tips

Pathetic Attempt to Keep My Job Subsidized (or WWSD?)

Dear Beloved Inhabitants of the Ninth Circle of Deke,

I wanted to take a brief moment to shamelessly ask that if you are indeed going to buy CS4 and you're going to do it from Amazon anyway, could you use one of the links in the charming CS4-go-round above to tell 'em deke.com sent you? The links are to the Windows upgrades of everything, but if you follow any one of them and then choose what you really need once you get to Amazon, we still get credit for sending you. And, besides, we just do the PC thing because it's more popular. Deke and I both use Macs. (Well, Deke's a switch hitter, but I'm partial to the home team.)

It would just be your little way of saying you like what we've giving you here. In no way are we saying you should buy CS4 because we told you to, even though you know we think it's cool. Because let's face it, this is a significant purchase. And although rumor has it we're in league with Satan (we're actually not, He hasn't returned our calls in weeks), we honestly have no desire to "dark lord" that relationship over you. Just sayin', if you were planning to take the CS4 plunge anyway, we'd be honored (and we'd feel the love from Amazon) if you used our diving board.

Hell, forget CS4. Just follow the link and buy pair of earrings.

Maybe I should put out a tip jar.

Oh, and many thanks for making this a fun place to hang out and share ideas. Read more » 

And the 5 (yes, 5) T2WUSB winners R

All right my friends,

Wow.

First, Colleen has gone on record saying she wants me to stop talking about people wetting themselves. Between the penis thing and the-stuff-that-comes-out-the-penis thing, she's over it. Admittedly, it's all enormously juvenile. But, come on, boys are juvenile by definition. So I'm kinda on the fence on this one. (Which is painful.)

T2WUSB_logo

Second, news flash: I chose my winner(s). And because, quite honestly, the tips were so Wet-Ur-Self great, I had to come up with a criteria. What tip(s) surprised me? Not was it/they any good, not was/were it/them 100% accurate, but which one(s) did I not know? Read more » 

MacVoices #894

It's entirely possible that a few of you have had your fill of the "101 Photoshop Tips in 5 Minutes" piece and the navel-gazing that accompanies it at this site. (If it’s any consolation, Colleen and I are actually trying to balance things with a steady stream of content.) But if my manic performance somehow leaves you wanting more, you can listen to Chuck Joiner's audio interview with me at MacVoices.com. It’s largely my personal behind-the-scenes story of the making of the video, which as you’ll learn, wreaked havoc on my thighs. (Colleen’s article documents the day and a half of live-action shooting, but quite a bit happened before that.)

MacVoices title Read more » 

dekePod hits #9 on iTunes

In less than 40 hours from launch, dekePod hit #9 on the technology podcast list, making it (for slightly more than 24 hours) the top-ranking Photoshop podcast on iTunes.

Mind you, it didn't stay there. In fact, my guess is that the strong initial showing was due at least in part to the backlog of folks who began subscribing to dekePod back in 2006.

I guess the challenge now is to stay regular and see how it fares.

Note: this entry has been edited -- cuz I can!

The Making of dekePod Pilot #2: 101 Tips

First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Colleen Wheeler. I'm an editor at O'Reilly Media, publisher of Deke's popular (if currently underpopulated) One-on-One books. And for reasons that no one quite remembers, I was put in charge of Deke. It's a big job, but someone has to do it.

Perhaps you've witnessed the resurgence of dekePod. In which case, as with any time you experience a great work of art, you want to know more, be a part of the magic in some way. How did this masterpiece come about? How many thousands of CGI extras suffered heatstroke or severe chapped lips during the arduous making of this video? How did the production team make Deke look like more of a cartoon character than he already is? Well, my friends, not to worry: here is your behind-the-scenes look at the making of dekePod Pilot #2, "101 Photoshop Tips in 5 Minutes." Yes, you're welcome.


It all started with a dream. Then it all started again with the cast of talented professionals meeting in the gorgeous city of San Francisco. Here is the view from the top of the Hyatt, where Big Time Stars like Deke stay when they're in The City, and where they have their editors purchase Bombay Sapphire martinis while they discuss the two days of arduous shooting ahead. Enjoy the swanky view because tomorrow we're going gritty. Read more »