PixelLevel is a small web design studio founded by Brent Pocker and based in Coral Gables, Florida. Our primary focuses are web design & web application development projects for small businesses, academics and professionals.
Latest Thoughts
Friday, June 5th 2009AppleCare Gives Me A Buzz
The vibrating mechanism used in silent mode on my old 1g iPhone has been getting flaky over the past month or so and I've been missing calls. Needless to say, it's gotten a lot of use and abuse over the last 2–ish years since I almost always keep it in silent mode. To coax it into buzzing again I tried doing a number of things including software restore, shaking it, speaking to it in a really calm voice and even coddling it (I know, that's a little off) but to no effect – shocking surprise, right? Then it dawned on me that I had purchased AppleCare for it on a whim. I normally always purchase AppleCare for every Mac that I own, but for some reason purchasing the extra warranty for a phone just didn't seem necessary somehow – maybe because I had never extended a warranty on a phone before and that had worked out for me. That said, I bought it anyway and am really glad that I did. After finally coming to terms that the little buzzer was probably kaput, I decided to head to the Genius Bar at my local Apple Store. I explained the situation and before I was done with my spiel, the Genius was setting up a brand new (perhaps factory refurbished) replacement iPhone for me. I was in and out in roughly 10 minutes and completely satisfied with the level of service I received. The point I'm trying to make is that AppleCare has always paid off for me and the customer service is great. I'll definitely be purchasing the extended warranty for my next iPhone. If all the rumors are true (and I hope they are) about the forthcoming iPhone, I'll be purchasing some more AppleCare very soon. 
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Tweetie Twitter Client
I've been using the Twitterriffic iPhone client for a while now and enjoying it quite a bit but with all the buzz and great press that Tweetie has been getting, I figured I probably better give it a try. I've tried it and and I really like it. Highly recommend it. Also, the forthcoming desktop version of the client looks like a lot of fun. I'll be picking up a copy on Monday for sure. Comment on this thought
West is the Best
My incredible wife gave birth to our son, West Lucas Pocker, at 10:40pm on March 24th, 2009. West tipped the scales at a respectable 7 pounds 9.2 ounces and stretched the tape to a full 19 inches. Going through the birthing process with my wife was an amazing, humbling and beautiful experience and the outcome has been nothing but pure joy. The three of us are having tons of fun, sleeping very little and getting really proficient with the diaper changing process. A heartfelt thank you to all of our family and friends for the warm wishes and support. On a side note, I haven't been a father long enough yet to offer too much worthwhile advice, but I have picked up one tidbit worth mentioning. Taking pictures of your newborn means that he/she will probably be sleeping and in low light right when you want to snap that perfect pic, so a camera with a quiet shutter and fast glass is worth it's weight in precious metal. But, I digress, back to the topic at hand... Welcome, West, we're so glad you made it. Oh, and one more thing, just in case there is any doubt gentlemen – women are the tougher gender. Comment on this thought
Kukui Marketing Launch
I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to handle the design and implementation of Kukui Marketing's website, which was formally launched today. Working with owner Kirsten Fujitani was a dream. She is familiar with my work and really gave me a ton of freedom on the design. Essentially, she sent over her logo and content and let me just go for it from there. Needless to say, not being limited by some of the usual client imposed constraints was both fun and challenging. The site is fairly image and media heavy, so using a lightbox provided a great solution to deliver much of that core content. If you are planning on conducting business in Hawaii, definitely consider connecting with Kukui Marketing to help you reach your audience. Comment on this thought
Stepping Away from IE6
After a good deal of consideration over the last year or so, I've finally decided to take a measurable step toward an IE6 free lifestyle. I've been waiting for, and trying to anticipate, the "right time" to stop designing for IE6 as part of my normal process. I think that time is finally here (for me anyway) with last week's release of IE8. This step away from IE6 is a little complicated from a business perspective because several of my clients require support for IE6. Even though I don't like it (and in some ways don't understand it), I do acknowledge that the need for IE6 support is real and important to these clients as well as their customers/users and that it cannot realistically be ignored. Sounds like a perfect opportunity for a compromise, doesn't it? I thought so too. The compromise is this: new clients will continue to be offered support for IE6, but at an additional cost. Existing clients will continue to enjoy IE6 support (as per norm) until such time as their website realizes a major redesign, at which point IE6 support will require additional cost. I feel like this is a reasonable way forward that will help smooth the transition away from IE6 and toward arguably better browsers while rewarding existing clients for their loyalty over the years and providing them with options for consideration as their websites continue to grow and evolve. Comment on this thought
