A cloned dog, a Mormon in mink-lined handcuffs and a tantalising mystery | Mail Online.
Wow. I don’t even know what to say about it. Read.
Filed under nothing by adrian on Friday, August 8th, 2008 at 11:30:43 am
No Comments » Tags: cloning, mormon, news, weird | 
Joho the Blog » 20 things I’ve stolen.
David Weinberger posts a snarky and topical post concerning copyright laws.
Filed under nothing by adrian on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 3:52:06 pm
No Comments » Tags: humor |
Artist Jonathan Harris creates a brilliant interface for research and entertainment using the steady drone of thousands of bloggers concerning their feelings. I am in awe of this project. I am also barely annoyed that I have found yet another torrent of data to waste my time on.
Also, while you’re considering that video and the linked website, find time to visit fora.tv. I have never seen such a large collection of lectures and speeches; Attending school seems so pointless when stumbling across libraries such as this - data and intelligence from experts and authorities, for free, and accessible whenever I find time.
Filed under research by adrian on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 10:13:33 am
No Comments » Tags: art, meta, research |
‘Virophage’ suggests viruses are alive : Nature News.
“There’s no doubt that this is a living organism. The fact that it can get sick makes it more alive.”
Amazing. Another instance of reality being more inspiring than fiction.
Filed under research by adrian on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 9:05:48 am
No Comments » Tags: nature, research, virus |
cthulhulives.org is giving away this amazing font pack to revive fonts used in the time of Lovecraft. Several are available for free, but the whole collection is only $20 (I’m getting mine ASAP). I’m not sure how good some of these will look if scaled to large sizes, but I already have found uses for the free pack.
I’m glad that I’ve found time to have a typography geek out moment this morning, I’m already in a better mood.
Filed under nothing by adrian on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 8:56:05 am
No Comments » Tags: fonts, personal, typography |
Impecunious. - link to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
I believe I have found an accurate descriptive word for my life. Poor, but not desperate. I don’t necessarily identify as poor, but I am often enough lacking “wealth” and living by my own resourcefulness that by other people’s standards I am likely seen as poor. Impecunious is often a derisive term, but to me it is a simple and accurate description of financial lacking without any implication of guilt or want.
Filed under nothing by adrian on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 10:42:01 am
No Comments » Tags: language, personal |
Give the world more statistics and take the survey.
Filed under research by adrian on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 9:29:07 am
No Comments » Tags: a list apart, design, survey |
To what end? A recent meeting with a potential client pressed me into an interesting philosophical issue with web design. Should I create a site for somebody that does not need one? Who needs a website? Is quality of information my ward or am I simply a watchmaker (I cannot change time, I simply put the pieces together for viewing)?
In the interest of my own financial gain my work continues on whatever projects come my way, regardless of my interest or connection with the project. I am okay with this. However, My meeting brought up a feeling on my part concerning this site, MY site. Why? Do I need a website? What is the point? Am I just contributing to the abusive use of technology to create a steady drone of mundane content and over-use of resources?
Rather than discuss with my client the details of his site I positioned him to receive a questionnaire from me asking questions about why?
I should answer these same questions. Here is a list of what I have so far.
1. What is the purpose your website?
2. Who is going to view your website?
3. What motivation would somebody have to view, then stay, on your website?
4. What makes your website different from anybody else’s? Is this important?
5. Under what circumstances could your website do more harm than good? Will this site be a burden to you in any way?
6. What goal do you have for your website?
Being that this site is experimental in nature, I expect the answers to these questions to change over time. I also expect for new questions to arise and I look forward to this. If you happen upon this website (and this post) you can post your own questions in the comments section. I will answer them and possibly incorporate them into future questionnaires.
Thank you.
Filed under research by adrian on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at 2:54:48 pm
No Comments » Tags: design, personal |
This is the launch of my new site. I believe in simplicity of design where content supersedes form.
Filed under nothing by adrian on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 8:01:16 pm
No Comments » Tags: minimalism, news, personal, simplicity |
David Eggers on content versus form:
Almost all design is bad, and on the web, that percentage of terribleness rises considerably. Because the medium is inherently cheap-looking, there’s almost no way to dignify it. So at McSweeney’s, we just put the words up. It takes our web guy, Kevin Shay, about two minutes.
There are a few content sites one could name that have a good deal of money behind them, but which no one reads because of their labyrinthine link structures and slow-loading graphics. All that effort in vain. What very few designers realize, particularly the younger ones, is that most people would rather read something — actually read the words — than look at all of their lines and arrows and silly pictures they’ve screened back.
More often than not, the designer’s efforts are getting in the way. Worse, the editors above them, who should be protecting the text from such pollution, are eternally cowed into thinking that design is complicated and magical, far beyond their earthly knowledge, and thus they allow the words to be mangled and obscured.
When the words finally reach the reader, the designer has, as often as not, rendered them almost unreadable, and so a reader moves on. But we’ve always felt that the words don’t need a whole lot of help — that a piece about searching for tigers in Ireland is not necessarily needing of a picture of tigers or of Ireland, much less blinking or screened-back ones. The words are enough, if the words are good.
Filed under research by adrian on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 8:00:43 pm
No Comments » Tags: content, design, minimalism, simplicity |
