From: Gleanings
To: Faithful Readers
Subject: Gleanings: Book and Designer Recommended
OPENING THANG
From the blog--
Finally finished How Buildings Learn. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140139966/eleganthack/105-1583060-0368727
It's a remarkable book, one that makes you look at and reevaluate your surroundings, and question things you took for granted-- from the shape of your living room to the house across the street's glassed-in front porch. All Web designers should read this book. Websites, like buildings, exist in time. But web construction materials cost so little and adjustments are so seemly easy that websites are often built to solve an immediate need with no concern for future ones.
However, human resources are what websites are made of (rather than timber or concrete) and these days good human resources are extremely precious (<2% unemployment, folks). They should be used carefully. Better to invest in a good requirements gathering process and a use-driven architecture plan. The chapter entitled "The Scenario-Buffered Building" gives a good and quick process for brainstorming possible uses for a building that is entirely applicable to website design.
Just started Software for Use. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201924781/eleganthack/105-1583060-0368727
And so far so good. I'll report back as I dig deeper.
USABILITY MATTERS
LA Times: User-Unfriendly.
Welcome to the 21st century, where nothing works right, critical components of
everyday life are far too complicated for average people to operate, and the
guys responsible for foisting the whole mess upon the world don't really seem
to care.
http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/20001228/t000123518.html
HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGY IN THE WINDOW
I've accepted my first ad. But considering I'm being paid nothing for it beyond goodwill and Jakob Nielsen cookies, and it's for a product I believe in, I've got no issues (except wondering if I can get in trouble for peddling humans)
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Mike Monteiro (biggerhand.com) will soon be available! ...for fixing
your design problems.
Mr. Monteiro is well versed in issues of visual design and the
pleasing display of information in an organized manner. His concern
for user-centered design is well-known. He freakishly likes designing
forms. He gets along with IAs and other designers and prefers working
in team environments.
Please visit his website at http://www.biggerhand.com. Portfolio at:
http://www.biggerhand.com/portfolio/
He's available, starting in mid-January, for employment, long-term
contract, or freelance projects. In that preferred order. Please
contact by email: mike@biggerhand.com.
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I personally endorse Mike's Work. We worked together at Hot Studio, and not once did I want to hit him on the head with a rolled up newspaper for designing something that would take three days to download. Moreover he would wander around muttering "usable *is* beautiful" and always wanted to understand the architecture before designing.
NEWS & NUMBERS
Wired News: Free Links, Only $50 Apiece.
Online news sites are turning to a novel way to make some extra cash:
requiring fees for links. The Albuquerque Journal charges $50 for the right to
link to each of its articles. Localbusiness.com and Latino.com are more
generous, and permit one to five links without payment.
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,40850,00.html
PC Data Online: Women comprise majority of online gamers
A recent survey by PC Data has found that women now constitute 50.4
percent of online gamers, although males represent 55 percent of total
gamers.
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905356253&rel=true
NielsenNetRatings: US home Internet access climbs to 56 percent
Over half (56 percent) of US households had Internet access in
November, a significant increase on last year's figure of 43 percent.
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905356265&rel=true
StatMarket: Search engines contribute little to site traffic
According to the latest figures from StatMarket, search engines
account for less than 7 percent of global referrals.
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905356275&rel=true
APROPOS OF NOTHING
Curious George W
http://home.nyc.rr.com/jadedem/gw1.html
Cooking at home this new year?
Caviar Moons, Gourmet
http://www.epicurious.com/ego/caviar
Classic Terrine of Foie Gras, Bon Appetit
http://www.epicurious.com/ego/foiegras
Coconut Macadamia Truffles, Gourmet
http://www.epicurious.com/ego/truffles
Double-Chocolate Torte, Bon Appetit
http://www.epicurious.com/ego/chocolatetorte
Rich Custard, Gourmet
http://www.epicurious.com/ego/richcustard
Truffled Quail Eggs, Gourmet
http://www.epicurious.com/ego/quaileggs
posted by Christina Wodtke 12/29/2000 08:41:10 AM
From: Gleanings
To: holidazed
Subject: Gleanings: happy everything
OPENING THANG
Gleanings is going to be even more sporadic than ever, what with holidays popping up ever couple of days and startling folks, and my husband lurking around the house startling me, it's all I can do stop eating and type something... more regular schedule to commence with the new year.
NEWS
The Edgewater Technology Shooting:
Offices Closed, Prayer Service Planned
http://boston.internet.com/news/article/0,1928,2001_545851,00.html
IRS Dispute May Have Triggered Killing
http://boston.internet.com/news/article/0,1928,2001_544841,00.html
Pud of fuckedcompany.com fame is leading a fundraiser for the families of the victims. This page currently replaces the normal FC homepage:
http://www.fuckedcompany.com/edgewater.html
The Gateway That Got Away
The computer maker has sunk millions into bad investments, but it still reports skyrocketing income. Just how much of those earnings come from actual computer sales? Wall Street is starting to wonder.
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,21027,00.html?nl=dnh
BECAUSE PETS CAN'T WRITE: Marketers and children alike have watched the strange story of the Pets.com sock puppet for more than a year now. Although the company it represented may have folded months ago, the sock puppet has reached a strange new zenith. The cotton canine's memoir hit bookstore shelves just in time for the holidays but too late to function as the "marketing tie-in" that Pets.com originally created it as. Stranger still: A claim from the book's publisher, as well as the puppet's publicist, that the puppet is real and wrote the book himself. Which leaves us to wonder: What did they put in the Kool Aid?
http://www.wirednews.com/news/business/0,1367,40707,00.html?nl=np
Evhead: Pricing Matters.
I've been thinking a lot about pricing lately, and the statement above is
inline with my intuition (and experience) on the ever-tricky issue. It also
brought up a lot of thoughts I've been having about pricing and assumptions
that are often made about what does and doesn't work on the web...
http://www.evhead.com/longer/1775742_essays.asp
posted by Christina Wodtke 12/28/2000 09:36:23 AM
