Roland Allen: Weblog

The new semester started this past week, and I’m teaching one section of philosophy to juniors and seniors. There are eleven students in my class. Each of them is thoughtful and bright - they really are. And their sharp minds keep me on my toes.

The basic “rules” of the class are: 1) Think. 2) Think again.

The idea is to speak thoughtfully and critically. (”Critical” - to help bring clarity to what is being discussed.)

In other news, I am spending a lot of time on my photoblog and looking at others. This past week I’ve worked on the templates and getting the presentation in order. Also, I’m trying to take and post one quality photo a day. I hope that I’m able to do it. That means keeping my camera with me.

Of note, here are some photoblogs that I like:

• Frame Not Included: Three guys in Oslo post on this blog. I like it because they capture everyday life. That’s my intention on my photoblog.
• Kevin Crafts: Light and Dark Photography. Kevin is just good. Not only is he a good photographer, but he contributes a lot of technical “know-how” to the photoblogging community by creating add-ons for PixelPost.
• Manuel Guerzoni takes daily photos in San Francisco - it’s a masterful photoblog.

I plan to launch a Photoblog in the very near future. Folks who know me will ask “Why do you want another blog?” I realize that this weblog is packed with photos. However, this is not a proper photoblog. So, I’ve researched photoblogging software and hosts and come up with both.

I’ll use Vesana to host the new blog. I chose Vesana Network because the company uses the proceeds from paying customers, like me, to fund hosting webspace for non-profits. That business model fits with my values. I’ll happily pay to provide services for those who serve others, which is the bi-line for Vesana.

I’ve chosen PixelPost for the software for my photoblog because it is a simple open-source software solution.

Another reason I put these two together is that Vesana installs open-source software for users for free. There is a caveat, Vesana is not a domain reseller. That’s fine for me because I already have a domain host. I added a subdomain to rolandallen.com (to be announced when I launch the new photoblog) that I’ll use.

I know that this post is far to geeky to be of interest to many others. But, this information and my process may be of interest to those who are looking for a photoblogging solution.