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About Kaedrin
Introduction
In the beginning, Kaedrin was simply an exercise. I wanted to know more about this curious thing called the "internet." World domination had little to do with it. Really.

As you explore the site you may notice a variety of topics, most of which were originally thrown together quickly in a desperate attempt to provide visitors with "content," something I had heard was important. After some time, I actually began to make "progress" (or so I'm told) and focused a bit on encouraging interaction and revision of the old content.

It was from these simple roots that these pages sprung, hopefully in a bit more "coherent" way. Theres still lots to see, and even some of that old stuff might be worth looking at. Some of Kaedrin's strongpoints:
  • Tandem Stories: Kaedrin's flagship feature, a form of interactive storytelling in which each successive paragraph is written by a different author (maybe you!)
  • Weblog: Frequently updated commentary and links on a wide array of topics including: Film, Web Design, Literature, Politics and Science.
  • Fun Stuff: The home of a veritable plethora of articles, with sections focusing on Movie Reviews, Book Reviews, Music Selections, Images, Sound Clips, amoung various special features like Kaedrin's Guide to Isaac Asimov or Christmas Stuff
  • Forum: Over the years, the forum has attracted a number of regulars who enjoy discussing movies, music, books, web stuff, relationships, and, of course, cheese. Stop by and say hello. We don't bite... hard...
About the Structure and Design of the Site
Most of Kaedrin is generated by applying various XSL stylesheets to several content files stored as XML. The transformation is done on my computer with the Instant Saxon XSLT processor. The system is a bit of a kludge, and it's quite limited, but it has served my purposes well. The weblog is maintained with Movable Type, which I also use to power the newer Tandem Stories.

Kaedrin is currently seen in it's 4th layout style since it's inception nearly 5 years ago. I'm quite happy with it, as it displays well in nearly all browsers (especially ones which support CSS). It is also designed to display well in a wide range of resolutions.

Frequently Asked Questions
This is just a preliminary list that will no doubt be moved to its own seperate page when it gets big and unwieldy

Who are you?
Hi, my name is Mark Ciocco and I am an information architect for a major electronic retailer. This About Me page is old and silly, but you might be able to glean some information about me from there.

Who's this "tallman" fellow?
"tallman" is me. I used to only go by tallman on this site and several others, but have recently been going by my real name, Mark. A long time ago, it was fashionable to only have a handle, but it just seems extraneous now... but I do still go by tallman occasionally (especially on other sites).

So what is the significance of the word "kaedrin"?
That is for me to know and you to ponder. For arguments sake, lets just say I made it up because it looks and sounds cool.

It sounds cool? How does one pronounce "kaedrin"?
There are several pronounciations. Kay-ed-rin, kay-drin, and kedrin all work. I don't have a favourite. Its really up to you.

What's a weblog?
A weblog is a frequently updated webpage, organized by the date posted (the most recent post showing up first), with new information about a particular subject or range of subjects. Here at Kaedrin, the weblog is generally used to display links I find interesting or provide commentary on a subject I find interesting, in the hopes that others might find it interesting too. Often times, weblogs take the form of a personal diary. I don't usually post that sort of thing on my weblog, though, as I prefer to do such things in the forum, where an actual dialog can take place.

What's with the green/black/orange flack you've got all over the place?
Its an optical illusion. If you stare at the center of the flag for 30 seconds or so, then look away, you'll see what I mean.

Will you exchange links?
Not simply for the sake of doing so. Sorry.

Why haven't you reviewed [book/movie/music title]?
Mostly because I'm lazy. Leave me alone.



Copyright © 1999 - 2008 by Mark Ciocco.