If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work for and at Google, or are interested in Google products… Or if we know each other but haven’t had a chance to catch up yet here in Austin—or even if you and I don’t know each other—and you’d like to chat for a bit, just a quick note here to encourage you to come by the Google booth here at SXSW (on the trade show floor, toward the far-right side). I’m scheduled to be in the booth area from noon until about 2pm both today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday).
link 12 Mar 2007 in Design, Technology…
A little over a month ago, just before Web Directions North, John Allsopp asked me a few questions over email about what I’ve been thinking and doing lately. Digital Web Magazine was kind enough to publish
the exchange between us. A few friends have emailed me, having discovered the interview by other means, asking why they never saw mention of it here. Somehow, amid preperations for the conference, then ultimately, my back injury and cancelled appearance, I never got around to mentioning the interview.
link 26 Feb 2007 in Personal, Technology
Since I’ve been an early user of
Google Calendar for a few months now, thought I’d share a few tips that may make the jump a little smoother for others. Some tips may seem obvious, other tips may be completely new to you. Specifically, I’ve noticed hesitation by Mac users in trying Google Calendar, which I’ll address in a few Mac-only tips sprinkled in with the rest.
link 29 Apr 2006 in Technology, Web
The online calendar space just got a lot more interesting. Create, search, find, discuss, and invite anyone to all kinds of events. Keep your own schedule privately organized and accessible from anywhere. Or share single events or whole calendars with friends and family, or publish to the world. All with the shiny new beta of
Google Calendar.
link 13 Apr 2006 in Business, Technology…
Every once in a while, an application/utility comes along that hits a sweet spot. Something for which I’ve been looking, but haven’t been able to find. I’m a list-maker. Especially to-do lists. For more than a year, I’ve been wanting a simple to-do list manager that I can call up from the Mac OS X menu bar. Something simple, light-weight, nicely designed, and above all else, reads
and writes to pre-existing data in iCal.
link 27 Jan 2006 in Apple, Technology
The
inner-workings for a clever little plugin named Photon that enables photo export from iPhoto directly to Movable Type and other publishing tools (to create
photo galleries like this) are now available for anyone to explore and build upon. Jonathan Younger, who originally created the plugin, doesn’t have enough time to dedicate for updating and expanding the plugin. So he generously
released Photon’s source code under the
GNU Lesser General Public License so that others could continue evolving it.
link 28 Aug 2005 in MovableType, Site…
I love the optimism in Janice Fraser’s latest essay for Adaptive Path:
It’s a Whole New Internet. Normally, an article similar to this would have just been another
link. I guess this one deserved more. Janice captures a lot of the enthusiasm and energy building up around a new connected experience.
link 22 Apr 2005 in Technology, Web
I’ve grown tired of the need to choose which syndication formats I support (between Atom and multiple versions of RSS). I’m not about to join the debate over which format is better. I simply don’t care. I acknowledge that RSS/Atom syndication is an important technology that has changed the way we distribute and access information. But my decision to publish a feed shouldn’t be complicated by which format or how many of them I publish just to ensure I cover all possible bases.
link 20 Apr 2005 in Site, Technology…
After more than a year of implementing my own measures, I think it’s time to help raise awareness of email security. And in doing so, document the way I use SSH to secure email when I’m on a wireless network. If you’re concerned about strangers having open access to your usernames and passwords, and all the email you send and receive while connected to a public wireless network — whether you use a Mac or not — you’ll want to read this.
link 7 Feb 2005 in Apple, Technology
A byproduct of doing so much traveling lately is the overabundance of photos I’ve taken. I promised the many people I met from far and away that I’d make them available when I returned. Problem is, I’ve never been satisfied with the photo gallery services currently available, especially for mass quantities of photos. So I looked into alternatives. I’ve been using
iPhoto to manage photos and galleries locally on my PowerBook, and I have lots of familiarity with
Movable Type. All I needed was a bridge between the two.
Update: The templates are now available.
link 17 Jan 2005 in Locations, MovableType…
Early last week, I spoke to packed crowds at
Web Design World in Boston. Clearly the conference scene is heating back up, as budgets for events and off-site training seem to be reappearing. The two sessions I presented (“
Beautiful Interfaces with CSS” and “
Throwing Tables out the Window”) were lots of fun. I had to bolt to the airport to catch a flight after my last talk. So I didn’t get to stick around to see the rest of the conference or talk to more of the attendees over the next two days.
link 16 Dec 2004 in CSS, Events…
A few times while traveling around Australia, either I’ve noticed a slight glitch on a site (Stopdesign, or a client site), or someone else points out a bug or problem with some file on a site I have control over. I left my laptop and cables, etc. in Sydney to shed the weight, so I haven’t had access to the tools I normally have at my disposal. Any of these changes are usually quick edits or corrections of previous oversights. However, I’ve been missing some sort of text editor that can work on files remotely via S/FTP.
link 9 Oct 2004 in Locations, MovableType…
Seen the
Microsoft home page recently? Some remnants of the previous design are still visible, but a large portion of the design changed significantly. The most pleasing thing to see is actually what’s under the hood though.
link 25 Aug 2004 in Technology, Web
Those who’ve seen my presentations know that I use a browser to navigate through slides constructed with traditional HTML and CSS. The system I use works pretty well. However, I’m still missing a few critical components that could make HTML-based presentations
even better.
link 10 Aug 2004 in Technology
The subject is covered frequently in the blogosphere. It’s nothing new for many of you. I’ve been bitten by Stopdesign’s Google page rank for specific search queries several times. I just noticed the most recent instance. What happens when Google gives a particular page
too high a page rank?
link 28 May 2004 in Site, Technology
When creating web comps, it’s not uncommon to underline some of the links on the page. Despite the fact that users have been
asking how to underline text in Illustrator for several versions now, Adobe somehow manages to exclude this feature in each new release of the software. Here’s how to work around that limitation.
link 19 May 2004 in Design, Technology
This must be
the week — if not
the day — to launch new designs of products and services under new ownership. Good friend, and former colleague at Wired,
Stephen Blake played a large role in today’s launch of the new CNET-owned
mp3.com redesign. XHTML, CSS, Sliding Doors, and rounded corners… oh my.
link 10 May 2004 in CSS, Entertainment…
If you followed my recent mention of the
installed wifi at SBC Park, you’ll also be interested in Michael Myser’s
interview with Bill Schlough (the Giants’ Chief Information Officer) just published at Wired News.
link 28 Apr 2004 in Locations, Technology
Benny Evangelista writes an interesting article for the SF Chronicle on the
recently installed wifi at SBC Park. I read about the new wifi several weeks ago before opening day, but this is the first I’ve seen public mention about it in local media. My reaction is positive, although I certainly see the stigma attached to opening up a laptop at a sports event…
link 26 Apr 2004 in Entertainment, Locations…
Only when I’m forced to do something a new way do I recognize the variances in habits, routines, and expectations when it comes to living and working online. It’s sort of like being thrown back in time, taking with me the invisible knowledge of what’s possible today. High-speed access — and now, prevalent
wireless high-speed access — is changing our use of the Web and our lives in ways that aren’t always immediately obvious.
link 29 Mar 2004 in Personal, Technology
Only a couple days left for the current
Blogstakes contests. Win a three-book collection from
The Onion or a hard-shell CD case. It couldn’t be easier to get entered if you already have a blog — just add a link to one or both of the contests somewhere on your site where others will find it. Nothing else is required from you.
link 13 Jan 2004 in Events, Site…
This is interesting. HP and Apple are joining forces to create
an HP-branded digital music player based on Apple’s iPod™. The device will be due out this summer. I had mixed reactions upon first seeing the news.
link 8 Jan 2004 in Apple, Technology
Price-point aside for a minute while I focus on marketing/branding: is it just me? If we’re speaking in relative terms, shouldn’t the name of this new device be
iPod Slightly Smaller™?
link 7 Jan 2004 in Apple, Events…
After HP’s “you blog” ad attracted so much attention a couple days ago, I thought it appropriate to add a little more context, so no one thinks the campaign is entirely blog-focused.
link 10 Dec 2003 in Ephemera, Technology
Spotted in the Montgomery BART station last week, I snapped a photo of this ad on the way into the office today. It’s part of a large HP campaign that has ads plastered all over the walls and floors of the Muni/BART stations.
link 8 Dec 2003 in Ephemera, Technology
Remember
that confession I wrote a while ago? A sobering story of a designer who grew up on Apples and Macs, but gave into the dark side, jumped ship, and began using Windows. Well, it’s coming up on a year since I wrote that piece. Some of my friends were beginning to wonder if I was serious about shaking the Windows addiction.
link 31 Oct 2003 in Apple, Personal…
Mozilla Foundation charges out of the gates today with a handful of new product releases. Heavyweight full-featured browser Mozilla 1.5, lightweight standalone browser Firebird 0.7, and email/newsgroup client Thunderbird 0.3.
link 15 Oct 2003 in Technology, Web
News.com staff writer Paul Festa draws more public attention to Internet Explorer’s lack of full CSS support in “Developers gripe about IE standards inaction”.
link 9 Oct 2003 in CSS, Technology…
Frank Leahy is a friend and former-colleague from Wired. Frank left Wired a couple months ago, and he and his family of four recently picked up their lives and moved to England, settling temporarily in what looks like an amazing location: Cornwall.
link 1 Oct 2003 in Locations, People…
Todd Dominey beats me to the punch, and says everything (and more) about software version naming schemes I was thinking of writing. Inspired by Adobe’s drop of the numerical versions in favor of a letter-based system (“CS”) for their new “Creative Suite”, the move seems to be a short-sighted marketing ploy in attempt to follow a trend set by Apple, Microsoft, and Macromedia.
link 29 Sep 2003 in Technology
Yesterday, VeriSign resorted to more anti-competitive, monopolistic tactics. With so many people, companies, and organizations upset at VeriSign for such an unethical move, we’ll see how long this scam lasts.
link 16 Sep 2003 in Technology, Web
In promising news for web design and development, Macromedia’s Dreamweaver MX 2004 claims it will possess much more powerful CSS support, as well as significant improvements which will help its users create accessible content.
link 25 Aug 2003 in CSS, Technology
Once devices like Sony’s UX50 handheld begin to fill breast-pockets of executives and shoulder bags of early-adopting gadgeteers, kiss goodbye the assumption that one “minimum resolution” exists to which we can design any interface.
link 4 Aug 2003 in Technology, Web
Congratulations to Dan Cederholm and team on launching a brand new Inc.com. The site sports a clean design, valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional markup, and a nice dosage of the CSS background-image property to pull in decorative icons and bullets, keeping most of them out of the markup. It also…
link 17 Jul 2003 in CSS, Technology…
Matt Haughey provides great insight into how he’s taken advantage of MT’s flexibility to manage his sites in
Beyond the Blog. Here’s how I did the same for my new portfolio relaunched last week.
link 16 Jul 2003 in MovableType, Site…
In not-entirely-unexpected news, MozillaZine reports that AOL dropped the axe on Netscape today, dismantling what was left of the Netscape team. In what could be a positive spin on the whole deal, AOL has pledged $2 million in cash to help launch the new Mozilla Foundation, a non-profit organization…
link 15 Jul 2003 in Technology, Web
Jay Allen posts an extended response to a commenter’s question about the use of Movable Type on the new Adaptive Path site. He provides a behind-the-scenes look at the MT setup, outlining each blog configuration and it’s purpose. He also covers static content blogs, template modules, and gateway pages created to simplify Adaptive Path’s content management through MT.
link 11 Jul 2003 in MovableType, Technology…
While I can change and control internal links pointing to my own content, lots of external links exist on other sites which point to files on stopdesign. I wanted to make sure as many of those links as possible still pointed to appropriate places on this site.
link 1 Jul 2003 in Site, Technology
The conversion to Movable Type is going smoothly so far. I’m continually amazed at the application’s flexibility, power, and speed. The ability to expand its functionality with the plugin architecture gives MT endless possibilities for small-scale sites like this one. The Log Archive pages are mostly complete. They now…
link 30 Jun 2003 in MovableType, Site…
I’ve been talking about it for what seems like forever. Over the past week, I finally started to make the jump. If you’re reading this entry, the DNS changes have propagated to your neck of the woods, which means you’re getting the new version of this site. The title…
link 24 Jun 2003 in MovableType, Personal…
With the confirmed news that Microsoft is ceasing development of Internet Explorer for Macintosh, a wave of sadness sweeps through the web design and development community. Three years ago, I was only getting my feet wet by messing around with style sheets, constantly frustrated that Netscape 4 wouldn’t do…
link 13 Jun 2003 in Technology, Web
In January of 2002, Quark dumbfounded Mac design professionals by releasing QuarkXPress 5 sans support for Mac OS X. Because of Quark’s rush to release an already outdated product, Mac-based print designers have either held back in upgrading from OS 9 to OS X, or have bumbled along, forced…
link 11 Jun 2003 in Technology
Two days ago, Jeffrey Zeldman brought to our attention a petition to encourage Microsoft to include proper PNG support in Internet Explorer for Windows. Yesterday, he wrote up a fabulous explanation of the benefits of the PNG image format, points out examples of it in use, and why it…
link 23 May 2003 in Technology, Web
In the current Google Age, we tend to default our web searching to one tool which finds what we’re looking for every time. Many of us subconsciously believe Google is the answer to Bono’s soul-seeking lyrics from 1987. With such a prominent player in the field, it’s easy to…
link 7 Apr 2003 in Technology, Web
Based on recent experience with an indexing robot, I discovered a critical architecture flaw in the way I set up my calendar for viewing Log Entries by Day. Due to a bit of laziness, as well as intrigue of the cool-factor in going to any possible date between 1000…
link 18 Feb 2003 in Site, Technology
Thanks to the recent news and hype of Google’s Pyra acquisition, it seems Blogger has been quite bogged down recently. Lots of transfer errors. Connection problems. Most likely due to every Blogger user trying to post about the story. Unfortunately, for the past few days, on each post attempt,…
link 17 Feb 2003 in Site, Technology
My hat’s off to the Opera team for pushing out what looks to be a fine browser in the final release of version 7. So far, only the Windows version of Opera 7 is available. As always, it’s lightweight, it installed quickly (sans-Java), and starts up lightning-fast as well…
link 28 Jan 2003 in News, Technology…
At last, we may finally have a competitive browser market for the Mac. Apple enters the picture with Safari (v 1.0 Beta), self-dubbed the turbo browser for the Mac. As Jobs likes to do, Safari is compared side by side along with other browsers for speed tests in HTML…
link 7 Jan 2003 in Apple, News…
Ah, I can finally talk about it. It’s so far off everyone’s radar that hardly anyone has noticed yet. Let’s change that. Another project I had a hand in design directing and pushing to XHTML/CSS (smack in the middle of the Wired News redesign) finally surfaces. Following Wired’s lead,…
link 16 Dec 2002 in CSS, Technology…
I discovered an excellent resource over the weekend that I’ve been (and will be) digging through in my spare time. All of a sudden, I’m starting to understand the logic behind Braille by reading through the incredible information at Dotless Braille. It’s a site written and constructed by a…
link 9 Dec 2002 in Technology
Leander continues the Wired News Mac loyalty series with two more articles pushed out today. Both deal with the power of brand. Apple: It’s All About the Brand makes the point that Apple is not necessarily selling product as much as they’re selling and capitalizing on an emotional brand….
link 4 Dec 2002 in Apple, News…
Continuing on the theme of Mac loyalty, Leander begins a series for Wired News dissecting the reasons behind the passion and obsession for Apple’s machines. Mac Loyalists: Don’t Tread on Us examines the Mac cult and why it continued to exist, even through the directionless Amelio-led late ’90s. To…
link 2 Dec 2002 in Apple, News…
Confusion seems to have surfaced around the Confessions piece I posted last week. Some think the article was wishy-washy and were hoping for a more definitive ending proclaiming loyalty to one OS or the other. Questions were asked like, “So which direction are you going?” An obvious conclusion can’t…
link 27 Nov 2002 in Apple, Personal…
My name is Doug, and I’m a recovering Windows user. This was the first line of an entry that I started last night. It began as an idea discussing my recent renewed interest in the Mac OS after a two and a half year addiction with Windows. But it…
link 22 Nov 2002 in Design, Personal…
Last night, I received an email message from a gentleman named Mark. The subject was: appreciate your blog and designs. I’ve received quite a few messages like this recently. But there was something about Mark’s message that had a different gravity to it. The first three words of his…
link 31 Oct 2002 in Technology, Web
The high profile Wired News redesign has attracted a lot of attention, primarily because of the Web standards we’re using, and the effort we’re making at keeping our code compliant and error-free. However, daily editorial additions continue to allow XHTML validation errors to sneak into the Wired News markup….
link 17 Oct 2002 in Technology, Web…
Progress on the stopdesign.com redesign continues. I now have the entire portfolio entered into a sortable, reusable database. I’ve created a bunch of server-side scripts (ASP) to create each portfolio page dynamically based on two templates. One template drives the bulk of the view pages, another one wipes out…
link 6 Oct 2002 in Personal, Technology
Since I haven’t jumped onto the wireless platform bandwagon yet, designing pages for the AvantGo channel has been an interesting challenge. Not too difficult, because there aren’t many choices. But that’s the challenge of it. It’s like trying to say as much as you can with as few words…
link 29 Aug 2002 in Technology, Wired
