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Tuesday, June 12, 2001

OPENING THANG

It's foggy and cold again. While the rest of the northern hemisphere puts on shorts I get the pleasure of wearing a turtleneck. Thank you for letting me have my whine-- for cheese to go with it, scroll down to Apropos of Nothing, where new of the weird seems to have taken over.

Posted by christina on Tuesday, 06/12/01 08:27 AM CST

IA & DESIGN MATTERS

This is one of the most beautiful sites I have come across.
more thoughts on it

Old thread on the 800x600 pixel war (found because I was catching up on the kaycee thing and no I won't bring it here, don't panic). The thread is as interesting because of the arrogance of the factions --both geek and design-- as it is for the discussion of the problem.

IASlash redesigned while I was away and looks 10000x better (IMHO). They do seem to be suffering from the summer news lull everyone else is, though. even kottke is full of his travel pictures...

IASlash

Kottke

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Posted by christina on Tuesday, 06/12/01 08:27 AM CST

CULTURAL MATTERS

Yes, I will read anything lance (glassdog) arthur does. No, the world does not need another community discussion site. And yet.... you gotta dig a place where it's not only okay but required to be mean.
http://www.glassdog.com/unhip/

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Posted by christina on Tuesday, 06/12/01 08:25 AM CST

NEWS & COMMENTARY

(mostly via nua.ie)

Nando Times: Turkish authorities clamp down on Net
"The Associated Press reports that Turkey has passed a law making websites subject to the same censorship as print media."

~~~

Van Dusseldorp & Partners: European broadband access set to surge
"Over 21 percent of European households will have broadband Internet
access by 2003, up from the current figure of 1.79 percent."

~~~

Reuters: US loss may be India's gain
"The downturn in the US economy could prove a boon for technology
workers in India, according to a report from Reuters."

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Posted by christina on Tuesday, 06/12/01 08:25 AM CST

APROPOS OF NOTHING

San Francisco hires 500 goats to eat weeds, trash
"Until they were driven out by rising land prices, goats were a common sight in the more bucolic parts of the city, particularly on the grassy slopes of Potrero Hill and in odd corners of the Glen Park district."

It is a damn shame when the rent gets too high for goats to afford to be able to raise their kids in the city.

~~~

Hoax warning tricks some into deleting AOL

metafiler giggles over it

~~~

OSLO, Norway (AP) - "What the new bouncer at a Norwegian pub lacks in
brawn, she more than makes up in experience: She's a 91-year-old
great-grandmother. "

~~~

Titanium PowerBook causes bomb scare

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Posted by christina on Tuesday, 06/12/01 08:23 AM CST

Monday, June 11, 2001

OPENING THANG

It's foggy, and I'm going to trek downtown to register my MG midget. So a light gleanings before I go try to find winter clothes so I can drive a convertible in San Francisco in June... did Mark Twain really say "The coldest winter I ever experienced was a summer in San Francisco"?

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Posted by christina on Monday, 06/11/01 07:42 AM CST

USABILITY MATTERS

New Jakob and this time I have to agree. PDF's make me crazy.

Useit.Com: Avoid PDF for On-Screen Reading.
"Forcing users to browse PDF documents can reduce your website's usability by about 300% relative to HTML pages. This is my rough estimate, based on watching users perform similar tasks on a variety of sites that used either PDF or regular Web pages."

Now read "Why is user centered design so important" and you'll both learn and experience the problems with PDF's.

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Posted by christina on Monday, 06/11/01 07:40 AM CST

DESIGN MATTERS

I have a strange passion for intentionally horizontally scrolling sites. However, I feel something is missing on this one. oh, I know. a scrollbar.
http://www.commando.se/

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Posted by christina on Monday, 06/11/01 07:39 AM CST

EVENTS

Massachusetts

The Information Design certificate program and Bentley’s Design and Usability center are pleased to offer the Usability Boot Camp, an intensive five-day experience with leading authorities on usability and user experience, July 9 through 13, 2001. Reserve the dates as registration is limited. Check back for details.

also check out their information design program

~~~
Seattle

Don't go to WebDesign World to see Zeldman, Veen or Spool! Go to see me yap yap yap about user-centered design processes. (okay, you can catch them talking too...)

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Posted by christina on Monday, 06/11/01 07:39 AM CST

NEWS & COMMENTARY

"It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it: Jacobson studies "adult" sites to see what they can tell us about the future of web content. His conclusions are not pretty."

~~~

Easing Access to Your Homebound PC
"Hooking into your home or office PC from a remote location got a lot easier last month with the opening of GoToMyPC, an ingenious Web site created by ExpertCity that lets you channel the spirit of your computer at home onto the screen of any Internet-connected machine in the world. "

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Posted by christina on Monday, 06/11/01 07:36 AM CST

APROPOS OF NOTHING

davezilla has started the bloggers who are calling it quits

I say lighten up people!

~~~

This is a poem made up entirely of actual quotes from
George W. Bush. The quotes have been arranged only for
aesthetic purposes, by Washington Post writer Richard
Thompson. Too good not to share, especially during
National Poetry Month...

MAKE THE PIE HIGHER
by George W. Bush

I think we all agree, the past is over.

This is still a dangerous world.
It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses.
Rarely is the question asked
Is our children learning?
Will the highways of the internet become more few?

How many hands have I shaked?
They misunderestimate me.
I am a pitbull on the pantleg of opportunity.

I know that the human being and the fish can coexist.

Families is where our nation finds hope, where our wings take dream.
Put food on your family!
Knock down the tollbooth!
Vulcanize Society!
Make the pie higher! Make the pie higher!

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Posted by christina on Monday, 06/11/01 07:36 AM CST