Greater Satellites

The following post was completed inspired by the following website: http://www.pinkfloyd.co.uk/obtw/

Now, my love of Pink Floyd has nothing to do with this website. For a site running entirely in Flash, it’s a great effort and a design that matches up completely with the band as I understand them. It does look like total ass in Firefox for me currently, but I first saw and was able to appreciate it at home in Safari.

I see a lot of “design is…” wallpapers cropping up on the interwebs lately and I think they are, much like Ron Burgundy, the balls. I have my own hat I’d like to throw into this ring, however, only it’s in the form of words and not so much a clever wallpaper… Would it be cool to have a thousand word essay in wallpaper format? Hmmm…

I digress.

Design is about making what the visitors sees relevant to the subject. If that Pink Floyd site above was just a black background with the signature spectrum somehow implemented, a long track list with images of each album cover in a list format, I would not be as impressed because it pales in comparison to the creativity of the band. Instead, the site is relative to the subject (in this case, Pink Floyd) and embodies a level of creativity shared on par with the music it is representing. The subtle visuals, including of music (which I normally hate), and the presentation really stand out… Much like the music of Pink Floyd.

The reason Greater Satellites hasn’t had a design in, oh - I don’t know, a year now is because I’m not sure how to relate what I see to my visitors. I don’t need to be flashy, but I have a personal like of shininess and reflections on websites. I don’t have to include anything about space, but I personally enjoy it and would like to incorporate it in a tasteful way.

After some experimenting, testing certain elements with friends and family, I’m sure I’ll find the perfect mix of a design that will both showcase my talents and be relevant to my visitors. Until then… Just keep waiting. I guarantee* it won’t take another year.

* - This is not a guarantee

So after a two year battle with a former hosting company who will remain nameless (not like many people who read this are anxious to hop on board a new hosting company anyways), I’ve finally begun the process of getting my second domain name ever back: darkdriving.com

This is pretty big for me because for all intents and purposes, and as far as the government is concerned, dark driving LLC still exists. We don’t really do too much work anymore (none that I know of, at least), but our website being down for about three years may have had some impact on that. With a bit of luck, the transfer will go smoothly, I can sign up with a new hosting company, and get at least the original website back up and running and maybe generate some leads by doing some of the natural SEO optimization I’ve learned from my current job.

Let me make a long story short:

This former hosting company emailed me an invoice yesterday for a years worth of services (which weren’t active on the domain) and said I owed somewhere in the neighborhood of $180. After immediately getting pissed off, I wrote the following email in response (as calmly as I could):

To Whom It May Concern:

I have not used nor had access to your services for over three years. I’ve sent multiple emails to ***** ***** (the technical contact on the domain) in attempts to have my domain, darkdriving.com, transferred back into my possession with no luck. I’ve since purchased a new domain and am affiliated with a hosting company that meets my expectations and often times exceeds them. I’m writing to tell you that I will not be paying the balance you claim is due for two domain names that have in the past and currently point to absolutely nothing. If you’re willing to negotiate the transfer of darkdriving.com to me (that is to say unlock it and allow me to transfer it into my own domain control panel), then I would be willing to hear an offer. As for the balance that is due (9 days before I receive this email, nonetheless), I reiterate that I will not be paying it and should you charge the card you may still have on file, I will pursue legal action.

Regards,
Andrew Gormley

I left it at that, expecting to hear no response whatsoever until this little gem came thru:

Hi Andrew, I’m sorry to report that I have not received any of your prior requests. The domains on file have been unlocked, I’m sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

The invoice is to continue services on your domains. If you’d like to keep domain and hosting with ********, log in and pay your bill. If not, just let me know and I will cancel your account.

There is nothing further preventing you from transfering your domain. I’ve switched the contact information over to Edward Gormley. You would just need to make sure the email address on file confirms the transfer- Edward Gormley (********@msn.com)

“Sweet!” I thought. I just canceled this broke ass hosting company’s charges and I can get my domain back. The one hitch, however, was that my dad hasn’t had MSN since the domain was originally purchased (circa 2003-2004). I called him, left a message and waited patiently. He called me back shortly thereafter and confirmed that yes, he was able to get the email and would go thru the transfer process. Scrumptulescent. He also mentioned that there was someone else who wrote him earlier this week in an attempt to purchase the domain (bastardos!). Good looking out, pops.

Now I’m just waiting for the verification process to clear and then we’ll go from there. Props to my former hosting company for not being dicks and charging me a transfer fee and to dad for not selling the domain to someone else. Dark Driving is back!

Hey Gang! (crips, not bloods…)

Let’s allow the Crypt to be the super mega awesome nickname for my bedroom… Just a few random tid bits of news since I’m in the midst of designing what will hopefully be the new Greater Satellites home page. Now I know what you’re thinking:

“Andrew, isn’t there already a Greater Satellites home page design?”

To which I retort:

“Yes, there is. But in the spirit of paradigm-shifting, I will be creating a design that caters a little more to me and a little less to what I think people would like to see. It’s really that simple.”

There’s a new addition to the Gormley family, an as-of-yet unnamed kitten. I will upload a picture of this cute little fucker so you can all enjoy him as we do.

…I end up slacking off again.

This is the story of every website I’ve ever had since the beginning… The URL for which I cannot consciously recall.  I all I remember was that it was an Angelfire.com website about cars…

 Sidenote: I found the URL of a site I worked on a hell of a long time ago with my friend Dan.  This site pre-dates my high school era, so be gentle (when judging both the content AND design) –> http://www.geocities.com/gottheliphe

Anyway, every day I’m in here I start bangin out at least one, often times two templates for sites that aren’t my own.  Meanwhile my site has been a splash screen for the past 5 months.  It sucks.  By the time I arrive home and sit at my computer, the last thing I want to focus on is designing another site.  It’s just not the same anymore (unfortunately) because web design went from being a hobby to a jobby… It starts to lose it’s appeal after the first 8 hours a day I spend on it.

REGARDLESS NONETHELESS:

I will finish my site, even if it’s only a few static pages with minimal content.  I will fill it up as I go, because I feel like I have a lot to offer in the vein of design and video on this crazy internet of ours, and I’ll be damned if my voice goes unheard for much longer.

Things That Web Design Will Now Take Precedence Over: Eating, Sleeping, Cleaning, Relaxing, Napping, and other web-related design endeavors.

Things That Web Design Will Not Take Precedence Over: Jackie, Family, Friends, Work (damn it), Weekend Fun, Thursday nights.

I just noticed that Wordpress looks really different on a PC than on a Mac. I kind of like the aesthetics on the Mac better, but I have a strong bias.

Anyway, here I am blogging at work. I think I may do this at least once a day. I work really hard in burst mode to get a lot done so I can relax and double check my work to make sure it’s accurate and well-done. In my free time, perhaps even on the old lunch break I’ll take a moment to reflect on my day thus far.

A semi-sad realization dropped on me recently like a Mack truck: working in a job like mine (doing design, coding, etc) is creatively draining, whereas other jobs I’ve held (office work, appraising houses, etc) are creatively restrictive. I’ve basically found the amount of design-centric work I do outside of this job has dropped to practically nothing unless I have an extreme desire to accomplish a set task (example: last night getting this blog set up, wrapping up the design of the new site). I’m going to try my very hardest to get everything all together and find a balance. I admire people who have a great balance in their lives.

Can I also say, as a total aside, that the new Camaro design is probably one of the most bangin things I’ve ever seen. I hope they take that out of concept and make it a reality. I would totally spring for one (if I had a spare 30-40 grand laying around).

Well, it looks like it’s back to work time for Andrew…. ::yawn::

I’m making my triumphant return (for about the fifth time in two years), if only in a mediocre, bloggy kind of way. It dawned on me that I was beginning to let some meaningless things (like work, mostly) get in the way of pursuing what it is I would like to do. As a result I’m going to do some heavy-duty blogging on here and really working hard to get my site built using Wordpress as a CMS. It’s been something that, quite frankly, I’ve been adverse to doing because it’s a whole new learning experience for me, but I’m determined to get it done for myself and for everyone interested in reading what I have to say. I also thought it would be appropriate to keep my personal journal separate from the main Greater Satellites one if for no other reason than privacy.

Let’s recap since the last time I updated, which by my estimates was a brief, almost inner monologue-esque post about a month and a half ago:

Let’s start with the family. Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and a very pleasant one for the matriarch in our household. Denise and I made her dinner, bought her a nice flower arrangement, some chocolates, and two cards. Although I wasn’t there to see her face when she walked in the door (damn bowling league), secondhand accounts from Denise combined with mom’s big hug at the end of the day led me to believe that she was quite pleased. Outside of that, all family stuff is going swell.

I wish there was a synonym for the following combination of words: gorgeous, fun, inspiring, artistic, supportive, understanding, honest, and wonderful that also happened to rhyme with Jacqueline. She’s always on my mind, and not in that stalker-ish kind of way. She’s always the last person on my recent call/text list. She makes me feel better when I have a case of the Mondays. I would do anything for her, and I hope she knows it. In case you couldn’t tell I’m pretty much head over heels. Tomorrow will be our 6-month anniversary and I have something special in mind for her.

Work is going really well too. I know people don’t really celebrate month milestones at jobs, but I like to keep close tabs on where I’m spending my time and if it’s benefitting me in some long-term fashion. Cinco de Mayo was the 6 months at this job. In the past, me having a job for six months was like ice staying solid over 32 degrees (Fahrenheit, of course). In this instance, I believe I’ve found something really special and I’m glad to be a part of the team to which I currently belong. My coworkers are all cool, the bosses are great, and my pay rate is more than satisfactory. Now all I have to do is start stashing some loot and preparing for either A) a new car or B) an edifice I can call my own.

The next big thing is getting Greater Satellites launched. I’d like to start taking on some more freelance work, even if I have to hand some of it off to friends or co-workers. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great getting your check on the 1st and 15th, but it’s infinitely more rewarding to accomplish something on your own. That what I want to set out to do again.

That wasn’t really much of a recap of the past month or so… Before I wrap it up, here it is in a nutshell: Family is doing great (dad will be getting a pool installed by June… woot!), all time spent with or talking to Jackie has been fantastic, I need to reconnect with some friends I haven’t spoken with in a while, the new computer is still fucking awesome, I have a bed now for the first time in about a decade, and I think that whole “growing up” thing that I’ve heard so much about is starting to gently settle upon me. Things are really, really good.