This is one of the most major releases yet! The user profile section received a tremendous amount of attention, adding forms for editing profile information being the most significant addition.

Changelog:

0.2.2 Build 96

• Bugs Fixed
• Custom user avatars are now properly displayed for a given user.
• Validation of user’s birthdate has been fixed.
• Validation of user’s location has been fixed.
• Improvements
• The tabs in the user profile are have been redesigned.
• The logger has been improved with simplified calling methods.
• New Features
• Edit Profile section has been added.
• Account Options section has been added.
• Privacy Options section has been added.
• Multiple email addresses are now supported for each user.

This is more of an incremental update, but I thought some of the changes would be worthy of your attention. The user profile page has been reworked a bit, and is now set up to handle the addition of sub-sections as they become available (i.e. the About, Blog, Photos, Friends, etc. sections). For the nitty gritty details on what has changed, take a look below:

Changelog:

0.2.1 Build 86

• Bugs Fixed
• Viewing nonexistent user profiles now redirects to a “User Not Found” dialog.
• Improvements
• Users must now agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy when signing up.
• New Features
• User profile page has been expanded and redesigned.
• User profile has an added menu when the user is viewing their own profile.

This release includes many improvements to the user account system, and adds an initial version of the user profile page. This profile page is painfully basic, but now that the foundation has been laid, other pieces can start falling into place. Most changes in this version are related to bug fixes and improvements on existing features. We anticipate the 0.3.0 release to be a bit more exciting than this one, so stay tuned!

Changelog:

0.2.0 Build 77

• Bug Fixes & Improvements
• The default timezone has been set to PDT.
• Error dialogs now display correctly.
• The “lastlogin” field is not updated in the DB.
• The “required” section in the sign up form is now more obvious.
• The “remember me” checkbox now works.
• The email confirmation code is now more secure.
• User passwords are now hashed before stored.
• New Features
• Initial version of the user profile page.
• An image manipulation class has been added.
• Users can now recover lost usernames.
• Users can now reset forgotten passwords.

Our first online release has finally made it out the door! This release includes the basic framework for the site, the primary user interface template, and the user registration/login processes. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but it is a major milestone for this site, and future updates should be released relatively regularly from this point forward. We have some limited spots available for our private beta testing phase, comment on this post if you are interested and we’ll get in touch.

Changelog:

0.1.0 Build 47

• MVC framework is now in place, the foundation for the rest of the site.
• The “default” interface template has been added and now being used as the default.
• The user registration process is fully functional.
• The account login system is fully functional.

What do you do on a Saturday Night?

If you’re stuck with nothing to do on a Friday or Saturday night it might be time to try something new, or some place new. “The Garage,” a new bar located downtown on Market Street, has free cover throughout the month of January. They have food, drinks, and live music on the weekends. Just don’t be discouraged by the dismal outward appearance. Those plywood walls won’t be up for long.

Sunday, Sunday

The end of the weekend will soon be at hand, but there is no need to sit and sleep the day away. Tacoma’s Pantages Theater has a musical theater treat prepared for anyone in the mood for a little razzle-dazzle. The Pops Concert “Bernstein and Sondheim on Broadway” will play at 2:30pm Sunday, January 21st. This concert will feature songs from shows such as West Side Story, Candide, and Gypsy. The tickets range from $22-$75, so nearly everyone can find something affordable.

Links:

The Pantages Theater “Bernstein and Sondheim on Broadway.”

Tacoma Weekly: The Garage fine-tunes old building.

When looking for a great place to eat out in Tacoma, one rarely thinks of Tacoma’s Hilltop area as a host to anything worthwhile. The area’s local restaurants hope to change this oversight by releasing a restaurant guide. Spew has offered up a sneak preview of what the actual guide will look like, take a look below:

Update: A PDF version of the map has surfaced over at Exit133.com for those that are interested.

Link: Spew

Tacoma’s own Pantages Theater will be hosting the Shanghai Acrobats come Sunday the 28th. If you find yourself wanting to go see a Sunday afternoon movie, consider a live performance instead - you may even get your money’s worth!

“Stretching the limits of human ability, the incredible Shanghai Acrobats are comprised of acrobats, jugglers, and contortionists that will defy gravity and execute breathtaking feats before your very eyes.”

Ticket prices range from $22 to $43 for box seats, a good price for some live entertainment.

Link: Shanghai Acrobats at the Tacoma Pantages Theater

This month the Paramount will be featuring German Expressionist silent films. For those not in the know (including myself) the German Expressionist movement was, in the words of Metroblogging Seattle, “an early film movement that relied upon symbolism and careful cinematography to create movies with great feeling and meaning” and was designed to compete with big budget Hollywood films.

On Mondays throughout this month, the Paramount will be presenting some of these films starting at 7:00 PM each night. They will be accompanied by Dennis James on the organ. The breakdown is as follows:

• January 15: Diary of a Lost Girl (Pabst, 1929)
• January 22: The White Hell of Pitz Palu (Pabst & Fandk, 1929)
• January 29: Asphalt (May, 1929)

Tickets are priced at an affordable $12, making it an option even for the impulsively curious. If anyone attends, please come back and comment about it!

Link: Purchase Tickets
Link: The Paramount Theatre
Link: Metroblogging Seattle

It seems Jazzbones has yet another trick up their sleeves, now hosting a rockaroke king/queen singing competition. Rather than the support of some fuzzy TV and a pair of inaudible speakers, participants will be backed up by a live band. Unfortunately, Simon Cowell won’t be able to make it so most will leave with their hopes and dreams intact, but this event should still make for some great entertainment.

Tonight from 4:00 to 8:00 PM marks round one of the preliminaries, followed by the next three Mondays. If you’re lucky enough to make it to the finals, you’ll find yourself onstage sometime after 8:00 PM on Monday the 29th.

Need some motivation to embarrass yourself in front of strangers and friends? There will be an abundance of prizes including gift certificates from Stadium Video, Hi-Voltage Records, and Buzzard’s, free merchandise from urbanXchange, a free dinner from Over the Moon Café, a hairstyle makeover from Najamonique at Supernova Hair and Tattoo, and a full microderm package from Oslo Salon and Day Spa. So warm up that singing voice and get down to Jazzbones tonight!

Thanks to Spew for the details on this one!

Link: Spew
Link: Jazzbones

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the other end of the Sound! After doing some research, I’ve found quite a few options for those of you headed for Seattle this weekend. As always, feel free to post additions in the comments.

• Space Needle (400 Broad St, Seattle)
  Perhaps the most obvious but no less worthy of attention, the Space Needle will be displaying Seattle’s annual New Year’s Eve fireworks show. If you’re in the mood to do the tourist thing, New Year’s Eve is one of the best nights to do it. The Sky City restaurant will be serving a six-course meal with a view that’s hard to beat on NYE. The observation deck will be hosting the “funky tunes of Cool-Ade.” Tickets to the observation deck will also include admission to the SkyLine Lounge which will be hosting live jazz.
• Seattle Center (305 Harrison St, Seattle)
  The Seattle Center will be hosting some free activities tonight including music and dancing at the Seattle Center House from 8:00 PM to 11:55 PM. Thiere is also free ice skating at the Fisher Pavilion which will go from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM. It’s hard to say no to free ice skating on new years eve!
• 007 New Year’s Party (Multiple Locations, Seattle)
  This one actually sounds like fun, and puts a unique twist on the bar scene. If you want a structured evening that guarantees a night of fun, you may want to take a look at this one. Dress as your favorite secret agent and visit a slew of bars and clubs all night. As if that weren’t enough, there will also be prizes for the best dressed. The judging begins at 10:30 PM and all who are present will be eligible to compete. For more details, a schedule, and ticket info, visit the official site.
• Garden d’Lights (12001 Main St, Bellevue)
  Although not a New Year’s Eve specific event, it does offer another fun thing to do if you find yourself in the Bellevue area. Visit the Bellevue Botanical Garden and you’ll find the whole place lit with thousands of lights. New year’s eve is the last night to see it, and it operates from 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM, so take a look!
• New Year’s Eve Red Hot Bash (1401 Leary Way, Seattle)
  If you find yourself in the mood for some big band action, you may want to look into this one. The internationally known Bobby Medina and his Red Hot Band will be performing into the new year. $25 will get you in the door and allow you to dance to your heart’s content from 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM.