Dopp Juice Archive

Check this out: YubNubIt’s a search engine. It’s a command prompt line. It scours the internet for virtually anything you could ever ask for, all from one place. And it’s not prohibitively ultra-techie. YubNub is a simple concept: you precede your search with a keyword that explains where you want to do that searching. For example, typing “gim sarah dopp” will run a Google Image Search for my name. It will also bring up a horrible picture from my highschool publishing days on BostonPoet.com, so don’t do it. Other useful commands: y = Yahooam = Amazona = Answers.com (dictionary/encyclopedia)ebay = Ebayrevs = reverse phone number lookupAt the time of this post, there are about 7,400 more commands to chose from. You can also add your own to the list (clearly, many people have done so). Rumor has it that YubNub means “Hooray!” in Ewok language. So go ahead. Make it your homepage.

I’ve had the privelege of working with Brian Koval this year — a personal coach and financial life planner with an inspiring take on life. No, I didn’t enlist his coaching skills (although I did reap the benefits of his unique attitude). Instead, I helped him build a website. Normally, I’d say “I built him a website,” but Brian’s a special case. His introspection and creativity were central to the development of the site. This was truly a collaborate effort. BrianKoval.com went live this week. While it is his professional web presence, this site is no sales pitch. Brian is filling it with inspirational writings and creative representations of himself. He also has a biweekly newsletter, so people can stay connected with his frequent updates. His goal, as he says, is to engage people and spark inspiration. He wants to influence. He wants to be influenced. He wants to restore and transform people to their “divine beauty and purpose.” Brian is dialogue in a world without communication. Check him out and write to him. He’ll write you back.

My career as a web developer started with The Writ. My career as an editor and leader also started with The Writ. My career as a poet ended with The Writ. These are all great reasons to check out the site. Here’s a better reason, though: Today, we launched its new publication. Five short stories, thirteen poems, two reflections, one script, and a healthy slew of reviews covering book stores, current events, and various forms of art. There’s also a Writer of the Month, an Artist of the Month, and a Singer/Songwriter of the Month. The Writ has been a self-sustaining writers’ workshop for over a year now. Prior to that, it was monthly publication. Now it’s both. I manage the website, a programmer handles the database work, and a powerhouse-marketing-guru-madman named Julian Torres now manages the publication. It’s amazing. Go there.