andrew dodson

Wordpress has released the next version of their popular blogging and content management software.  The 2.9 release, named “Carmen,” continues their series of releases named after jazz artists.

So, what’s new in 2.9?

The biggest feature improvement is the ability to edit images after they are uploaded – cropping, rotating and resizing are all available options.  This is a huge feature for Wordpress users that may not have image editing software on their computers.

Another popular improvement is the ability to embed media into posts or pages by simply copying and pasting the link to the media (video, photo gallery, etc.) into the post or page, using the oEmbed standard.

Wordpress has also introduced a trash feature, enabling a second level of deletion of posts, pages and media.  Now, in the event you accidentally get rid of a post, it goes to the trash,  instead of being permanently deleted.  Users can then empty their trash later, when they’re sure they want to delete its contents.

These three features are on top of many other improvements and bug fixes.  To read more about the 2.9 release, please read this post on the Wordpress blog.

My co-worker at 524concepts, Chris Thurman, has launched a new creative media blog – Visual Swirl.  Be sure to check it out.  The blog features articles on video, web, print, and more.  It’s a must-read for all creative types.  There is also the possibility that I may contribute from time to time, which may or may not help in getting traffic to the site!

Ok. Let’s try this again. I haven’t blogged in quite a while, but I have plenty to blog about.

First, I’m engaged! Julie said yes to my proposal last Saturday at Evan’s Orchard in Georgetown. We will tie the knot on New Year’s Eve.

I finally caved to pressure and joined the cult of iPhone owners. My Verizon contract ended, so it was a good time to jump over to AT&T. So far, I’m loving the iPhone. I’m typing this post using the WordPress app.

More to come in the next day or two.

Ahh, hello blog.  I have missed you.

Looks like it’s been over a month since my last post.  I’ve been on a quest to live a slower (more slow?) life.  For the last five years, I’ve operated BADmedia as a freelance business on top of having a full time job.  While I enjoy recording and design work, the ultimate purpose of BADmedia has always been to have a supplement to my full time income.  While the extra money is nice, it is more often outweighed by the extra time and effort needed to do the work.  In turn, I don’t have time to enjoy life – reading books, getting some exercise, relaxing, having fun, playing drums, blogging.

Getting the job with Crossings has confirmed that I am “getting out” of the freelance business.  I say that with quotes because I will continue to do freelance work – but only for a select few clients.  Basically, I’m not going to take on any more freelance work from this point.  The current clients I have don’t require a lot of my time, so I will continue to fulfill my obligation to them.  The daily drive to Louisville consumes more of my time, which only adds to the confirmation that I don’t need to be doing freelance work.

I’ve spent the past few months finishing up a few of the leftover projects from my brief stint of operating BADmedia full time.  It’s been a busy month, but last night was a great night – I was able to come home and not have any responsibilities.  Just because it’s part of my nature, I still did “work,” but it was stuff I wanted to work on.  That’s how I want it to be – I want to only work on things that I care about.  Work on fewer things, but do better work because I truly care about the finished product.  Not working on things just to get a check when the work is done.

So, even though I’ve said this before, I look forward to blogging more frequently.  Life should be slower now.

Okay… new plugin.  Once again… this is only a test.

[UPDATE: It worked!]

I just installed a new plugin for Wordpress that will integrate my blog and Twitter account.  Whenever I publish a new blog post, it will show up on my Twitter account.  Nothing earth-shattering, but I actually just wanted to test it with this post.

Don’t worry, Tim.  We’ve all been there.  Not long ago, back in 2004, I was a pro-Windows, pro-PC guy.  I didn’t see what the fuss about Apple was all about.  PCs were cheaper and usually had more bells and whistles than Macs.  In the MP3 player world, I had a Creative Nomad that was 20GB and worked perfectly – even looked a lot like an iPod.  Then, I started working at CLS – an all-Mac facility – and started seeing what the fuss was all about.

Today’s post over at Challies talks about the process a lot of PC users go through in their switch to Apple.  Along the way, he talks about people like me:

What I’ve come to realize is that I don’t dislike Apple computers. No, I just dislike the people who use them! I’ll grant that there are some exceptions, some people who are humble Mac users. But far too often I’ve come across these Mac apologists, the kind who feel the need to disparage all things Microsoft and to boast in their own superiority. They are the ones who make you feel like you’re missing out, like you’d be so much better and more popular if you’d just become part of the in-crowd.

Plain and simple – everyone should use a Mac. They just make life much easier.

My iPology :: technology :: A Reformed, Christian Blog.

There is snow on the ground right now, and that is a very good thing.  We didn’t end up getting as much as expected in Frankfort, which is a bummer.  I was pretty anxious for the possibility of eight or nine inches of snow.  Oh well.

Snow days seem to be a good day for everyone to catch up with life.  I was just on Facebook and noticed a lot of my friends uploading pictures, videos, changing their profile pictures, and updating their status to the likes of “I didn’t go to work today, so I’m cleaning the house.”  I figured I’d use part of my snow day to post on the ol’ blog.

As of a couple of weeks ago, I am now a full-time freelancer.  After four and a half years, I decided to leave CLS.  I enjoyed my time at CLS, but really felt like it was time to pursue either BADmedia full-time, or see what other web and graphic jobs are out there in the world.  So far, I’ve applied for a few full-time jobs, but haven’t landed anything yet.  If I am offered a job, it will be a tough decision to choose between the security of a full-time job, or the freedom of freelancing.  I have really enjoyed freelancing for the past few weeks, and it’s been amazing to see God’s faithfulness in this time.  Despite leaving a good full-time job, I’ve been able to get by for the month of January, with jobs continuing to line up for February.  God is good.

In a way, every day has become a “snow day” for me.  I am able to set my own hours and do the work when I want.  I can work from coffee shops, restaurants, parks, bookstores, libraries – anywhere with free Wi-Fi.  It also means I no longer have the option of saying, “I’ve been too busy to blog.”  Hopefully that means I’ll be able to post more often, which I will enjoy.  Enjoy your snow day!

Okay.  I’ve decided to blog again.  Yes, wishy-washy.  Just like I said I’d be.  The thing is, I really do have a lot to blog about, and the last couple of weeks has revealed this to me.

Wordpress 2.7

Wordpress just released version 2.7, which is one reason to blog.  Wordpress is one of my favorite things in this world, and it really shows how big of a geek I can be.  I was actually anticipating the release of 2.7.  I’ve used Wordpress for the past four years and don’t plan on using anything different anytime soon.  I’m sure there’s other blogging and content management solutions out there, but I’ve just fallen in love with Wordpress.

New in 2.7 is what you (the faithful blog reader) can’t see.  As I type this, I see a whole new look in the dashboard (i.e., control panel or “back end”) of Wordpress.  It’s been completely redesigned and it’s great.  As mentioned, the new version and the new look of the dashboard is inspiration enough to blog.

A Girl

For the first time in the history of this blog, I’m going to post about a specific girl.  Her name is Julie and she’s pretty awesome.  For those of you that keep up with me on Facebook, this is old news, but it’s new to the blog.

We’ve been dating for a couple of months now, and I’m pretty happy.  As my mom pointed out in a comment a couple of posts ago, she could likely be a reason for posts being scarce as of late.  She has occupied a lot of my free time lately, but if I had to choose between time with her or blogging, it’s a pretty safe bet I’ll pick time with her!  Both of our sets of parents met last night for the first time, and it went very well.  It’s been interesting that all of the “next steps” of the relationship have gone well, without either of us being nervous (meeting parents, meeting family members, meeting each other’s friends).  It’s been a good sign – it’s just felt “normal” in a very good way.  Prayers are appreciated!

Behold the Lamb of God

For the second year in a row, I was a part of performing Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God at The Point.  We were fortunate to have the same crew as last year, with the addition of a couple of string players (who added immensely to the performance).  I am so blessed to have been gifted with the ability to bang on drums for the glory of God.  I am so blessed to be connected with so many amazing musicians that want to glorify God through their talents.  I’m not sure how many (if any) of the bunch will see this, but I just want to thank them for letting me be a part of it all.  It was beautiful.  And a special thanks to the Tomkins family for helping with sound and MediaShout.

My Blog’s Birthday

I started this blog on December 27th, 2004.  This week, it will turn four years old.  I can’t say I thought I’d still be blogging in four years when I started.  Blogs may be dying out, but deep down, I do enjoy getting on here and typing out my thoughts for the world (or, a few people) to see from time to time.  A lot of blogs have a central theme or purpose.  I like that mine is a mix of personal thoughts, sports, music, occasional humor, and most importantly – God.  I hope to continue to blog more about all of these topics more in 2009.  All of this to say, this blog isn’t going anywhere.  I’d miss it too much.

Merry Christmas!

Okay, here’s the deal.  I think I know what I want to do with this place.  This space.  Whatever you want to call it.  The blog will continue to exist in some fashion.  However, it will no longer be on the front page of the site.  I’m using Twitter more, which is really easy to use for quick, daily updates.

Picture this.

When you come to this site, the first thing you’ll see is my latest Twitter posts.  A list of my most recent blog posts will also be on the main page, so you can see if I’ve posted a blog entry lately.  The blog and other pages will be links off the home page.

I think this is what I want to do.  I think.  We’ll see.  As I sit here typing this, I kind of miss blogging.  Wishy-washy.