Oct 19, 1999, 5:00pm

Okay, I promised them fast and furious, but I've been busy.

(I'm a lame ass).

First, got some nuze for you. I bought a new domain name last week. As many of you know, I'm addicted to quality coffee (surprisingly, I'm not addicted to coffee - I can go days, weeks without - just that when I drink coffee or espresso, I demand quality coffee and espresso). Anyway, with that tangeant out of the way, I decided to get a coffee fan type domain name, and I got one. My first three choices were gone (I hate friggin domain name hoarders sometimes - all three choices are currently unused, but registered to idiots), but my fourth choice (on a list of 10) was available, so I grabbed it.

Take a peek at www.coffeekid.com

See the deal was, this thing was in development for over 8 months. The original idea was to replace the link within this site, the one that goes to coffee time, with a new more comprehensive section. But it grew. And it grew. And it grew. I also did it in frames (borderless style), just to prove to myself I could still do frames.

But you know what? I never really liked it myself. It's the damned frames. You can't easily bookmark pages, you can't point people to specific pages without "showing off the intended design", and generally, I just hate frames. That, plus the fact that the 3D interface is going out of style. 2D is back, but in new ways.

So while I launched a site that contains roughly 300 images, 70 pages and tons of code only a week ago, I'm already redesigning it. If you want a sneak peak, point your browser to www.coffeekid.com/newsite, but keep in mind only the main page and the espresso page have any real content at the moment.

So what do you think? Like the current design, or prefer the new one? Help a coffee geek know what works best!

WebMotif is also currently undergoing a complete redesign, and I'm having major personal issues on it. See the thing is, I finished the redesign. But I didn't upload it because I didn't like it. I liked it when I originally designed it but as I finished it up, I didn't like it anymore. I have that problem. So I trashed all the new design, and started from scratch. There are parts online, but they are very raw at the moment. If you want to scope those out, check out my new logo at www.webmotif.com

The biggest problem in my design life is that I'm a bloody perfectionist. No, not a perfectionist. I'm never satisfied. I think there's a difference between the two. A perfectionist can possibly stop when he or she sees perfection. Someone who's never satisfied with their work can never be truly happy with it. I'm the same way with my clients' work as well, but long ago I learned to put a halt to it at some point, otherwise I'd never get stuff done, or get paid. I get juiced about a project, get tons of ideas, but when it comes time to implement them, code them, finish them up, I'm not so juiced about it anymore. I see things I could have done differently, and I have regrets about it. (sidenote - anyone who says in life "I have no regrets" is lying, that's my opinion). It's not to say the work I did is the shits - it's just that I always think I could do better.

Maybe part of my problem is "living" with a design too long.

Or maybe I just prefer the act of "working on a design", so when the work is done, I miss it, and want to start all over again. I dunno, but it is a quirk in my nature.

A friend (who I discussed this with) told me this is a good thing for my clients and myself. It means I'm always pushing myself to do better. Maybe. But when I finish a project, finish a client's site, instead of feeling satisfied and fulfilled, I feel disappointed and wanting. Very weird shit.

Oh well, that's about it for this time. I had a bunch of crap I wanted to write about, but I forget it at this moment. Till next time, thanks for stopping by!

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Mixelania

Photos from Algonquin Park
Photos from my trip to Algonquin Park this fall with my Mom and two brothers.

War Stories

Making Snow for the Fortress
One of the worst jobs I ever had... till I got out.

Webiffied

Tools I Use
The tools I use to build websites and lead a tech life.

iPod and iTunes Offline

iMark's iTunes and iPod isn't iPlaying anything right iNow.

Most Recent Songs

Fiddlers Green by The Tragically Hip

Around The Bend by Pearl Jam

Here With Me (Rollo's Chillin' With the Family Mix) by Dido

With arms open wide by Creed

truffle pigs by Matthew Good Band

In the News

Burundi and Beyond - NY Times
Great article by Peter Meehan - provided some background.

St. Petersburg Times
Side mention in an article about good machines

AP Story on Espresso
Background and information provided

NY Times - Grinders Article
Especially proud of this one - got the reporter to focus on grinders

Globe and Mail
LOL - showing bad reporting, dude says I'm an American-based site!

The Olympian, WA
Talks about my love for the El Sal Siberia Pacamara

Seattle Times - Clover
Interviewed for comments on the Clover brewer

NY Times - How it Works
Background and information for various espresso machines

Time Mag Article
Just a brief mention, article about roasting beans.

NY Times
Front page article about consumers getting into specialty coffee.

Washington Monthly
Quoted reference to what I wrote in an article at CoffeeGeek.

USA Today - Barista Jam
Intereviewed for my thoughts on what the epitome of espresso is.

WSJ Article
The Wall Street Journal has interviewed me 3 times. This is the first time my name got in a story.

Reuters Interview
Interview with Reuters, Jan 2 - this is the USA Today version.

My Other Stuff

CoffeeGeek
Launched Dec 22, 2001, this is THE online community for espresso and coffee fanatics.

CoffeeKid Website
It's all new, as of March, 2002. My personal coffee obsession site.

WebMotif Services
My company's site - needs an update!

Amazon WishList
Hey, if you feel the need to buy me something, check here!

Daily Visits

enGadget
Great gadget site run by the guy who used to do Gizmodo.

Google News
This is how I get my daily news fix.

DPReview Forums`
The most active forums for digital photography online today.

Daily Zen
Need my Daily Zen fix!

Jalopnik
A blog about car stuff. Vroom Vroom.

MoCo Loco
An industrial design blog. Very cool stuff.

Friends and Family Plan

Beata Blog
Beata's got her own blog! She updates it most days.

Riddla on Flickr
Matt Riddle's flickr account, updated regularly

Irdy Photos
Irdy, my friend from Jakharta, on Flickr

Recent Acquisitions

Canon EF 24-105 f4 L Lens
The best lens I've ever owned. Super sharp and quick.

Canon 5D
A full frame dSLR, with luscious colour reproduction.

Alzo Digital Lights
Some amazing florescent cold lights for product photography

Canon Xsi dSLR
Amazing technology and image quality in a tiny package.

Canon 40D
Latest prosumer camera from Canon - a much better upgrade than the 30D

Fujitsu P1610
Great 2.2lb computer that does most of my travel / writing needs

28mm f1.8 Lens
A great lens for closeup work and full picture photography

Foodsaver Advanced
Finally got the right tools for freezing green coffee.

Canon 50mm 1.4
Most amazing lens I've ever owned. Produces stellar photos.

Canon 10-22mm
Super wide angle (full frame fisheye) zoom for my Canon 20D