Avalonstar

The story of how I built Django Plugables in 5 days to scratch my own itch.

If you could have one HTML5/CSS3 property or attribute added into every modern browser today, what would it be?

When a client takes your design and "reworks it," how do you handle becoming their pixel prostitute?

Every time I reinstall OS X, my workflow and application choices seem to change.

It's been one hell of a year for Sidebar Creative.

It's my birthday, but instead of boring you with the details, here's a little bash script that'll save you the hassle of remembering all those extraction commands.

A rare glimpse into the design process behind Distortion.

After 7 years, 5 months and 23 days, I'm back with a vengeance and a brand new design I call "Distortion."

After 72 hours of non-stop apartment hunting, Team Revyver is packing up and moving from Silicon Valley to Seattle.

Today, Jen and I braved traffic and crowds to check out the Final Fantasy 20th anniversary event at the Sony Metreon in San Francisco.

Revyver grows in more ways than one as my fiancé Jen officially joins me in building our budding company.

I can't seem to stop rearranging my desk and cords whenever I need a break from the stresses of life.

The relevance of our words and how they stand the test of time.

Reflecting on the relationship between work and love, and how my winding path led me to an unlikely job at Facebook.

After an epic 2,500 mile road trip filled with deserts, outlet malls and speeding tickets, I finally made it to Austin for SXSW 2007.

In true Avalonstar fashion, the second annual ABX event went off without a hitch--despite the potential roadblocks that popped up along the way.

Let me take you on a journey through my recent obsession with Japanese music, from its origins in my anime and gaming addictions to the next level of immersion thanks to Jen.

Four years and a lifetime of changes later, Jenni and I celebrate our anniversary with a trip down memory lane at Uno's.

78 megabytes of design goodies from the past year, packed into one download - the 2006 Archive is here.

The road to SXSW is a long one, especially when you're a small-time player like me.

The ChaoticSoul theme is back and better than ever - now with widget support and a custom header system to work flawlessly with WordPress 2.1.

After much anticipation, I'm thrilled to announce the launch of Sidebar Creative along with some of my closest friends in the industry.

After months of setbacks and overwhelming challenges, Avalonstar's long-awaited redesign has been put on hold as I step back to rethink my approach and hopefully find the determination to give this site the revamp it truly deserves.

A quick break from the serious to share two of my favorite photos of Willow and Ravyn, my first two bundles of joy.

It's that time of year again - time to buckle down and get my files in order.

Looking back at the year that was, 2006 brought me many opportunities and experiences that changed my life.

Two weeks into my self-imposed redesign challenge, I'm taking the time to talk about the first stage - the mentality, the "why", and the wireframing process that began this journey to Avalonstar 23.

Absent-mindedness strikes again as I accidentally create a new drink sensation, Apple Mountain Dew.

The journey continues as I part ways with Automattic and return to Revyver, questioning if entrepreneurship is my true calling after all.

The laptop or desktop debate rages on as I ponder my next big purchase.

When the big brands fail you, it's easy to lose faith.

Wow, the haters are out in full force today!

Sometimes you just need a swift kick in the ass to get going.

One year down with my Mazda RX-8 and it's been a hell of a ride.

Happy Halloween everyone!

When evil eyes lurk to reap what you've sewn, how much power do you have to protect your designs?

6 years of Avalonstar and I sit here, reflecting on how this place has given me more than most "friends" could have ever given.

Stuck in Corpus Christi on what should have been an hour trip to Houston.

The Jam Session has been an awesome, intimate event that's allowed me to mingle with so many people (while spoiling us speakers rotten).

Symbolic links have always baffled me - until now.

Another day, another meme!

Mike Adams joins team Automattic and goes to town on bbPress, pushing the version to 1.0-a.

Ads and blogs together make me feel dirty, like there's some ulterior motive at play.

In the second part of my Linux noob chronicles, I dive deeper into the command line, learning to use vi, nano and screen while setting up a private game server.

Ever tried explaining what you do to a family member outside the industry?

Boxes.

Got an email from a random guy wanting to buy avalonstar.com.

A stark contrast between my first weeks at Facebook and Automattic - 81.5 hour work weeks versus actually *seeing* San Francisco.

An opportunity I couldn't miss - joining the Automattic team as their eighth member to take a pro-active position in designing and developing the only blogging software I'd ever use.

Social networking has become a staple of Web 2.0, but are complex networks really necessary?