Welcome to The Very Daily Weblog of Joshua Blankenship



MacBook Pro + chalkboard paint = BlackBoard Pro. The negative comments are hysterical.

Wed 05.21.08 (1 comment)

A note from The Management: Apparently the sudden influx of traffic to So Serious has led to its temporary death/disappearance from cPanel. I’m trying to figure of what’s going on.

Wed 05.21.08 (0 comments)

DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com is a handy little web app for development and general online life, especially if you have multiple sites and multiple servers/webhosts. It does one thing, awesomely.

Wed 05.21.08 (1 comment)

I have this site called So Serious. I started it as A Collection of Serious Thoughts on Work, Faith, People, & Creativity, a sort of place for a niche of longer article-style posts that didn’t fit into the blog here. I apparently haven’t had much to say on those subjects lately. Today I did.

Tue 05.20.08 (0 comments)

Firing New Employees in Order to Find the Right Fit(s)

[When shoe company] Zappos hires new employees, it provides a four-week training period that immerses them in the company’s strategy, culture, and obsession with customers…After a week or so in this immersive experience…[Zappos] says to its newest employees: “If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you’ve worked, plus we will offer you a $1,000 bonus.” [Because]…if you’re willing to take the company up on the offer, you obviously don’t have the sense of commitment they are looking for.
— William C. Taylor, Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit—And You Should Too

From my very satisfied customer’s point-of-view, Zappos is an incredible company. What’s even more fascinating to see is their corporate culture functioning in non-standard ways like the quoted policy, and fully embracing technology like Twitter (they have over 300 employees using Twitter) in order to connect directly with customers.

Tue 05.20.08 (2 comments)

Tagged: Business, Customer Service, Entry, Office Culture, Web Culture

I’m enjoying the rocking sounds of Apollo Up today. I am also enjoying their new website, courtesy of Michael Eades.

Tue 05.20.08 (0 comments)

Wouldn’t you love to be a part of the outside cleaning crew pressure washing Seattle’s Space Needle? I mean, it’s only about 600ft up. No biggie.

Mon 05.19.08 (0 comments)

This week's sign that Hollywood is a sad, sad place: A sequel is in production featuring the female lead from a perfectly complete and awesome horror movie wherein the director’s cut makes it alarmingly clear that EVERYONE DIES, including said actress.

Mon 05.19.08 (3 comments)

Dotcomrade Stephen Hallgren has launched a public version of Out For a Ride, a social networking website for bicycling enthusiasts and the casual biker. If you like bikes and the internet, this is the place for you.

Sun 05.18.08 (0 comments)

Dear Tom Waits,

I love you with the passion of 1,000 suns, but I won’t be able to come see you on your tour stop in Atlanta. The tickets for good seats are $105+fees each and that’s just dumb.

PEHDSTCKJMBA,
Joshua

Fri 05.16.08 (2 comments)

Tagged: Letter, Music

Five Portfolios That Caused My Jaw to Drop While Browsing Recently

1. Pascal Blanchet
2. Curtis Jinkins
3. Oliver Munday
4. Mike Krol
5. Jesse Kaczmarek

Fri 05.16.08 (1 comment)

Tagged: Design, Friday Five List, Illustration, Typography

This week's sign that Hollywood is a sad, sad place: A movie adaptation of 21 Jump Street is in the works and the executive producer is this guy.

Thu 05.15.08 (1 comment)

I’m trying to stop focusing on a few [lost] minutes here and there and instead embrace a chance to lose them, knowing I’ll produce something of quality. (Not quantity.) — Sarah Hatter, Haste is a Form of Violence

The Day There Was No News

Wed 05.14.08 (1 comment)

Tagged: Creativity, Entry, Video


Xefer is a Yahoo Pipes/Google Chart app that will give you stats and info graphics for any public Twitter account, including time frequency, monthly totals, etc. Here’s mine. (found via Jamie Salmon)

Wed 05.14.08 (0 comments)

Apparently, the “opening the box” experience is slightly different for Apple buyers and Windows buyers, at least Microsoft thinks so. I mean, honestly, does that page need to exist?

Wed 05.14.08 (5 comments)

Awesome collection of all the U.S. presidential election logos from 1960-2008 including some gems like McCarthy ‘76, Hughes ‘72, and Goldwater-Miller ‘62.

Tue 05.13.08 (3 comments)

Tom Waits holds a press conference for his upcoming Glitter and Doom tour. Hello, Atlanta!

Tue 05.13.08 (0 comments)

A Lorem Ipsum Pop Quiz for all you designer types.

Mon 05.12.08 (4 comments)

Video of Bill O’Reilly behind-the-scenes in a decidedly NSFW rant. “DO IT LIVE!”

Mon 05.12.08 (2 comments)

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