• Creative block

    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. …

  • jQuery 1.1.3 and beyond

    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…

  • The UX of iStockPhoto.com

    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…

  • The UX of Netflix Drag & Drop Queue

    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…

  • The Bridge to Terabithia

    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…

  • CSS3

    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? …

  • EaseBox Part I

    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…

  • Wish List

    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…

  • Non-detirministic CSS

    An engineer friend of mine needed some help on CSS.  He was extremely frustrated with the CSS.  As I fixed it, he looked at me like I was performing black magic.  I asked, “Isn’t programming like this?”  He said, “No, programming is more deterministic.” This made me think about all…

  • Microsoft Outlook 2007

    I am stunned, shocked and dismayed. Microsoft has kicked me straight in the family jewels on this one. I am so mad, I could spit! Literally. This is a horrible decision. Microsoft Outlook 2000 and 2003 both used Internet Explorer as their rendering engine. T his meant you could design…

  • Loving an Idea

    To love an idea is to love it a little more than one should. –Jean Rostand I highly resemble this quote.

  • The UX of jQuery Plugins

    jQuery just announced launched a new plugin area. This is an area that I have had particular interest in for some time. The jQuery plugins really are needed to do any advanced UX. Once you have a taste of great UX, you just can’t hold back from every detail. Anyway,…

  • Latest Greatest

    Busy weekend as usual.  Worked more on the book.  It’s moving along.  In the book there are lots of “examples” that I am mocking up.  I find myself making them way too complicated.  I believe that any page can have dozens of small details that make it smooth and perfect. …

  • Safari for Windows

    Ok, I couldn’t help myself.  I installed Safari for Windows.  It was a beta!  I couldn’t resist.  Almost immediately, I noticed a few annoying things which bother my User Experience senses. There was no top bar.  I use that top bar.  I resize with it, I double click on it…