Archive for the ‘Rants and musings’ Category
The Smashing Book review – final installment
Part 5 Branding and Selling 
The last instalment in my series of reviews of the Smashing Book! Whew – for me a lot of blogging. I intend to make the whole thing available as a pdf shortly so that if any lost soul out there actually reads this blog, they can read it all in one horrendous slab if they want to.
The Smashing Book review continued
Part 4 Usability Principles and Optimization
Another work week, another commute, another instalment.
Two chapters, some good tips but one was useful but puzzling and needed a certain amount of nitpicking and the other was just plain puzzling; so on with the tips, the nits and the puzzles…
The Smashing Book review continued
Part 3 RIA interfaces and the Ask the Expert chapter
A bit more commuting and a bit more of the review.
The Smashing Book review continued
Part 2 Typography and CSS layouts
As I am back to commuting, I have read two more chapters of the Smashing book ( I thought I would read it over the break, but there were just too many trashy novels to get through!). Both chapters are excellent overviews of their chosen topics and I learned a lot from them.
So on to the review………
The Smashing Book review series
Part 1 Form factor, organisation and colour chapter
I have just recently received my copy of the Smashing Book. For details of the book, see its page at Smashing Magazine (SM)
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/12/03/smashing-book-its-out-now/
Overall, based on a quick skim, I am happy with the book for the price they sold it at. I believe it is a worthwhile endeavour, but not without its problems.
I am going to try to review it in sections as there is too much in it for a single post. I sat on the commuter train today and looked it over carefully then read one chapter. So here goes. First up, the physical product, book organisation and some actual content review.
Click to continue…
Power for your computer and mine
Not going to add more words when the truth is obvious. Just link through to a the group behind this campaign.
The great jigsaw puzzle continues to evolve
Twice in the same month! Crazy blogging machine. 
I have been thinking about the software I use and how it all can fit together to make a given website.
CMS commitments
Another post this year. Anyone would think I was actually blogging
Lately I have been trying to explain what it means to start relies on cms scripts as a modern web manager. It is hard at the beginning to image the level of commitment you are making when you say choosing Drupal over Joomla or viceversa.
Morality
- doing the right thing because you believe in justice and mercy – not because of some religious bullshit someone has brainwashed you with, or some political contingency that really is a cover up for greed and powerlust.
Just watched Foyle’s War in which a “dirty tricks unit” was developed and demanded that Foyle lie for them. What makes Foyle’s War so interesting for me, besides the acting and high production values, is that it presents the problem of values in a high stress situation. The show constantly examines the notion that purposes of the war must be served at all times!?! Of course WWII was a declared state of war, unlike the current conflicts. We are at war with the planet that births us and at war with justice in this socalled time of peace and prosperity. Suckage.
Nothing to do with software and sites, just a bit of high level ranting
Out of the wilderness
A newish year ( only half over) and an updated skin on the blog (plus the latest engine under the hood to mix my metaphors most tragically), so I thought I should take it out for spin with a new post.
Lots going on off-blog as usual – physical house stuff, job re-alignment, celebrating 10 years of marriage without murder (ha ha!), bodily degradation – you know, all the usual stuff.
Plans (not promises) to write another in the templating tales series, reflections on the life of a web manager, reviews of software, sites and scripts – the usual suspects. Well, we will see – not sure it makes any difference to the viagra/cialis mobs but maybe, just maybe I have an actual reader out there.
Happy upcoming solstice.