Things We Write
By Joshua on March 15 2010
Working in web design can feel incredibly confining at times. Header goes here. Sidebar here. Duplicate your base HTML and CSS templates. Rinse. Repeat.
In a field so governed by conventions, what can we do to breathe life and originality into our work? Focus on just one thing.
A …
By Joshua on January 27 2010
In a recent article, chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov reflected on an experiment designed to create the most competitive chess games ever played.
In 2005, the online chess-playing site Playchess.com hosted what it called a "freestyle" chess tournament in which anyone …
By Seth on December 12 2009
The end of this article has something remarkable in it. Scroll down to see what I mean.
Did you see it? There's nothing there. No pleading for you to make us go viral or begging you to be our RSS homie. There's a simple choice: Leave a comment or bounce.
This makes …
By Joshua on April 13 2009
As web designers, sometimes we get stuck in our own little world, rarely looking outside. And if we do look outside of web design, it's probably print or package design. But the interactive nature of websites, especially feature-rich "web 2.0″ sites, means that …
By Joshua on March 09 2009
Even if the only thing you've ever designed is a mashed potato volcano with gravy lava, you're a designer. We all design in some way or other. The best of us get paychecks for their designs. The worst of us have to appreciate our elegant disasters for free. The best designs …
By Seth on February 11 2009
If you happened to watch the Grammy Awards this year, you may have noted that Bela Fleck and his Flecktones won yet another award. Bela is a world-renowned banjo player who, in his 20 years with the Flecktones, has been nominated for Grammy's in jazz, bluegrass, pop, country, …
By Seth on January 28 2009
The last time you were in a restaurant that had crayons available, did you use them?
I admit to using crayons, markers, pencils, soft rocks, anything to give my fidgeting fingers something creative to do. I'm the first to grab the "forest green" and start planting …
By Joshua on December 12 2008
I slowly sipped the cool liquid energy from a can of Mountain Dew. It would only be a matter of minutes before it joined the school of empty cans surrounding my workspace as a reminder that I was out of creative juice. Caffeine does a pretty good job of keeping me awake. Exercise …
By Joshua on July 03 2008
It seems like every day I see another batch of articles about the power of engagement, and the benefits of being permanently connected to the latest social networks, lifestreaming feeds, or Web 3.0 applications. There's no denying that they can be wonderful tools, but just …
By Joshua on March 12 2008
Photo by victor nuno (license)
Earlier this week, I wrote about how being silent can help you stand out from the crowd. But silence is more than just another way of attracting attention. It is also a way of rediscovering what is really important and reconnecting with the source …
By Joshua on March 10 2008
Photo by victor nuno (license)
This past Saturday, I was killing a little time by watching Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer. It was predictably cheesy, with the main characters as barely-held-together comic book stereotypes. But what struck me most was the character of the …
By Joshua on February 17 2008
Here is my latest collection of links that I found interesting and useful.
Getting Creative With Your Content – Men with Pens
James is tired of formulaic content and attempts to make readers jump through hoops.
» The FourFourNiner: The Pilot » The …
By Joshua on February 14 2008
Photo by dogseat (license) – And no, this isn't me.
A while back, WAH(web)Mommy tagged me asking for 7 weird things about myself. I'm generally a bit reluctant to join in on memes, but since Shane and Harry have already done so, I might as well pitch in my …
By Joshua on February 11 2008
Since my previous post on 6 Web Design Tips from Leonardo Da Vinci was so popular, I decided to follow it up with another one, this time from Michelangelo. I'm considering making these posts into a regular feature. Let me know what you think!
1. Start young and study …
By Joshua on February 05 2008
Photo by Cane Rosso (license)
This is a guest post from Jarkko Laine, who is Insanely Interested in Everything.
I read all the time. It helps me learn new things, become a better writer, entertain myself.
But most importantly, reading feeds my creativity.
A week ago, I …