LEFT5 (this WP theme) is ready for anyone who wants it! - June 23rd, 2010

The very theme this site is now using, which was originally created for and implemented over at Loupe, is now publicly available. The theme is not for the kind of WordPress bloggers out there who use widgets or masses of plugins for their sites. I personally detest those things, and I know there are many more people like me out there, so this theme is for them. If you don’t like all the noise that’s turning many WordPress blogs into sparkly, browser-crashing nightmares, then LEFT5 may be the theme for you.

The one and only catch is that you must be comfortable editing the smallest bit of HTML and CSS, and I do mean small. Like three lines small. So, if you dig this theme, head on over to its download page and grab a copy. Happy blogging!

New Redesign! - June 13th, 2010

So I know I haven’t been around much lately, but I can explain that in a bit. EndofWeb has a brand spankin’ new redesign! I’ve given it the very same WordPress theme that Loupe has been using successfully for a few months now — Left5. It’s gone through loads of tweaking and shaving since the first version, and now it’s slimmer than ever before.

There’s just so much to love about super-clean lightweight blog designs. I think the combination of minimal, clean HTML5 and lack of everything makes for a much nicer experience when loading and viewing a site, and Left5 does it with style. Giving this theme to a regular blog (vice Loupe, which is an imageblog for larger image-sizes) also goes to show its versatility.

As for the lack of posts recently — that was due to a mix of general business and work complications. I used to do a lot of tech-news reporting sort of stories here on EndofWeb, but a couple of months ago I began testing the waters at a major tech blog, which while I won’t name, turned out to be a place for which I didn’t want to continue writing. Shortly afterward, however, I started happily writing for Download Squad, and that means that EndofWeb can’t be my outlet for most news-worthy posts any longer.

On a side note, DLS is good people. It’s a small crew, with actual care put into quality-control, and it’s part of a great family of blogs (including TUAW, Engadget, Joystiq, and Urlesque) under the Aol corporate umbrella.

So, I’ve been mulling it over, and instead of letting this place idle until death, I figured it was time for a redesign and follow-up repurposing of the blog. While most newsy sort of tech stuff will be destined for DLS, this place can and will serve as a more personal site than ever before. That means I’ll be working harder to find interesting stuff, funny stuff, ridiculous stuff, and downright infuriating stuff to post about on EndofWeb (on a more regular basis). If I have something I want to say about a certain social network or tech company — and I can’t adequately express myself in a PG-13 manner — this place is still the spot where I can vent those feelings. After all, that’s what personal blogs are for.

Aren’t they?

Tweet of the Day: Make-up Sex - May 13th, 2010

Tweeted by Cat Dumas.

How To Make Your Cat a Pokémon Trainer - March 22nd, 2010

Oddly enough, this isn’t purely sarcasm.

First thing’s first, you’ve got to get your hands on one of the newest iterations of the Pokémon game franchise — either Soulsilver or Heartgold. They’re basically revved-up, remixed and rebuilt DS-platform releases of the now ancient Gold and Silver versions of the game from about a decade ago.

These two versions of the game come with an added bonus: The Pokéwalker. This nifty little egg-shaped gadget is what you get when you mix a Tamagotchi with a pedometer, and build it for Pokémon. It’s fairly hilarious as a concept, but also fairly awesome if you really think about it.

I Finally Gave AT&T the Finger (and My iPhone, Too) - March 19th, 2010

About three months ago, I decided that I was officially sick of AT&T. It wasn’t just their crappy cell-service, and it wasn’t just their extremely hit-or-miss customer service that really pushed me over the edge, either; it was the highway robbery they call a monthly bill. I was paying upwards of $100 a month simply for the privilege of using an iPhone, and that was with the most bare-bones service plan they had to offer. No matter how fantastic the phone is, if the network is garbage, there really isn’t much enjoyment to be had, now is there?

This post started out simple, but wound up turning into a bit of an epic saga. My apologies to those interested; I usually try to keep things short and sweet, but this has been brewing for quite a while now. Warning: Long post is LONG.

Publishing Fail - February 22nd, 2010

I guess the hint wasn’t good enough.

I’m sure this will be fixed in an hour or two, which may or may not break the link, but here it is anyway :)

Edit: They pulled the article about half an hour later.