dan newman dot org started out as danssmileyplace.com in 1996, coded on a Gateway 2000. Dedicated to the research and development of the emerging emoticon language, Dan’s Smiley Place offered a critical linguistic reference to the millions coming to the web for the first time. It also attempted to create a new form of emoticon art, the “full screen smiley”, which utilized the fairly uniform screen sizes of the age. The major work of this type depicted Tom Cruise repelling from the ceiling in the thriller
Mission Impossible. Smiley Place ended either due to the tech bust, or the pursuit of a different critical research project concerning the animated series of
The New Batman/Superman Adventures.
The next iteration of dan newman dot org quickly bounced around from Blogger, to Facebook, to umich.edu, and finally ended up at the poorly-titled, but incredibly available domain of indiscreetacumen.com. Created as a digital refuge from Facebook, Indiscreet Acumen offered photos of trail work, mountains, and the sea. It also offered a place to showcase random projects, and shared its server with LeftoverSwap, a mobile application offering a service like Craigslist, but for leftover food.
After a few years, a domain with some relevance to the subject, me, was available.
dan newman dot org will continue to be a repository of thoughts and a digital portfolio for Dan Newman.