News
10-12-2008 ... Still alive?
Dear All,
I know, this site looks dead in the water. It's not - but it's one of many half-completed projects I've accumulated over the past years. Paris has always been a passion of mine, but unfortunately, due to my fashion/reportage/portrait work with Harper's and Vogue Japan, the development of the Matphot website and catalogue, my full-time employment by the same company, plus my development of a secure photo-archival/transfer service for the same, I frankly haven't had the time to complete any of them. This site has been sponsored by the Marie de Paris' APUR organisation since summer of last year - they are the kind providers of the coordinates for the on-the-fly generated maps you will see in the future version of this website.
I've decided to go "full-page-flash" for the next version - I'll be using the (now open-source) Adobe FLEX technology viewable through any flash player. I also intend to pay much more attention to the look and feel (ergonomics) of the website, all the more for your browsing pleasure and my ease of maintenance.
I hope to have much more spare time from the first months of next year, and am looking forward to resuming the photographic promenades that were perhaps the most zen moments of all my eighteen years here in Paris. On that note, perhaps as an 'aside', I'd like to announce that, upon my 38th birthday (coming the 26th of December this year), I will have lived more than half my life in Paris. Tempus Fugit!
09-09-2007 ... Total Pause - server move
Dear All,
I hope that those of you who still find the existing site useful as a "fact resource", because I have simply not had the time to add anything to it! I'm totally revamping it into a "database-only" version that is going full-screen (for better map perusal), and moving the entire works to another server of its own. This takes some time and work, and with my photography and other website projects (www.matphot.com is my latest) I just haven't had any time to myself at all. Please bear with me - the site "machinery" is almost done.
29-12-2006 ... New Font, New Look
In addition to all the cutting, simplifying and reworking the machinery, I'm working on the "look" too. Paris Promenades is going to go "Paper" - I've developed (recuperated) another 1900's era newsprint font just to that purpose, so have a look for it - it'll be called "Mécane", because that's exactly what it is.
That aside, the "drawing machinery" is just about ready, as is the new front-window plan. I'm also working on an "add a promenade" interface for myself - no more code hassle. Promenading is going to get much easier soon.
Best, and thanks for bearing with this period of re-growth.
J.M. Schomburg
Paris, France.
22-11-2006 ... Okay!
Good news - I've just concluded a partnership with the "APUR" - atelier parisienne d'urbanisme. The plan you will see in these pages is theirs - and in exchange you may see some of my photography in their pages. I'm quite happy with this deal since we're both non-profit organisations.
The above is the concluding affair in the decision about this website's final format - we're going the "full stretch", meaning that you will be able to expand your browser window (and the plans within) to the full width of your monitor screen if you like, as that cramped "all-in-one" fixed-width rectangle will be no more. Gone also will be the different "versions" - there will be one version based on the plan, with the corresponding text underneath.
There will still be a photo gallery, but this is undergoing a transformation as well. Storing (already hundreds) of photos was problematic, and finding them even more so, so we're going "database" from here. This means that you, dear reader, will be able to search for images by keyword.
I've other developments in mind - namely my "street project" and a front-page blog - but more on this when it is finalised.
Cheers,
J.M. Schomburg,
Paris, France.
22-08-2006 ... Promenade Pause
I'm sorry to say that it looks like Paris Promenades is on hold until I can a) complete the 'liquid layout' version I am (still) working on and b) finish a complete Paris Map of my own making. At the moment it takes almost a day to make a proper promenade (not including the promenade itself!), and this is much to much of my time. I would rather go through and do it all at once, then cut it into bits for a server-side flash program. The promenade path and buttons will simply be placed by the flash viewer on top. I'm also simplifying the navigation system and getting rid of the vertical scrolling photos - I think it would be a greater pleasure for visitors to discover the photos as they go along.
I've already tons of text, and will even be including extracts from my book "Paris author de la Petite Ceinture". I need to make this website what it was supposed to be - a frame for my interest in Paris, rather than the interest itself.
J.M. Schomburg
Paris, France