Notes - Made Mistakes

Adding last modified timestamps with Git

Today I learned how to automatically add last modified dates to Markdown files used by static site generators like Jekyll and Gatsby.

Not so quick with the Gatsby site optimizations

This is the post where I talk about neglecting the site and pledge to blog more... wait, wasn't I suppose to do this on January 1st?

Twenty Nineteen

First time doing a year in review post. The statistics contained are just for fun as there's nothing to compare them against yet.

Faster Netlify builds

Slowly but surely, I’ve been chipping away at my site’s build time on Netlify.

There’s little left for me to optimize until Jekyll drops some nice updates in version 4.0. I’ve cached the rendering of Liquid includes…

Autumn refresh

Using CSS Grid Layout Module to redesign a Jekyll site and further improve performance and accessibility.

Configuring publishing sources for GitHub Pages

You know what sucks? Maintaining two separate branches of an open source project, just to host its source code and documentation together…

Oil pastels are not pencils

Not to overstate the obvious here, but oil pastels do not behave like colored pencils...

CSS blur effect

Playing with the new Depth Effect (aka fauxkeh) on my iPhone 7 Plus got me thinking about Gaussian blurs, and how to improve their use on…

Using SSI to detect cookies

In my never ending quest to micro-optimize the hell out of my site, I ran into a snag when trying to use SSI directives to improve the loading of critical CSS and cached stylesheets.

Inktober failure

Like previous years, I started out with the best of intentions for Inktober and then quickly lost steam...

How to glitch images

To create profile images that look like they’ve been run through a television set with poor reception, I use DECIM8. It’s available as both…

Learning to draw on iPad

How did I git gud at drawing and painting on an iPad? The answer that no one likes to hear is ”practice, practice, practice.” I wish there…

iPad stylus recommendations

Long story short, if you have an iPad Pro do yourself a favor and get an Apple Pencil. If you have an older (or non-Pro) model below are all…

How to make time-lapse videos on iPad

Methods used to capture time-lapse videos of drawing and painting on an iPad, to show an artwork's progression.

What tablet do you use?

If it wasn’t obvious from the artwork on this site, I draw, paint, and create on Apple’s iPad. My current model is a 12.9″ Pro (256GB) with…

Drawing experience

I’ve been drawing with traditional tools and materials — on and off for the last 20 years. And drawing with digital tools on iPad, the last…

Paperfaces digital drawing giveaway

Enter to win a portrait of your choice drawn by Michael Rose in his signature PaperFaces style.

Inspiring faces want to know

Finding inspiration from the faces of strangers on Sktchy for iOS.

Starting young

It was only natural the two little rosebuds would become early adopters of technology.

365 days of drawing faces

Year one of my 365 day portrait project may be over, but I'm just getting started.

Sketching PaperFaces portraits

An experiment in humanizing the web — drawing a portrait everyday on iPad with the app Paper.

Easter egg marriage proposal

Two years ago on this day, I proposed to my wife Wendy by leading her on an Easter egg scavenger hunt.

Corn On Macabre record art ⁠— vellum and metallic ink bliss

My favorite thing about this Corn On Macabre 7-inch record is the use of vellum and metallic inks in the sleeve.

My About.me profile

How 5 minutes spent creating an About.me profile nabbed me free Moo business cards of my own design.

Urban Outfitters, ya typography dun goofed again

Glad to see improvements in the May 2011 Urban Outfitters catalog. Especially since I took a few issues with their typography last month.

Agna Moraine's Autobiography, handwritten record art

I couldn't begin to tell you what the artwork in this emo record means. But silk screening lyrics on fabric scrapes is kind of cool.

Collecting records for the artwork

How the hand crafted aesthetics found in DIY released emo and hardcore records started my collecting addiction.

Typography no nos with Urban Outfitters

The typography in Urban Outfitters latest catalog has some serious readability issues.

Knowing grids means breaking grids

Exploring what it means to develop a grid system that helps facilitate strong design with purpose.

Makings of a mistake, designing this site

As a designer we've all been there. When was the last time you got bored with a design and decided to just burn it and start anew?

Impressions of iPhone 4 from a long time Palm user

The following are some of my experiences and observations transitioning from Palm to iOS after nearly 10 years of baggage.

Getting the sold out iPhone 4 at launch

Looks like I might actually get two iPhone 4s on launch day.

Bizarro me, a credit card scammer?

Apparently there is a bizarro version of me in Niagara County using scammed credit cards.

The Eviltron and a scary movie makes for a great prank

The Eviltron device, when setup properly, can land some convincing scares.

The iPhone is great, but the Palm Pre is more my style

Quick impressions of the Palm Pre from a long time smartphone user.

Wendy's bird cage & flying birds tattoos

Put a bird on it. Photographs of Wendy's bird cage tattoos and some ink splat trees on my arms.

The quality of my first Blurb book is great

Using Blurb's BookSmart software was painless and having it printed was equally enjoyable.

Rasterbating a large wall sized owl print

Tutorial and time-lapse using the Rasterbator web app to print and assemble a wall sized poster of an owl.

Seeing through blurred eyes — The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

Quick impressions of the film, The Diving Bell and The Butterfly.

RRIICCEE show last night

Musically — RRIICCEE is fine, but not something I really want to see live again.

Upgrading an iMac G5 to OS X Leopard

What I went through upgrading an iMac G5 to Mac OS X Leopard (10.5).

One week with the new iPod classic

Quick impressions of the new iPod classic 60GB.

Blinded by the light ⁠— Sunshine impressions

The film Sunshine directed by Danny Boyle is science fiction without the big bang.

A Tale of Two Sisters is almost Fatal Frame

My quick impressions of a Korean horror flick that gives off some serious Fatal Frame vibes.

La Moustache quick review

My quick impressions of La Moustache --- a French film about a dude shaving his mustache.

iPod battery settlement program status

A short update on the status of my iPod 3G battery settlement claim.

Feeling kinda stuck in a Half Nelson

My impressions of the film Half Nelson, starring Ryan Gosling.