Author Archives: Bryan Villarin
I still have my magic chops!
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After tonight’s dinner, my Automattician friends persuaded me to perform some card magic. I love card magic because sharing moments of awe and wonder means I can mask my nervousness for a few moments.
My last practice — and “performance” — was eight months ago at the company meetup for a few random people. Aside from one error, it went really well, and I’m stoked I could still make it happen. 
If Francis could speak, Amy would imitate that he’d say, “Don’t go, dad…”
See you in a week. :/
Supreme fried rice
Mighty tasty.
Burrito Friday
Solidarity with my fellow Automatticians.
Nick Hamze props for activating Twenty Thirteen
At WordCamp San Diego 2013, I’m watching Konstantin Obenland give his talk about the work put into Twenty Thirteen, and he displayed a few slides of three blogs that already use it in production.
Nick Hamze is one of them. Sweet!
Close portrait with an iPhone? Try a panorama!
While enjoying breakfast at Peach Cafe with Amy and my mother–in–law, Amy wanted a photo in front of the large heart artwork on the wall.
But, a few problems:
- I was four feet away from the artwork. How could I get it and them in the frame?
- The restaurant was full, so I wasn’t going to stand up and take a few steps back.
- I only had my iPhone, not a DSLR with a wide angle lens.
Solution: Use the panorama feature in iOS 6!
If you haven’t used it in the default Camera app:
- Tap Options at the top.
- Tap Panorama.
With my iPhone in landscape mode, I tapped the arrow so I’d start taking the photo at the bottom, then asked them to sit still for a few seconds before I pressed the shutter button and panned up.
Note: You don’t need to get to the very end of the “route” when panning to capture the panorama. Just press the shutter after you’ve captured everything you need.
I started the panorama at the bottom of the frame to minimize any movement from them in the final image.
When I processed the photo in Lightroom, another bonus was that the aspect ratio was super close to 3:2. This means we can print a 4“ x 6” photo with minimal cropping.
Most importantly, they loved it!
P.S. Props to Ryan Brenizer for the idea, which he uses regularly with the Brenizer Method, who was just named American Photo’s Top 10 World’s Best Wedding Photographers for 2013. Congrats!
Happy birthday, Amy!
We had brunch at Peach Cafe in Monrovia with her mom, then one-hour reflexology massages in Pasadena, and ended the night at the front row of Medieval Times show and dinner in Buena Park. Happy birthday, Amy!
My thoughts on NMX BlogWorld 2013
Almost one month has passed and I’d say it’s a good time to share my meager notes of my experience at NMX BlogWorld 2013 in Las Vegas.
- If you aren’t able to help a visitor with their super–specific question(s), give at least one takeaway so they don’t leave empty–handed. For example, someone’s blog was focused on browsing sites securely, and an Incognito window with Google Chrome was new to them. That was nifty.
- For the most part, most attendees are shy. If someone glances in your direction, and they’re a few feet from your booth, introduce yourself or say “hello”. You never know.
- WiFi will not work consistently.
- Keep your laptop and phone charged.
- Save a few relevant Twitter searches for the event/conference.
- Bring business cards. I didn’t, and I won’t make that mistake again.
- Carry a couple pens and pocket notebook.
- After seeing a panel of speakers, open your notebook and write for 5–10 minutes about anything that comes to mind. Do the same thing at the end of the day. (This is also useful for everyday life.)
I also met Brett Kelly for the first time ever in real life and we took a photo. He’s super cool. (He spoke at “Productivity Power Panel: Learn the Tools, Tactics, & Workflows of Highly Productive Bloggers”, and I’ll post my notes from that separately.)
Overall, I had a great time working at the WordPress Happiness Bar in the exhibitors’ area with several other fine Automatticians, and I look forward to more opportunities like this in the future.
