About Me

PBX I'm Paul Bissex, and e-scribe.com is my consulting business. I build web applications using open source software, especially Django. I teach photographers web design and professional skills. In the '90s I did graphic design for newspapers and magazines. Then I wrote technology commentary and reviews for Wired, Salon.com, Chicago Tribune, and lots of little places you've never heard of. Feel free to email me.

Book

I'm co-author of "Python Web Development with Django", an excellent guide to my favorite web framework. Its strong points include an introduction to Python, and better coverage of Django 1.0 than nearly anybody else. Published by Addison-Wesley, it is available from Amazon and your favorite technical bookstore as well.

Colophon

Built using Django, served by Apache and mod_wsgi. The database is SQLite. The operating system is FreeBSD, on a VPS hosted at Johncompanies.com. Comment-spam protection by Akismet. Vintage topo imagery from the Maptech archive. The markup engine is Markdown.

Pile o'Tags

Stuff I Use

Akismet, del.icio.us, Django, dpaste.com, Emacs, FreeBSD, Freenode, jQuery, LaunchBar, MacPorts, Markdown, Mercurial, OS X, Postfix, Python, SQLite, Subversion, TextMate, Trac, Ubuntu Linux, wmii

Spam Report

At least 67551 pieces of comment spam killed since January 2008, mostly via Akismet.

Chess via iPod

I'm still loving my iPod touch. It's really a great little handheld computer. I'm able to do almost everything I need with the stock apps, but there are a couple free third-party apps that have earned a permanent place on it. One is the game Chess With Friends from NewToy.

Chess with God This is a version of what is also known as "postal" or "correspondence" chess. You make a move and send it to your opponent; your opponent makes a move and sends it back to you. (In this version, the CWF app rather than your mail carrier is the middleman.) You can pick somebody out of your address book, or ask the CWF app to find you a random opponent. Nice touches include in-game chat, step-by-step replays, and optional email or SMS notifications.

The human angle is what makes it fun. Most chess players have been periodically disheartened by computer opponents that beat humans (those who play at a mortal level like I do, anyway) coldly, soundly, and rapidly. The variety of human players that the CWF random-opponent feature delivers is a welcome change.

You get to pick your own screen name. People who know you can search by this name if they like, so it serves a useful purpose in addition to being a nametag. It also is occasionally the source of some amusement, as in the screen capture included here from the end of a recent game.

Monday, May 11th, 2009
apple + fun + games + iphone + mobile
2 comments

Some related posts: iPod touch: holding steady • The iPhone keyboard doesn't suck • iPod touch: one week down, one week to go • A farewell to Palms (hello, iPod touch) • iPhone hacking • iPhone, youPhone, weallPhone • What is the iPhone running, really? • Obsolescence • The Blue Sky anti-massacree movement • Best feature of the new MacBook Pro

• Comment from Adrian Holovaty , later that day

Hey, I've have some Chess With Friends games going for months now, and it's one of my favorite things about the iPhone. Let's play! Drop me a line with your contact info so we can get it started, if you're interested. (You will probably beat me.)

• Comment from Paul , 1 week later

Adrian -- great, you're on!