Professional photographer, party maniac, official RVCA artist and (mt) Media Temple partner, The Cobrasnake, stopped by the (mt) outpost in Hawaii en route to Asia. (mt) Community Director Jason McVearry caught up with him at his fashion yard sale and later at Steve Aoki’s Show in Honolulu.

(mt): Judging by the fans you and Steve Aoki brought out in Hawaii, it’s clear you and your brand have achieved “celebrity status” internationally. Would you say this is true and how has it affected your perspective on things in general?

CS: Its really exciting that in just a few years I have been able to reach so many people. When i think about it, I get chills thinking that people are following me and I am inspiring people all around the world.
Steve is amazing as well, his Dj set is world renowned and gets the crowd excited!! We are both so lucky to have the support that we do.

(mt): How does it feel being a living, breathing brand?

CS: Its hard work, and not as glamourous as it seems. I work all the time, I don’t sleep much and am constantly traveling and generally overwhelmed with life. But, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I get to experience so many amazing things, meet cool people and get paid at the same time! I want to work as hard as possible as I feel there is tons more for me to do.

(mt): Mark, party and live music photography has been a serious genre since the 60s. How do you feel you’ve changed the game?

CS: When i started shooting nightlife it was funny because people were not used to having their photo taken by someone that wasn’t their friend. Now most people want as many people as possible to take their photo. I’m most excited to have this amazing archive of images in 20 years when we are all fat and old!

(mt): How do you think the modern “hip” party and music scene compares with the underground scenes of past decades?

CS: I think that on an international level, it’s way more united. You can go to Paris and hear the same music you hear in Hawaii and in Australia. Everything is less localized

(mt): How do you feel about other sites that have been inspired by the cobrasnake? Heck, we host party sites now from NYC to Hawaii.

CS: Its really cool that my site has inspired others to shoot in their towns.
For me its all about respect: I try my best to respect everyone and they should do the same.

(mt): A popular question I encounter when describing your gig is, “So how does he make money?” If you can say, how do you pull in revenue? Has any standard online/offline revenue model worked for you and is your site still the central focus of your business?

CS: That is the funny part. Its all over the place from selling t-shirts, to getting hired to shoot events, to shooting for magazines, to shooting advertising. I’m a renaissance man and i take $$$ any where I can

(mt): How is your site running these days?

CS: The site is running great. (mt) Media Temple is the godfather of the internet.
I tell everyone I know to host with you guys.

(mt): You are a bit of a fashion icon in the hipster world. Do you plan on expanding or developing your fashion medium beyond your t-shirts?

CS: Hell yes!
I can’t wait to make shorts, fun sweatshirts, shoes, sunglasses, hats,and of course a Cobrasnake energy drink! Holy crap..too many things to make.

(mt): What’s playing on your ipod?

CS: Juno Soundtrack, mgmt, Phantom Planet, Radiohead, Justice, Wilco, Spoon.

(mt): Do you have any advice for those trying to make it in exploitainment?

CS: RESPECT is key.
When you are shooting you need to respect everyone from the people you take photos of, to the bar tenders and security. Thats really important.

(mt): If you can reveal it, what does the future hold for The Cobrasnake brand?

CS: I’m like one of those sponge dinosaurs you put in water and watch it get bigger. I want to build the brand in the right way and make smart decisions and make an impact on the world.

You can check out tons more of the Cobrasnake’s work at thecobrasnake.com

We wanted to let you know about the progress we have been making with the (gs) Grid-Service platform. Coming soon we’re going to devote a section of our weblog to keep you up-to-date on what’s been keeping us busy. Have a look at what our (gs) team has been doing.

INFRASTRUCTURE ENHANCEMENTS

06/06/2008 - Git libraries added:
A version control system that is all the rage right now. Search our KnowledgeBase to Git with the program!

06/10/2008 - RubyGems Updated:
The latest versions and a much easier installation process. Get your gems all at once now!

05/27/2008 - PHP updated to 5.2.6:
The latest stable PHP release that includes all of the security patches is now available for our shared hosting platform.

05/19/2008 - Email load drastically reduced:
A more robust authentication system was brought online to get rid of those pesky errors that have plagued us in the past. The “421; too much  load, try again later” errors have become a thing of the past.

05/19/2008 - @mail upgrade to 5.2:
The @mail webmail software used on the (gs) has been upgraded to 5.2. We also plan to release more frequent updates to this software in the future as they become available.

05/13/2008 - DNS gets a facelift:
PowerDNS launched.  Response times have improved from around the globe for all our hosted services.  Internal processes, like zone file changes, are quicker now too.

05/06/2008 - Storage keeps on getting better:
We’ve learned some things and made some changes. The result: fewer Scheduled Maintenances, the end of the “micro-outage”, stability improvements, and a re-architected method of attaching our storage arrays to clusters; this means happier times for everyone!

04/10/2008 - Subversion updated:
We bumped the version of SVN up to 1.4.2 on the Grid. We’re using the latest version officially supported by the Debian Operating System.

03/03/2008 - Improved SSH sessions:
Your connections should be more stable. In addition, we have increased our security checks to prevent DDOS attacks.

–Ongoing - MySQL:

SmartPool v2 improved:
Since launching SmartPool v2, we’ve taken our experience and combined it with consultations with the MySQL team at the 2008 MySQL Conference & Expo. We’ve made significant improvements to the SmartPool v2 system. A basic one is lower density SmartPool servers while doubling the amount of available pool servers. This has shown to improve baseline performance for pool users and brings us closer to eliminating the “bad neighbor” effect!

–Other MySQL Improvements

11/01/2007 - Tweak your MySQL easily and instantly:
Users of our (gc) MySQL GridContainer technology now have the ability to make changes to their my.cnf directly from the WebControl! This is big news for anyone who wants their database server set up just the way they like it. This new feature also includes the ability to “roll back” to the default configuration!

10/09/2007 - Multiple database users for SmartPool v2:
You asked and we delivered! Based on customer feedback and popular demand from our User Forums, we upped the limit on MySQL users for SmartPool v2 sites to 5. You can have up to 5 users without needing a container, and you have granular control over each user’s permissions.

ACCOUNTCENTER

03/31/2008 - 1-Click Magento:
“Open source e-commerce evolved.” Now just a click away!

03/31/2008 - 1-Click Upgrader for WordPress2.5:
This is just the beginning.  We will implement this with our other installers soon!

03/11/2008 - uControl:
With this new feature we helped make everyone’s life easier! If you’re the “website guy/gal” for your company, you no longer need to be the one changing everyone’s passwords and email preferences; they can now do it all on their own, freeing you up to get more important stuff done…

COMING SOON

(mt) Labs

Summer ‘08 - Django:
We have gotten tremendous amounts of feedback and positive refinements from our (gc) Django GridContainer BETA program. Expect a product launch coming very soon including a couple of unexpected surprises!

Fall ‘08 - MySQL 5:
MySQL 5 is coming to the (gs)!. We’re currently getting things right for the beta and will be contacting all of our applicants with more info soon!

Winter ‘08 - Cluster-Server:
The successor to the (gs) Grid-Service. Stay tuned to the (mt) Labs page for updates, new information, and a future private BETA test!

On the Horizon - MailProtect gets tougher:
Spam is in for a bumpy ride through our pipes. Using the latest bleeding-edge tools we will take email protection to the next level!

On the Horizon - Backup Tool Restored and more:
We’re waving goodbye to the File Manager as you know it.  Get ready for more functionality and operations, including the backup/restore features you’ve come to expect from us!

Announcing our newest product in the (mt) Labs; the (xv) Xserve-Virtual.

When you’re done investigating the (xv), check out our other projects in the newly refreshed (mt) Labs.

Starting today, all new (dv) Dedicated-Virtual and (dpv) Nitro Servers are being deployed with updated software! They now come with the new version of Parallel’s Plesk Control Panel (8.4) and an updated version of PHP (5.2.6).

Read on for some notable improvements:
Read the rest of this entry »

In our never ending quest for superior support, (mt) has launched the all new support request interface! This all-new interface has been built for easier use and has 3 new exciting features we think you’ll like.


Estimated Response Time

When you create a new support request you’ll see the estimated response time displayed at the top of the ticket.

Ticket Rating System

We’ve also added a new rating system to all our support tickets. The rating system allows you to provide instant feedback on timeliness and quality of support responses. Using star ratings, the feedback your provide is instantly collected and made available to support staff and management. We’re really excited to see your feedback and take steps to continuously improve the quality of your support experiences.

Enhanced Live Search

Speaking of feedback, we’ve enhanced the integrated live search feature that automatically searches our KnowledgeBase while you’re creating a new support request. We’ve received lots of positive feedback from you, but we’re continuously improving our search results, so please keep sending your recommendations in!

A couple of months ago we launched a community-driven, creative initiative called the Collective Motion Project. The community responded with overwhelming enthusiasm and created amazing motion pieces we’ve been projecting in full HD at events across the country. The full gallery and downloadable reel are now available. ENJOY!

(mt) Discussion Forums - Users Helping Users:

After a successful beta period, The (mt) Discussion Forums are now available to all current customers. The forums are the best place to connect with other users of (mt) hosting products. Inside you’ll find friendly people and a great commmunity. To join, login here and go through the easy registration process.

Re-architected and Redesigned KnowledgeBase:

Today we’re going live with a completely new KB system with enhanced live searching, improved organization, a better commenting system and more. But we’re not stopping there…!!!

In the coming months you’re going to see a complete overhaul of our existing articles. Rewrites, more screenshots, more videos, more advanced tutorials….They’re all coming. But this is your KnowledgeBase so please provide comments on what works and what doesn’t. Your feedback is always welcome and needed! To check out the new KnowledgeBase, click here.

If the KnowledgeBase is missing a tutorial you’d like to see, we have a dedicated section within the (mt) Forums just for our KnowledgeBase. Feel free to give us feedback or even submit new ideas for future articles.

We’re in the final stages of the Django beta program! We’ve gotten some great feedback so far from developers of all experience levels. Before we officially launch this new product we want to hear from a few more experienced Django developers!

If you’ve already developed a project with Django and you’re actively developing an application, you can test in a Container right now. Please apply for the beta program and share your experiences with us!

We are very excited to announce a collaboration between Varien and (mt) Media Temple, Inc., to deliver Magento 1.0 through a one-click installation wizard to over 200,000 domains on Media Temple’s (gs) Grid-Service.

“Varien’s brand new Magento 1.0 is an incredible ecommerce platform and we’re very excited to get it into the hands of our Grid users. It’s new to the ecommerce market but Magento will be the one to beat.” Says David Feinberg, Sr. Product Manager of Media Temple. “Mashable compared them to Zimbra, and based on Roy’s team and their experience, I think they’ll easily achieve similar results in the ecommerce market.”

Roy Rubin, Founder and CEO of Varien, said, “Media Temple and their Grid Service are at the forefront of hosting and we are thrilled that Magento will be available as a one-click install to all of Media Temple’s Grid Service customers. This relationship reaffirms our commitment to make Magento the leading open-source eCommerce platform on the market.”

Through the partnership Magento will join popular applications WordPress and Drupal as being available by one-click install to all Grid customers. They’ll be able to install and set up their ecommerce store in minutes without any development experience. The intuitive controls of Media Temple’s AccountCenter and Magento’s Admin control panels provide clients with a powerful, but easy to use, toolset for building their online commerce. The Magento one-click installer is now available in the AccountCenter with today’s release of Magento 1.0