In this entry, weblogs, Phoenix, general updates, and upcoming visualization fun.

Phoenix

I think Mozilla is a great browser and development platform. I've always thought so, even when Mozilla betas were crashing constantly and slow as heck. I guess I just knew it would only be a matter of time until Mozilla became a very useable and very stable application.

The Mozilla platform has already spawned dozens of other projects and applications which use the Mozilla framework and platform as a building ground for things other than web browsing and messaging.

I'm currently playing with Phoenix, a Mozilla clone which has trimmed off the gristle of mail and news reading and other components. The result is a fairly slick and fast web browser which supports most of what people love about Mozilla as a web browser.

At this time, Phoenix is at version 0.3, but don't let that low version number frighten you. Because it's built on the much-hacked-on code of Mozilla, it's already quite usable.

Weblogs

I'm doing a lot of research right on weblogs, in general, for work. I probably shouldn't say anything more than that right now. I don't want to expose anything we're doing or thinking of doing or thinking about thinking about.

This question has come up, however: What is the appeal of weblogs? Why do people do it? Why would someone want to read another person's weblog?

Obviously, if you're someone “important” (like ole Larry Lessig), then it makes perfect sense why people would flock to your weblog pages to see what balogna you've spouted recently.

I think Weblogs are becoming like photo albums of our time in the sense that they give us the ability to record our moods, experiences, frustrations, and joy for ourselves and posterity. We often go back to photo albums days, weeks, months or years later to see or relive what our life used to be like, or to learn something about someone else at that time. I think weblogs will provide a similar resource in the future. I've already used the Fozzolog to go back and find out which date I had that thing removed from my nose for a medical insurance application form.

Visualize it

After the success of my visuals at the Sons Of Nothing show last month, I've been asked to do visuals for two upcoming Sons Of Nothing shows. The first show is Saturday, 2 November at The Element (7 West 4800 South, Murray) at 9:30. The second show is a return to Harry O's in Park City on Friday, 8 November.

I'm planning on taking 2 or 3 computers to each show. In addition to running video and visualizations of the live audio, I think I'll also be managing some of the sound effects since running them off audio CDs on stage has been a problem for them (skipping from bass vibrations).

Other stuff

Last weekend, Dave came over and helped hang some more wallboard in the downstairs bathroom. We finished up the ceiling and the back wall and part of the other walls.

We've pretty much given up on selling for now. If it happens, great, but I'm not counting on anything in the next few months.