Don't make me cry on my own ship.

beautyisembarrassing.com via delicious/glass

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:20:00 -0600

beautyisembarrassing.com

via delicious/glass

Video

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:50:21 -0600

"Having preferences means having weaknesses."

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:59:45 -0600

“Having preferences means having weaknesses.”

- Magnus Carlsen

"Meaningful uncertainty is often a crucial component of real choice."

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:42:27 -0600

“Meaningful uncertainty is often a crucial component of real choice.”

- Alison Piepmeier

(desktop image by Chris Glass)

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:11:33 -0600

(desktop image by Chris Glass)

Ice Cube Celebrates The Eames via > via

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:39:00 -0600

Ice Cube Celebrates The Eames

via > via

Mucha

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:01:23 -0600

Mucha

"Maybe you’re stuck because you’re not listening for the times when the really good ideas..."

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:28:01 -0600

“Maybe you’re stuck because you’re not listening for the times when the really good ideas come. Because when you’re extremely torqued up, and when you’re extremely anxious, and when you’re feeling really crappy about what you’re capable of, is the worst time in the world to do anything creative.”

- Merlin Mann (1:37:19)

1996 Thank you for reminding me of this, Jimmy.

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 01:01:00 -0500

1996

Thank you for reminding me of this, Jimmy.

Two of my heros. theairtightgarage: A talk with Hayao Miyazaki...

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:47:18 -0500

Two of my heros.

theairtightgarage:

A talk with Hayao Miyazaki and Moebius, focusing on Miyazaki, filmed during their duel exhibit Miyazaki et Moebius: Deux Artistes Dont Les Dessins Prennent Vie in 2005.

"… our effectiveness as designers is built on empathy, and the desire to show up and change..."

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:41:00 -0500

“… our effectiveness as designers is built on empathy, and the desire to show up and change things for the better, not just doing stuff and hoping not to screw it up.”

- Frank Chimero

Responsive Web Design

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:19:00 -0500

Photo by Jeremy Keith

This was a great overview of the world of Responsive Web Design. Of course, the phrase and this specific set of techniques was invented/curated by the author, so I (correctly) assumed it would be the very helpful guide that it is.

While you could get most of the technical know-how you need to use this technique by reading the A List Apart Article, this book goes into depth on the more subtle aspects. It also thoroughly answers the question “why should I use this?”, and even points out situations where RWD might not be ideal.

Each of the three ingredients of RWD are given their own chapter (the other two chapters of the book are the introduction and the summary—short and sweet).

Flexible, Grid-Based Layout
- This is your basic fluid/liquid layout with some grid goodness.
- How to define things in relative measurements rather than pixels.
- The formula: target ÷ context = result
  - target = the pixel dimensions you’re aiming for in your ideal layout
  - context = the area in which the target item is sitting
  - result = a huge, decimal-happy number such as 0.4583333333333333 that you put in your CSS (hopefully with a comment next to it showing how the number was derived.)
Flexible Images
- This stuff just seems magical. I especially love the technique of clipping images in certain circumstances.
Media Queries
- Before reading this book, this is the #1 thing that came to mind when the topic of Responsive Web Design came up. Of course, it is the magic sauce that gives the technique its main wow-factor, but it is only one third (although I would argue the most important third) of the technique.

While I understand the need to support older browsers, the depth to which this book goes in explaining how to get things to work in IE6 seemed quaint. I also was a little disappointed that he didn’t go whole hog and use HTML5. However, I understand that we can’t always use the new shiny things, so I don’t fault him too much for this.

The book ends with a (quite clever) recommendation of designing for the smallest screen first, and then adding complexity as the browser’s viewport gets larger. This has a couple of benefits:

Mobile-first is a good way to design. These quotes nail the value in the approach:

… we assume mobile users need less content in part because desktop users can tolerate more …

… just because desktop users can sift through more content does that mean they need to? … why is easy access to key tasks only the domain of mobile users? Why can’t all users of our sites enjoy the same level of focused, curated content?
Putting the more advanced CSS (and potentially bigger downloads) behind media queries with progressively higher min-widths means that devices that can’t use the advanced rules don’t have to be penalized by downloading things they can’t see.

A note on the electronic version: I now want to read all technical books on the iPad. The embedded videos that demonstrate how things adjust when you resize the browser window were invaluable. Not only is this better than a print version, it’s tons better than even a Kindle version.

After reading this, I feel much better equipped to determine when and how RWD should be used in my future projects. If you have anything to do with website creation (design, development, ownership), you owe it to yourself to read this book.

Software

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:25:31 -0500

If software isn’t solving your problem, and you can’t write it yourself or pay for its development, then software isn’t the solution.

"I guess this is how a sports fan felt when Joe DiMaggio retired."

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:42:00 -0500

“I guess this is how a sports fan felt when Joe DiMaggio retired.”

- Seth Godin

"I suppose not reading is a bit like cutting off your thumbs: you’ll never be able to grasp anything."

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:26:32 -0500

“I suppose not reading is a bit like cutting off your thumbs: you’ll never be able to grasp anything.”

- Frank Chimero

"If someone out there doesn’t hate your product, it’s probably not worth using."

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:22:18 -0500

“If someone out there doesn’t hate your product, it’s probably not worth using.”

- Andy Baio

GPOYW

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:03:35 -0500

GPOYW

A Tribe Called Quest Documentary (Trailer)

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:12:00 -0500

A Tribe Called Quest Documentary (Trailer)

Tony Riff

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 08:51:45 -0500

Tony Riff

putthison: I interviewed Michael Rapaport about his amazing...

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:59:00 -0500

putthison:

I interviewed Michael Rapaport about his amazing new documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest. I know there’s a lot of hip-hop heads following this blog, so do give it a listen. I’ll man up and admit: I cried while I was watching it.