always omniupdating

The D flew me out to LA for OmniUpdate’s annual user conference last week. OU is the content management system (CMS) that we use to build-out and manage the websites under our care. The main idea behind a CMS appears to be that we provide an environment for our users where the design and layout is consistent across the board and all they have to do is manage the content. As my boss says – “We build the roads, they drive on them”. Which is much the way this blog works. When I add posts, I’m not the least bit concerned with the way the page looks, with the exception of the layout of text and photos. All I do is add that content and hit publish. The blog theme figures out where and how to put that information on the page, and the secondary information and styling is managed behind the scenes. It takes a lot of thought and consideration to ensure that the framework is capable of satisfying the needs of everyone, and our implementation at work is a little on the dated side, as I think everyone agrees. OU seems more capable than we’re currently giving it credit for. Some will say that I ate the cupcakes, but I kind of wish we could start over from scratch with it.

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Universal Studios was the setting for the conference and I had lectures and workshops daily, so I didn’t get to explore the city the way I would have liked, but I did manage to sneak out once or twice. My first order of business was obviously to get an In-N-Out burger of the animal variety into my stomach as quickly as possible. Fortunately someone had thought ahead and opened an establishment within easy walking distance from the hotel, to which I proceeded on foot as soon as I dropped my bags in the room.

I was also able to get to the Getty Museum on Tuesday afternoon for a short while. When I informed some local OU employees that I was planning to take the bus they shook their heads at me like I was a mad man. As much as I know the car is the preferred method of transportation in LA, I didn’t have one of those, and anyway the bus went right there. It wasn’t like I had to take the bus to within a few miles of the museum and bushwhack the rest of the way in. They made it sound like my chances of making it there and back were literally in question. My impression of the LA public transportation system was that it didn’t exist. Instead what I found was the cleanest public transportation I’ve ever ridden, and a network that goes nearly everywhere. There was a man stationed at a busy transfer intersection that helped me find the pickup location for my second leg. It was wonderful. I’m not really sure why anyone would ever want to drive around in a city (and park) if you could avoid it, but as much as people complain about the traffic in LA they seem to be unable to put the pieces together on why things are the way they are. I’d imagine it probably has something to do with coolness.

My photographic efforts on the trip were pretty limited. I snapped one from my hotel window of the evening traffic on the 101. As you can see, Universal is kind of remotely located from the heart of the city. I wish we had been closer. I now know why ‘The Valley’ is considered with such disdain.

The rest of my pics were at The Getty, but there I felt rushed. I had about an hour to explore the place, and I never even got inside to see any of the exhibits. You need a day there.