News : February 2001
A short reminder to say that the amazing Richard May's 38days starts on Monday for a week.
The man, they myth, the legend behind projects like The Fray, Derek Powazek talks about "community features" and MetaFilter in an interview on Design Interact... want to know more? Buy the book.
François Naudé wrote a great article titled "A Eulogy for Design." A must read. Props to Zeldman for the link.
Posts are few and far between because I have been busy preparing for SXSW down in Austin as well as finishing off the XHTML redevelopment of this very site. Not to mention that I have been dealing with InterNic to get my domain moved over to a new host provider. Oh, and did I mention that I am starting yet another new project (more on that later) and hunting for a new web design job? I forget what sleep is sometimes... anyway, if your team is looking for a talented web designer, take a moment to read my resume and check out my portfolio.
John R. Rymer explains Why 90 percent of XML standards will fail today on ZDNet. Very skeptical, but none-the-less worth a read.
Every once in a while when sifting through the rocks you find a priceless gem. Thanks to Carole of NetDiver, I found Beth Cherry's The Study of Design which includes great articles (the logo one is a personal favorite), a gallery, even a dictionary of not-so-common design terms. This is a site worthy of bookmarking.
Carole Guevin of NetDiver has redesigned her business site, Soulmedia Studio. Check out her use of color and unique layout... brilliant!
The zine that keeps getting better with every issue. Ladies and Gents, Ranger Magazine issue 2 is up. As always, props to the kick ass team at Dreaming America and all of the Ranger Mag crew for their art, words and passions.
Vote for your favorite site in the SXSW People's Choice Awards. Some sites to note that are on the list are NetDiver and RangerMag.
Banja episode 5 is now online. This is one of my all-time favorite interactive game sites with killer design to boot. If you haven't tried it yet, sign up, it's well worth it.
A new zine called DeskForce has launched which includes a wallpaper exhibition from the greatest digital artists as well as downloadable fonts, skins and screen savers.
It's been a busy few days, but it has also been a very rewarding few days. I have been working on bring the code for Digital Web Magazine up to par with current standards. The good news is that the new code is 100% valid HTML that has been migrated to 100% valid XHTML and 100% valid CSS. The even better news is that the design looks exactly the same; I didn't have to compromise anything to get into compliance with the latest standards.
Good reading:
Perhaps one of the most slick and wicked Flash sites I have seen yet. Check out SpyBar. Mad props to Oliver for finding this one.
Whatever you do, do not go here. Pixel Flo is more addicting than most illegal drugs and more appealing than most any eye-candy. Props to Peter Fielding, the drug lord.
Web developers. I am looking to implement the BUI established by WaSP. If you are interested in helping out and you are familiar with CSS-P, please let me know.... I could use any additional help I can get.
Check out the rollover interaction at rentworks. You almost don't need a mouse on this site!
The W3C bites back at browser manufacturers in the note "Common User Agent Problems" and all I can say is "hot damn, it's about time!"
Today I saw 200 employees pack up and move out. At least there is some since of job security in that they will be "re-distributed" throughout the company. Makes you think... even the big guys are getting a jab in the gut.
The fish has been redesigned. Tai, a member of the news crew at K10k, screams MarchFirst copy... simular? Yes... copy? No.
Show your support by voting for your favorite Flash site/artist in the 2001 Flash Film Festival. My favorite picks are JUXT Interactive, Born Magazine/ His Father, Quam and Volumeone.
New MOJICO, version 3 aptly named "Outro Lugar" is out for your viewing pleasure. Props to Dana.
Steve Lawler shares with us his new site. It's Flash but he does it with style. Love the Fusion demo.
Some good reading on IA at v-2.org titled "IA, finite yet unbounded" Check it out. V-2.org is such a good place for this kind of content, keep it bookmarked.
Issue 051 of Shift has been published and includes an interview with eBoy, coverage of FlashForward 2001 and news about Mamoru Oshii's latest film, "Avalon." Check it out.
I hope you can attend SXSW this year, it's going to be a blast. If you are going to be at SXSW, please let me know so we can all hook up and kick it. There should be a handful of friends there including Carole from NetDiver, Matt from DesignFlea and Jeffrey Zeldman, of course.
Did Word die? If you know what's going on, please email me.
This week's issue of A List Apart is up for your reading pleasure. Jim Bryne covers web accessibility and why it's a pain to do it right in his article "This HTML Kills." In a semi-related fashion, this will be the last issue of ALA with the current design in place... I am willing to bet the next design will shock you... but not in the way you are thinking. More on this later from the Z man himself.
Mad props to my bud JAZ for hitting the top 40 chart. You have to check out his smooth and sweet jams.
Mad props to "the head lemur" for finding this golden article: "Social Translucence: An Approach to Designing Systems that Support Social Processes"
Adobe releases Font Folio 9.0 with about 500 new fonts plus new OpenType formats. Also featured this week from Adobe is Valerie Casey, the Digital Media Creative Director of Frog Design, who explains as to why usability is dead.
Exactly one year and seven days ago I set up this very page with the help of a good friend of mine and a powerful tool known as Blogger. But Blogger wasn't just any old web site tool... it was more than just a product... it was a lifestyle... driven by not only a very innovative and talented company but also a passionate community. One would think that brilliant ideas such as this would be able to stand on there own two feet forever. One would think that the good companies would always survive no matter how severe the pain. The power behind Blogger is a crew of some of the most talented and passionate people I have ever met, so much that words I can write here can not begin to describe all the passion they put into Blogger. So I will let them describe it in their own words. Meg, Jack, Ev, PB and most of all Matt... thank you for making Blogger a reality and home for us all... your work has not gone unnoticed.
Maybe this is what Linux users refer to as "open source
Design is Kinky has a new "insight" by yours truly where I break down the process of creating an image layer by layer. Check it out if you've ever wanted to know how I work photoshop.
A very attractive portfolio site (especially the photo gallery section) from Alisha Lehman-Wansing, another American girl who got hooked by a German speaking engineer. heheh.
Hot off the press, a killer new issue of *spark-online. Props to Kris and crew!
This week's A List Apart is a very special issue. It includes a very personal look inside of Makiko Itoh's company PRODOK Engineering from a business standpoint. This is a must read. There is also a second article in this issue by Scott Kramer which also covers business on the web... the focus is getting a loan, part two of the series "This Web Business."
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the weekend.... while your kicking back, be sure to check out nosepilot.
Here is an interesting creativity contest that was brought to my attention recently... It's called Art for a New Time... I can only describe it as a contest to design artwork for the streetcars of Duesseldorf, Germany. Forget graffiti, this is much more respectable... just imagine, your artwork could be cruising down the streets of Duesseldorf for everyone to see. The competition is from November 2000 until the end of April 2001, so bust a leg! Oh, and did I mention that the winners get $7,500 USD as well as full recognition for their work?!
An all new VolumeOne is online... kick ass as ever.
The Dog has been redesigned. Take a look... not to shabby, but I miss some of Lance's older designs.
