Alan Levine

Several colleagues and friends have suggested setting my tin cup up here... Since the early 1990s I have been creating web-based tools, resources, and media for educators and giving it all away. Why? Because nearly everything I learned in programming, art, creativity came from the things others have shared online. Seems natural to give back.

August 2012 was my last regular paycheck. After 20 years of working for institutions I decided to see if I could cover my living costs doing as what I describe myself as an "itinerant web geek." I still do a lot of web building, designing, tool making in my own interests, on my own time, not making a direct dime. 

"Like what?"

• Feed2JS has been running since 2002 providing a cut and paste means to embed RSS content into web sites.
• Web storytelling tools like Pechaflickr (improv form random flickr photos), Five Card Flickr Stories, and resources like 50+ Web Ways to Tell a Story.
• Web tools like flickr cc attribution helper, a Storify Embeddable Link Extractor, even a filler text generator for bicycle freaks.
• Wordpress theme based SPLOT tools, calling card themes (e.g. Dimension, Highlights, and Big Picture), and guides for creating syndication sites with Feed Wordpress.
• Almost 60,000 open licensed photos in flickr. I add new ones every day.
• All code shared in GitHub with a public front end at https://cogdog.github.io/
• Documenting in great detail since 2003 everything I have done at http://cogdogblog.com/

I'm not looking to live off of this stream, but if any of this stuff has/does/might have value, I appreciate any coins tossed into my cup. What it can provide is more time to tinker, build, share, write blog posts.

I deeply care about preserving the virtues of the open web that have helped me; several of my projects are about saving our stuff from the companies we trust with our content that discard them. I work much in trying to convince people to take ownership of their digital presence over selling their data to services sold as free.

I'm not setting up any rewards level here beyond the "Effusive Thanks For Anything" one- I'd rather put my time into my work than doling out trinkets. I'll listen especially to ideas, requests, suggestions for projects from anyone who puts into the cup.

Also, if you prefer to do a one time donation I have a Paypal tip jar over there.



Thanks from Alan and Felix!