Philosophy

History

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And what is the work, really? Is it the coding, the trouble shooting, the finessing? Or is it the brainstorming, the refining of navigational language, the asking of “why do you want to do this?”.

The Apotek’s products are usually more ephemeral than a home page. I don’t make “home pages”. Sometimes I build Web sites, but I also tear them down. Most of the production takes place behind the code, and behind the images.

Here, however, are some places you can go where The Apotek has been at work, sometimes like termites, and sometimes like black smiths.

Bidoun Magazine shop: Created a PHP-based streamlined e-commerce solution from scratch for a non-profit art and culture journal.

Business Week: Here I have regularly contributed projects, ideas, and logistics.

CBS.com: Built their home page, reorganized their daytime content, and helped build the Late Night David Letterman section.

Immaterial Incorporated, and Cabinet Magazine Web site: Developed a database driven publishing system for this site, with fine-grained contributor authentication and permissions system. The site was originally conceived by Immaterial Incorporated, David Hartt, Luke Murphy, and The Apotek.

MTV Interactive: In radically revamping the entire MTV Web site from a system relying on various CGI scripts and disparate databases to one relying on Java and the Dynamo platform, MTV was faced with thousands upon thousands of legacy documents which needed to be parsed and reconfigured with the new document tree and Java logic in mind. This was an opportunity to combine deep HTML knowledge with Perl and Bash scripting and some basic Java. I developed a database of site-wide structural changes against which documents-progress was managed. Interactive Perl scripts were designed to give other developers basic automated conversion tools.

The Population Council: Conceived the original Web site, prepared a thoroughgoing review, plan of action, and priorities list for it’s reorganization. Also set out the list of criteria in looking for design consultants and programmers.

Broken Hill Music: A music and events production company which I conceived, started, and created a Web site for. This is very much a work in progress.

Sets of Skilling

<<Why?>> <<Why not?>> <<In the long run….>> <<Here’s where you need to be totalitarian.>> <<Was this really what you wanted, or what the technologists told you to want?>>

Fashioned by hand with BBEdit, using various vernaculars such as PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, JPEG, PNG, and GIF algorithms. This means database integration, dynamic HTML, nuts and bolts, as well as the specifics of graphic production. You will want to contact someone else if you are looking for high-end Java programming, although I can implement off-the-shelf servlet and applet components.

I am not a visual designer. I know the difference between the hacks out there who think computer skills in design software constitute an adequate education in visual design, and those who have been thoroughly trained in layout and design. There is a vast difference. I do, however, work extraordinarily well with designers, with visual conceptualizations, and am able to refine most existing designs. This means that I can design a visually adequate site, but my strengths lie more in logistics, planning, and programming.