davislife.org - Blog

Adobe Technology Group of Norman May Meeting

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Mon, 5 May 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Tuesday night, May 6th, is the first meetup for the Adobe Technology Group of Norman. I'm not involved with the organization of the group and I don't know the people behind it. However, its great to have another local group to get involved with.

If you are in the area and use Adobe software, try to make it out and support the group. The meeting is at the net.Orange Experience Design Studio at 730 Asp Avenue Suite 210, Norman, OK. It starts at 7pm and you can RSVP on their meetup page.

OKC Marathon

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0600

On April 27th, 2008, Yumi and I will be running in the 8th Annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. This will be my first marathon and Yumi’s 4th. We started serious training the first week of January. I’ve never been a runner. In fact, I would say that I’ve never enjoyed running. However, early last year I started running and found that I really did like it. At the time, I didn’t stick with it but now that Meya is a little older, Yumi and I can both run and it is a lot of fun doing this together.

Anyone Can Cook

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0600

When I see this picture of Jacob with his Valentine's cake, it makes me think of Chef Gusteau's best-selling cookbook "Anyone can cook", from the Pixar animation Ratatouille.

With a little help from Mom and a stool so he can reach the counter, Jacob has become our little chef. His favorite thing to make is banana bread, but most recently he made a chocolate Valentine's cake with pink strawberry icing and heart-shaped sprinkles on top.

It's Football Time in Oklahoma

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:20:00 -0600

All season long, I've held off from taking Jacob to any football games. He's only three years old and sitting on a crowded bench for three plus hours doesn't really appeal to hyper little boys. However, this past weekend we gave it a shot.

Baby Steps

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:10:00 -0600

About 2 months after learning to crawl, Meya is doing some walking. She spends a lot of time behind her walker practicing. And just recently, she started to stand on her own and take a few baby steps.

Click through to see Meya doing a little walking around the house.

Happy Birthday Jacob

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 01:00:00 -0600

It's been 3 wonderful years since Jacob was born. No question, it's been the 3 best years of my life. Earlier this month, we celebrated his Birthday with a party at Pump It Up in Norman. Pump It Up is a facility that houses large blow-up slides, bouncers and obstacle courses. It's basically everything an energetic three-year old could ask for.

Click through to see a video of the fun.

Adrian Peterson Highlights

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Adrian Peterson put on a show yesterday with 224 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Chicago Bears. He might be the best running back in the NFL right now.

It was a true pleasure to watch him play at OU. I only wish his college career would have been injury-free.

You can see a highlight video from week 6 at the NFL Network Video Gallery.

Meya is Crawling

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:45:00 -0600

That's right folks, we have a crawler. At 8 months old, Meya is getting around pretty good.

It seems like it took Jacob much longer to get up on all fours and move around. He preferred the army crawl first, while Meya just popped up and started crawling.

Click through to see the video.

August Refresh OKC Meeting

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:30:00 -0600

The agenda for this month's Refresh meeting is set. Many thanks to Jason Zimdars for taking the time to put together a presentation.

His presentation is titled Typography Techniques for the Web and will be on August 21, 2007 at 6:30PM at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library.

I'm really looking forward to the meeting. If you are going, RSVP at http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/236610/.

Webmaster Jam Session 2007

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 21:52:00 -0600

Last year, a few of us from Oklahoma headed down to Dallas for Webmaster Jam Session. It was a great time with some really good speakers.

Well, it's that time again. Webmaster Jam Session 2007 has been announced. It will be held September 21 & 22 in Dallas, Texas at the Adam's Mark Hotel.

Let's gather the web geeks and head south. Who's going?

Alice In Chains Tour This Fall

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Wed, 23 May 2007 00:00:00 -0600

From the Alice In Chains newsletter:

The rumours are true — Alice in Chains will be embarking on another major tour this fall. The guys will be joined by Velvet Revolver and together the two bands will rock their way across North America.

I went to the Oklahoma City show last November and it was great. I'm hoping they will make their way through Oklahoma again. With Jerry Cantrell's Oklahoma roots, I'm sure that will happen.

Refresh OKC May Meeting

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:45:00 -0600

Mark your calendars. The May Refresh OKC meeting is scheduled. We will be meeting on May 15, 2007 at 6:30 PM. We'll have food and drinks at 6:30 PM and the presentation will start promptly at 7:00. The meeting will be at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library and James Edward Gray II will present Riding the Rails.

ALA Web Design Survey 2007

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:00:00 -0600

A List Apart is conducting a survey for web professionals. If you make websites for a living, this survey could have significant meaning for your profession so please take a few minutes to fill it out.

The survey will remain open until May 22, 2007. Thanks Jason for the heads up.

Coffee Night - Tonight, April 17, 2007

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0600

We are not having a formal Refresh meeting this month, but we are gathering for a cup of coffee and web related conversation.

Meet us downtown at Java Dave's to discuss web design and development topics of your choosing. We'll also discuss the future of Refresh OKC so bring your thoughts and ideas.

It will be an informal gathering from 6:00-8:00pm. Come and go as you please. Java Dave's has free wireless internet.

4 Months

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 16:00:00 -0600

Meya will be 4 months old on Friday. She is getting so big and we are all having a lot of fun watching her and Jacob grow up. Jacob really loves his little sister and takes good care of her.

Yesterday, I was playing with Meya and she is proving to be a daredevil just like her brother. I was holding her up in the air and she just laughed and screamed and thought it was really fun. I agree, lots of fun!

Throw Your Kids in the Air

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:12:00 -0600

There’s a photo tag on flickr called throwyourkidsintheair. I can’t remember how I discovered it, but it’s great.

Jacob and I get some serious air ourselves. I’ll have to try and capture it on film. He loves it when I throw him in the air.

Data Stream

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Mon, 5 Mar 2007 07:39:00 -0600

I've added a new feature to the website called "Stream". It's a way for visitors, and myself, to visualize all of the activity on this website, plus a few other things. Currently, I'm displaying blog entries, photos, comments (blog and photos) and my ma.gnolia bookmarks.

February Refresh OKC Meeting

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 22:33:00 -0600

We haven't had a meeting since November, so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and getting things rolling for 2007. If you are not familiar, Refresh OKC is monthly meeting for web designers and developers in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area. It's very informal and anyone with interest in the web is invited.

This month's meeting is tomorrow (2/20) and we have Craig Teel presenting Photoshop Tips and Tricks. If you are in the Oklahoma City or surrounding area, feel free to come by. You can get all of the details on the official website.

Toddler Time at the Museum

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 22:00:00 -0600

I took Jacob to the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History on Saturday. They have certain days of the month where toddlers can come and play in the Discovery Room. From the SNOMNH website:

The Discovery Room is a place to explore artifacts and scientific specimens in a hands-on, interactive environment. Visitors can participate in activities, observations and games that focus on understanding natural history, archaeology, fossils, geology and Oklahoma's natural resources.

I'm assuming that most of the time the Discovery Room is geared toward older kids. But as I mentioned earlier, there are times where they set the room up for toddlers. And of course, I had my camera to capture all of the action. Enjoy.

Photo Updates

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 12:01:00 -0600

We've all been really busy but I managed to add a few new photos to the site. You can see the Valentine's party that Jacob attended. He had a great time with his friend, Liam. There are new photos in the Jacob photo set and there are now sets for Meya and Family.

Steve Jobs on DRM

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Wed, 7 Feb 2007 12:01:04 -0600

Is DRM (Digital Rights Management) music on the way out? It looks like Steve Jobs is hoping that it is.

In 2006, under 2 billion DRM-protected songs were sold worldwide by online stores, while over 20 billion songs were sold completely DRM-free and unprotected on CDs by the music companies themselves.

Steve Jobs posts his Thought on Music. It's a good read.

One Device to Rule Them All

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Tue, 9 Jan 2007 22:00:00 -0600

Wow. Apple unveils the iPhone. This is going to be huge. It's not often that a product that is so anticipated lives up to the hype. From what I've seen, the iPhone surpasses all of my expectations.

2007 MacWorld Expo Live Coverage

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Tue, 9 Jan 2007 08:00:00 -0600

Today at 9:00 AM PST is the highly anticipated keynote speech by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the 2007 MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. You can get live coverage at macrumorslive.com. I've read a lot of wild predictions. This should be interesting.

Moving to Mac

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Thu, 4 Jan 2007 12:01:00 -0600

Over the last couple of years I've been considering switching to a Mac for design, development and personal stuff. For one reason or another I just never made the switch. That is, until now.

Loving iLife

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:01:00 -0600

I guess I'd rather join the party late than never. I've been playing with iLife '06, more specifically iMovie and iPhoto, and I'm loving it. More on the transition I'm making to a Mac later. For now, here's a video I made with iMovie.

Back Home

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 12:01:00 -0600

The whole family is back home and adjusting to life with the addition of baby Meya. We actually got to come home on Friday. Yumi and Meya were doing really well so they let us go a day early. I've posted some photos. More to come.

Meya Kay Davis

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Our family got a little bigger today as we welcomed Meya Kay Davis into the world. She was born this morning at 7:32am. Yumi and Meya are both doing great. There's no internet access at the hospital other than a couple of public computers (That's where I am writing this), so I'll have to add the baby photos when we get back home. Thank you to all of our friends and family for your support.

A Day in the Life of a Web Worker

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0600

One of my favorite sites to read (or should I say subscribe) is Web Worker Daily. They post great articles geared towards freelancers and independents. A Satirical Look at a Web Workers Day is a humorous look at a web workers daily routine. Oh, the luxurious lifestyle we live. And don't forget the web workers Holiday Gift Guide.

It's Cold Outside

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Fri, 1 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Today was Jacob's first time to play in the snow. It was a blast to see him run around and play in the mysterious white stuff. The biggest challenge of our snow outing was keeping his hands dry and warm. As you'll see in the video, he loved to pick up the snow and eat it.

Snow Day

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

The Blizzard of '06 hit Oklahoma today. Due to the bad roads, all of the schools and Jacob's daycare were closed. So what do you do when your snowed in? You play with the video camera and watch Polar Express for the 50th time.

How to Really Love a Child

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Tonight we were at the Gymboree in Norman and I noticed a print hanging on the wall. It was a neat little poem that I hadn't read before. It's called "How to Really Love a Child" by Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy, better known as SARK, a speaker, artist and author. I thought I would share it with you.

Refresh OKC Presentation

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

I help organize a meeting each month for local web designers and developers. It’s called Refresh OKC and we discuss anything and everything related to the web. The November meeting was my turn to present a topic to the group, so I talked about tags and geocoding for websites.

Alice In Chains Tour

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Since the death of lead singer Layne Staley in 2002, Alice In Chains as a group has been on hiatus. You can't blame them. It's not like you can fill the shoes of such a unique talent as Layne.

All Hallows Eve

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0600

I've added a new photo set to the website. This Halloween we'll be going door-to-door with a little monkey in tow.

Photo Section

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0600

The photo section is partially complete. I need to finish the tagging system, photo comments, search and browsing functionality - but I think it's a good start.

To catch up on my lack of updating the old jacobdavis.org site, I'll probably post a few of our favorite photos from the last 2 years.

Warning Live Design in Progress

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0600

I'm in the process of getting everything styled and coded so please excuse the mess.

New Website

jeff@newlookmedia.com (Jeff Davis) — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Since Jacob was born in October of 2004, I've been maintaining a photo weblog at jacobdavis.org. Well, I wouldn't say "maintain" is the proper word since I only updated it three times in 2 years.