Year: 2012

Four Years of Blogging

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The first image of Forkbombr’s layout, from July 2008.

On September 12, 512 Pixels will turn four. Well, actually, Forkbombr was founded four year ago, but I view them as the same site. Here’s a brief rundown of where it’s been, with a look toward the future.

(I wanted to get this post about before we get in to September, as I’m sure the news will be crazy all month.)

Site Stats

Here are some quick stats on 512 Pixels:

  • I’ve published 1,743 posts, with a a total of 515,660 words. That puts my average word count at 295 per post.
  • At 4,743 words, my Mountain Lion review is the single longest post on the site. The Writers I Read and Old Mac of the Month posts round out the list of the top ten longest posts.
  • When exported as plain text, my posts compile just 4.5 MB worth of files.
  • Last month, 59% of traffic came from the Safari browser, with Chrome and “Other” coming in second and third, with 19% and 14%, respectively.
  • Over the last six months, and average of 58% of my pageviews came from the Mac, with Windows, the iPad and iPhone all nabbing 13% each.
  • March 2012 was the biggest month ever for the site, thanks to this article. It ended up on the front page of Ars Technica, CNET, Daring Fireball, Mac Rumors, The Next Web, The Verge and more. The site slowed down, but never went offline completely, thanks to MediaTemple’s “QUICKLY ADD SOME MORE RESOURCES” feature.
  • Speaking of MediaTemple, 512 Pixels currently runs on a 1 GB (dv) server with the company, with most images being served from Amazon S3. I’m tinkering with CDN stuff now, and hope to implement something soon.

Site Changes & Content

This year, 512 Pixels got some new paint, thanks to PJ McCormick. PJ was also instrumental in getting my Linked Lists posts up and running in the DF style, which we rolled out in July.

The site is now fully responsive, and looks great on the Mac, iPad and iPhone. There are still some little bits that need polishing, but I think reading 512 Pixels on the go has never been easier.

The 512 Podcast has been growing steadily since Myke and I launched it back in February. It’s a ton of fun to do, and has really gotten me out of my comfort zone behind the keyboard.

Bartending

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my first book, Bartending: Memoirs of a Mac Genius.

To be honest, it wasn’t as widely embraced as I was hoping it would be. It sold well enough, but I think people wanted me to get in to the nitty-gritty details of what working at an Apple Store was like. I wasn’t prepared to do that, and I don’t think I misled people into thinking that.

I screwed up on the price. Initially, it was for sale at $8.99, but after about 48 hours, I dropped it to $4.99. It’s now just $2.99, but sales have basically dried up. I’m still proud of my work in the book, and I think now that I’ve published one, more will come, but it’s still hard to see my baby take such a beating in public.

The Business

In the spring, I registered “Hackett Technical Media, LLC” in the state of Tennessee. It wraps around the site and projects like Bartending. While I don’t make enough from the site (ads, membership, etc.) to go full-time yet, it’s continuing to grow. Thank you to those of you who are members or have donated in the past — I’m humbled by your support.

512 Pixels more than pays its bills. That’s all I can really ask for at this point.

The Future

I have another book project in the works. It’s very different from Bartending, and I’m looking forward to seeing it completed.

I expect to continue on my current trajectory of writing less about “tech news” and more about the culture and tools that technology provides. I also expect to continue to write more “personal” posts, and I have several articles about parenting and technology I’m working on. I also have a few freelance articles that will see the light of the day in the coming weeks. (I’ll be sure to link to them.)

I have some new Writers I Read interview in the pipeline. My newest project, System Extension has been a huge success. I can’t wait to get another edition out in a few weeks.

All in all, 512 Pixels is healthy. It’s growing, and continues to be read and linked to by awesome people around the web.

Here’s to the future.

‘You Say You Respect Life?’ →

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My friend Randal Cooper, whose life has also been touched by brain cancer, on healthcare reform:

I suppose that when my niece hits twenty-whatever, she’ll have to get her own insurance, and an inoperable brain tumor would fall under the category of “preexisting condition” and wouldn’t have been covered, so the choice would be pay out of pocket for thousands of dollars in scans every year, or take her chances with having a resurgence that could kill her.

Fortunately, she won’t have to make that choice, assuming that the Affordable Care Act isn’t repealed.

University of Memphis: The Daily Helmsman to Have Funding Restored →

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According to the paper’s Twitter account:

BREAKING NEWS: @UofMemphis restores the @DailyHelmsman’s funding after an investigation revealed content was a factor in the funding cut. New funding method will be put into place before next fiscal year’s allocation cycle. Full investigation report has not been released, yet.

While the full report isn’t out yet, I’m guessing this isn’t over yet. A university can’t have a committee cut something like this and not be punished.

Here’s part of the president’s statement:

Interviews with members of the Student Fee Allocation Fund Committee revealed that the content of The Daily Helmsman was discussed leading to an appearance that it may have been a factor in the committee’s recommendation to reduce funding from $75,000 to $50,000. Discussions centering on criteria for the disbursement of student fees may have made it difficult for committee members to separate the application of those criteria to programs where content is relevant, as opposed to the Helmsman where content is not relevant. The seven-member Student Fee Allocation Fund Committee is comprised of students, faculty and staff who recommend how funds should be disbursed from the annual Student Activity Fee.

Since content may have been a factor, we will restore the $25,000 in funding to The Daily Helmsman. Additionally, we will explore and recommend a structure and a process for funding the Helmsman that identifies appropriate funding sources prior to the 2013–14 Student Fee Allocation cycle.

Those “faculty and staff” should be dealt with, and Shirley Raines is as shrewd as ever. The bit about conversations “leading to an appearance that it may have been a factor” in the cuts is the most slimy sentence I’ve read all week.

I Need To Lie Down

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I’m angry.

Like a lot of nerds, I’m angry that Twitter is giving it to us where the sun doesn’t shine, and angry that we lived in denial about it so long.

I’m angry that I paid $50 for App.net, and so far, don’t feel like it was worth it, even to get my preferred (and short) username.

I’m angry that people have robots cross-posting to ADN, so I see the same crap twice, or (worse) fragments of conversations that get copied in to my timeline.

I’m angry that I even give a shit about it.

* *

The nerds are also angry about TextMate 2 going open-source and probably dying a slow, painful, Git-powered death. While I never was a big TextMate user, I totally get it.

* *

I’m angry that so many Americans will vote for Mitt Romney. I’m angry that the Republican party wants to revoke so much of the healthcare reform pushed through by the Obama administration. Such a move would leave my son without insurance if he makes it to adulthood.

According to conservatives, he should be held financially responsible that he was born with cancer. As long as the insurance executives can continue to rake tons of money in every month, who gives a shit about sick kids?

(I’m also angry that I will get a ton of emails about this point.)

* * *

I’m angry that I haven’t written anything decent for the site (or personally) in weeks. I have a couple of freelance articles due soon, and I know I’m just going to have power through them.

I’m angry that my site isn’t big enough that I can go full-time with it. I’m angry that my membership is small and that this month’s traffic isn’t as good as last month’s was. Again, I’m also upset that I can get so wrapped up in numbers and incoming links.

* * *

I need a vacation. Or a nap. Or both.

The Daily Helmsman Speaks Out →

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Chelsea Boozer, Editor-n-Chief of my old college newspaper:

We soon learned that the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee’s decision to give us $25,000 less than we have historically received was retaliation. Two committee members – the former Student Government Association president and vice president – were outspokenly angry that we didn’t write a story about one of the SGA’s events last semester.

They said they should be getting free advertisement through our articles and want the paper to publish press releases submitted and written by organizations.

[…]

Our goal is not to promote any one group or another, including the University of Memphis. Nor is it to make the University look bad. A few of those who play a role in setting the paper’s funding cut have told me that the Helmsman needs to help them “put the University on a regional map” and promote more school spirit on campus.

The University’s investigation is due to wrap up this week. I’ll be shocked if the U of M finds the SGA (or itself) in the wrong, and I’ll be more shocked if this doesn’t end up in court.

Breaking Bad a Hero’s Tale? →

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Emily Nussbaum, on a version of Breaking Bad that would avoid more heartache:

To escape this moral checkmate, [showrunner Vince] Gilligan might shift yet another character into the foreground, revealing that the show is actually (as a friend suggested) a hero’s tale in disguise. In that version of “Breaking Bad,” the protagonist is not Walt but Hank, a man with no children. Despite injury and depression, Hank brings down a vast drug ring, even when he discovers that the kingpin is his own brother-in-law, a sneering brainiac who has always considered himself superior. But because Hank is decent, and the show is on the side of good, Hank triumphs. That ending would have the virtue of symmetry, and pleasure, and closure, and relief, for the suffering audience.

I love the show, and I can totally buy in to this view of it.