Blackberry has tried to follow the model of the Apple App Store, and Verizon provides a dodgy link to Handango (which is practically a splog, really). Granted, there is so much software out there for these two platforms it’s impressive. But there is absolutely not community commenting on it and reviewing it. I guess it’s sort of a trade-off between people doing their own thing and people being told what to do.

Anyhow. Someone please point me in the direction of a Jabber client for Windows Mobile. That will not brick my HTC Touch Diamond.

Things didn’t quite work out like that.

Instead, in the process of using some new (to me) software, WordPress, and getting my Peace Corps blog just like I wanted it, I started developing my own theme. Which lead to the creation and distribution of my first WordPress theme, veryplaintxt, a play on the name of the domain I was using then.

The response from releasing this theme was massive. Suddenly I went from getting some email every day to getting an email every minute. Questions, suggestions, insults, praise—suddenly I found myself involved in a vibrant, enthusiastic community. The WordPress community.

From veryplaintxt, I designed, developed, and released more themes. Development continued and, much like WordPress, it moved at a brisk pace. There was a time—however brief—where I was alongside few others at the forefront of theme development for WordPress.

From theme competitions to forum debates, I involved myself. I learned a great deal of PHP, CSS, HTML, and JavaScript, and found this sheer amount of learning I was doing quite exhilarating. I experienced a similar feeling when I was in the Peace Corps and I read, successfully, my first bit of Nepali. The feeling of power and accomplishment was intoxicating.

Then I got started on my great contribution, the Sandbox theme. The collaboration between me and Automattic handyman Andy Skelton helped produce, at the time, an entirely new and innovative WordPress theme.

The Sandbox theme has since been ported to Movable Type and Drupal, cited in WordPress for Dummies and Microformats: Empowering Your Markup for Web 2.0, and the proud father to many incredible WordPress themes. This was my masterpiece, the best I could offer the community.

Then, after years of not having a successful WordPress theme competition, the Sandbox Designs Competition. I decided that I would organize, operate, and execute a theme competition by myself. The reason all the other theme competitions had failed was because the organizers, frankly, were dodgy and had other motives than supporting and promoting WordPress theme development.

Supporters were secured, funds were obtained, rules and regulations were set in place, and a forum (sort of) was opened. The competition ended with some excellent winners, several of whom have since turned out to continue their contributions. I’m looking at you, Ian and Will.

And since that time, I have withdrawn from the WordPress community. Active development of my themes and plugins has stopped simply because I am unable to continue the necessary development. In a way, they have a life of their own.

My WordPress themes and plugins were inspired by other themes and plugins, many of theme long abandoned and forgotten. Yet they remained and influenced me. In this way, I know my contributions will continue. Now, though, I am letting what I created, plaintxt.org, live on without me—for better or worse.

Yes, I am offering the sale of plaintxt.org/sndbx.org. I am not desperate or broke. This is not about money. It’s about letting these projects, brands, whatever, live on without me. Because I just don’t have the time or interest to maintain what I started.

Which brings up an important point: Do I actually own these sites? I mean, the content is licensed by the GNU GPL, so it’s free. The projects are hosted on Google Code and WordPress Extend. The themes and plugins can’t actually disappear. But given that so much of the good that has come from them has come at the hands of volunteers.

So I’m a bit torn up about it—yet I look at it realistically. The only other conclusion would be that the content and domain would age into obscurity. Sooner or later, it would just be swallowed up by the blackness of the Intertubes. Haven’t you ever visited a site only to be greeted by 404s? Sooner or later, we all go the way of the dodo.

So in conclusion, here’s to tomorrow.

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Well, a Hasselblad H3DII, which costs $30,000, can be used to disprove that general statement, but yet a drum-scanned 6×6 medium format exposure from a 40-year-old TLR will shame the H3DII. Quality digital costs a whole lot.

Then there’s the kit problem. My father got an Olympus OM-1 with 50mm and 35mm lenses. For him, that was enough. He didn’t buy another camera for nearly 30 years. That sweet Canon G9 you bought last summer is stupid now that the new G10 is rolling out. I cannot imagine in the year 2038 finding an amateur photographer using a Canon G9.

And to hit on another point from above, exposure latitude is really key for me. Digital SLRs are not forgiving if you over or under exposure by half a stop, let alone a full one. Good old negative film will let you shoot sloppy. A stop or two up, a stop or two down, it’s no big deal. Highlights won’t be washed out, shadows will still have depth.

I also liked that Ken mention wives and girlfriends love film. So true. But not for the reason Ken mentions, which is time spent distracted by sorting through the plethora of photos a digital camera can yield in a short time. Skin tones and rich detail from Kodak Portra 160NC are flattering.

Before you call me a Luddite, let me acknowledge that digital photography is the future. Film will have its place. With all the equipment and enthusiasts out there, I believe it will remain in one form or another. In the meantime, though, I suggest digging around your father’s or uncle’s closet for his old 35mm. I promise with a little practice, you won’t be disappointed with the results.

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I had been using my BlackBerry as my personal music player, but there just wasn’t enough space. One feature I enjoyed, though, was being able to go the New York Times mobile site and download or stream podcasts in the morning on my way to work. Handy.

To get started with my new MP3 player, I needed the RSS feed URLs for the audio and video podcasts. The New York Times podcast page, though, posed a strange problem.

A problem in that the page is full of content—sort of. There’s no mention of video podcasts. For some reason, the Times is hoarding their podcasts. The ‘Audio’ tab at the top of the page hints that there could be another tab. In theory.

I was disappointed in the Times when I clicked the subscribe button for an audio podcast. I expected the RSS feed to load. This did not happen. Instead, an Apple page informs me that iTunes can’t be found on my computer, unable to comprehend that perhaps iTunes isn’t installed.

I don’t have an iPod. My music library doesn’t contain a single AAC file. Why, then, does the Times insist that I use software I just don’t need? And why don’t they even mention on this page, if only for iTunes users, that video podcasts do in fact exist?

With competing news providers offering similar content in accessible, transparent ways, the Times comes off shuttered and miserly. I assume they have a deal with iTunes. But with a recent 51% drop in quarterly profits, maybe you shouldn’t be hiding your rich media content. A suggestion.

You may be looking for the Times audio and/or video podcast RSS feeds. I found them. I am sharing them. Download the OPML for the audio and video podcast RSS feeds.

New York Times Podcasts OPML

I couldn’t easily find these RSS feeds. You probably are reading this because you had the same problem. So did this gentleman who liberated the URLs from iTunes. Let’s just hope that the Times doesn’t take any further steps to ‘disappear’ their own works.

The main dilemma I faced in buying a Canonet was with its battery. The Canonet (and about every other rangefinder from this generation) was designed to use mercury batteries that are no longer manufactured (banned in the US and abroad) and essentially unavailable.

I read an excellent write-up about the options available to address the mercury batter issue, Mercury-Oxyde Battery Problem. Frans de Gruijter’s article, The Mercury Cell Problem and Its Solutions, is probably the defining work on this subject. Both articles left me with three possible solutions:

• Recalibrate the camera meter for 1.5 volt batteries
• Use Wein cells or generic zinc air batteries
• Buy a MR-9 adapter, like one from CRIS Camera

Of course, having the camera meter recalibrated for the higher voltage 1.5 volt battery is the best choice. Yet I couldn’t find a single repair person who didn’t shrug and/or roll their eyes when asked about recalibrating the meter. Disappointing. In the end, I bought the $30 MR-9 adapter from CRIS and have been very satisfied with the results.

The Canonet GIII QL17 has a leaf shutter, meaning it offers flash sync at any shutter speed. I also have the Canolite D flash, the dedicated shoe flash for the Canonet GIII QL17. It gives extraordinarily even fill flash indoors and outdoors. Overall, the $100 I paid for the camera, the flash, and the adapter were a fantastic bargain.

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