misteraven

was just searching for the “where are they now” thread so I can bump up and see if we might manage to start tracking people down again.

Been up for hours. Miss the days (nights) when you could hop on here at all hours and catch a fellow, “team sleep problems” crew mate. Hopefully, we’re moving back towards that kind traffic. Suppose we need more euro and Aussie people on here.

Not quite 80s or 90s but still a million years ago.

🤢

How is this?

🚀

think you can dig up links? Be great to have people reference ideas and drop links. If so, I’ll check them out and if the idea fits, we can consider incorporating it.

You're creating a web clip. That's not what I'm demonstrating up above. Text me and I'll walk you through it. I'm likely going to start thread on this in the 12oz Development Group section on how to do this as a beta program before we go full blown App Store / Google Play. If anyone is interested, message me or try and join that group.

Bumping this since a 12ozProphet podcast is back to being discussed and podcasts are good entertainment, along with audio books.

I just bumped a 12ozProphet podcast thread from way back when it was first being considered. Good to review what's already been discussed and I don't want this specific subject to fully dominate this thread, since there's a couple other priorities being discussed here ahead of potentially starting a podcast. I'd love to see that happen, but as stated, it's more of a reach goal for right now. I'm focusing on the brand / website / forum and getting that dialed before stretching myself any further or it'll never get done. That said, I welcome ideas / feedback / discussion in that thread and perhaps if there's enough enthusiasm and support by the community at large, it'll help bump the priority a bit. That and helping me clarify the vision would be a good way in helping make a 12ozProphet podcast a reality.

Bumping this topic since the conversation is moving forward off the back burner in the Rebirth of 12ozProphet thread.

Yeah, I’d have to since I don’t have a big team. I’ve considered sort of partnering on it so there’s that chance as well. As mentioned it’ll probably begin as a 12ozCollective podcast and if I can get that sorted out, I’ll take the learnings and general format and apply to a 12ozProphet podcast. To be clear, a 12ozProphet podcast is a bit of a stretch goal for me. The brand will be rebuilt and relaunched with new tees and products for sure, a new website is coming, a massive forum update is coming and almost certainly a dedicated app. I hope to do a podcast, but I have a lot to dial in and get going before I think I’ll have the bandwidth to take it on. Also, I don’t have nearly as clear a vision for that project as I do the rest. I know if I do it, it’ll have a video component. My thought was 1 episode a week that would be a standard interview/ discussion format (think JRE) and maybe 1 episode a week that would be a sort of radio station throw back (guest DJ, good music, and a little discussion, perhaps driven by user submitted questions or call ins). As far as the discussion format, this is tricky in that I can’t see myself doing an entirely graffiti focused discussion. Being honest, I’m not even sure I’m qualified at this point since I don’t track what the youngins are doing very closely these days; I’m just too busy. That and my interests and focus are a lot more diverse (kinda always have been). Likewise, the 12ozCollective podcast is also not intended to be solely an industry podcast about screen printing / embroidery. The idea with it was to explore all kinds of creative topics, including art, design, fashion, brand building as well as topics related to production. In fact, I could see graffiti occasionally making an appearance in that type of creative conversation. I keep leaning towards a 12ozProphet podcast being more of a bootleg JRE that covers the gamut of subjects you see here on the forum… Maybe 33% graffiti, 33% art and culture and 33% channel zero and news / current events. Just not sure if that works and haven’t had time to come up with a better idea that is also authentic to both 12ozProphet and myself.

@JokerThank you. Your words mean a lot.

So sharing a little bit about the beta app as described. To be more specific, it's a PWA (progressive web app) which is sort of just a packaged web app. As you can see from the screen grabs below, it lives on the Home Screen or wherever you decide to organize it on your smartphone. Also, if you enable notifications, it pushes OS level notifications like all other dedicated mobile apps. Anyhow, @LUGR has the distinct honor of sending the very first push notification in the history of 12ozProphet. Considering how much more robust the messenger system is in the new update that's coming, the 12oz app will act as a sort of messenger of sorts, which should be pretty interesting. Obviously, it requires that the users you're messaging are on this platform as well (like any other messenger since open protocols on messengers kinda died out in the early 2000s, but should be really cool and yet another reason for people to migrate back to the forum. Curious how many of you guys are interested in having a dedicated mobile app for the forum? Perhaps I'll start poll, but for now, let me know what you guys think.

LOL, I'll pass the message. And yeah, he's an OG along with @psm026 and @Grassy Knowles who also needs to get back on here. I work with the three of them daily.

Facility install photos since that’s how this thread started. Definitely a lot less DIY on the second round. Lot of freakin moving parts and a lot to figure out. Took us over a year to get things fully setup and configured and ultimately have all the equipment dialed in, fully integrated and our workflows figured out. We’re doing this pretty unconventionally and I’m pushing tolerances to levels that people think (thought?) are retarded, but we have achieved some pretty incredible results. Unsure how deep to get on taking shop but happy to answer questions and get as deep as you guys want into discussing the details of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. Here’s some behind the screens iPhone shots of some of the equipment being moved in and installed. This was all being done just after the height of Covid, as if it wasn’t tough enough as is. We had 10 technicians and 30+ contractors and construction workers for all this. Pretty crazy to see now that I look back on it. When I was in the thick of it, I was mostly just stressed and scrambling and trying to act like I wasn’t in over my head. Ultimately, it turned out pretty well, but took a lot of people and a lot of effort. The shots below are just a small glimpse of all that.

Thanks @mr.yuckappreciate the kind words. The photos maybe make it look smoother and easier than it really was. Took a ton blood, sweat and tears to pull off and still neck deep holding it together but it’s a beautiful facility that’s certainly working on cool stuff. Since everyone seems to dig it, I’ll keep sharing. Hopefully it’s a little easier to understand why 12ozProphet doesn’t always get the focus and attention it deserves. Doing my best to remedy that.

Just a heads up that you'll likely be seeing small tweaks and changes as we lead up to the big forum update I wrote about in the first post. I'll try and follow up in here, when relevant so you guys know it isn't a glitch or oversight. That said, I just removed a plugin for displaying Groups at the bottom of the forum list shown on the forum index. You can still access groups from the main menu to the left as needed.

Thanks @Fist 666... Hopefully it makes a little more sense why I disappear occasionally. Not enough hours in the day.

Yeah man, literally started in the garage / workshop on my property. Me and @salchich-pepin dug the trenches and laid in all the writing and plumbing, put up walls and lights etc. Pretty nuts seeing it all, but we're still working on it. Never ends...

12oz Adventure Club was just a fun little unofficial thing we did at work. Plan was a camping trip, which ended up not happening. I quickly designed that graphic up and we made about 30 stickers and deal was that if you came camping, you could join the club and have a sticker. Anyhow, I'll definitely bring that back once there's no more snow. Definitely would be a cool t-shirt. 12ozCollective is the name of the business. It's an R&D facility slack creative studio that does high-level garment decorating for select clients that need to differentiate themselves at retail. We focus on the type of stuff, normally sent off to Japan, Italy, France or Portugal and created an on shore solution to clients depending on vendors / manufacturers focused on craftsmanship and innovation. Yes, we own that dog. I haven't said much about it, but working with two other people on a brand called SWAE, which is similar to 12ozCollective in that its an R&D focused business, but in that case is more focused on engineering and fabrication. Ultimately the hope is to spin it off as a brand that reflects some of what we do across all these businesses. Anyhow, we reached out to Boston Dynamics and have been working with them on some concepts. We own that particular robot and have been doing a bunch of R&D and conceptual stuff with it. The Land Rover belongs to my partner and he asked for a cool concept for a wrap. I'm sort of a camouflage nerd and vibing off the fact that the vehicle is British, decided to explore a theme based around WW1 era dazzle patterns that was used by the British Navy. That era predates radar so German U-boats had to use observation and math to try and lead the torpedos to sink the ships. The dazzle patterns made that a lot harder since it Wass near impossible to judge angles and direction. The pop of orange on the back is one of the primary brand colors for SWAE. Anyhow, I wanted to lock up the robot to the vehicle so we wrapped the custom eco skeleton we made for it with the same dazzle graphic. Ultimately, the plan is to build out a capsule collection of mostly tees that bring it all together. Thanks for the kind words man. Been a lot of work and a crazy amount of stress, but stepping back and sharing it and also seeing people's reactions is a reminder of how far it's all come. Sometimes it I'm too close to it all and lose sight since I'm in the trenches daily.

I've been building with the mods for the last couple weeks. First providing a heads up on that server migration and upgrade and after, on some stuff I'm working on to evolve the 12ozProphet brand, forum and community. I figured I'd take this discussion public, with the hopes that I might be able to get some feedback, insight and assistance from all you guys... TLDR Version: There is the biggest forum update in our history coming up next month, that will be the first major step to the rebirth / relaunch of 12ozProphet that will be taking place over the course of this year. I have a lot in motion already and a lot more mapped out that I'm working on, but could use some help in making it happen. We're also going to relaunch the brand, build a new main website and start promoting the shit out of all of it. If I can pull it together, I'd also love to kick off a podcast. ---------------------- Full Explanation Long Version: 1. More Forum Upgrades: The forum will be undergoing a massive update, expected at some point in March. This will be the biggest update to the forum software since the very beginning. The software itself has finally evolved to a point where it's no longer chasing social media and trying to compete feature by feature. Seems the world has finally realized we all got fucked... It's almost generally accepted by most that social media has run its course and everyone is wondering what's next. Even people I knew that were champions for social media and quick to claim forums were dead see the algorithms and big data for what it is and are pissed with what we've been left with. I've been beating that drum for a minute, so not at all surprised to see it come full circle. Seems the big brains behind the base software that makes up this forum have finally stepped back and embraced forums for what makes them distinct from social media and have focused on the differences that make forums a unique flavor of online community. The new forum update shows an obvious understanding and focus on building and refining the features that underpin this type of community instead of scrambling to try and copy shit off Instagram or Twitter. The new forum won't feel entirely foreign, but will feel like we somehow skipped many versions forward into the future with how slick it all feels and functions. Obviously this forum is best experienced on a desktop, but does work okay on mobile. The new version will be many times better on desktop and an entire new level as far as mobile. Though this version is adequate on mobile, the new version is designed from scratch to feel like a mobile app with a user interface that is extremely well considered and features, function and user experience that is much more app-like. I will announce a heads up before that update happens, but it's expected sometime probably in the latter half of March. 2. Dedicated 12ozProphet Forum Mobile App: With the advancements in tech with mobile devices as well as the new forum software, we're finally at a point where it looks like we can actually pull off a dedicated mobile app. I've been running a sort of beta version on my iPhone for about a month and it works about as well as the mobile version of the forum currently. With the massive overhaul of the new forum software we'll be upgrading to next month, that version genuinely feels about as slick as you'd expect for a legit mobile app. @psm026 has told me for years that the biggest reason for the forum dropping off was the dawn of mobile apps. How apps are self contained ecosystem that keeps you boxed into their world and with a compelling reminder to jump in every time you see the icon on your phones home screen. If nothing else, people have been begging me for a 12ozProphet app for at least a decade or longer and it's finally about to happen. Again, we'll announce it as we lead up. In fact, I might run some unofficial beta tests with some of you guys. But this is expected deeper into the year after we've upgraded the forum to the new system. 3. Relaunch of the 12ozProphet Brand: Most of you guys following along know I launched a screen printing business a few years ago just before the world went sideways with COVID. I documented some of the early days of that in a thread here on the forum. Since then, it's been greatly evolved and now encompasses a pretty big space with a ton of capability and capacity. It's retarded that it took me so long to get back to the 12ozProphet brand, but truth is that it wasn't easy building out that facility and between that and all else I have on my plate, I just fell short. That will be changing very soon and the goal is to not only bring 12ozProphet back with a vengeance, but to treat the facility as a creative studio and spin off all kinds of related and unrelated brands and projects. This facility is perhaps the biggest strategic advantage we have along with the fact that of all the 1990s era brands, very few can point to the love and respect 12ozProphet had plus the fact that we simply never sold out. The integrity and heritage that 12ozProphet represents is something that very few others can claim and between that, our history, experience and talent on top of the strategic advantage of owning a facility like 12ozCollective puts things in a pretty amazing place. Took me many, many years but finally about have my ducks in a row. 4. Relaunch of the main website: Maybe it can be argued that the forum is the main website, but I've been working on and off to create a main website that covers the basics of communicating who we are, what we've done and what we're doing. I'm not in a position to do all the cool editorial I'd like to do or have the resource to bring back the blog roll (though I have been tumbling that idea in my head). I am in a position to at least create a good landing page, a few key sections to help describe our story and perhaps showcase some of the milestones and projects. It's largely done and will also allow us to create various landing pages and conversion funnels to help everything from recover old forum accounts to helping convince new people on why they should drop off Instagram and share their ideas, experiences and photos on 12ozPorphet instead. 5. Podcast, marketing and promotion (etc): I've been asked to develop a podcast since just about the time podcasts started. Honestly it's been something that has drifted in and out of my focus and something I feel like an utter dumbass for not having done earlier (along with a decent Youtube channel). Being honest, I'm still struggling on deciding what form a 12ozProphet podcast could take, but I am working on developing the idea. Most likely it'll probably launch as a 12ozCollective podcast first, focusing on creative, production, fashion and culture; but I'm also looking at how the framework I develop (if I proceed with it) can be applied to a 12ozProphet podcast. I have a tendency to over think shit and often take it way too seriously from jump street, which in turn has a tendency to bog things down and become over built and top heavy. I'm trying my best to reign that tendency in and treat it as something just fun and informal. As much a personal diary of sorts or way to think through and workshop up ideas and discussions with interesting people. Then record it, package it and share it. Anyhow, that's the idea and I hope I can pull it off. Unlike the stuff mentioned in 1 - 4, the podcast concept is a "hope to pull off" and not a "dedicated to making it happen". Beyond that is the plans to truly start leveraging social media and outreach to start making real noise. I know a ton of people and the people I know, know a ton more. Additionally we have a large, engaged community on here that collectively, probably know just about everyone worth knowing. My hope is that we can work together to mobilize and coordinate on these efforts. To spread the word and help make the case on why it's worth returning and joining our community versus getting taken for granted and taken advantaged of on social media. ---------------------- I know some are likely skeptical we can pull it off. Lord knows I've been trying for pretty much my entire adult life. We've come close a few times, struggled and fell short other times, but the important thing is we have never given up on what this can be. I have never given up on 12ozProphet and I'm hoping I ca count on all you guys to help me keep pushing. Between the grumbling I keep hearing from more and more people about social media and all the strategic advantages I've engineered over the past years, I think the time has finally come. I'd love to hear feedback from you guys, as well as ideas on how we might be able to take whacks at some of this stuff.

Vinyl and stickers...

Pattern making, cut / sew prototyping...

Embroidery...