Development, or Dev, for short, is the department at Zappos.com that truly makes some magic happen on a basis that is quite daily, we gotta say. They build the Front and Back End of the website...and that is the simple explanation. If you want the 'more simplistic than necessary' explanation that I came up with, here you go:

"They type things into a black box on a computer screen, and then Zappos can sell you clothing through the computer screen."

I know, I know, that doesn't help. No one ever accused me of being smart in the ways of a Dev-er.

But I digress...This past week, the Dev Department were allowed 2 days to create and build whatever their hearts desired and all of the current projects that they are busy with were put on hold. Just to see what kind of Technological awesomeness that they could come up with to make our customer's shopping experiences better.

The Blogs Team crossed over into Dev to see what we could film without being reprimanded by Dev's Forces.

What you are about to see is Top Secret.

Russel and Brent decided they would humor us by Dressing like each other last week, and they definitely succeeded in doing just that! Brent is known for sporting tailored dress shirts, designer jeans and Boots. Russel is known for his vast collection of Sweatshirts, sneakers and his signature Large Calf muscles.

Brett Stuffed the back lower leg of his jeans to give himself that Original Russel form, While Russel made sure his Shirt was freshly pressed and fitted. They were both extremely flattered by everyone's response to their impersonations of themselves, and we were wowed by how well they played their roles!!!

Our very own Techie extraordinaire, Pawel S., discovered a strange reaction between his beloved plasma ball that sits on his desk and keeps him company throughout the day (for those who can, see his SM picture) and his Apple computer - more specifically the Mighty Mouse. You see, Pawel discovered how to transfer the energy that the plasma ball emits in order to control the mighty mouse functions.

See for yourself! And, unlike most things that we do in this office and post on the blogs, this trick is safe to try at home.

See, I Told You Those Cats in Dev Were Magic!

Ok, so the Development team got a bad rep after the whole nerf gun scenario, and rightfully so, they did get a little carried away. Ok, more than a little carried away, they turned their area into a battleground and who so ever dared to enter was in for a few high speed nerf bullets to the body.

Well, it seems like the trigger happy Dev team has finally retired their nerf weapons - most likely in a location that is easily accessable - but none the less, innocent bystanders are free to walk in the Dev zone without needing a shield of some sort.

Behold, a video clip proving that Dev isn't all bad. You see, they're friendly and waving. For now. Muhahahahahaha.