Since switching to Lunarpages.com, I have been pretty happy. Speed is good. However, they just allowed something to happen which kind of annoyed me. I had installed the latest version of WordPress when I switched over and imported my blog. After a while, Lunarpages got the upgraded version of WordPress as well. So they kept…
I was looking for a site that used a particular UI element called a “slider”. Sliders are horizontal or vertical bars with an indicator on top. You slide the indicator back and forth to tell the system a particular range or value. These are useful in specific circumstances, but don’t get used all the time.…
There are alot of speed tests on the web that look at javascript libraries like jQuery. All of them have been getting faster and faster. I used a MooTools template, which was actually pretty easy to set up. I pointed it at my blog rather than the typical Shakespeare script. I also included the size…
I had never installed a blackberry (crackberry) server before and really hadn’t thought much about it. Apparently, it’s a pretty complex architecture. The software, which installs on the exchange server, has a zillion options. From a UX standpoint, this thing is a disaster. I imagine this is because there are so many configuration options for…
The New York Times reported that the senior official in charge of their Food and Drug oversight was sentenced to death for corruption. In America, Scooter Libby was sentenced to 3 years in prison for leaking the name of Valerie Plame to the press, a treasonable offense. He was then let off the prison hook…
Recently I was looking at Veoh. It seems to be a YouTube competitor. It has a nice UI and works pretty much the same way as YouTube. However, they allow you to download any of the videos, if you register. They also have a Veoh Player, but as far as I can see, the downloads…
Having trouble getting past a certain point in my presentation for AjaxExperience 2007. In the presentation, I have ranted and raved about the creative process and interaction design. I have nice illustrations and fancy transitions. All is well. Now, I want to transition to the part where there is jQuery. I want to show examples.…
jQuery 1.1.3 just got released. It’s 800% faster on average than 1.1.2 and still 20k. It also hase a few bells and whistles which will make my life easier. One thing I wish I had last month is a negative selector like $(“div[@id!=test]”). The exclamation point helps because I can say do something to anything…
I just finished buying my first photograph from iStockPhoto.com. I am totally impressed with their user interface. The entire experience was solid. The information architecture seemed coherent. Everything about it has subtlety and grace. Compared to the competition, it head and shoulders above the rest. Plus the pricing strategy was great. You buy “credits”. Then…
Netflix, a few weeks ago, finally introduced Drag and Drop on their Queue page. I have already used it a bunch of times. Bravo, Netflix. It works very well for what it does. It has a nice transparency when a row is in motion. Plus several visual cues to know what is happening. However, it…
I just finished watching the movie Bridge to Terabithia with Katie and the Kids. It was the saddest thing I have seen in years. I almost started crying. I had that terrible lump in my throat. I can still feel it. I thought it was going to be a movie like The Lion, The Witch…
I was just reading the CSS3 specifications. This got me down for two reasons. One, because I am a total geek for reading these. Two, because browsers are pretty far away from supporting these. Who knows when I will feel comfortable actually using some of these capabilities? When IE7 dies? 2010? Later? The stuff in…
For a long time, I have not liked the functionality in the image zoom implementations out there. Usually I use HighSlide. It is probably the best of the bunch. It zooms, drags around, has great styling with lots of options. But it doesn’t dim the screen and it doesn’t have easing on the zoom. jQuery…
I have been getting myself accustomed to the idea that my first book advance check will go to a list of fun stuff. Here is my current list. Logitech Harmony 800 Remote Control (or equivalent) Digital recorder for Katie. I don’t know which one is best. It’s for recording her singing. Wii. You know, for…