than my lifelong favorite: red? I’ve also added my “greatest hits” atop the left sidebar and placed links to my social networks at the top right of the site. Moving forward, I plan once again to incorporate randomized photos in the upper left, and I need to check the links from past entries for current validity. I’m also considering some widgetized content above the footer, such as my Amazon wish list or Picasa web albums. I have even debated whether to join Twitter at long last so I can have some up-to-date content in the currently empty upper right, but we’ll see.

So that’s the whole mundane tale. The timing of this redesign was quite unexpected, but after a truly bizarre last couple of weeks, I felt a sudden urge to pool my creative energies into something fun and, at least to me, worthwhile. I’d be glad to hear your thoughts, especially if you find something weird.

I know what you have all been thinking: “Brade, we just can’t get enough of your blog. Give us more of your writings, or prepare for some consequences.” Well, I’ve heard your pleas/threats, and I’m here to reveal not one, not two, not four, but three other blogs featuring the outpourings of my brain.

1. BigBlueHat — This is the two-man shop where I work. Ben and I blog pretty regularly about everything from CakePHP to donuts, so you will surely not want to miss out on the latest developments in these and other critical areas.
2. Chuck Norris Hiking — Some friends and I set up this blog for our California hiking and sightseeing excursion during the summer of ’07, but since we have the domain, I am sure we will blog during future exotic vacations as well. Tentative plans call for a sweep through Seattle and Vancouver this summer, so stay tuned.
3. Lousy Movie Night — This is the latest and greatest of my collaborative blogs, established in honor of what has become a Friday night ritual: the viewing and denigration of the dumbest films in cinema history. A large group of us has been assembled to provide this public service to you free of charge. Remember, friends don’t let friends watch lousy movies alone.

First things first: I should like to apologize to Mozilla and my literally dozen(s) of readers for lambasting Firefox, the browser we have come to know and love for its speed and reliability. It turns out Firefox is actually just as capable as alleged, but my previous system configuration was apparently not up to the task. I use the term “previous” because with the recent release of the superlative Ubuntu 7.10, I have decided to expunge Microsoft Windows entirely from my system. And not only that, I chose to create a new installation of Ubuntu rather than just upgrading the prior version. During this process, which required the creation of four DVDs with my backed-up files, I must have thought it would be hilarious not to copy onto one of these discs the folder entitled LINUX_STUFF, which contained the entirety of my Ubuntu-specific personal files, such as Firefox bookmarks and add-ons, as well as every line of code I have written since becoming an employee at BigBlueHat. (Cue dramatic music indicating irrevocable tragedy.)

Oh, did I mention we back up all of our code via Subversion, and therefore I didn’t really “lose” anything? I suppose that’s an important detail, although it severely hampers the dramatic impact of my anecdote. And I really did lose my Firefox particulars. But this ended up being a blessing in disguise, as once I had my current system up and running I was forced to commence the bookmarking/adding-on process anew, and uncovered some possible reasons for my aforementioned browser troubles—namely, another session manager extension competing with Firefox’s built-in one, and having Firebug and HTML Validator enabled for all websites and not just localhost. My current Firefox experience is alarmingly fast and stable—after a couple of tweaks, natch—and once again all is right with the world of open source software.

Another significant change—and one that affects you, the steadfast visitor—is my decision to host this site with my employer and dump the deplorable Dreamhost, who should seriously consider changing their name to Nightmarehost after perpetrating an extended era of ineptitude on their customers, myself included. I certainly notice a dramatic increase in the speed of Bradezone, and hopefully you can too.