Before there was Flash, the primary means of displaying movement on a web page was via animated GIFs, low resolution graphics with mostly clumsy transitions. Animated GIFs have mostly been relegated to retro-cult status, with very few serious uses for the format (although done properly, with the right graphics, they provide a quite passable substitute… Continue reading Cinemagraphs: Animated GIFs Live Again!
Category: Design
Stretching
Sorry, this is not a post about personal fitness or adjusting your gullibility while watching The View. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t come close to mastering my profession. I suspect that’s the case for most people who work in technology-related fields, as well as those whose focus is on creative endeavors (after… Continue reading Stretching
Drillcycle
OK, this is just awesome. This guy Nils Ferber built a…a…well, I’m not sure what to call it, but it’s a vehicle that’s powered by a couple of 18-volt cordless drills. (If your first question is “why,” then, sadly, this blog isn’t for you.) The Drillcycle reportedly has a top speed of almost 20 mph.… Continue reading Drillcycle
Dr. Frankenstein Attempts to Kill His Monster
The fact that Microsoft has built a website designed to convince people to stop using Internet Explorer 6 is prima facie evidence that the post title is not hyperbole. IE6 (aka The Browser from Hell, Satan’s Browser Spawn, and the Browser That Sucked The Life Out of The Universe) was created in 2001, and brought… Continue reading Dr. Frankenstein Attempts to Kill His Monster
My next trike
With a price starting at almost $4,000 (before shipping from the UK), it’s not likely that I’ll ever own an ICE Vortex, but that doesn’t prevent me from drooling over it. This is one good looking, beautifully constructed trike. Carbon fiber seat, folding frame, dual disc brakes. 33 pounds is feather weight for a trike.… Continue reading My next trike
Dragged Down by Clutter
No, this isn’t a post about hoarders, although that’s certainly an interesting, if often gross, subject of inquiry. But I point you to this short article by Seth Godin wherein he observes that digital marketers (i.e. anyone with a website) seem to [eventually] make a universal mistake: because web space is essentially unlimited, they seek… Continue reading Dragged Down by Clutter
Unflattered by Imitation
After more than ten years of doing freelance web design/development, I keep thinking I’ve seen everything…and then I encounter something new. I received an email yesterday from a client who had been contacted by another organization, the latter asking permission to use unspecified aspects of the former’s website in the design of a new site… Continue reading Unflattered by Imitation
Redesigned US Currency
There have been a number of attempts to redesign US currency, which I’ll readily admit looks old and drab next to that of many other countries (but which also demonstrates that beauty does not always equate to utility or value, but that’s a completely different issue). The Dollar ReDe$ign Project brings many of those attempts… Continue reading Redesigned US Currency
DVD Annoyance
Once upon a time, when I was a real blogger, I had a category called “Usability Hall of Shame,” wherein was found posts about poorly designed products and websites. Sometimes I think about reinstating that category because no matter how hard I try, the world inexplicably refuses to come around to my way of thinking… Continue reading DVD Annoyance
Screen Door on a Submarine?
Prepare to toss your preconceived notions about the compromises one has to make in order to live on the water. This is a fascinating look at a floating house in the Seattle area [link via Twisted Sifter]. The architectural creativity is inspiring, but I’m puzzled by one minor detail, which is best described by this… Continue reading Screen Door on a Submarine?