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New Design!

2009

KennethReitz.com now has a new, rich theme, ready to take on a new life. And now iPhone friendly! 1 My gloal? To become more well known that both Joel Spolsky and Chris Parillo. Nothing wrong with them, of course. I'm just as qualified though. And I think I might bring more to the table. Think I can do it? 2

I built the site with PHP on top of Wordpress with a hint of Coreylib and jQuery. A nice mix, if you ask me. 3 I ditched DISQUS in favor of IntenseDebate (as you can see below). DISQUS has a terrible media server that fails constantly. I can't stand that. IntenseDebate comes pre-themed too, and, I must say, it looks nice. 4

The design was inspired by haveamint.com. They did a phenomenal job and I wanted to take what they had and build from it.Expect this to be update much more frequently. Hopefully daily. 5

  1. The emphasis on iPhone compatibility in 2009 was prescient - this was just two years after the iPhone's launch, when mobile-first design was still emerging. WordPress's mobile responsiveness was limited, making custom iPhone optimization a forward-thinking choice.↩

  2. This bold declaration of ambition to surpass established tech bloggers like Joel Spolsky reveals Kenneth's early confidence and competitive spirit. The direct comparison shows awareness of the tech blogging landscape and a clear benchmark for success.↩

  3. This tech stack represents the WordPress ecosystem of 2009: PHP/WordPress as the foundation, Coreylib for enhanced functionality, and jQuery for interactive elements. The "nice mix" comment reflects the pragmatic approach of combining proven technologies.↩

  4. The switch from DISQUS to IntenseDebate highlights the importance of reliable infrastructure in 2009. Server reliability was a major concern, and the preference for pre-themed solutions shows the value placed on design consistency over customization.↩

  5. The inspiration from haveamint.com and the promise of daily updates reveals both the design philosophy (building upon proven aesthetics) and the ambitious content strategy typical of early blogging culture.↩