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An experiment in progress

Web Site Design • By Robert K. Foster

If you stopped by our company blog, Windwright’s Narrative, around the date of this post then you probably assumed that something is broken. You would be right except that it was deliberately done by yours truly. I’ve grown tired of the poor visual design of the blog and decided to start over from scratch with the CSS. What you are seeing, at the time of this post, is little to no CSS style on the page. I will be updating the CSS for the redesign over time and working the page back into something more appealing.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Updated by Robert K. Foster on 01Mar2011 at 07:13 PM
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About Our Company Blog

Business • By Robert K. Foster

There is an old saying along the lines of “Wait until your ship comes in” or “My ship has come in”. My understanding of the origin of this phrase is that it comes from the early days of seafaring when wealth and prosperity could be had from the ocean. Whether it was a large shipping company that would build a tall ship and send it out to trade in some far off port or a small fishing boat that made its daily voyage out on the sea to fish, when that ship returned the hope was that a major windfall of profit would be had from the cargo it contained in its hold.

The name of my company, Windjammer Company LLC, comes from my interest in tall ships and the early maritime history of the United States. ( See Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut: http://www.mysticseaport.org/ ) Regardless of the product my company provides, Tall Ships are a perfect symbol for me of the entrepreneurial spirit of our country and the hopes I have for my own company.

We have an “image” blog, Seer’s Eye Journal, that I maintain here at the company which is designed to display our photography and artwork in the best light possible on the web. After using the imageblog for awhile I found there had been a number of occasions when I had considered adding much longer written entries. However, the design of the imageblog did not adapt well to long written passages.

Since the Windjammer website also has many other types of written content such as news and information I eventually decided to add a more “traditional” weblog to the site. I designed this new blog so that all content on the Windjammer site would be centrally accessible through the blog, even short summaries from our other imageblog. Of course, working on one’s own website is yet another way to keep your skills in practice.

When I was casting about for a title for the new weblog I decided it should be in keeping with these seafaring themes and I remembered the above old saying and how it seemed a good fit for writing about this company as it progresses through time. I’m not sure when my ship will come in but the hope is always there for the windfall to come. Thus the title “Your Ship To Come In” came to mind as it implied some future possible event. The blog had that title for all of three or four days.

Another possible title was “Windfall” but that seemed less explanatory of the spirit, content, and purpose of the blog. For a brief tagline the phrase “A company captain’s web logbook of voyages on the Internet sea.“ seemed to say it best. I personally love word play and coming up with new terms so when I started looking for words related to “Wind” I came up with the term “windwright”. I did a Google and dictionary search on the term and apparently it is used in a role playing game but doesn’t appear anywhere else. And so the current title of this blog became “Windwright’s Narrative” to indicate ongoing tales about crafting the wind the way a wright would.

Why Wind? For me wind is symbolic of the flow of data and ideas on the Internet and through communication. After all, information technology provides us with a new kind of ship, sailing on a new kind of ocean. I craft my websites in ways that I suspect are very similar to the ways of shipwright’s of old. Instead of wind in our sails we have the bits and bytes of data being served to millions all over the world from each of our own little ports on the Web. If we are indeed turning to and creating a new information economy on the Internet then the analogy of ships on the ocean is not far off the mark.

So please check back regularly here at our weblog for news, information, photos, and artwork from Windjammer Company LLC. Oh, and perhaps the occasional stimulating piece of thought provoking writing. Thanks for visiting.

Sunday, June 17, 2007
Updated by Robert K. Foster on 03Jul2007 at 06:15 PM
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About Seer’s Eye Journal

Business • By Robert K. Foster

The Seer’s Eye Journal is an “imageblog” showcasing the visual imagery of Robert K. Foster, the CEO of Windjammer Company, LLC. The company provides web site design services and is based in Massachusetts, USA. One of the primary design elements of our sites is a strong visual theme.

You can purchase the photos and images shown in the Journal in various formats and on various products through the SmugMug service by clicking on the full image, which will take you to the SmugMug site. There you will see a more extensive Gallery of images as well as the image you have selected. Click on the “buy: this photo” link to add the picture to your shopping cart. Once in the cart you can select the format and item to have the image printed on.

Robert is also available for freelance photography work. See our Contact Page to get in touch with him.

Terms of Use

None of the photographs, art, or digital art on this web site are within the public domain.

None of the photographs, art, or digital art on this web site are to be downloaded, stored, manipulated, printed, or distributed without prior written permission from the Photographer/Artist.

All photographs, art, or digital art on this web site are protected under domestic USA and International copyright laws.

By entering and using this web site you agree to and are bound by the terms and conditions set forth here.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Updated by Robert K. Foster on 01Apr2011 at 05:43 PM
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An Evening of Traditional Tibetan Music

Event •Music • By Robert K. Foster

On Saturday, June 16, 2007 I attended a concert of sorts showcasing the singing and playing abilities of Pasang Dolma and another musician from Japan, Toshi Kuga. For those not familiar with Tibetan and Japanese names, Pasang is female and Kuga is male.

From the Event listing at Schuler Books:

A Performance by Traditional Tibetan Singer Passang Dolma
Saturday, June 16th at 8:00p.m
Passang Dolma is an award-winning vocalist from Dharamshala who specializes in classical Tibetan songs. She won the first ever Tibetan musical award for Best Female Singer and has performed for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Join us by the fireplace for a special performance at Schuler on June 16th.

The reason I say that it was “a concert of sorts” is that I felt that it wasn’t really the best venue for a performance of this type. A small theater in the round like they have on campus at Michigan State University would have been better suited but I certainly like to support Schuler Books. And otherwise I would not have seen the performance at all.

One other area of concern with the performance was the unavoidable language barrier between the audience and the performers. Don’t get me wrong, the Japanese musician Toshi Kuga and a very fluent translator both made every effort to explain in full the song meanings, style, and origins. The problem I am referring to is that I myself don’t understand Tibetan, and I’m sure most of the other people attending didn’t either.

It is like the old debate over Classical Opera performed in the language of the composer which is usually Italian or German or some other language than English. In both these situations one who does not understand the language can not get the full meaning from the music. When you are listening to a very foreign musical style like traditional Tibetan music I think it is often hard for the general public to get engaged in the music for this reason.

At any rate, Pasang Dolma showed a high degree of technical skill in both singing and playing the traditional stringed instruments of Tibet. Even without knowing Tibetan it was also clear that she had a high level of emotional depth to her singing. Perhaps it was because I was sitting so close but she had a very powerful voice and had no need for a microphone. Toshi Kuga also showed great skill with playing in accompaniment. For me it was a great introduction to the traditional music of Tibet.

You can find more information about Pasang Dolma on the web through Google. Here are some links:

A 2006 tour of Japan
http://musictibet.com/news/2006/20061107-pasang_dolma_tours_japan.html

The Tibetan Music Awards in 2003
http://musictibet.com/awards/2003/

Tibet Link
http://www.tibetlink.com/

Pasang Dolma on Tibet Link
http://www.tibetlink.com/index.php?option=com_artistavenue&task=singleArtist&id=31&Itemid=81

Sunday, June 17, 2007
Updated by Robert K. Foster on 24Jan2009 at 11:09 AM
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Company Blog, Windwright’s Narrative, now operational

News • By Robert K. Foster

I’ve been spending the last few days setting up a new blog for Windjammer Company LLC that will include all of the content on the company website. I also plan to have other types of entries in the blog unrelated to just those things about the company.

The name, Windwright’s Narrative, may seem strange or bizzare but I explain it all in a document I’ve put together which you can find from the “About this blog” link on the main blog web page.

The complete web address for the blog is:

http://www.thewindjammer.com/blog/

but it is easily accessible from the main company web site.

If you have any ideas for topics to be covered in the blog then don’t hesitate to contact me. I think you’ll find that the blog is a convenient way to access content at Windjammer Company LLC.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Updated by Robert K. Foster on 23Feb2011 at 01:55 PM
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Contact Information

Business • By Robert K. Foster

Saturday, February 17, 2007
Updated by Robert K. Foster on 13Jan2009 at 03:09 PM
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E-Publishing Services

Business • By Robert K. Foster

NEFARIOUS - Tales of Mystery webzine
Our experience running an Internet magazine for over 4 years provides us with invaluable insight into running an online publication. If you’re looking to setup an ezine then we have the expertise to guide you through the development, testing and implementation of such a publication.

eBook Production and Sales
We also have experience designing and creating electronic books for distribution over the Internet.

Editorial Services
If you have a document that needs another pair of eyes to review then we can provide editing services. From spelling and punctuation, to readability and review of overall effectiveness of the document—we look at the whole document in detail.

Writing Services
If you need an article or informative piece on a specific subject then we may be able to help you there. Query us with your story idea or need.

Friday, March 30, 2007
Updated by Robert K. Foster on 23Oct2007 at 09:46 AM
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eBook News Overview February 9, 2009

eBooks • By Robert K. Foster

There’s lots of news and information today about Amazon’s new eBook reading device the Kindle 2. Below are just a few of the articles available from Computerworld.

Initial reaction is positive for most of the improvements but there are no major shifts or changes in the overall nature of the service and device.

* * *

Amazon unveils thinner, lighter Kindle 2
Improved battery life, text-to-speech also boost the company’s new e-book reader
Matt Hamblen (Computerworld)

Some basic details of the new device are outlined in the article:

“The Kindle 2 has a 6-in. diagonal display with 600-by-800-pixel resolution. In all, it is 8 by 5.3 by .36 in. in size and weighs 10.2 oz. Internal storage is seven times greater than the earlier model, with 2GB.“

Read the full article here:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9127600&source=NLT_MW

* * *

Elgan: Here comes the e-book revolution
Six trends are conspiring to drive electronic books into the mainstream
Mike Elgan (Computerworld)

“At what temperature do electronic books catch fire? We’re going to find out sometime this year. E-book sales are about to ignite.“

A very good article about how eBooks may finally become mainstream. The points made seem well on target. The trends outlined are:

1. The worsening U.S. and global economy.
2. Use of paper is environmentally wasteful.
3. The antiquated nature of the current Publishing industry.
4. New methods of marketing such as social media.
5. More books written specifically for electronic formats.
6. The decline of the Newspaper Industry.

Read the full article here:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9127538&source=NLT_MW

* * *

Amazon introduces the Kindle 2—will it save “long form” reading?
Barbara Krasnoff (Computerworld)

Covers some of the issues that will need to be resolved before the general public will accept such devices.

“It will be interesting to see how well luxury items such as the Kindle do over the next few months—and yes, in these days of cautious consumers and mass layoffs, something like the Kindle—which does one thing very, very well, but cannot be considered a necessity by any means—will do.“

Read the full article here:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/amazon_kindle?source=NLT_MW

* * *

Product Purchase Link: Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)

Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Updated by Robert K. Foster on 10Feb2009 at 05:31 PM
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Estimates, Payments, Billing, Etc.

Business • By Robert K. Foster

We provide Customers with a free Estimate and then a follow up bill as pdf documents via email or printed and sent through regular USPS (snail) mail. In order to get started on a project we need the physical address of the company or individual that we would use for billing the Customer in order to send the Estimate and later the completed bill for services rendered.

Forms of Payment

We accept payment through PayPal (your credit card or your checking account) or by paper check made out to Windjammer Company, LLC and sent to our company address.

Estimates

Our Estimates do not “creep” in the sense that we do not re-estimate the charges after our initial estimate, unless the Customer requests additional work not included in the original Estimate. The Estimate we provide will be the final bill charged unless other services are requested.

Prepayment Sometimes Required

For custom work we prefer 20% of the total cost of Estimated Work before starting with the remainder due within 30 days after the work is completed.

Installment Payments

Our Web Design Packages can also be payed for in Monthly Installments. If one of our listed packages fits your needs then monthly payments can be a cost effective way to purchase for a low monthly cost.

Friday, March 30, 2007
Updated by Robert K. Foster on 28Dec2007 at 08:24 PM
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