The boys wanted a fire last night, so we fired up a pressed log, and all was well.

This morning, Samantha prepared the fireplace for a repeat tonight. We kept smelling the remnants of last nights fire smoldering, so we just lit the thing.

Guess the logs were lined up wrong.

Living Room full of smoke, billowing out the front of the fireplace.

I love home ownership.

Tags: content, design, HTTP, IP, ISP, it, Om, pr, Technorati

It has been at least a year since I last updated everyone on the state of GrabPERF. That’s because for most of the last year, the system has been rolling along without a hitch or a major systemic change. The last major change to the agent code was alomost exactly a year ago, when I added the ability to capture text matches.

It wasn’t until last week, however, that I allowed folks to be able to see the results of these text match failures. Let’s just say that motivation has been low and my real job has been keeping me busy.

I did want to share the growth, and mellowing of the system as it progresses into year three.

Total Measurements Per Day

Unique Tests Measured Per Day

Back in July 2005 when I started this grand experiment, I was gathering 10,000 measurements a day from less than forty tests. The system spiked at 390,000 measurements per day (April 2006) and 147 tests (June 2006).

Starting just after that, I started reducing the number of tests to improve system efficiency, and began developing the text match capability.

There have been some changes to the number of measurements, but on the whole, the system has been completely stable for the last 12 months.

As some of you may have noted, I have add some new features in the last 10 days, and re-organized the structure of the system to allow for better tracking of usage. Over the next few months, I will be attacking the code to make it process things more efficiently, but not substantially change the appearance or functionality of GrabPERF.

It has been noted by some commentators that the design doesn’t pop and sizzle. No AJAX, DHTML, or other flashy gizmos. Guess what? The system is designed to deliver data efficiently and effectively. And as someone who has seen the performance fall-out from badly delivered Web 2.0 implementations, I will stick with clunky and effective, as, in the end, you gotta put all those bytes on the wire.

For those that have stuck with the system over the last year, thanks. I enjoy delivering the best measurement data money can’t buy, and hope you stick around for the ride.

Tags: ajax, app, ARIN, cbc, content, data, design, GrabPERF, HTML, HTTP, IE, IM, ISP, it, live, measurement, Om, One, performance, pr, Technorati, tracking, update, web, web 2.0, Web Performance

If you use GrabPERF on a regular basis, the somewhat flaky navigation method has become second nature to you. In fact, to circumvent some of the idiosyncrasies, you have probably bookmarked your favourite pages.

Yesterday, I broke your links.

When I redesigned GrabPERF in February 2006, I had just discover the require function in PHP, and decided to build the entire the structure using a single container page as the framework, and individual functions called using URL parameters.

As time went on, my own “brilliance” started to get in the way of maintaining and updating the code. It took me 10-15 minutes to figure out how I constructed pages, and then find the right code to fix or update.

Yesterday, I got completely fed up with this structure.

Now, all functions have their own unique pages, making maintenance a snap. And as an added benefit, I can now effectively track the usage of individual pages, so I know where to through development efforts.

Some of the changes.

http://grabperf.org/homepage.php?page=compare&test=2&tests%5B%5D=276&tests%5B%5D=277&tests%5B%5D=279&tests%5B%5D=280

becomes

http://grabperf.org/compare.php?test=2&tests%5B%5D=276&tests%5B%5D=277&tests%5B%5D=279&tests%5B%5D=280

http://grabperf.org/homepage.php?page=scatter&test=277&hours=2

becomes

http://grabperf.org/scatter.php?test=277&hours=2

I apologize for the confusion that this may cause, but in the long run, this will help me make the code better, and more robust.

Tags: book, content, design, GrabPERF, GrabPERF.org, HTTP, IE, IM, improvement, ISP, it, maintain, maintenance, Om, optimize, Pages, performance, PHP, pr, run, Technorati, update, web, Web Performance

I have been playing with my personal site, Pierzchala.com, and finally set the re-design loose last night. The last time I touched the layout was 2002 (I think), and it was all done in tables. The new design uses CSS, and makes controlling the layout so easy.

And, thanks to Matt Mullenweg, the header logo rotates for each visit. For someone who wants to improve performance, this is a simple attempt at vanity. Enjoy the home-brew headers.

Tags: re-design, pierzchala.com, pierzchala, logo, matt mullenweg

Tags: control, css, design, EAD, HTTP, IE, IM, IP, it, Om, One, performance, personal, pr, Technorati

Today, I want to talk about what happens when you aggressively adopt an online strategy, but leave your print subscribers behind.

I subscribe to a great architecture and design magazine, whose name I will exclude from this discussion, with a fantastic and informative online presence. The archive and articles available to subscribers are a fantastic resource for people just beginning to explore this field.

In February, I noticed that they had updated their site with the most recent issue’s content and cover. I was somewhat miffed, as my print copy had not yet arrived in the mail. Immediate assumption: print copy lost; request re-transmission.

Today, I checked the site, and all of the content for the March 2007 issue is online. And I don’t have my copy of this issue yet.

Based on the response to the e-mail that I sent to the circulation and publishing team, I may be the first person to bring this to their attention.

When you are in the dead-tree print industry, the Web (1.0 and 2.0) are crucial extensions to your existing business model. But the aggressive use of the Web channel to deliver your content to the rest of the world before the print subscribers receive their copies is doing damage to your business.

Subscribers pay extra in order to gain access to your magazine before the rest of the world can get it. This must extend to the Web channel. As a subscriber, knowing that someone can read the contents of the magazine online before I get my chance to look at the print copy is unsatisfactory.

Subscription content infers a level of exclusivity to those who buy the gold ticket. If you give everyone the gold ticket at the same time, then a subscription loses it sense of exclusivity. Then the magazine loses guaranteed revenue. Then the magazine is gone.

Information should be free. I chafe against the subscription gateways as much as the next person. But if you base your entire business on a subscription model, you better not undermine your own subscription business by giving the subscription content away for free.

Tags: magazine, content, subscription, print, Web

Tags: app, attention, business, content, design, EAD, extension, HTTP, IE, IM, information, IP, it, leave, live, media, Om, One, online, online presence, pr, strategy, Technorati, update, web

I am spending most of my non-work time reading and discovering about modern design and architecture. As a result, I have started a new blog to isolate my thoughts and ideas on these topics.

Come over and join the conversation at blunderWERK Design Notes.

Tags: blunderwerkz, design, architecture, blog

Tags: blog, conversation, design, EAD, HTTP, IM, it, Om, Technorati

Did we mention that the layout doesn’t work in Firefox or MSIE 7?

Oooops.

Tags: ARIN, content, css, design, Firefox, HTTP, IE, IM, ISP, it, MSIE, Om, One, Technorati

Sorry to quote a hideous dog treat commercial from eons ago, but this post at the Core 77 Design Blog reminded me of it.

An alarm clock that reminded me of my halcyon days, when carcinogens and fat mattered less to me.

It also reminded me of a passage from Neal Stephenson’s Zodiac describing the all-black breakfast. My copy of this hilarious book is in a bin in the basement, so I can’t quote it directly.

Tags: ASP, blog, book, content, design, HTTP, ISP, it, LAN, Om, Technorati

I am fascinated by architecture and design. I have no idea how an architect does what an architect does. I can truly say that I have not knowingly met an architect in person.

How lame is that?

Tags: content, design, HTTP, ISP, it, Om, Technorati

For some, it’s ether; others, mescaline.

For me, it’s modern design and architecture magazines on glossy paper.

Feel the silky smoothness — empty the mind — buy — it’s what everyone — strange rumors.

Tags: ARIN, content, design, HTTP, IE, IM, ISP, it, Om, One, Technorati