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Part of an old business card... |
Anyhoo. Today's post is a mishmash of thoughts that come to mind as we close off twelve months we won't soon forget.
20 Years of eSheep
Speaking of the new millennium, in January 2001, I registered a domain name for my consulting services. It's seems unreal that in a couple of weeks, it's going to be twenty years old.
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Pet sheep parading around the borders of my desktop keep me entertained... |
Before I could do so, however, I had to come up with a name. I remember mulling over a few that reflected various interests of mine at the time. After a couple of weeks, I eliminated all but one of them as most likely being transitory.
The idea of "electric sheep" — to be spelled eSheep per the digital trends of the day — was a concept that I felt strongly would stay relevant to me over time.
Science fiction fans among you will recognize the origin. It's a nod to Phillip K. Dick's 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the story otherwise known to the casual lay person as the movie Blade Runner. The odd thing about the homage is that neither the movie nor the book — which are significantly different from one another — are among my "desert island must haves" (they are way too dark and dystopian), but they've had a lasting impression on me over almost forty years.
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| Visiting with the Fort Saskatchewan sheep herd that maintains the city grass every summer... |
It's compelling to ponder what makes us human, or what might prove us to be human. The book/movie has several themes, but this was the overarching one that has kept me engaged with the story over the decades.
Anyway, if you were ever curious about the name eSheep Designs, there's the long history behind it. When I started this blog, I just fell back on what already existed and added a virtual "design division" to my enterprises.
More Disappearing Blogs and Websites
For a period of several weeks through November and into December, I held back from visiting my regular blog stops and YouTube channels. Sadly, so many of the blogs that I've regularly visited over the years have gone dark. I decided to "save" posts from the ones that were still active and consume them all in one sitting.
But even when bloggers run out of steam, you're generally still able to browse
their past posts and see what you may have missed. This isn't always the case,
however, which leads me to....
What's the deal with SewMamaSew?
If I'm not mistaken, the website has been offline for over a year now and no one (hello Kristin Link?) has provided any explanation as to what's happened. Facebook and Twitter accounts for SewMamaSew still exist, but despite many people asking via those platforms about the missing website, no one has deemed the queries worthy of a response.
Don't people deserve answers? Doesn't their support of the site during its heyday entitle them to the common courtesy of an answer? Am I the only one who's dismayed by the increasingly pervasive attitude that it's okay to ignore something if it doesn't serve [my own] purposes?
I mean, by now it's obvious that SewMamaSew is probably not coming
back — duh on us — but here's the twist: the site featured tutorials
that were not permitted to be replicated elsewhere. The site being gone
means that those tutorials are as good as gone, and I'm not sure that the
designers of those projects know or have the option to put them up
elsewhere.
For example, the scalloped edge fat quarter baskets (shown here and currently featured on my "this week in history" widget) that I posted about two years ago is one such project from SewMamaSew. The author of that tutorial is Sherri from ThreadRidingHood, whose blog — ironically enough — is also inactive and hasn't been updated since November of 2018. (I will say, however, that — with some effort — I was able to track down the tutorial via the Wayback Machine; i.e., web.archive.org.)
Just another reminder to...
A few months ago, I started receiving a bunch of feedback on my post about Nancy Zieman's Best Nest Organizer Basket. Turns out the free pattern is no longer available at the link provided by the YouTube video and people were wondering if I knew where they could find it. I did some research and discovered that it's been included in a new book of patterns put out by Nancy's Notions. However, with demand, there usually comes a supply, and I have since found the PDF to be available on a totally unrelated website. (Who knows? Maybe someone I gave it to uploaded it for general distribution.)
When [New] Craftsy — sorta like New Coke but worse — opened up back in September, I was one of many who couldn't log on using my old credentials, even though all parties involved in the "Bluprint to dead to revived Craftsy" transaction had assured members that such would be preserved.
The process by which to recover credentials doesn't work either, as the system just doesn't recognize my email address. For now, I'm fine with that, since I don't feel a pressing need to have an account.
The only reason that I could figure for lockout was that I had never purchased any classes from Craftsy/Bluprint. The fact that I was one of the few remaining independent designers who still had an open pattern shop when Bluprint closed did not save my credentials. The fact that I had purchased actual goods (fabrics) in the past did not save my credentials. So surely the fact that I had purchased indie patterns from the old marketplace would not have saved my credentials.
Luckily, I was always in the habit of downloading those patterns as soon as I purchased them, including the freebies. Apparently there were folks who still hadn't done so when Bluprint closed down, which leads me to yet another smooth segue.
You see the second part of the signoff signature that I've been using since April? Be smart...
I've tried to be more tolerant and less judgmental — AKA, my "be kind and polite" effort — but there are still things that I find myself complaining about on a regular basis.
You know the old saying about building a better mousetrap? Well, even though we sometimes have mice in our yard or in our shed, a better mousetrap is not one of my top priorities.
A few times a year, however, I find myself wondering why someone can't come up with a better solution for lotion bottle pumps that leave a good 50ml of product at the bottom (!) or a coffee creamer product with a top that doesn't leak all over the place.
Or why my curling iron's on/off button is right where I hold it, so that at least half of the time, I end up turning it off while doing my hair. There comes a point where bad design transcends being simply inefficient and ineffective, and just serves as evidence that a whole bunch of people really weren't thinking.
Anyway, there's my rant for the year, proving that one can rant online without being rude, mean and toxic.
Check out crafty classes at Creativebug!
[affiliate link]
Amazingly enough — in spite of what I said last year about the challenges of blogging into 2020 — I did manage to come up with fifty-two new blog posts. Was it challenging? Many times. (Finding inspiration is getting tough; even YouTube videos are starting to have that same old, same old vibe.) Was it worthwhile? Mostly yes. I had my moments of thinking "how much longer can I keep doing this", but it never got to the point of "that's it!"
If I'm not mistaken, the website has been offline for over a year now and no one (hello Kristin Link?) has provided any explanation as to what's happened. Facebook and Twitter accounts for SewMamaSew still exist, but despite many people asking via those platforms about the missing website, no one has deemed the queries worthy of a response.
Don't people deserve answers? Doesn't their support of the site during its heyday entitle them to the common courtesy of an answer? Am I the only one who's dismayed by the increasingly pervasive attitude that it's okay to ignore something if it doesn't serve [my own] purposes?
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Scalloped edge fat quarter baskets... |
For example, the scalloped edge fat quarter baskets (shown here and currently featured on my "this week in history" widget) that I posted about two years ago is one such project from SewMamaSew. The author of that tutorial is Sherri from ThreadRidingHood, whose blog — ironically enough — is also inactive and hasn't been updated since November of 2018. (I will say, however, that — with some effort — I was able to track down the tutorial via the Wayback Machine; i.e., web.archive.org.)
Just another reminder to...
Download and Back Up Your Stuff
A few months ago, I started receiving a bunch of feedback on my post about Nancy Zieman's Best Nest Organizer Basket. Turns out the free pattern is no longer available at the link provided by the YouTube video and people were wondering if I knew where they could find it. I did some research and discovered that it's been included in a new book of patterns put out by Nancy's Notions. However, with demand, there usually comes a supply, and I have since found the PDF to be available on a totally unrelated website. (Who knows? Maybe someone I gave it to uploaded it for general distribution.)
When [New] Craftsy — sorta like New Coke but worse — opened up back in September, I was one of many who couldn't log on using my old credentials, even though all parties involved in the "Bluprint to dead to revived Craftsy" transaction had assured members that such would be preserved.
The process by which to recover credentials doesn't work either, as the system just doesn't recognize my email address. For now, I'm fine with that, since I don't feel a pressing need to have an account.
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Are you able to log into your old Bluprint account? |
The only reason that I could figure for lockout was that I had never purchased any classes from Craftsy/Bluprint. The fact that I was one of the few remaining independent designers who still had an open pattern shop when Bluprint closed did not save my credentials. The fact that I had purchased actual goods (fabrics) in the past did not save my credentials. So surely the fact that I had purchased indie patterns from the old marketplace would not have saved my credentials.
Luckily, I was always in the habit of downloading those patterns as soon as I purchased them, including the freebies. Apparently there were folks who still hadn't done so when Bluprint closed down, which leads me to yet another smooth segue.
You see the second part of the signoff signature that I've been using since April? Be smart...
Because You Just Can't Fix Stupid
I've tried to be more tolerant and less judgmental — AKA, my "be kind and polite" effort — but there are still things that I find myself complaining about on a regular basis.
You know the old saying about building a better mousetrap? Well, even though we sometimes have mice in our yard or in our shed, a better mousetrap is not one of my top priorities.
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Do you do this?? |
A few times a year, however, I find myself wondering why someone can't come up with a better solution for lotion bottle pumps that leave a good 50ml of product at the bottom (!) or a coffee creamer product with a top that doesn't leak all over the place.
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| Still apropos... |
Or why my curling iron's on/off button is right where I hold it, so that at least half of the time, I end up turning it off while doing my hair. There comes a point where bad design transcends being simply inefficient and ineffective, and just serves as evidence that a whole bunch of people really weren't thinking.
Anyway, there's my rant for the year, proving that one can rant online without being rude, mean and toxic.
Sew Anything Blog or So Anything Blog?
Amazingly enough — in spite of what I said last year about the challenges of blogging into 2020 — I did manage to come up with fifty-two new blog posts. Was it challenging? Many times. (Finding inspiration is getting tough; even YouTube videos are starting to have that same old, same old vibe.) Was it worthwhile? Mostly yes. I had my moments of thinking "how much longer can I keep doing this", but it never got to the point of "that's it!"
[Although for those of you not on this side of the blogging equation,
Blogger — the platform itself that delivers our blog contents to
you — revamped itself this past year amid some controversy, with
changes that many of us feel have lessened our blogging pleasure. My
"current post" widget won't display the right image, so I've opted not to
display any image. I now have an extra task of parsing through the
autogenerated HTML code to remove extraneous tags with each new post that
I create. (And if you don't know what that entails, be thankful.)]
The bottom line is that it's been over seven years — officially passed into year eight territory earlier this month — and I'm still here. Not only that, I'm still mostly on topic, as I want to continue focusing on sewing when I post... except for the odd ramble like today's.
And I still promise that when I decide not to be here, I will be clear about it. In the meantime, here's hoping for a better year in 2021.
The bottom line is that it's been over seven years — officially passed into year eight territory earlier this month — and I'm still here. Not only that, I'm still mostly on topic, as I want to continue focusing on sewing when I post... except for the odd ramble like today's.
And I still promise that when I decide not to be here, I will be clear about it. In the meantime, here's hoping for a better year in 2021.
'Til next...
Thank you for your posts, just discovered your blog this year and now visit regularly. Agree so much about poor design and so often as a left hander things designed with no thought to how they are for a left hander to use.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Tish. Gaining a new reader gives me the warm fuzzies in a year without feeling much of that. Here's hoping for a Leftorium to appear in your neighbourhood in 2021.
DeleteBlessings to you in 2021; I also just "discovered" your work this (2020) year, and enjoy all I learn from you. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to you too, Marty, and all the best in 2021. Thank you for your kind words. You're now my eighth reader if I stick to my often held assertion that I had six readers coming into this year. ;-)
DeleteCrazy for me to think 2021 is a week away. Fingers crossed for a better year. Craftsy now is not like it was before Blueprint. To unsubscribe I was told I needed to make a phone call. That seems like an odd way to cancel the subscription. I also read Sew Mama Sew. I enjoy reading blogs and have for many years. Now that it is brought up, I wonder where she went. Have a good week!
ReplyDeleteYes, as problematic as this year has been, it has also sped by. I'm of the belief that next year has to be better. It probably won't be free of challenges, but it will be better. Enjoy what's left of 2020!
DeleteGreat post, and OMG, the lotion bottles!! I have moisturizer bottles that are not cheap but I love the brand, where you just can't break into them to get the last bit out! I've even tried stepping on them and they won't crack. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to all things better in 2021. Have a good one.
Kathleen - kakingsbury at verizon dot net
Happy(ier) New Year Rochelle! Yes, I do that. (Cut open containers to liberate sizable quantities of product. Do people really throw all that $$$ out? I guess they do...)
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear Sew Mamma Sew has evaporated. I made the carrycot, which had some design issues, but is well loved. The disappearing act is why I've pretty much stopped using Pinterest.
Disappearing links is my main reason for avoiding external links as much as possible these days. I don't want to be responsible for that sinking feeling when you click on something and it 404s on you. (Coincidentally, someone left a comment earlier this year on the website of the original creator of the Carrycot asking about the missing tutorial.)
DeleteFor what it's worth, here's to a smarter, happier and better year in 2021!
Lotion, shampoo, conditioner, glue, etc. in tubes or pumps, I cut them open and scrap out the remaining product and put them in a screw off lid plastic container (I save the lotion containers that my hand cream from Trader Joe's comes in as they are such useful containers). One of my rants is on the computer when I want to rename the file or pdf, etc., the delete button is right next to it and oftentimes instead of renaming it I have accidently deleted it! Thanks goodness for the recycle bin where I can revive it again. And each year as more and more people go to Facebook, Instagram instead of blogging, I have fewer blogs to read and feel as though I have lost some good friends. Some are still blogging, but so much less that they are hardly there at all. As I begin my 13th year of blogging in March, I wonder how often I will write or if I will continue blogging much longer as I haven't had any new followers in so long and have lost more followers than I have gained in the past 10 years and wonder if most of those followers I do have are even looking at all anymore? I have to remind myself that I started blogging to document what I do and that it is a diary of sorts, but oftentimes I wonder if I should continue? So many people on Facebook have said they do not read blogs at all. I think because most people just don't read at all these days. Instagram is popular because it's a photo and very little description and hard to interact with others. What does this say about us as humans during a pandemic especially? People don't want to connect with others? They post stupid things that are usually something they found online and are only passing it along, which tells me a lot about them right there. I feel this year more than ever before we have lost the human connection with others. With bloggers blogging less and people not engaging online through other social media with anything meaningful or personal. I have never felt more alone in my life and with all these modern day gadgets we have today I shouldn't feel alone at all, but I do. With all the groups I belong to on Facebook, everyone would rather play stupid meaningless quizzes or play games and not connect personally to anyone at all or ask if they are doing okay or need anything. I feel like I live among robots not people. I am curious to see how 2021 will be. How will people act when they can be together again? I am always hoping for the best, but know it doesn't always turn out that way. Have a Happy New year Rochelle and let's hope it turns out to be a happy year at that.
ReplyDeleteWhen my allergies reached the point that I gave up on commercially available products, I decided liquids weren't my friend. I make my own soaps, shampoos, and lotions - all in solid bars. No pumps to clog, no bits left in the bottom corners, all portable, non-spilling, and tsa friendly, to boot.
ReplyDeleteI wish you a belated Merry Christmas, and a blessed, hopefully(MUCH) lower-stress, prosperous New Year!!
Same sentiments right back at you and thank you for taking the time to extend them!
DeleteI applaud your talents at coming to the rescue of your allergies. Isn't it rather ironic that after tossing aside bars of soap over the past few decades, they're coming back in style as being the more environmentally conscious option?