9-bits A tumblog by David Kaneda about design, technology, and business. Broadcast from Palo Alto.

Forward

The past few weeks have proved quite life-changing for me. Readers may have noticed a few comments on Twitter, but I think it’s time to get a few things out in the open. First up: I’ve moved. I’m no longer based in Philadelphia, but now living in Palo Alto—the heart of the silicon valley.

This was not an easy switch by any means. I’ve lived in the northeast for my entire life, surrounded by excellent friends and family. My roommate in Philadelphia has been my best friend for almost 20 years. I made the final flight about 2 weeks ago, and—though I certainly get homesick occasionally—I’m doing well out here. I have two great new roommates and, let’s face it: A California winter is a pretty welcome change to a northeastern one. The town, too, is very lovely, even if the neighbors can be a bit raucous. But I’m finally settling in. My car was delivered, we have a few crucial bits of furniture, and hopefully the house will finish coming together early January.

Now the “why.” I’ve taken the position of creative director with an amazing up and coming company, Ext JS. For those who have never seen it, Ext JS is a great Javascript company, with something for everyone. For those looking for a solid base Javascript framework, there is Ext Core—a fully open sourced (MIT) Javascript framework which rival jQuery. Then there’s the main product, Ext JS. Ext JS is a set of combinable, cross-browser UI components that make creating rich internet applications super easy, and built on web standards (Read: NOT Flex). For Java-heads, there’s even Ext-GWT, which allows you to write your web app on GWT for the utmost in performance and optimization.

Our company doesn’t have the best image. The framework itself could use a few new themes, our website is in serious need of an overhaul, and our social media efforts are a bit weak. The product rocks, though, as many of our clients and customers will attest. This is why I’m honored to take the role of creative director—the level of potential is simply enormous. We also have a lot of tricks up our sleeves. I can’t disclose all of the details now, but I can say we could use a hand. If you’re a Javascript nut who loves UI (and there have to be a few reading this blog…) give me a shoutout. At any rate, it’s an adventure, and I’m loving every second of it.

What does this mean for you, my dear readers? Well, first off, the sabatical is off. As of now, I’m resuming a normal (whatever that means) publishing schedule for this blog, WebKitBits, and jQTouch. I also hope to start publishing a bit more original content—describing the trials and successes of rebranding a company and giving it an appropriate presence. And dear contest participants, please forgive me, I’m picking the winners this week.

There are many more things to discuss, but I think that’s enough for one post. A sincere thank you to all the friends and family who are helping me through this transition—for those in Philadelphia, I miss you dearly. And for my readers—any questions or points I missed that you’re curious about?

  1. sasha-em answered: GOOD LUCK! I just made the big move from phl to chicago; best thing I’ve ever done. I hope it goes just as smoothly for you too…
  2. neiner answered: First, congrats! Second, will you still be motivated to work on jQTouch since it s a rival framework?
  3. dfdeshom reblogged this from caterpillarcowboy and added:
    Earlier this summer we were evaluating javascript frameworks (JQuery was one of them) and we found that Ext JS fit our...
  4. Brente answered: The bagpipes are hilarious and I cannot believe they delivered your car to you that dirty. Dang. Welcome to the ‘best coast’.
  5. paideia answered: Congratulations!
  6. brndnblog answered: Wow this is pretty awesome. Hope you enjoy it! I’m checking out Ext JS now…
  7. balanon answered: Will you be freelancing still?
  8. Marc answered: Welcome to Palo Alto. I hope JQTouch still gets a little love. I am trying to combine it with PhoneGap now to make a new app.
  9. Eric E Anderson answered: Welcome to California my friend! Glad to have you!
  10. girlie_mac answered: Congrats on entering the new chapter and Silicon Valley loves you :-)
  11. zehnuhr answered: good luck in palo alto
  12. genoprimanti answered: Just got rid of some of your old furniture today! Glad it’s going well. See my post from last night…Call A after 9:30 (EDT)…he needs it.
  13. breefield answered: Shoutout! Haha, do you think you could use someone in 6 months? :p dm me @breefield
  14. Shawn Adrian answered: you’ll love california man, and visiting home will feel that much better for being away. congrats!
  15. strake answered: Congrats on the new gig. I know it’s hard to start a new chapter like that (I’m going thru something similar), but I’m sure you’ll do great.
  16. ceejayoz answered: Is Ext JS now funding jQTouch development, or is that a free-time sort of thing?
  17. caterpillarcowboy reblogged this from davidkaneda and added:
    Good luck! You’re...tough fight… jQuery has some...mindshare...
  18. davidkaneda posted this