Hi. I'm pb. Welcome to my site. I've been posting thoughts and photos to this site in weblog form since 1998. If you want to subscribe via RSS, there are a couple options:

• Full Posts (with HTML)
• Post Excerpts (no HTML)

There's also a WAP version of this site available. (More info.) Just point your phone to onfocus.com.

I moved to Corvallis, Oregon in November 2002. Before that I was in Sebastopol, California for five years or so. Before that I was in Lincoln, Nebraska. I married sk in May of 2003. We have a cat and a dog and another dog.

I'm a web application developer and technical author. I was a cocreator and developer of the weblog software Blogger, and I have a lot to say about weblogs. I've been working with databases and the Web for over eight years, and I've been writing for over three years. I have a BA in Journalism from the University of Nebraska.

I'm currently working full-time on MetaFilter, a community weblog. I work behind the scenes on the code and database.

I spent a good chunk of 2006 writing new hacks for the third edition of Google Hacks. The new edition shows you how to mash up your own Google Maps, how to hack around with blogs and Blogger, and how you can get the most out of the entire Google toolset. If you've ever wanted to optimize your queries, cover your searching tracks, or code your own Google tool, this book will help. » more info

Toward the end of 2005 I wrote a book with Jim Bumgardner about the photo-sharing service Flickr. The book is called Flickr Hacks and should hit shelves in February or March this year. » more info

I spent most of 2005 wroting a book about Yahoo! called Yahoo! Hacks. Yahoo! had been releasing new sites and features at a blistering pace, and Yahoo! Hacks provided a tour of the new features such as Yahoo! 360, Flickr, and Yahoo! Web Services along with tips and tricks for working with familiar favorites like Yahoo! Mail, My Yahoo!, and Yahoo! Search. » more info

In 2003 I put together a book about Amazon.com called Amazon Hacks. It includes tips & tricks for searching, selling, participating, using their referrer program, and programming the API. It's part of O'Reilly's Hacks series, and you can buy a copy at (where else?) Amazon.com! » more info

In 2002 I co-wrote a book about weblogs with Matt Haughey and Meg Hourihan. It's called We Blog: Publishing Online with Weblogs and it was published by Wiley. The We Blog companion website, Blogroots.com (no longer active) was an extension of the book, and a space to discuss weblogs.

The technologies I know best include ASP, SQL Server, T-SQL, Visual Basic, REST-based Web Services, RSS, JavaScript, IIS, XML, XSLT, DHTML, Cold Fusion, Perl, and PHP. For more information, check out my official resume at my business website: pbcoding.com. My area of expertise is using these technologies to build Web applications for publishing on the Web.

I'm on LinkedIn.

As you may have noticed, I like to take pictures. I have proof on my photos page or running photo blog. I took all of the pictures on this site with either an Olympus D-450 Digital, Olympus C-700UZ, Canon Digital Rebel, or a Canon Rebel 35mm. Please don't steal them. (The cameras or the pictures.) If you'd like to use a photo for any reason, let's talk.

The photo of me on this page was taken by Matt Haughey.

My favorite non-work activity is developing and maintaining a directory of Oregon-based weblogs called ORblogs. I built it as a way to see what others in my area are talking about, and as a way to promote local, independent publishing.

I wrote a script called snapGallery that can help you put your pictures on the web. Lockergnome had this to say about it: "If you have a ton of digital snaps and want to show them to friends and family members over the Internet, why not design a functional Web page? Better yet, download this program and let it design the gallery for you."

I wrote an application called BookWatch that watched for book references on weblogs, and found the most popular. I shut it down in 2005, though.

From 2000-2004 I pitched in at a site called SXSWBlog; the community weblog for the South by Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, TX. It's kicking ass with new owners now.

I also like to collect quotes and help people decide what to eat.

I use Photoshop, Notepad, and HomeSite to put this site together. I coded my own system for publishing my weblog.

The sun/moon icons are from the font Almanac MT.

You can contact me here. This is the best way to get in touch with me. Messages from this form go directly to my inbox. I also have a PGP public key if you'd like to encrypt your message.