1. Locate your httpd.conf file (private/etc/apache2/http.conf)
2. open it in an editor and do the following
   1. uncomment the following lines (remove the #)

      #LoadModule rewrite_module libexec/apache2/mod_rewrite.so

      #LoadModule rewrite_module libexec/apache2/mod_rewrite.so

3. next search for “AllowOverride” and change the value from “None” to “All” for .htaccess
4. next go to the users directory and open the YourUserName.config file and change the “AllowOverride” value from “None” to “All”

And there you go. Your local install of WordPress or whatever should now be able the provide instructions through an .htaccess file.

So was listening to Walking the room, and this doodle came out. I think it kinda looks like Greg Behrendt.

On the technical side, HTML and CSS are fun. I’m happy to use Javascript and jQuery when needed to make a design functional. Having had the need to maintain my own portfolio site and build sites for clients, I’ve experimented with PHP and MySQL for database management and creating a portfolio site. I later settled on creating custom WordPress themes. At Rove, I worked closely with an asp.NET developer on a long project. This required me to map and build a set of .net master pages and work closely with him on back end solutions. But none of that experience has lead me to believe that I can call myself a front end developer. So let’s take another approach.

From a design perspective, I have strong illustration skills. I enjoy creating characters and bringing them to life through simple animation. I’ve spent most of my career as an in-house designer so I’ve done everything from managing photo shoots to layout of a full length book. Being the in-house designer I was also the de facto webmaster; therefore, all things web and emarketing related usually fell in my lap thus making me effectively a jack of all trades.

Most recently, I’ve spent a large portion of my time working with Zeebu Mobile as their creative director. I create designs and content for games. In doing so, I’ve learned a lot about how people (more specifically parents and children) interact with mobile devices. Then applied that knowledge to design games for BlackBerry, Playbook, Android, and iOS.

In earlier positions and in my current day job with CMHC, I have acquired a large amount of experience with simple press projects but not enough to call myself a true print designer. I’m not a full fledged Webdesigner nor am I a Print Designer. I’ve always fallen in the middle. So where do I fit?

I’ve always considered myself a Graphic Designer – someone that solves problems visually and helps to communicate a message more clearly. I never really worried about a lable, but of late it has become a real issue.

So where does this leave me? I think I’m a Graphic Designer with a wide range of skills but only one real passion – user interaction and experience.

You see the UX designer can apply all the things I love in one neat little package. So from here on out, that’s my goal. Become the best damn UX designer I can.

I was a little grumpy today when I woke up, so I did what I usually do and I listened to the Nerdist podcast to cheer myself up. As usual it did the trick. Chris, Joanna and Matt are damn funny and they stay so positive it makes you rethink the crap that is getting you down. They sign-off each episode with the same phrase, “Enjoy Your Burrito!” meaning concentrate on the things that make you happy and enjoy the experience. So this illustration is a tribute to their sign-off, “Enjoy Your Burrito!”

So try it for a week. Look at your task list, set deadlines with rewards and stick to it. You will be amazed how much more productive you will become.

PS: OmniFocus is a really great software for tracking your to do list.

So, Zeebu is still alive and kicking, and our first Playbook app is doing well. Developing ArtGO! – coloring for the playbook, was a real treat.

Being able to work in a familiar environment, like flash, made creating quick iterations easy. Starting from the design side, I could create all my assets in illustrator, convert them to symbols, and just import the full staging into Flash. It was only a matter of hours before we had a working model of the game. The final, a refined version, is up on App World now so take a look.

Rebuild of Point25.com
Not that many people would notice but the site has a slightly new structure. I’ve rebuilt Point25 using the Thematic Theme framework. It makes WordPress development really simple, fast and efficient.

Angry Farm Design
I’ve recently had the pleasure of working on initial graphics for Angry Farm. It’s a BlackBerry game very similar to Angry Birds.  This was a great opportunity and I’m happy to see that most of my initial graphics are in the final release. You can get Angry Farm on App World.

Playbook App-Development
Most of my time the last week or so has gone to setting up a development environment for the BLackBerry Playbook. As with most things BlackBerry, it takes patients to set up. Developing for the Playbook is pretty exciting as you can use Flash CS5 or Flash Builder and export using the Air / BlackBerry SDK. Take a look here to see how its done.