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SF Camerawork’s 2011 Benefit Auction: 2 Interface images

By Ari Salomon | Published: October 7, 2011

I’m honored to be included in this auction again. It features works by more than 200 artists. It’s a great show and supports a great institution.

Last year I had a small lightbox and this year I am donating 2 small Interface images – to be sold as a diptych.

ari interface camerawork auction 2011 SF Cameraworks 2011 Benefit Auction: 2 <em>Interface</em> images

Thursday, 11/3/2011: Preview Exhibition 5-8pm
Saturday, 12/3/11: Auction, bidding starts at 1pm

SF Camerawork’s Benefit Auction of vintage and contemporary prints is truly a collector’s paradise. Admirers of vintage and contemporary photography can view works at the preview exhibition and bid on them at the auction on Saturday, December 3. Featuring works by more than 150 artists, doors open at 11 am, and the first lot is up for bidding at 1 pm.

 

camerawork logo 2011 SF Cameraworks 2011 Benefit Auction: 2 <em>Interface</em> images

Posted in Fine Art Photography | Leave a comment

The Design Process – diagrammed

By Ari Salomon | Published: October 5, 2011

 

process explained The Design Process diagrammed

 

A great representation of the design process.

It is called the “Squiggle” — created by Damien Newman from Central Office of Design. (released under a Creative Commons License.)

 

Posted in Design | Leave a comment

Open Studios 2011

By Ari Salomon | Published: September 28, 2011

Please join me during Artspan Open Studios to see my latest works on Saturday October 1st and Sunday October 2nd from 11am to 6pm.

My studio is located at 16 Abbey (off 17th between Church and Dolores: map) in the Mission District in San Francisco.

I will show some new and in-progress panoramas and my new, smaller lightboxes that can be hung on a wall or displayed on a tabletop. I will have a wider selection of unframed work compared to previous years.

Salomon MS 2673 omotesando Open Studios 2011

Motion Study #2673 (Omotesando Hills): Images are available finished in two dramatic presentations. The first is a light box. The second option is “face-mounted” to the back of 1/4in plexiglas. Also available unframed.

 

helloari 769x600 Open Studios 2011
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WordPress e-commerce plugins

By Ari Salomon | Published: September 23, 2011

I’ve been researching a number of new plugins that extend the functionality of the WordPress E-Commerce plugin. Why reinvent a dead horse?

ecc webgility homepage2011 800x489 WordPress e commerce plugins

eCC
http://www.webgility.com
Free for 15 days. Then starts at $99 +$20/mo

Summary: QuickBooks integration application designed to deliver a comprehensive eCommerce management solution:

  • Keep your QuickBooks current and accurate
  • Streamline order fulfillment
  • Manage product catalog, inventory & pricing
  • Securely maintain your data

Ari coments: looks powerful. This tool works with 13 different ecommerce systems – WPEC is just one. So that’s a sign they are serious developers. Might solve complex inventory issues but I’m not sure how helpful it is if you don’t use quickbooks? Does lots of other stuff including integrating with a iPhone app.

See also this video that is WordPress-specific:
http://www.webgility.com/quickbooks-integration-word-press.php

storeapps orders all features1 300x216 WordPress e commerce plugins

StoreApps – “smart manager”
Free “lite” version or $100 “pro” version

Summary: “will boost your productivity 10x in managing products, customers and orders.”

You can browse, search, add, update and delete multiple products, customers or orders using a familiar, single page, spreadsheet-like interface.

Their site has videos and more… View screenshots of new version.

They also have a new “smart reporting” tool… But little info is available online yet. Looks like their website is out of date.

Manual Ordering
au$65 (@us$63)
This solution allows store owners to process sales immediately where a customer prefers to call in/mail order and gets around the inconvenience of creating a new customer order through the Checkout page.

Ari coments: this might be an interesting solution for a POS (point of sale ecommerce) system in a physical store. Check out the screenshots:
http://www.visser.com.au/wp-ecommerce/plugins/manual-ordering
Note that this guy (visser) makes lots of WPEC plugins so I trust him that he knows what he’s doing – he’s an expert at WordPress e-commerce.

NoStock: A stock notifier
Free – but may not work with wpec 3.8
When a product is out of stock, customer will see a button to request notification. Plugin will record email address in a list and when the quantity is updated (the product is back in stock), anybody that requested notification will get sent an email.
http://getshopped.org/fpt-plugins/wp-nostock-a-stock-notifier-plugin
http://fusionized.com/2011/02/announce-nostock-a-stock-notifier-for-wp-e-commerce

WPEC Bulk Tools
Free – but does not work with wpec 3.8
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wpec-bulk-tools
WPEC Bulk Tools provides bulk management tools for the WP e-Commerce plugin. actually 3.8 has this kind of bulk import “You can import your products from a comma delimited text file”

Posted in WordPress | Leave a comment

WordPress Vulnerability in “TimThumb” theme script

By Ari Salomon | Published: August 21, 2011

websense offers this graph of the recent “timthumb” security issue. I have certainly had my hands full tracking this bugger down and cleaning it up. This is a good argument for managed WordPress hosting where an expert keeps an eye on these issues for you.

 

8547.chart WordPress Vulnerability in TimThumb theme script

 

via: Vulnerability in TimThumb WordPress Plugins – The Effects – Security Labs.

Read more about how to fix this issue at wpcandy. I found that many themes use the filename “thumb.php” so watch for that.

Note: you MUST delete timthumb or upgrade timthumb ASAP. AND you should still scan your files AND change your passwords. More helpful links:

Best and simplest option: this plugin will clean  your scripts: timthumb-vulnerability-scanner
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Solar power for the most needy…

By Ari Salomon | Published: August 20, 2011

Simpa networks invented a system where poor people can buy a solar system to light their homes and charge their cell phones but they don’t have to pay for it all up front. They pay as they go via cell phone and avoid the higher expense of kerosene—which is cheaper to buy up front but is unhealthy and expensive. Sounds amazingly innovative.

simpa box with panel Solar power for the most needy...

 

Our solution is to design and market high quality solar home systems that are sold on a pay-as-you-go basis. Users pre-pay based on actual usage and each payment adds up towards the total purchase price of the solar home system. Consumers can send payments using a mobile phone. Once fully paid, the solar home system unlocks and delivers free electricity for the expected 10-year life of the product.

via Simpa networks: Our Solution…

 

 

simpa energy recharge Solar power for the most needy...

 

Posted in Inventions | Leave a comment

WCSF: Notes from WordCamp (part 2: WordPress theme framework review site?)

By Ari Salomon | Published: August 18, 2011
matt mullenweg and ari salomon 2011 wp 507x600 WCSF: Notes from WordCamp (part 2: WordPress theme framework review site?)

Hanging out with Matt at the end of WordCampSF 2011

One framework to rule them…

One idea I had recently (and discussed with Ryan of WPCandy and others at WordCampsf2011) was to create a WordPress theme framework review site. I’d like to present this idea here and see if anyone is interested in pursuing this idea with me.

There are so many frameworks out there. And I keep having the same conversation with developers where they want to develop their own. I would love a resource like the trusty old CMS matrix that compares the 100s of CMS options out there and lets the user sort by features (that site is far from perfect but I know many people who find it and use it as a resource in selecting a CMS—of course they all end up working with WordPress or Drupal).
So what criteria would be useful in a framework comparison site? Some obvious options:
  • Is the WordPress framework Open Source?
  • If not how much does it cost?
  • GPL?
  • Page layout options?
  • SEO vs SEO plugin ready?
  • Widget region list or ability to make regions within framework?
  • Export/import theme settings?
  • What else…
Some links related to frameworks:

Some final notes on WordCamp

Posted in Web Design, WordPress | Tagged | 1 Comment

Add Twitter & Facebook to WordPress, the new Social plugin

By Ari Salomon | Published: August 14, 2011

MailChimp hired Alex King to make this hot new plugin. I have not used it but there is alot of positive buzz around this new tool. I look forward to trying it soon.

6031075111 c53c1fa963 b 310x180 Add Twitter & Facebook to WordPress, the new Social plugin

 

Social is a new WordPress plugin that makes it easier for you to connect your WordPress site to other social web networks.

 

via WordPress + Twitter + Facebook = Social : alexking.org.

Posted in WordPress | Leave a comment

WCSF: Notes from WordCamp

By Ari Salomon | Published: August 13, 2011

WordCampSF2011.

photo e1313277792316 448x600 WCSF: Notes from WordCamp

Lots of great conversations and presentations. Here’s some notes and links…

2 apps for converting a WordPress site to a mobile app. Curiously, they both seem to come from Israeli startups. There’s an entrepreneurial flavor to the fallafel I suppose.

  • wiziapp.com: not free and iOS only
  • uppsite.com: Free and connects to Anroid as well as iOS. Windows coming soon.

A new plugin to show popular posts via Google Analytics

Themes for WPEC (comparative analytics coming soon): storefrontthemes.com

Project management and related tech tools: assembla.com

Tech support management: supportdetails.com

Site uptime test: downforeveryoneorjustme.com  (isup.me)
Note bad but I use  pingdom.com and www.site24x7.com

CSS framework: compass-style.org

CSS3 animations and other eye candy: iestelle.com/wordcampsf

Neat “zoomable” presentations: prezi.com

Tools for nonprofits:

  • This is amazing: cure.org/curekids
    it connects “clients” of the nonprofit with donors. It’s just what a client of mine was recently asking for. It’s all built in WordPress but is not a pplugin that is ready to be easily put on other sites.
  • And the same developers just releassed this great plugin: wordpress.org/extend/plugins/personal-fundraiser it’s about letting fundraisers make a personal page where they can attract and track donors from their personal circle. looks really great, can’t wait to try it. It is a plugin, ready to install although still kinda in beta.
  • These guys soo great wed development for nonprofits: exygy.com
  • I learned what a “Benefit” Corp is: wikipedia.org/wiki/B_corporation

 

Posted in Web Design, WordPress | 2 Comments

inventables.com – Soft Gel Magnets!

By Ari Salomon | Published: August 12, 2011

Wow, what a fun store. All kinds of strange tools that let you invent new stuff. It’s like mind candy.

 

softgelmagnets300x400 inventables.com Soft Gel Magnets!

 

Inventables is the innovator’s hardware store, selling all kinds of materials in small quantities for purchase with a credit card. Product developers, researchers, artists, and inventors purchase products from our store every day to build prototypes and test concepts. When a material from our site is needed in a volume larger than we sell, we assist in making connections to the manufacturer or supplier.

 

See: inventables.com.

Posted in Inventions | Leave a comment
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