News : May 2001
Our friends at Born Magazine are hosting Trance Saturday No.3. If you are in the Portland area and enjoy Trance music you better RSVP! See you there.
The W3C has now published XHTML 1.1 as a recommendation... time to update the markup.
Zeldman.com hits six years old. Today marks the site's official birthday... His book is in the mail... and I somehow can't help but wonder... what will he do next?
I stumbled across the portfolio site of Jason Ierace. Packed with photos of skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding... this is my kind of place! Very nice design to boot.
As Michael Schmidt moves from London to San Francisco on the west coast, Patrick Kalyanapu moves from San Francisco to D.C. on the east coast. Wish them both the best of luck on their new adventures.
Josh Kneedler tells me that his partner in design kung-fu at Dreaming America, Scott Benish, is out there being all famous again. Check out his skull-cracking interview in Design Interact's Insights. And while Josh enjoys his day of meditation to Zeldman's new book Taking Your Talent to the Web... I have come to find out that after 12 or so days of delay, Amazon has now shipped the book to me... which could take another 2 to 7 business days... gotta love Amazon.
For the love of Cadmium Red, Joe Gillespie answers the question Is the Web Safe Palette really dead? I know this has been answered before on mailing lists, tutorials and through email conversations, but Joe's explanation of the web safe colors and why you should and should not use them is more accurate that most anything I have read so far... a down-to-earth layman's explanation of why your Cadmium Red is not so Cadmium any more.
Fresh from The Chopping Block, Turner Classic Movies. And to quote Darleen Scherer, "You aint seen nothin' yet."
Misel Kovacic reports that he is working at the behest of Fabrica of Italy on a project he calls "SRC.OF.INSPIRATION" that is definitely worthy of investigation.
We've had some great inquiries from people interested in helping us out... but there are a few things that people need to keep in mind when they send their inquiry. Thanks!
Issue 16 of Xygoxen is now online... check is out!
For those who would be interested in contributing to Digital Web other than in the form of cover art or articles here is your chance. We are looking for a Volunteer Assistant Producer. This would be someone skilled at XHTML and CSS. If you are interested, please click the link to find out more details.
A group of anarchists went on a virtual rampage today and ripped off Chris Murphy's (this month's cover artists) design for his Xygoxen site. Stuff like this just pisses me off.
CodeBitch talks about... well... why she bitches. Take a look, we are all link whores. I am sure that most of you reading this What's New page are fully aware of the WaSP and ALA... I am sure, by now, know who Zeldman is. I am sure that k10k's readers know what THREE.OH is... and I am sure DiK users know what INfront is. Brake out of the circle... get people involved and aware who would otherwise not know.
Melanie Goux has posted "Me, the Undersigned", a manifesto that was originally published in Eye Magazine 10:38 (Winter 2000). This is a really good read.
Got Bandwidth? Kelly Abbot emailed me recently asking to pass the word along, she is giving out free hosting to sites that are in need.
We are still feeling the effects of layoffs in the industry. The latest victom is Design is Kinky's Andrew Johnstone. Someone find this man a job!
A new issue of A List Apart is up for your reading pleasure. This week we cover game design in Flash 5. Downloadable sample file and all.
If you happen to be in Portland today, swing by the CHIFOO event to meet Ben and I. Tonight's presentation is by Geoffrey Hiller and he will be talking about expanding the dialogue beyond the nuts and bolts of developing Web content, to show how the language of photography can inspire Web designers. This ties into the photo work I previously mentioned.
A while back I mention that skateboarding magazines had inspired my design motivation... well, I finally broke down, picked up my Canon EOS-10s with 300mm lens, packed up a bunch of film and batteries and headed to the local skate park to snap shots of skaters, rollerbladers and bikers on the ramps, rails and pipes. I think I am going to create a new site just for this type of content. Keep watching for it. Oh, and if you are interested in helping me with the project, please contact me.
Zeldman.com turns six years old. It seems like everyone is having a birthday party (Digital-web.com hitting 5 years this month, Glassdog.com hitting five last month or so, etc) but no one deserves to have a party more than Zeldman. Just take a look at some of the things he has done: helped form a grassroots organization to improve standard compliance in browsers and the support of those standards in the community. Wrote a book for print and other professionals to make the transition to the web. Publishes a weekly magazine for web designers and developers written by web designers and developers. Helped establish Independents Day to celebrate and support independent content on the web. We could go on and on about all the other things he has done and is currently still doing, but I think it would be better if each one of our readers gave him a small pat on the back. Send him a email and tell him that he has done a good job.
I believe the designers are getting restless... running out of things to design a site for, is the end near? You be the judge... here is a site that was submitted to me about ...well... airline umm... barf bags... yes... you heard me right. It's called Design for Chunks... I am sure United Airlines or TWA will be looking close at this site for new ideas in the design of their barf bags.
Westciv announces the release of the third edition of their acclaimed online CSS Guide, Everything you Ever Wanted to Know About Style.
Today I became an uncle!
On my list of up-and-coming movies to see is a documentary film called Startup.Com. It releases here in Portland on May 25th.
Fray Day 5 is coming to your home town... click to find out more!
The truth is revealed. Be afraid... be very afraid.
Matt Haughey seems to be a myth... I still think he is flesh and blood... I mean, I met the man... he helped me with Cool Site in a Day last year at Web2000. What is going on here, someone fess up!
Molly Holzschlag interviews Jeffrey Zeldman on WebReview.com about his new book "Taking Your Talent to the Web."
Peter Fielding and Cal Henderson have just published a brand new PixelFlo, check it out! One of my favorite sites, no Flash... zero... none... notta... all DOM, all the dom time... and you thought it couldn't be done without Flash. This site is all about wasting time, I mean even their own tagline hits it on the nose: "Because your boss thinks you're slacking off anyway." So come with me and waste away tens of hundreds of hours feeding your attention deficit disorder.
Please take a moment to send Shirley Kaiser a get-well card... her father has been going through some critical times and he could go at any moment... there is signs of improvement, but I am sure Shirley would love to see that everyone cares and wishes her father a quick and full recovery.
Mad props to Tim Donahue for the new Cool Homepages redesign and thanks for the linkage!
Someone in the Czech Republic has managed to collect a bunch of posters, and is now putting them on sale. The majority of them are Soviet propaganda posters, so this is not a site for the irony-impaired. However, as anyone knowledgeable about the history of graphic design might suspect, this collection can be considered "design porn" of the highest quality. [from Textism; the propaganda poster site itself is poorly designed and on a slow connection]
WebReview has posted a good article called Planning Your Web Site With UML. It's amazing how much I can relate to the idea of planning ahead for the development of web applications instead of using the old ad hoc methods. [link from Tari Akpodiete on WebDesign-L]
One of the, if not the only, web style guide in existence is going to be releasing a 2nd edition and updated web site. If you do not yet own this guide, maybe a 2nd edition will get you to buy it... I think it is a worthwhile investment. Here is the existing site: Yale Style Manual.
A new issue of A List Apart is out, and this one carries a special meaning to me. It's all about deadlines of the independent content producer. We can relate.
Digital Web is looking for an assistant producer. In other news, Zeldman has suggested something worth of thought in this week's A List Apart.
Now THIS is something worth celebrating for! This something much more than just a web site... no, it's not another reboot or grayday... it's Independents Day: Celebrating the Independent Web. If you are an independent web content producer, you MUST sign up! :)
Peter-Paul Koch, the author of the current feature has a very handy JavaScript - DOM Compatibility chart. If you are working with DOM this should be bookmarked. If you are working with CSS, you should bookmark WebReview's CSS Compatibility chart. Additional resources for DOM can be found here and resources for CSS can be found here.
We are just days away from seeing Zeldman's book on the shelf... I highly suggest you pre-order to beat the rush. Here is a link to the book's page on Amazon.com (note: the purchase of the book through this URL issues the author a small contribution).
We are very proud and happy to be linked by Current Cites (Berkeley Digital Library SunSITE) this month for Carole's contributed article about Visual Architecture: The Rule of Three.
I just read a recent ZDnet Article about the lack of good form/design in a PC based system. I am guessing they think the IBM setup is something new to the market. I saw it 3 years ago. And what about the other Sony VAIOs? SGIs? I think they are more concerned with budget than anything else... good deisgn is not cheap.
Mr. Powazek celebrates his birthday. Send him lots of cards... it will be a community ambush!
The five-year anniversary issue of Digital Web Magazine is now online for your reading and viewing pleasure. Don't forget to enter into the logo competition! Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this site over the last five years.
It was bound to happen... someone is selling everything they own on eBay... and I do mean everything! Chec it out: All My Life For Sale... I can't wait until we get past this whole anything for e-commerce trend... we will look back and ask ourselfs ''what the hell were we thinking?!''
We are just hours away from launching a new issue. Be sure to subscribe yourself to our newsletter so you can be notified when the issue is up.
Drew tells us that HoloMinds.de has announced a splash page contest open to artists from all over the world! The 20 best submissions will appear on holominds.de!
If you groove to the significance of the number 42, you have cause for mourning.
For those that haven't heard, coolingTrend is a new site competition hosted by yours truly. Prizes and prestige, awards presented by BuyChoice and judges including Peter Fielding, myself, Carole Guevin, and others. Just make sure you're in a CSS-2 (mostly-)compatible browser. Wow. Lots of links.
May I have the envelope please.... and the winners of the 5k contest are... (Click to find out!).
I found the message below in today's email... it reminds me of an old ALA article.
Many people think that creativity is a born talent and perhaps it is, but everyone is creative to some degree. There is no question, however, that creative ability can be increased in almost anyone through training and mind-stretching exercises.
Basically, creativity involves the ability to visualize a situation in a different perspective; to change some or all of the elements in your mind. Creative people are continually asking questions beginning with "what if?". or "why". Creative people are habitual thinkers.
There are some techniques that anyone can use to stimulate their creative abilities. Here are some of them:
Turn the problem or situation upside down. Look at it from a fresh, even absurd perspective. Reverse it.
Challenge your own assumptions. Ask "Does it have to be this way?", "Who said so?" "Why should I believe them?"
Tear it apart. What do the pieces have in common? Suppose you change the timing, shape, price, etc.
Change the order. Once familiar with the parts of a problem, shake them up, sort them, juggle them, break them down and realign them.
Combine ideas. Ask, "What would happen if I put this with that?" Two bad ideas might make a good one!
Creativity, like selling, is a numbers game and it requires perseverance. Think about it....
"I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident. They came by hard work."
- Thomas Edison
AAhh, I see someone finally made a T-Shirt for my official job title at Digital Web Magazine. Speaking of T-Shirts, have you bought your Digital Web T-Shirt yet? No, don't wear T-shirts or want any logo ware? Ok, cool... how about a donation to the cause?
Digital Web Magazine has been reviewed in issue 054 of Shift. You can check out their cool site reviews here.
Survey says...... B) Vertical Scrolling! Check out the results from Netdiver's scrolling survey in the 'What's New?' section.
Today I can safely say, with out any doubts in my mind, that the Web will never cease to amaze me. Just within the last week I have built friendships with those halfway around the world, met individuals for the first time who have had a role in influencing my life on an indirect level since I was a kid and I shared visions and viewpoints with some of the most influential people on the Web today. So my only question is, what happens tomorrow or the day after? Find out on May 14th as Digital Web celebrates it's five-year birthday and you will be given a chance to influence the lives of others for years to come.
Australian INfront's Flash Response is now live! Check it out.
As you may have guessed, I am back online after 4 days of DSL troubles... if you sent me an email in the last 4 days, it is now lost in some corner of the internet, never to return again. So, if you have sent me an important email in the last 4 days, please re-send it.
A ton of new a cool sites have been posted in the Classifieds section. Have you posted your site yet? Let's see it! But please, before you do RTFM (in this last batch we only accepted about 10% because people didn't read the FAQ).
People sometimes ask me what sources did I have for inspiration before I got into digital design. Believe it or not, magazines were my sources for inspiration in design on a subconscious level. For example;
If you are shopping for some cool contemporary furnisher ... Carole has provided this killer site: Innovations.
For all of you who are complaining about some web designers being elitists, I suggest you read this week's A List Apart.
Another donation has been sent in from one of our readers. Again, we thank you. For everyone else who is interested, click on that link and read about what the money is for and whom it will go to. This is just my way of giving back to all those who have contributed to the success of Digital Web Magazine. There is nothing like walking among the best and the brightest.
Absolutely must read: The Very Last Life Serial
While I struggle with DSL outages for the last 72 hours, Kris Krug tells us that a new issue of *Spark-Online is up. When our network connectivity goes back online, we will check it out. (Kris, sorry about the late post).
As Razorfish sinks into the dull-drums (no big surprise there) and company exec's jump ship like they were on the Titanic, we take notice that most of the real creative individuals have already left the company. And for those who are concerned, broadband guru Daniel Jenett has already moved on.
It would appear that Apple and its PR agency have decided to give Joe Clark a very hard time on account of the fact he won't take "no" for an answer in response to (something that looks an awful lot like) an honest inquiry . I suspect that by any standard Joe comes in a distant second to Apple in the battle for hearts and minds, but a C&D letter seems like overkill to me. [Props to Textism]
If you haven't yet discovered information design expert Edward Tufte, you're in for a major treat. His book Envisioning Information comes highly recommended, in addition to others he's written. He also gives workshops all over as well, with many this year. (Thanks to xBlog's 04/27/01 mention of Tufte's site.)
Rebuilt, redesigned, reinspired, revised, reworked, rebooted recognized: THREE.OH, VolumeOne, HalfProject, PrayStation... many more to come.
Everyone is having a Birthday now.
Lance Arthur just celebrated his site's five year birthday, and as Jeffrey Zeldman prepares for his site's six year birthday, Digital Web Magazine prepares for it's five year birthday. We will be releasing the new issue on or the day after Mother's Day to mark this occasion. So if you don't see a new issue on the second Tuesday of the month, that is why.
Five years, five painful and long years... but fun never the less. I suppose I will have to write a nice editorial about this event and about the last five years of this site. Not to mention it will also be Steve Bruno's Birthday, my best friend of 22+ years and Associate Editor for this very magazine. Oh, and did I mention that it will be Mother's Day.
To boot, we will also be including a nice Easter Egg on the site for those who are paying attention. A special thanks to my friends at Xygoxen for contributing this. So, this next issue is going to be big. If you have not subscribed to the mailing list using this very web site within the last two months, then you will NOT get an update about the new issue when it comes out... so please do so, we would not want you to miss out on this.
