MeXscape

It's been over a year since my last major redesign of this site, so you had to know it was coming. I am a tinkerer by nature and can sometimes find it hard to leave well enough alone. But in this case, I don't think it was well enough. Although MeXscape was really progressive when it launched in 2005, the features on this site had fallen woefully behind the web standards of today. So rather than continue to hack on the existing site to add stuff, I switched to a whole new code base and took the opportunity for yet another major redesign. It satisfies my need for change and is cheaper than redecorating the house.

I was completely surprised and delighted to find an email in my inbox requesting an interview. The requester came across this very site and thought it was well done and entertaining. Of course, he had me at hello, the compliments were really unnecessary, but nice nonetheless. In case you are wondering, I said yes.

In Mexico, all public schooling is free, up to and including the university level. The schools are open to any student who has the motivation to attend. I was very surprised when I learned this fact, because most students here don't make it past the 6th grade. Huh? That's when I learned that while tuition is free, transportation, uniforms, and school supplies are not, and that is an incredible expense for the average Mexican family.

I have been tinkering with the web site again. Those of you who are regular readers have probably noticed already. I am actually always making small changes to the code, trying to make things work a little better or a little faster. The average user would never notice most of the stuff I do, but this last round of changes made a visual impact, so I thought I would explain.

After receiving requests from many people, we are pleased to announce we have added a new community forum to MeXscape, and it goes live today. It is free to register for an account so you can post, and we hope with your help to make this a great resource for everyone interested in Mazatlan.