Vengeance Industries

Projects in-progress

Allison — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:25:44 +0000

Currently I'm working on a few WordPress-based projects, that all have a combination of PHP, JavaScript/jQuery, HTML5 & CSS3.

A media-responsive theme framework with lots of options and multiple "skins." It's based on the cleaner look of TwentyTen, with the fuller functionality of TwentyEleven.
A stand-alone plugin for easier development, tentatively called Site Functionality/Developer Tools.
Updates to some existing plugins in the WordPress repository - AJAX Calendar, UserPhoto, ParaLinks (based on WinerLinks) & Related Posts

These projects should be up soon, with full documentation!

Wordnik — beautiful (newish) English dictionary

Allison — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:52:20 +0000

This so-called "un-dictionary" has apparently been around since mid-2009, but I only just discovered Wordnik today. It's UI is visually striking and easy to use, and it's community-driven, without being polluted and juvenile like Urban Dictionary.

http://www.wordnik.com/words/incendiary

The definition of "incendiary" on Wordnik.com

Detail of a word entry on Wordnik.com

Introducing the Random Factoid plugin

Allison — Thu, 27 May 2010 02:27:57 +0000

"Random Factoid" is a WordPress widget plugin that I created to display a random fact, quote, what-have-you, dynamically pulled from a PHP "database" file.

[WordPress Plugins] Download factoid 1.5 (9.07 kB) 2011-07-18

Random Factoid

My bike is an ‘80s pink and grey Huffy Capri 10-speed. It’s sized for girls and is way too heavy and clunky, but… at least I’m not a fixie snob.

Favorite Quotes

Tough and funny and a little bit kind: that is as near to perfection as a human being can be. Mignon McLaughlin

You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him. Leo Aikman

Sometimes it's more important to be human than to have good taste. Brecht

Good taste is the first refuge of the non-creative. It is the last-ditch stand of the artist. Marshall McLuhan

Bad taste creates many more millionaires than good taste. Charles Bukowski
The kind of people who always go on about whether a thing is in good taste invariably have very bad taste. Joe Orton

Don't bother about being modern. Unfortunately it is the one thing that, whatever you do, you cannot avoid. Salvador Dalí

Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings. Salvador Dalí

Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them. Salvador Dalí

Cleverness is not wisdom. Euripides
Cleverness is next to godliness. Allison Richmond

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. Erich Fromm

Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted. John Lennon

Art is anything you can get away with. Marshall McLuhan

Creative ideas flourish best in a shop which preserves some spirit of fun. Nobody is in business for fun, but that does not mean there cannot be fun in business. Leo Burnett

Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people. Leo Burnett

Ain't nothin' in the world get Black Dynamite more mad than some jive ass sucka dealin' smack to the kids! Black Dynamite

Daily Drop-Cap jQuery plugin

Allison — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:06:33 +0000

aily Drop Cap is a typography project by illustrator Jessica Hische. Her beautiful letters inspired me to created a jQuery plugin that dynamically add decorative drop-cap letters to the first paragraph (or every paragraph) of a page or section.

[jQuery] Download Daily DropCap jQuery plugin 1.5 (35.92 KB) 2010-05-27

Hopleaf

Allison — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:28:01 +0000

Second Hand Tunes

Allison — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:31:03 +0000

Second Hand Tunes is more than just a record store; it’s Chicago’s oldest and most respected purveyor of new and used music, movies, and “other assorted nonsense.”
They wanted more of an online presence: a blog to keep patrons abreast of in-store events and the latest record releases; an easy-to-use Frequently Asked Questions section, and links to their various online sales/auctions & social networks. All of that was wrapped in a whimsical (but not too cutesy) retro style that really evokes their old-school approach to record shopping.

Bottom Lounge

Allison — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:25:20 +0000

The Bottom Lounge is a rock club, restaurant, bar, and private event venue in a *huge* two-story converted machine shop. They needed a site that could pull show listings from their booking company's live feed, display the most current food menus, share some of the gorgeous photos of the bar and the bands that play there, and they needed a weekly emailer.

Haspin Acres

Allison — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:11:48 +0000

Berzërkers Logo

Allison — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:47:44 +0000

The Berzërkers were a Viking-themed roller derby team on the Angel City Derby Girls, a WFTDA member league. Clad in brown and gold, with faux-fur accents, they ruled the Nordic (skate) Track.

Manic Attackers

Allison — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:05:02 +0000

The Manic Attackers are a team in the Windy City Rollers – Chicago's nationally-ranked, competitive flat-track roller derby league. The Manics (As they're affectionately called) needed a more concise re-branding, and their logo needed to be more memorable & appropriate for a semi-pro sports team. Using their concept of "crazy-with-a-purpose, heavy-metal superheroes," I created a branding package that successfully captured the team's spirit and energy.