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jim doran

joie de vivre

WordCamp (Mid-Atlantic) BaltimoreDecember 23 2008

Registration is now open for the first Mid-Atlantic WordPress WordCamp. It’s to be held on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at the fabulous University of Baltimore Business Center.  WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg himself  will give the keynote address.

For over two years now, the WordPress community has gathered in various cities around the world to attend one day conferences of training, learning and inspiration. WordPress Mid-Atlantic is directly geared toward Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C.  I attended the WordCamp in San Francisco and NYC in 2008 - I met some wonderful people and learned a lot.

Registration is limited to 150 people, so sign up if you are interested!

New! Sketchblog!December 20 2008

I’ve created a new blog for drawings. I’m very taken with the idea of drawing and sketching every day, and posting the work as part of the process. The problem is, I don’t think very much of what I draw warrants posting.  So, rather than post them all here or on flickr, I thought it appropriate to create a sketch blog, with more finished art making its way here.

Please visit ARTISTICUS.COM and subscribe. Tell your friends.

Daily Sketch Challenge, 2009December 12 2008

With the Sketchbook Exchange Program well under way, I’ve been thinking about what’s next. I’m pretty sure I’ll do another round of the swap - it’s too much fun! The wonderful Ms. Hennie Mavis used the swap to ask some thoughtful questions about growing as an artist. Which made me think about where I’d like to grow as an artist.

I love drawing and I have no shortage of ideas. I want to be able to better execute them. I’d like to be able to as prolific as Allison Sommers. I’d like to make skateboard graphics for Lance Mountain. I’d like to do the album art for the Scott Joyce Band. For now, I plan to work on drawing - and YOU CAN, TOO!

For every day in 2009, I’m going to do a sketch and/or drawing. I’ve created a group in Flickr called the Dail

5-A-DayDecember 11 2008

The lovely Princess Leah has tagged me for a meme that asks what 5 things you do to stay mentally healthy. This is certainly a great thing to think about, especially during these darker days of winter and the stress that can come up for many around the holidays.

Here are my top five things to do every day (or every week) to stay mentally healthy:

1) I make art. One of the best things about taking the train to work is that it gives me time to think and draw.

2) Music. Drumming is a physical outlet. And when I’m working I like to listen to a large assortment of things, including stuff like Bill Evans, the Gimmies and The Scott Joyce Band.

3) Kung Fu.

4) Sandwiches. I like to hide old sandwiches around the office.  It’s my little secret that keeps everyone going.

5) Kids. My girls keep me grounded and thinking about what’s really important.

How bout you? What are your five a day?

I’m not always great at tagging or at responding to tags and award thingies, so if I tag you, feel free to do it or ignore it. And if I don’t tag you and you’d l

Wordcamp for EducationNovember 22 2008

The first ever WordCampED took place today on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. WordPress users love WordPress - and when you mix that with a passionate cause (like learning/teaching/education), lively discussion ensues.

Jeff McClurken talked about how he uses blogs to manage his classes (instead of, say, Blackboard). For anyone who hasn’t used the Blackboard LMS, it’s ugly, expensive, difficult, proprietary and it values data more than learning and usability. There are open source LMSs (like the really great Moodle) - and WordPress actually fits well into this category (see below).

Hosting

What are the options for hosting WP blogs?