Seeing that flyte is a web design company and several of my coworkers are zombie fans, not to mention Halloween is right around the corner, I found W Craig Tomlin’s article about web usability and zombies interesting and entertaining. He argues for approaching web usability like a zombie. If you’re not a web designer or a zombie here’s a brief definition of the two:
Web Usability and User Experience
The ease with which visitors are able to interact with a Web site and the visitors overall experience with the Web site. Web usability and experience is important because of its relationship to marketing metrics.
Zombies
A creature that appears in folklore and popular culture typically as a reanimated corpse or a mindless human being.
Here’s a link to the article. Enjoy
I recently stumbled over this logo at Logopond.com. Simple and clever, a great logo. Nice work Greg.
I got to thinking recently that the way people date today has changed drastically, simply because of technology. Equal rights gave way to the downfall of chivalry, and while I don’t mind opening my own door, how about the fact that it’s now kosher to text or email instead of call after the first date? What is the world coming to?
So in an effort to laugh about such nonsense that singles in 2009 lose sleep over, let’s compare what once was to what is now, shall we?
Developing a crush
Was: Meeting a guy or girl in real life, smiling flirtatiously, going up to talk to them.
Now: Seeing a theoretically-cute avatar of a suggested friend and praying they don’t use their privacy settings to their fullest potential.
Background check
Was: Ask friends around town: what’s s/he like?!
Now: Cyberstalking. Lots and lots of heavy cyberstalking. [Don't lie to yourself. You've Googled.]
First date
Was: An intimate conversation over a candlelit dinner covering everything from where you born to how much time you spend with your family today. All goes well, then maybe a movie.
Now: Reading his/her Facebook profile and learning every intimate detail about them.
Meeting the friends
Was: A casual dinner date or drinks.
Now: Friends following him/her on FriendFeed and learning every intimate detail about them.
What-might-be-someday Day Dreaming
Was: Doodling his name on your notebook.
Now: Checking that your married name will be available as your new Twitter handle. (And possibly snatching it up, just in case.)
Catching a cheater
Was: Noticing some strange credit card purchases or recurring phone number in the bills.
Now: Using Facebook’s wall-to-wall for all its (questionably intended) potential.
What do you notice has changed?
Image credit
Riceboy Sleeps is a collaboration between Jon Thor Birgisson (Sigur Ros) and Alex Somers (Parachutes). Jónsi and Alex have been making music and exhibiting artwork under the name Riceboy Sleeps since 2003. The two started creating the visual art that would form the basis of their limited edition hardback book, ‘Riceboy Sleeps’ in 2006. They continued making music in the periods between Jónsi’s touring and studio commitments with Sigur Rós, slowly building a body of work that includes the beautiful ambient album and eclectic art exhibit.
Stream the album
About Riceboy Sleeps
Weather forecast of downpours embedded in rain got you down? This is a sure fire way to change your mood. Best wedding entrance ever!!!!! http://bit.ly/mw4ha
I was reading the BTW section in BusinessWeek about the fact that JC Penney’s “American Made” t-shirts are actually made in Mexico, and this is causing a bit of a stir.
I think we all know that the American flags, cups and t-shirts we’re buying at Wal-Mart and the corner store are often being made in China and elsewhere, so on one level, should we be surprised?
I was however, taken aback by a couple of things the JC Penny spokesperson had to say:
1) “[The line is] intended to evoke our American lifestyle and pride in being American.”
But apparently not in our pride in American workmanship.
2) “‘American Made’ refers to “the actual person wearing the shirt, not to the manufacturing of the merchandise.”
No word on whether JC Penny would seek legal action if they found any Mexicans wearing the shirt, or God forbid, Canadians.
Now that's motherly love
So I’m watching this mother seagull on the rooftop across from my window, as I’ve been doing day in and day out since she built her nest. In the past two weeks it’s be rainging almost every day but I never see her get off that nest. It’s amazing, but I guess the kind of things mothers do all the time.
I was thinking that what happens when she has to stretch her legs or relieve herself? Does the father seagull (I see him hanging around sometimes, reading the sports page and such), take her place? Is that embarassing for the male seagull? Is it like the seagull equivalent of my wife asking me to hold her purse?
New Type Drawing Application for the iPhone from Hansol Huh lets you draw with letters on your iPhone! Type a sentence or word, choose a font, choose a background, and draw.
I have been listening to some great food ideas on NPR during my homeward commute this week. They are running a spot all week where the challenge is to feed a family of four for $10.00 or less. In these fiscally responsible times it’s a great idea, plus it’s nice to get away from spaghetti and meatballs for a while.
Monday night was a Spanish dish, Spinach with Chick Peas. As these are two ingredients we are seldom without and it’s a vegetarian dish I figured I’d give it a shot. It’s served with a fried egg and even the kids ate it!
Last night it was Chicken Fried Rice on Wilted Spinach. I subsituted the chicken for some minced up Quorn Tenders and it was great. I have never seen the kids eat so much spinach.
I’m looking forward to tonight’s recipe, hopefully it will be as good as the first two.
Just wanted to add a note about Quorn. It’s great, we first ate it back in the UK. The range of products seems a little more diverse over there. It’s actually fermented myco protein, more like beer that soy.
