I’m Jacob Thomas

Lifestreaming. Hmm I am seriously considering revamping my website into one. I usually got confined to my wordpress blog but now I sport myself in many of the social media. Aggregating my participation in all these spheres of online life to my website would be more appropriate.
Many netizens have raised the question, ‘Is it the next big thing?‘. Jeff Crofts‘ and Nathan Borrors‘ websites’ are very good examples. Lifestreaming has a more formal name, Social Media Aggregators.

The concept is not new and has been tested with some added features every passing day. Blogs surely were the pivotal point towards Web 2.0. Many aggregrators are been developed, some of them being Friendfeed, SocialThing, Tumblr and Profilactic. I have checked out a few and found it to be really interesting. I think, people simple love to share, boast and ‘blah blah’ a lot about their life. This simple fact is going to take forward the concept of lifestream probably with some new features. The old personal log with comments is restrictive and has found a whole new ramification. Much of these stream elements revolve around twitter, flickr, Del.icio.us and Last.fm.

Of course I like custom designs and code snippets. Jeremy Keith has given me a sound base to get one such application working in php. Yay! Now I can experiment a few and look forward to my next redesign.

It was a venture I took part in. From late November to March, Tejasvi took every ounce of energy in me. Together with some of the most dedicated and talented organizers, during an ambient, colourful and exuberant evening at Tagore Theatre, I spend a moment or two, enjoying the much deserved success…especially when the electric performances of Stephen and Sayanora made the crowd dance like anything Yes! this is my latest tale. What I did for Tejasvi…

1) Website Design - Tejasvi’s official website needed to look serious enough so that we would get some participants. A new festival is seldom welcomed with less interest and vigour.

The entire website was crafted in PHP/MySql with each event details being loaded into the decent interface dynamically. It included some new features and algorithms, of which most were devised together with Asti. Unique ID system, Online participant tracking, suggestion portal, mailing lists and a custom inauguration module… Tejasvi ‘08 is the web project I enjoyed working on the most. It soon became the best reference of the festivals’ rules, regulations and prizes. Over a period of one month, it hit whopping track records in Google analytics.

This simply shows how influential a website can be on a festival’s success.

2) Flyers

Over 3000 flyers were printed at the efficacious St Joseph’s Press. Orangish, 2 fold papers spread across Trivandrum did make Tejasvi’s presence felt!

3) Poster and Brochure Box

One glossy poster based on multi laser light streaks proved to a sincere reverberation for the theme of the festival. ‘The radiant you’.

The brochure box is the most innovative design productof Tejasvi. This is modelled on Japanese origami techniques with two 170 GSM papers used. The box when unwrapped would unveil the entire schedule and prize money of all the events. ‘Event cards’ depicting the event format and rules were the contents of the box.

4) Certificates

The most hurried part of the entire design process. Still it looked decent. (er..I think so.doesn’t it?)

5) Badges

6 types of square badges were printed. The Design, derived from the poster but based on different colours.

6) Registration Software

This PHP/MySql Web application was devised in such a way that all six computer systems got updated informations regarding festival schedule, timings, participant details, order of appearance and team codes. Dedication counters too worked effectively with systems though it cost us 100 m CAT-5 cables and two 8-port switches for the LAN at Tagore Theatre. The system’s highlight was a fully computerized registration procedure with the details being retrieved at the ‘Certificate processing’ team. Monetary particulars were also dealt through this efficient, transparent and dynamic arrangement.

If I were to market all these designs, I would have got more than 35K bucks. I thank everyone who helped me in this endeavor. I have worked with true interests and in a honest attire. This means that I would refuse myself to take part in next years’ festival. When i briefed my juniors, I said.

“Next year! We would have already made a platform for you to continue, To begin anew is a hard task. To emulate on a existing model, is much more easier”. To my friends, I say. “Don’t stop with what is already available. Do build on it! Make it taller, stronger and mightier”.

Oh come on! I am starting to sound like John F Kennedy in his famous presidential address. “Let the word go forth…’

It has been a long break away from my role as an apprentice in the large world of design freaks. Here i am waiting again to start my new stage in my designer career. ‘Writers’ block’…well I’m not sure what got me away from the PC and my cute lil’ blog for a month or so but i am pretty sure about the return. The recent distractions included participation in some exaggerated reality shows, unexampled college activities and some personal issues (which i don’t care even now).

Stage 1: Ignition

Sounds a bit lame! Still, the influences of Japanese anime titles like ‘Stratos 4′ and ‘Sky Girls’ have made this post look straight out of a PSLV User’s Manual. Stage 1 in the life of ‘the upward autodidact’ was all about ignition. The initial inspiration, the novice student entering into unfamiliar provinces of design…It was always a challenge. Time was very little. I had to grasp the most quickest of changes, imbibe from the most controversial of incidents and feel from the rest of the professional clan, the ethics of design and code. The autodidactic mission was begun with the sole purpose of learning the art of expressing one’s creativity in a splendid flavor.

Stage 2: Launch

Now its time for me to create a base to launch myself, project myself as a professional enterprise. Having acquired some tricks, tips and tutorials need not mean i am ready to take on the big stage by absolute confidence. For whatever i  do not have a  clue about, the autodidactic run continues. But for others, i plan to mix and blend the things i have learnt with some personal style and elegance.

Firstly, I have decided to get done with my award winning blog theme. It served me well and needs a good rest. Secondly, my new theme is due in one month time and is a glorious coalesce of Wordpress and Vestec.

The latter is quite unfamiliar to all of you as it is my first CMS venture. It includes a personal portfolio integrated right into the Opdyne’s site.

Adobe has bought Apollo some ‘new looks’ from the nearest ‘icon designer’. Whatever be the introductory text given in the release website, I find AIR with some terrible identity crisis…well atleast for the users.

Since most of you haven’t used Opdyne’s Liquid Fusion (LF), there is no point in explaining about what LF can do. AIR can be used for developing applications, alright! But when it comes to quick, usable and clean ones, it is not worth the boast.The first application i tested was Snitter, straight out of the snook cookbook. It is a ‘twitter‘ing device with decent features.I was impressed by the clean and usable interface but imagine all the code that went into making this application. Vysnu tests AIR with a so called ‘quick AIR application’, a simple calculator. Well have a look inside his blog post’s code section. One hour is not quick enough.

Incoming LF’s simplicity.

Asti, the developer, experiments with LF. The purpose of the following program is get the correct names for his music album folders using google search.

The total number of code lines according to asti ::”25 lines including 3 comments”

Thats quick. Unlike AIR, the interface is a browser with the application an html webpage. So creating the application interface is very quick and easy.

Well, I can’t say more.

The date is fast approaching!

Blueprint CSS Framework was a very handy tool to me when i needed to work out some quick applications.

The features include:

• An easily customizable grid
• Some default typography
• A typographic baseline
• CSS reset for default browser styles
• A stylesheet for printing
• No bloat of any kind

Download Blueprint 0.4

When i first started to read about web and its related designs, I was not aware of such a branch of design, people just love to see. There is no proper definition for vector art as such (not even in Wikipedia). Let me attempt on one. Its yet another world far away from the reality itself, with minuscule details of a real life entities wiped off with importance given only to one and one thing alone, BEAUTY.

My first contact with anime (Inuyasha,i suppose!) saw a slight reluctance from my part to accept the style of art (Huge eyes were a main cause). Later i realized that it was a totally different form of artwork from the conventional one. The exaggerated features of a manga art were later accepted by me with a renewed craziness. Yes i know, anime is not vector art. My first contact with vector came with deviantART.Oh! amazing. Beauty galore!!

I was reading through one of its members’ journal.[http://vbu.deviantart.com/] Boy! all we need to know about vector art!

I understood a few things now from his journal.

Vector Art is a technique, not a style. Perhaps a better term for the category would be ” vector-based art,” meaning art created in a vector-based program.

Vector is not a ” style” like anime, but a “medium” like charcoal. Asking what vector-art looks like is like asking what an oil painting looks like. It could look like Rembrandt, Picasso or a 5th grader. (A very talented 5th grader!)

Just because something is “cell shaded” or “flat colored” does NOT MAKE IT A VECTOR. The CUTOUT filter creates a raster-based image and thus is disqualified from ever being considered a vector image.

Not that i believe this is the definition for vector art but his statements are mostly true. Now then a few samples from heruka’s gallery.

Thats some classic example of vector art produced with Illustrator and Photoshop.

There are magazines dedicated to showcasing some of the finest vector masterpieces.Some of them are Vectorika, Kromag, Artzmania, and many many more ‘download’able issues from pdf-mags.

On a personal note i would suggest browsing through some fabulous vector art by Jeremy Prasatik .

I have moved from

http://upwardautodidact.wordpress.com/

to my independent blog at

http://jacob.opdyne.com/

The change?.I may attribute it to many reasons..The most sensible one would be the advanced networking available from the dynz.net.All the members may soon get an own blog as we are working on a multiblog support module for Vestec CMS.Besides I like to do my experimenting too with a lot of PHP applications,frameworks and sorta…

Well lets see where the ‘revolution‘ takes us…Later…

This is a tribute  to a meliorist who found himself in the unfathomed depths of
his deep desire  for serenity and peace in his very own “Dystopia” .Well if i am looking for a
element of pathos for this crusader then at the end of this article i
can be sure that my qualitites of a fellow human being are stretched to the maximum.

Yes ,this noble-minded person had the courtesy to start a deputation where human instincts
are given values.He was confided to look after himself on this earth . God gave him full
authority over the rest of the living beings when he planted the seeds of  anger,lie,and deceit in himself.
Why?..A question of due importance..Anyway here,I will try to unravel some of the attributes of this
only surviving hominid…With a brain volume of nearly 1400 cc (What’s in there?) and a being
distinguished from other living beings by its superordinate intelligence,upright posture.

He thinks there is hope even in the desperate of situations.He clings to his life trying to avoid what fate decides.
The element of selfishness is always ready to emerge from him.He neglects what others say about him.
He laughs upon his fellow beings and finally finds himself diminished to the level of a bug.Why..?Why doesn’t he realize
how stupid his deeds are.?Why doesn’t he come back to his  well being .Why does he hestitate to live a good life..?
Why does he want to be trodden down to the dirt by his own fellow beings.?

This exploration into his state cannot be of a inquisitive nature..nor can it be speculative..It sets before us  infinte
theories which can never be answered absolutely.There is one thing we can deduce from this situation,
the identity of the being.

It was a dark dull night.He walked down to the river shore and sat on the damp ground.It was raining intemperately.
The grass on the land seemed to come alive with a spontaneous piquancy.He sat there and looked down.His image
on the water twined and wavered due to the ripples on the surface.I tried to make out who he was..With a posed expression
his mind flashed him a familiar face;Sad and lonely…It was me…

Naah,I haven’t done the official ‘closing down my blog’ post yet.And i do not plan to do so.The reason for the long break are 2 reasons.One is my college admission and the other is concerned with dear old wordpress again..I was building a wordpress theme.Well i don’t plan it for any public release as it is for ‘Opdyne‘,a community i planned with my friends.The answer to “Whether it is finished?” is hesitant ‘no’.

I am no master at PHP and the contents of the wordpress 2. folder are still pretty much greek to me.I tried my best to learn about making themes and integrating to own websites.But yes,I haven’t given up.I just feel it requires more than 20 days.Hehe.

Believe it or not ..I got a TV that is 1 year younger than me.The company is called Dyanora.(The model number just faded away.)It has never gone for a visit to any service station in all these years.Be it Plasma,LCD or any any other CRT TV,I still like watching my Dyanora.
Design?..Hehe nothing much than a black box with two holes in the sides(supposedly the speakers.)
Channels?.Woah!,A whopping 30.(Ah! the sweet smell of irony..)
It has no seperate video,audio inputs,but ya .one RF port.
I sure like to congratulate the company for their support and services all these years.2 years ago,they closed down the official service center.(Actually they merged with Thompson).Apart from a few snags in its path he has worked fine.
Now i have fitted in a Philips Chassis.(R::The old remote just refuses to work and my cable connection has some 112 channels.)