I haven’t always loved the process of buying artwork from stock sites, but I’ve always had a deep respect for the value of good imagery. Using a stock image or illustration can add to the feel of a site, and can be the difference between staying on budget or not. Stock-art is a necessary tool in any production medium. Continue reading
Last weekend Kristi and I went to a wedding. I leaned over and said to her “You know, if we get married again let’s memorize our vows! How cool would that be?!“. She didn’t look like she thought it was cool. I suspected that she was getting hung up on the inference that it would mean something untoward had happened to our current marriage. I set the record clear:
“I mean I think we should get double-married.” Continue reading
When properly motivated people can accomplish anything – this is the basic foundation of my latest invention unsurance. Continue reading
Another mixtape to help pass the Friday. This collection of summer ditties is only meant to be listened to; at first blush some of the videos seemed terrible.
I’ve spent the better part of my nerd life waiting for the next big thing. In hardware it would be better video cards, better monitors, more RAM, smarter computers. In software cravings would include new features, easier processes and better integration of favourite apps, and for the Internet I’ve had a lot of wishes that have mostly revolved around Internet Explorer’s CSS support.
I can honestly say now that I am content with everything the way it is.
Seriously, you inventors and revolutionizers can stop now.
I haven’t fully absorbed the “new” HTML5 and CSS3 information that’s come out in the last couple years, and already people are starting to speculate about HTML6′s spec. FireFox 4 launched in the last few weeks with the promise of several new versions by the end of the year. I still feel like Google’s Chrome browser is brand new, yet somehow version 11 is launching immanently!
I’m starting to feel like a curmudgeony old man right now. Now sooner had HD Televisions begun to gain popularity than Japan announced it had the worlds first Super-HD camera and screens. New insane mobile phones are being announced faster than the average adult can read. And, by the time you finish reading this sentence twelve new browsers will likely launch and as a web designer I’ll have to support and test on all of them.
The future is here to stay, and I find it hard to keep up. As nerds we need to expand how much we care, or narrow our focus to some obscure niche.
The good news is creativity is no longer hindered by technology. The bad news is there is no sign of innovation slowing down any time soon!
Soon after my Farewell IE6 post was published on Six Revisions, it popped up on a “seventh revision” – I was plagiarized. This wasn’t the first time one of my Six Revision posts was recycled like this, but what was unique was the author not only giving me authorship credit, but accidentally giving my WordPress account full admin rights and emailing me the notice of this account.
I took the high road. I could have destroyed his entire site, but instead I wrote him a fresh, unique post about the value of fresh content. Click the screenshot below to read it.
A screencap of my fresh post
Within a couple hours this post and the one borrowed from Six Revisions were taken down graciously. I’m not sharing this to shame the people who nabbed my article. They made a mistake, and they fixed it. I’m sharing this because I think my article is pretty decent, and it’s a funny story!
In a bizarre twist, Microsoft’s IE6 Countdown project got me a little nostalgic in this post as I recount the legacy of this once cutting edge browser. Honestly!
Since seeing an amazing interview with Charles Schultz as a child I have been a doodler. I have long thought that it made me a better listener, but have given it up as a professional until recently.
A growing frustration with my waning illustration skill and a desire to focus more in meetings made me pick up my fineliner again. On two occasions I’ve actually informed my PMs and others in the meeting that I was going to be doodling and I’d still be listening. No one disputed this – but is it true?
This amazing 5 minute presentation totally validates what I was saying and more. I had no idea it would be so good for the brain.
On top of all this A List Apart has posted two thought provoking posts on the subject today.
The Miseducation of the Doodle
Sketching: the Visual Thinking Power Tool
A lot of people I see on the interwebs often make the familiar promise every January to tweet, update, and blog more.
This year I’m going to zag. I’ve decided to write less. I’ll be spending more time with the family! That’s not to say I’ll never write; but it won’t be the priority it once was.
Happy new year.
I’m thinking about writing a book all about raising your first child. It’s going to be for all those fathers who don’t know what to expect; just some simple universal truths about children.
Here’s an excerpt I’d like to share from the chapter about making your baby smile and laugh:
If there’s one thing babies love it’s loud noises coupled with sudden movements. Try the following as a fun way to get baby giggling.
Step one: Lay baby on a bed or the floor. Stand very still for a prolonged period of time until baby stops looking at you and seems totally uninterested in what you’re doing.
Step two: In one swift movement pounce upon them coming within inches of their faces and roar. I find it’s really effective to make your hands smash down a few inches from their ears for increased dramatic noise. Don’t do this playfully, make a scary sound that would make older people and animals uncomfortable.
Step three: Enjoy the gales of laughter and happy flails your baby makes, and repeat!
Friends and family aren’t as confident that this is universal; but I plan on proving them wrong. It can’t just be my kid being strange.