Projects
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Updates
Cute Animal Zoo - Redesign
Saturday, September 26 2009, 4:23pm Portland, OR
I originally started the blog Cute Animal Zoo as a present to Megan. She needed a place to go and get her cute fix that wasn't completely overrun with bad videos or pictures. For about a year now, I've posted super-cute videos whenever a good one came my way. Laziness caught up with me, and it sat dormant for several months. I decided that if this was ever going to be a useful blog, it was going to need a visual refresh and I would have to be able to queue several videos (something Movable Type wouldn't let me do). After trying a couple of different platforms, I found the one that seemed like the best bet, the somewhat cartoonish Tumblr. It's a great blog platform that allows full HTML modification, allowed Google ads, and made it easy to queue posts. Still, there were a couple of interesting things I figured out.
Facebook Comments on Tumblr
For some strange reason, Tumblr decided not to include comments on blog posts by default. This ended up being to my liking, however, because I could use one of my favorite recent discoveries, the Facebook Comments Box. The setup is pretty straight forward normally, but it requires a cross-domain communication file to be uploaded somewhere on your server. Since you can't upload anything to the Tumblr server, it seemed an unsurmountable hurdle. Thankfully, a helpful blog I can't find again right now showed me that I could simply include the javascript from the file and post it in a post on my blog. Then, just tell the FB comments tag to look in that blog post for the script. Success!
The new version of the blog is up and running now, although I'm still tweaking the design whenever I get inspired (if only I had any design talent!).
-AF
The Hella True Fact of the Day 5.1
Friday, August 7 2009, 6:00pm Portland, OR
I've been working on the Hella True Fact of the Day for over five years now. I've posted over 1,800 fake (and hillarious) facts on a daily basis. At least 800 of them are really solid. To celebrate my five year aniversary, the HTFotD and I have recommitted ourselves to eachother with this new website:
Definitely check it out. It's clean and easy to use, with voting, commenting, and links to get new facts delivered to you on Facebook, Bebo, iGoogle, an RSS reader, or even embedded in your own site! If you're new to the Hella True Fact, be sure to click on "Best Of" for a quick introduction.
-AF
Post Script: I'm considering a rebranding of the Hella True Fact (you know, something that actually gives you an idea of what the product is) before I start trying to get a book or page-a-day calendar published. If you've got any great suggestions, let me know.
Read It And Weep: The Twilight Podcast
Wednesday, July 15 2009, 5:22pm Portland, OR
I'd like to take this moment to officially announce the launch of Read It And Weep, a podcast about the worst in modern fiction. Starting with Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight," my friends Chris and Ezra will join me bi-monthly to discuss (read: diss) best selling literature. For more information, you can subscribe to the Read It And Weep podcast or check out our first two episodes:
The Twilight Podcast: Episode 1
The Twilight Podcast: Episode 2
Enjoy!
-Alex
Welcome to AGB International
Wednesday, July 15 2009, 5:15pm Portland, OR
I'm reorganizing the site now to clarify its purpose. Rather than compiling personal blogs in with my other announcements and project information, I'm going to refocus AGB International into just a news site for all the disperate things I'm currently working on. I'm going to keep a fresh list of projects listed on the left side and I'll use this space for more detailed news.
Thanks for your interest.
-Alex
