Yet another celebrity blog of note, this time it’s Chewbacca. That’s easily the best URL on the Internet, and the majority of the joke lies right there.

I have covered a few of these before.

I can too be as derivative as the next guy.

Too funny not to post, you have probably already seen it. Safe for work, but needs sound.

It rings very true tonight because I am up and working at the moment while the rest of the house sleeps.

Make You Happy Tonight

An amusing commentary about the difference between being a programmer and a computer guy. I understand completely where this is coming from, and unlike the author, I fall directly into the problem area of being a “computer guy” instead of a programmer.

At times I have found myself asked to help with some problem or another with a home PC. Usually I try to dodge the questions, because as I have said many times, I like to use computers but I absolutely loathe working on them. I mean I just don’t usually enjoy upgrading/troubleshooting home PCs and their problems. It’s generally a huge time-sink that hardly ever seems worth it. The cases on my home systems are generally never opened up for any reason. I buy a system from the store, bring it home and plug it in. Software is my problem, and that’s usually something I have lots of patience for (I have to since that’s usually 95% of my day job, too). I regularly tinker with the systems at home, but the hardware remains the same.

Don’t get me wrong: there’s a vast difference between working on server-class hardware in the server room at any client and bent over underneath a dusty desk at home with a butter knife for a screwdriver and a mouthful of curses. When the hardware is designed with maintenance in mind, I usually don’t mind maintaining it.

Anyway, just my 2 cents on this matter.

First, you can never link to a picture…EVER…in Flash unless each picture has it’s own page, which kinda defeats the purpose of having a dynamic site. When you click on a thumbnail on my site, what pops up is not a “pop up” in the HTML sense of the word. What it actually is is a movieclip with a button which has my picture on it. It doesn’t have it’s own file or path or any way you could link to it.

And, truthfully, I didn’t put my watermark on each picture, because I didn’t think the incidents of people screen shotting my images, and placing them willy-nilly around the internet would be as astonishingly high as it apparently is, as evidenced by your google image search for robertwilsonphoto….should I watermark my logo too?

I know, I’m a jerk. SOME of your points are noted. I will certainly address these numerous issues in any future versions of Robert Wilson Photography websites, if for no other reason than to get you off my back. But, I will NEVER get rid of Flash…at least not until something better comes along.

One last mention (and let’s not forget that Wilson has a Movable Type account and could make his own thoughts much more vocal than just using comments), we agree there is no risk to having the pictures “out there” because they are low res and/or small, then why protect them so? You are making a mistake in today’s online world.

I give you this: Google Image Search for robertwilsonphoto

That’s rather thin, don’t you think?

Here’s a compromise, provide a link to the image on the Flash pop up so that people can link to your stuff. Your artistic integrity is intact, my geek nature is (somewhat) satisfied, although that won’t be enough to fix your Google-ability.

And finally for heaven’s sake man, there’s no FREAKING WATERMARK on that photo I took. I released it into the wild wild Internet, and now there’s no way to tell who took that excellent photograph.

For shame.

Alrighty…. My Flash-related comments yesterday didn’t go unnoticed by Mr. Wilson, he posted a comment to my rant. His points are taken, but here’s my re-rebuttal.

1. Looks are fine, I agree that this site in particular (and yours) are nice to look at. I don’t think that a non-Flash site necessarily means ugly, but I’m not a web designer at all….
2. First off, Google rank is invaluable advertising. It’s also free, you are crazy to throw that exposure away. If Flash sites are expensive (not saying they aren’t) in terms of either software costs or skilled labour and denote success, then….
3. .. how could you not care about Google rank and statistics? If you don’t get noticed, then your stuff doesn’t get seen. I’m not saying you would go out and take 200 pictures of owls because that’s the most popular shot on your web site, but if you don’t even know which one is the most popular you are blind. Also, if new people can’t find you and talk about you (link to you) then word of mouth only goes so far. I can only assume that you would prefer to make a living at your passion, instead of having it as a hobby or part time business. Ignore stats at your wallet’s own peril. 🙂
4. As for your added bonus of protecting pictures, I can’t imagine what’s wrong with the screen grab I took from your site, it’s the same size and pixel count as it appears on my own screen right from your own site. No special tools required. Again, that’s why these are thumbnail quality pictures, not something you could take to a printer, but really what is the Flash protecting here again?

A spirited conversation, sir.