First of all, 40,000 hits!!?! Woo! If even a FRACTION of those people are starting to type Dvorak, we are making some progress! Viva La Dvorak!
Secondly, I wanted to take a quick moment to disclose my "game plan" for DVzine.org. I'm dealing with FINALS right now at Pratt, but I will then have an ENTIRE MONTH OFF (woo!) I'll be going home to Seattle for a few days, but then I'm coming back to New York where my two main objectives are: 1) To finish PHASE 7 #006 and 2) To completely finish updating and improving DVzine.org!
There are going to be some really neat additions, so please check back in early January for the finishing touches on this site! We are still checking the DVzine email address so let us know if you have any questions about learning Dvorak. Thanks for helping us spread the word!
12/08/2005
10/28/2005
Back in the Saddle?
Well, it's been a WHOLE MONTH since the last update. I feel really bad about the lack of updates (especially since there is such a large BACK log of things that need to be updated!) but school is really taking its toll on my free time these days. Luckily the site is still pretty much fully-functioning (people can read, order the zine and print out zines, plus learn A LOT about Dvorak!). So I'm trying not to beat myself up about it. In an effort to try and get back on track though, I'm going to carve out a little section of time each week to do a few minor updates. A journey of a thousands words starts with a single keystroke, right?!
So first off, I finished my portrait of Dr. August Dvorak that I did for my Illustration class at Pratt Institute. Other minor updates around the site include:
So first off, I finished my portrait of Dr. August Dvorak that I did for my Illustration class at Pratt Institute. Other minor updates around the site include:
- Added some more International Resources including links for Italian, German, Greek, Maori and Brazilian Portuguese versions of Dvorak!
- Fixed a couple of broken links, goof-ups and outdated material
- FINALLY added an imposed PDF formatted for metric A4 paper for all our international street team members!!!
9/28/2005
DR. AUGUST DVORAK???
HEY! LOOK WHAT I FOUND burried DEEP in the bowels of the University of Washigton Libraries Digital Collection. A picture of DR. AUGUST DVORAK (???!)
Although I'm not 100% sure it's him, the following clues suggest that it IS him: 1) CHECK OUT THE KEYBOARD LAYOUT ON THE BLACKBOARD!!! 2) The photo is from November 14th, 1932 which is the same year his famous report on typing was finished (perhaps this photo was taken for a newspaper article about it???) 3) according to the notes for the photograph, on the sleeve is a handwritten note that reads "D. Dvorak Class Etc., U of W 11/14/32"
I've emailed the Museum of History & Industry in Seattle (who own the photograph) for permission to post it here on the website and I'm going to go ahead and use this man as the referenece for my DVORAK portrait. WOO!!!
Although I'm not 100% sure it's him, the following clues suggest that it IS him: 1) CHECK OUT THE KEYBOARD LAYOUT ON THE BLACKBOARD!!! 2) The photo is from November 14th, 1932 which is the same year his famous report on typing was finished (perhaps this photo was taken for a newspaper article about it???) 3) according to the notes for the photograph, on the sleeve is a handwritten note that reads "D. Dvorak Class Etc., U of W 11/14/32"
I've emailed the Museum of History & Industry in Seattle (who own the photograph) for permission to post it here on the website and I'm going to go ahead and use this man as the referenece for my DVORAK portrait. WOO!!!
9/22/2005
Visual Reference Request!
My current assignment for my illustration class is to do a portrait of an OBSCURE INVENTOR (??!) I want to do Dr. August Dvorak (of course!) But I need some visual reference. His depiction in the zine was fabricated because I could not find any pictures of him on the internet. Does anybody out there have a photograph of Dr. August Dvorak? Please email it to me if you do! Thanks!
9/12/2005
Web Updates Vs. The Front Lines!
Alas, each time I try to work on the DVzine.org updates, something else gets in the way. This time, it's PRINTING ZINES! We got an awesome offer from Microcosm Publishing to help us distribute The Dvorak Zine. So I have to print up 40 copies for them and then I need to print up another 100 (or so) for the rapidly approaching Small Press Expo. (Come swing by and say hello if you are in the Washington D.C. area September 23rd or 24th!)
After refilling my toner cartridge SIX TIMES though, I finally had to buy a new one. With that and a bunch of paper and cardstock (and more toner off of Ebay) I've almost spent $150 this week just to make more Dvorak zines (GULP). So it would be a great time to donate if anyone can help out with a few bucks. We lose money on all externally distributed zines (since they are bought at 50% the cover cost), plus I usually end up giving away as many zines as I sell at these events. I may not be the best business man, but I'm good at spreading the word about Dvorak!!! Any help would be greatly appreciated--every dollar lets us print another zine!
After refilling my toner cartridge SIX TIMES though, I finally had to buy a new one. With that and a bunch of paper and cardstock (and more toner off of Ebay) I've almost spent $150 this week just to make more Dvorak zines (GULP). So it would be a great time to donate if anyone can help out with a few bucks. We lose money on all externally distributed zines (since they are bought at 50% the cover cost), plus I usually end up giving away as many zines as I sell at these events. I may not be the best business man, but I'm good at spreading the word about Dvorak!!! Any help would be greatly appreciated--every dollar lets us print another zine!
8/30/2005
PHP / CSS !
Well, I spent SIX HOURS tonight reworking DVzine.org to utilize PHP (for the new streamlined navigation bars at the top) and Cascading Style Sheets for all the formatting on the site. How did I know how to do this? Because my good friend Nate, who is an awesome webdesigner, gave me some pointers and sent me some links to various tutorials around the web. Much like switching from QWERTY to Dvorak, switching the site to PHP and CSS was slow and arduous (I had to go through EVERY page on the website and hand drop-in the new code), but in the long term it was WELL worth it, as it will be extremely easy to make site-wide changes by just altering a pair of documents. Hurrah!
Now that I've taken care of that I will start updating the other content of the site. I'm going to try and do small updates here and there (a few each night?) instead of massive updates because I don't have time for that!
Thanks too for all the zine orders and emails with suggestions. Keep them coming!
Now that I've taken care of that I will start updating the other content of the site. I'm going to try and do small updates here and there (a few each night?) instead of massive updates because I don't have time for that!
Thanks too for all the zine orders and emails with suggestions. Keep them coming!
8/18/2005
Back on track!
Well, after a whole month "off" from working on the site, I'm ready to jump back in and finish off version 1.0!! Plans include: relearning Cascading Stlye Sheets (and then using them to improve the site), redo some graphics here and there, incorporate the MANY updates people have been emailing in, creating a sitemap and also just filling in the last little gaps around the site.
On the Dvorak front, I just got back from a two-week trip to the Pacific Northwest where I distributed over 100 copies of the Dvorak Zine at the Portland Zine Symposium. Frunch even showed up for a bit to help spread the word!!! It got a great reaction and a lot of people came back the second day of the symposium to tell us that they had relabeled their keyboards or had started typing Dvorak. Hooray!
Also, we made it to 30,000 hits! HOORAY!!! Hopefully we can continue to spread the word about Dvorak and really get some people to make the switch! More updates will be coming and I apologize in advance if some of the site is broken over the next couple of days... VIVA LA DVORAK!!!
On the Dvorak front, I just got back from a two-week trip to the Pacific Northwest where I distributed over 100 copies of the Dvorak Zine at the Portland Zine Symposium. Frunch even showed up for a bit to help spread the word!!! It got a great reaction and a lot of people came back the second day of the symposium to tell us that they had relabeled their keyboards or had started typing Dvorak. Hooray!
Also, we made it to 30,000 hits! HOORAY!!! Hopefully we can continue to spread the word about Dvorak and really get some people to make the switch! More updates will be coming and I apologize in advance if some of the site is broken over the next couple of days... VIVA LA DVORAK!!!
7/09/2005
We Shall Double Our Efforts!
Instead of continually promising to "finish off" the site and then NOT being able to do it because of other time commitments, I'm going to set a REALISTIC GOAL and then actually meet it. SO, Version 1.0 of the site will be totally "done" (getting content into those last few pages with placeholders) by the end of AUGUST. The last few additions will not really add any functionality though, so you should think of DVzine.org as the Second Death Star: It is a bit shabby on the outside, and not quite finished, but still fully functional.
Also, don't forget we've added some Dvorak Zine T-shirts over at our CafePress Store. They're a little pricey because CafePress takes $15 off the top (yikes!) But check them out as T-shirts are a great way to spread the word about Dvorak.
Also, don't forget we've added some Dvorak Zine T-shirts over at our CafePress Store. They're a little pricey because CafePress takes $15 off the top (yikes!) But check them out as T-shirts are a great way to spread the word about Dvorak.
7/04/2005
Arrggh!
Updates ARE in the works, but are still not ready to "go public" quite yet. Sorry for the delay. There is going to be some cool stuff coming up though, including Dvorak Zine T-shirts (from CafePress.com)!
Hopefully Alec will get to the updates this week. Until then, keep spreading the word about Dvorak! :)
Hopefully Alec will get to the updates this week. Until then, keep spreading the word about Dvorak! :)
6/28/2005
Two links and not much else!
We recieved a great link today from fellow Dvorak typer Pupeno. It's a page over at shiar.org that deals with international variations of the Dvorak Keyboard layout. It's got Spanish, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish and Esperanto! Check it out!!!
Another Dvorak typist, Brian, sent us a link to this strange webpage that will automatically convert your typing from QWERTY to Dvorak. So if you were using a computer that you were unable to change the keyboard settings on, you could call up this webpage, type Dvorak comfortably and then cut and paste your text as needed. It's weird. Go see for yourself!
There are still a few loose ends we need to tie up on the site and hopefully we will be dealing with them this week!
Another Dvorak typist, Brian, sent us a link to this strange webpage that will automatically convert your typing from QWERTY to Dvorak. So if you were using a computer that you were unable to change the keyboard settings on, you could call up this webpage, type Dvorak comfortably and then cut and paste your text as needed. It's weird. Go see for yourself!
There are still a few loose ends we need to tie up on the site and hopefully we will be dealing with them this week!
6/26/2005
Weekend of Rest
Well, the email front finally calmed down enough for "team Dvorak Zine" to take a well earned break this weekend! As a result there are only a few small updates to report, but as always, there are more on the way!
A few resources for Dvorak-esque layouts in ESPERANTO were added to the International Page (thanks Michael!)
We also added a FREE, open-source Dvorak typing tutor to the Typing Page, which we had forgotten to post originally (sorry Kamil!)
Alec also spent some time this weekend catching up on Zine orders and printing up extra copies which he distributed to the Jigsaw Zine Shop in New York City. He also printed up 10 copies to enter The Dvorak Zine in the Tokion 2005 King of Zines contest. Let's hope it wins!
More improvements, additions and updates will be coming this week!
A few resources for Dvorak-esque layouts in ESPERANTO were added to the International Page (thanks Michael!)
We also added a FREE, open-source Dvorak typing tutor to the Typing Page, which we had forgotten to post originally (sorry Kamil!)
Alec also spent some time this weekend catching up on Zine orders and printing up extra copies which he distributed to the Jigsaw Zine Shop in New York City. He also printed up 10 copies to enter The Dvorak Zine in the Tokion 2005 King of Zines contest. Let's hope it wins!
More improvements, additions and updates will be coming this week!
6/23/2005
20,000 strong!
Frunch added a TUTORIAL on how to safely rip up the keys from your QWERTY keyboard and convert it to a DVORAK keyboard! He also went through much of the site and made minor additions and corrections.
Gabe sent in a few more Frequently Asked Questions for you all to check out. From SPAIN! What a trooper.
And Alec fixed another TWO spelling mistakes in the Zine (thanks Scott!) and then recompiled the PDFs and fixed the web version too. All printed versions will be updated from now on--sorry to those of you with the original print runs with varying degrees of correctness. (Rare, limited-edition errors! Right?)
We also achieved 20,000 hits today! WOO! Granted, those are not 20,000 unique visitors, but STILL. When you consider that most data suggests there are about 100,000 Dvorak typers in the world, it is pretty exciting to see that A FIFTH of them might have been here (and to the mirrors of the site during our slashdot day!). There are plenty of emails coming in of people converting to Dvorak and convincing their co-workers and friends to try it too!
We will change the world... You'll see!!!
Gabe sent in a few more Frequently Asked Questions for you all to check out. From SPAIN! What a trooper.
And Alec fixed another TWO spelling mistakes in the Zine (thanks Scott!) and then recompiled the PDFs and fixed the web version too. All printed versions will be updated from now on--sorry to those of you with the original print runs with varying degrees of correctness. (Rare, limited-edition errors! Right?)
We also achieved 20,000 hits today! WOO! Granted, those are not 20,000 unique visitors, but STILL. When you consider that most data suggests there are about 100,000 Dvorak typers in the world, it is pretty exciting to see that A FIFTH of them might have been here (and to the mirrors of the site during our slashdot day!). There are plenty of emails coming in of people converting to Dvorak and convincing their co-workers and friends to try it too!
We will change the world... You'll see!!!
6/22/2005
The Dvorak Blog
Well, upon Frunch's urging (and some others!) we have set up a blogger account for the front page here. That'll make it easier for Alec, Frunch and GCB to each post their own updates to the front page!
I also went through and took all of the OLD entries and converted them into blogger entries, so they are up in the archive section now. Aren't we high-tech?
The downside to all of this is I had a BUNCH of other updates I wanted to get to tonight, but the blogger stuff ate up all my time (did I mention I also have a full time job and COMICS to draw???) Luckily Frunch is going to be going through the site tonight, making some corrections and additions.
Tomorrow night I'm going to fix some MORE spelling mistakes in the zine that were found and then recompile the web comic and pdfs. Let's hope these are the last errors! I also have some more FAQs that Gabe sent me from Spain. We are always workin here at DVzine.org!
I also went through and took all of the OLD entries and converted them into blogger entries, so they are up in the archive section now. Aren't we high-tech?
The downside to all of this is I had a BUNCH of other updates I wanted to get to tonight, but the blogger stuff ate up all my time (did I mention I also have a full time job and COMICS to draw???) Luckily Frunch is going to be going through the site tonight, making some corrections and additions.
Tomorrow night I'm going to fix some MORE spelling mistakes in the zine that were found and then recompile the web comic and pdfs. Let's hope these are the last errors! I also have some more FAQs that Gabe sent me from Spain. We are always workin here at DVzine.org!
6/21/2005
Street Team Edition!!!!
The Street Team page has been improved with some photos and illustrations. That'll make it easier to download and print out your very own copies of the Dvorak Zine to distribute! Help us spread the word!!!
Thanks to everyone who offered to help mirror the PDF version of The Dvorak Zine! If you download the file, try to randomly pick a server, so no one person gets stuck with all the bandwidth!
Also added some new Typing Tutor and Hardware links to the Type Dvorak Now! Page.
Hey, WINDOWS USERS, check out this great tip from Jonathan that fixes the application specific nature of Windows keyboard settings AND lets you utilize standard QWERTY control-commands while still tying Dvorak! More about it on the Windows help page.
Thanks to everyone who offered to help mirror the PDF version of The Dvorak Zine! If you download the file, try to randomly pick a server, so no one person gets stuck with all the bandwidth!
Also added some new Typing Tutor and Hardware links to the Type Dvorak Now! Page.
Hey, WINDOWS USERS, check out this great tip from Jonathan that fixes the application specific nature of Windows keyboard settings AND lets you utilize standard QWERTY control-commands while still tying Dvorak! More about it on the Windows help page.
6/19/2005
The PDF is back!!!
The BIG news is that the PDF has returned to the Zine section! Thanks so much to our fellow Dvorak supporters for helping us host that file. We are still hoping to get a few more mirrors going, so please let us know if you can also host the file.
Also cleaned up the INFO section a bit with new icons, a better description of Frunch's TYPING ANALYZER and a fixed link in the INTERNATIONAL section.
Lastly, set up a Dvorak Zine CafePress.com Store to sell the new Dvorak Keymap Sticker (which lets you easily convert your QWERTY keyboard into a Dvorak keyboard!). If you have some self-adhesive paper the sticker is also available as a free download over in the TYPE DV NOW! section. If people have any interest, we could get Alec to design a Dvorak T-Shirt through CafePress at some point... Let us know!
Look for the STREET TEAM section to go LIVE this week!
Also cleaned up the INFO section a bit with new icons, a better description of Frunch's TYPING ANALYZER and a fixed link in the INTERNATIONAL section.
Lastly, set up a Dvorak Zine CafePress.com Store to sell the new Dvorak Keymap Sticker (which lets you easily convert your QWERTY keyboard into a Dvorak keyboard!). If you have some self-adhesive paper the sticker is also available as a free download over in the TYPE DV NOW! section. If people have any interest, we could get Alec to design a Dvorak T-Shirt through CafePress at some point... Let us know!
Look for the STREET TEAM section to go LIVE this week!
6/17/2005
Weekend OVERHAUL!
The massive WEEKEND OVERHAUL session has begun! Please bear with us as the ENTIRE site will be making a lot of changes this weekend. We'll list them below as they are finished and uploaded:
- New front page layout, created Update Archive
- Posted a request for help hosting some large pdf files!
- Updated resources on the International Page
- Fixed the LAST (?) typo in the actual zine! ("inefficIent" on page 3!)
- Reformatted the Zine, Info, Type DV now! and FAQ pages.
- Created new place-holder pages for the Street Team, History Page, HTML Citation List, Keyboard dismantling tutorial and a bunch of others...
- Gabe answered a BUNCH of Frequently Asked Questions
- Took out A LOT of Alec's overt use of capitalization, per GCB's revisions
6/16/2005
New Desktop Images
Added new DESKTOP IMAGES in the typing section as a teaching tool for new Dvorak learners.
Went into the actual Zine files and fixed some "typos" (even though they aren't TYPED!) I think there are only a few left...
PLEASE NOTE: I am working full time at my DAY JOB, not getting much sleep and BARELY keeping up with the barrage of emails and zine orders. I canceled my plans for this weekend and will be working ALL DAY Saturday and Sunday updating the site and getting more content on here. So please bear with me... MAIN GOALS: Working on the INTERNATIONAL section and updating the FAQs!!! Patience is appreciated!
Went into the actual Zine files and fixed some "typos" (even though they aren't TYPED!) I think there are only a few left...
PLEASE NOTE: I am working full time at my DAY JOB, not getting much sleep and BARELY keeping up with the barrage of emails and zine orders. I canceled my plans for this weekend and will be working ALL DAY Saturday and Sunday updating the site and getting more content on here. So please bear with me... MAIN GOALS: Working on the INTERNATIONAL section and updating the FAQs!!! Patience is appreciated!
6/15/2005
ANALYZER!!!
Fixed more TYPOS (geeeeez!) and set up FRUNCH'S TYPING ANALYZER!!!! Check it out in the info section, especially with the "key by key" setting. Totally rad! Good work Frunchy! Changed front page to have updates. Mailed off the first batch of zine orders from 6/14/05
6/14/2005
SLASHDOTTED!!!
We got SLASHDOTTED! Thanks to Brian McGroarty for mirroring the site for us!!! Answered DOZENS of emails from all over the world. Made minor improvements on the sites (fixed a few TYPOS!!!) and unfortunately had to take down the 3.4 MB PDF version of the zine to be able to make the site LIVE again. (It might make a return!) Solidified plans for an INTERNATIONAL section and a STREET TEAM version of the zine which you will be able to download and print out!!!
6/12/2005
6/01/2005
Phase 7
Sent about 80 copies of The Dvorak Zine to the PHASE 7 SUBSCRIBERS all over the USA! (and Japan, Africa and Spain too!)
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