Blog Action Day - Dream on

Today is Blog Action Day and we're all doing what we can to stop poverty. But unlike others might see poverty I have a different take on the subject. I know it can be very heartbreaking to know that there are millions of people out in the world who can't afford to have shelter, food, clothing, etc. I'm all for making the world a better place and getting help to those people who need it. I do my share when I pass by a homeless man asking for change, or a woman begging for food. I offer what I have or sometimes already have a bag of food handy to give. But I'm not going to discuss that kind of poverty in my blog post since there's plenty of other blogs posting about that today.

No, today I'm going to focus on the poverty that strikes each and every one of us no matter the size of our wallet or the bling of our cars. I'm talking about the poverty of being dreamless.

We grow up so fast, we see friends and family fade in and out of our lives, financial heartaches come and go, and other troubled situations strike us without notice. There are plenty of good times too, and all the while we forget something important. We forget the "idea" we had when we were a kid. We forget what we set out to do in the first place. Soon, sometimes without even knowing it, we drift farther away from the idea that its possible and accept our daily routine without ever taking a second glance at whats really happening.

Perhaps you had an idea to open your own bake shop. You could have always wanted to circle the world. The prospect of going after a type of job you thought you might not be able to get. Starting a small business that deals with your expertise. All these things, if you are not actively pursuing at this very moment - are slipping away from you - this very moment.

Sure you can argue that the bad times got you down, or perhaps you have no money, even try to argue that you simply are too busy to start taking on that dream you had. Well let me tell you something, no amount of money, time or lack of hardships will ever stop you if you have the will power to go for it. It starts SOMEWHERE. The idea or dream you had when you were a kid is still inside you but you need understand it will never see the light of day unless you actively DO something about it.

Have you really sat down and taken the time to figure out exactly what it would take to get started? Perhaps you think it would take too long or you wouldn't know where to start. Again, more excuses. There are plenty of resources out there ready to be tapped into and all it takes is for someone like you to use them. Time is ticking and you have less time than you think to do the job. The worst thing you can do when it comes to your dream is to give up.

Think about it, where does your time really go? Where does your money get spent? There is no book, movie or blogpost out there capable of giving you any sort of power you didn't already have. You are your own engine. Look deep within yourself and understand that nothing will ever be done for you unless you take initiative. When people say "Well, when things get better later on in my life I'll pursue it.." is just a cop out for not having enough will power.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

I've been pursuing my dream and doing my best to get my ideas out in the world and my time is soon. I might not have all the money I need, might not have the resources to pull it off the way I want, nor even the full knowledge of every little detail but I know what the end game looks like and I plan on seeing it happen one way or another.

I know a few might be thinking "well, it may be easy for YOU but I have problems" or some other negative thought. If you are, stop right there. Your already going down the wrong path. Make a U-turn, and try again. I'll leave you with this quote that I based this blog post on, said by Harry Kemp.


"The poor man is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream."
-Harry Kemp

SS Webapp complete!

So I went ahead and finished up the webapp, and its pretty much done. The only thing that would change would be any additions I would include over time. I do have one final bit of tweaking to do to on the webapp but not to worry, its nothing cosmetic so you wont even know the difference.

This now gives me more time to work on the final touches of the full version of Sketch Studios as well as setting up the podcast.







One last note, for those who don't know:
In case your reading this on a desktop and you want to check out my webapp you need to visit www.sketchstudios.net from an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Creeping along...

A new milestone has been reached, and I was finally able to go ahead with my webapp after weeks of stumbling on a few errors I was encountering regarding some lines of code. I unfortunately missed my mark for opening by the end of summer but I did leave a little token of appreciation for those who do check. If you visit my website on an iPhone you'll be able to know what I'm talking about.
;)

As of now, my next big update will be of the grand opening for my full scale website. Since I'm already behind schedule - it was about this same time I wanted to debut another part of the site but I might as well spill the beans for you awaiting whats to come. An art & technology podcast is in the works. I won't say much more than that but it's part of my larger plan
;)

Stepping off topic for a moment, be sure to register to vote. November 4th is coming up fast, so please get off your butt and do your patriotic duty. I will try to keep my website and blog post as bi-partisan as possible so I won't get carried away with pushing politics on you. All I will say is, it's time for a change.
;)


It's time I finish this blog post up, I just noticed I winked like 3 times in the past 3 paragraphs, what am I? Sarah Palin?! HA! Ok, scratch what I said - GO OBAMA!


OBAMA / BIDEN '08

What is that smell?

Back when I was in high school & college when teachers gave assignments to the class about a subject the student was expected to know the subject and have the paper turned in on time. I remember some of the tricks and schemes that students would pull if they didn't do their homework like telling the teacher the next day it was due "My computer broke or got a virus, I couldn't type or print it out!, Ill bring it next week!" or "I had it but I spilled coffee all over the paper, Ill turn it in tomorrow!" etc etc etc.


Then of course, those people would go home frantically and get STARTED on the paper that they would NEED to turn in the next day. Of course, if you were the teacher you would know the kind of quality of paper that you would get. If the subject was about (for example) the history of apples, instead of getting a paper talking about the process of growing apples, the social and religious aspects, the regional areas they grow, the impact of what life would be without them and other important historical information about apples you get a paper along the lines of "apples are red, they are really yummy and juicy! They are great to juggle with and they sure make for great apple pie!" type of quality. The student did not study, did not know the facts and simply did-not-do-their-homework.


I was always taught to do my homework in any and all things, from the smallest to the biggest things in class and life. I know what those people who turn in bad quality homework papers, and give rotten answers to questions and stay away from being held responsible for their failed actions and avoiding getting caught --- they are called bullshitters.














Obama talking about their tactics and BS, when there are real issues at hand and explains who really loses in this race. ...us.

Webapp now with AJAX

Woot, with some help of a new friend I was able to get some more understanding of AJAX and learn some tips with coding my webapp so that it can be more friendly with loading times. I was able to incorporate a LoadMore() variable which does the trick. I'm trying my best to keep Edge users in mind when my webapp is loaded, I know how little patience some people can have! I absolutely do not want to go over 1 minute for sure for loading time. Although it does depend on the singal strength as well, whenever I clock my loading time for my webapp I always start with a clear cache, and do a few trial runs in different areas to get the best signal strength possible. So far, loading my webapp with a clear cache and the best signal it clocks in at 42 seconds. Not too shabby, but I think I can shave off a few seconds by limiting my thumbnail pages to showing 6 initially instead of 9.

So now, the remaining tasks at hand are to create a graphic for the load more button, continue trimming down the loading time where I can, and finish importing my art to the webapp by sizing it down. After that, the webapp will be complete! Full speed ahead!

PS:

If you haven't yet, just a reminder to go check out my art piece at LACMA. (Get directions there) The photo piece is called "Reflection of Palm Tree", and is on display until the end of August 2008.

Last bit of coding

Alright so the webapp is going steady, but as I was adding more content (pics, sketches, etc) I noticed my load time was inching ever so more longer and longer. I knew that if I added any more pics (even though they are just thumbnails at a SUPER compressed rate) that most iPhone Edge wont even bother with letting my webapp finish loading.

So, it looks like Im going to be limiting the thumbnails to a certain number per category. Im also going to add a "load 10 more" button on the bottom of each category (if needed) to then call for those images or thumnails to be downloaded at the time of push. That should help cut down on the initial load time and only load what is needed. One small problem, it requires me to dive into a bit of Ajax coding, which quite frankly I havent dabbled in yet but theres a first time for everything. Tonight will be my first attempt at getting everything working and then hopefully it will be full speed ahead to adding content.

New Artwork up at LACMA

So I've taken a break for a day or two from working on the website, it was getting a bit monotenous. I do have some other news, an art piece of mine is up at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the gallery below the Los Angeles Times Central Court. The piece titled "Palm Tree Reflection" is a photograph of where I grew up. The apartment complex has a driveway with two buildings identical on each side. The driveway got flooded during a storm and it created a lake of sort. In the morning on the way to work I took a snap shot of it, the water not having been driven through or walked through still had a calm still to it. A palm tree on the opposite side of the street stands tall above the driveway, it made a clear reflection in the water and I thought it made great composition with the buildings side by side and the palm tree in both the top and bottom frame. If you have a chance defintely check it out, its at 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. It will be on display till the end of the August 2008.