I’m sending this from my iPhone as the first test post using the Wordpress application (more on that in another post).

But Esquire Magazine has an even better first – the October 2008 issue is the first magazine ever to use an electronic cover. They used the E-Ink technology, the same that powers the Amazon Kindle book reader, with two screens used in this issue. Since I’m tapping this out on my iPhone and I can’t include links or pictures, I’m going to end my post here. I’ll include a full tear-down report of the Esquire cover in a future post. Maybe I’ll include video, too.

I have been a fan of Brian Clark and his Copyblogger website for over a year and have learned a lot from the articles. If you do any writing at all, offline or online, you’ll find lots of useful articles there. I personally look forward to just about every email I receive from them.

Back around July, Brian started promoting a new theme that was developed by the same guy that created the Copyblogger site layout, Chris Pearson. Both Chris and Brian (like I know them personally, heh) worked on several profitable projects together. The new theme that Brian started promoting is simply known as Thesis (I get a commission if you buy from this link).

On the surface, it looks like a few other free or low cost WordPress themes. Behind the scenes, it is much more powerful and very well designed. Almost everything can be managed from within the WordPress dashboard. I like the fact that it was designed from the start to be SEO friendly. It’s easy to implement your Google Analytics script and Feedburner links without having to touch single line of code. It looks very clean out of the box, too. You can read the full Thesis feature set if you’re interested.

The final decision was made after meeting and talking to JL Watkins at a local copywriters meeting. JL is an Emmy award winning local videographer, news reporter and tech journalist for WYFF, the local NBC affiliate. When I mentioned I was setting up a WordPress blog and was looking for a theme, it was an interesting coincidence that JL mentioned “Thesis” at the same time I was asking him about it. The day after I met JL, he announced his resignation from WYFF and his plans to follow his wife to Houston, Texas, to be the news director of KIAH. Such is life. I guess I chased him off. Just kidding.

Reading several positive reviews on Thesis closed the deal. Decision made. Thesis is live!

It’s a little plain right now. I’m still tweaking things.