Intelligent Design (the good kind)

On Hacks (and Internet Explorer)

Anyone who has done design or development work knows the frustration that comes with testing in Internet Explorer 6. It got a little better with the release of IE7, but all is not yet right with the world. Well, thanks to some excellent work by Brittish developer Dean Edwards, there are some great simple fixes for the IE6/IE7 headaches. Edwards has drawn up some javascript hacks that force IE6 & 7 to behave like a standards-compliant browser.

The IE fixes are part of a Google Code project and can be found at http://code.google.com/p/ie7-js/. Edwards work going to save other designers (like me!) and developers a lot of time and high blood pressure. His code has been featured on several popular sites, including the tutorial website NetTuts. He's even prompted a response from Microsoft, asking developers not to use Edwards' hacks, saying it's causing sites break in IE7 builds. Web standards demigod Eric Meyer commented on the matter, stating that he is "not going to make a move until an IE7 beta with new CSS behavior is released." Edwards later spoke up in response to Meyer's comments. He even pointed out that Microsoft themselves have been using Edwards hacks!

Figure it out, Microsoft...

On Creativity

I've always considered myself a creative person. I used to draw a lot when I was a kid. I've written stories, songs, and poems. I've even tried my hand at screenwriting. But for as long as I can remember, I've had difficulty connecting each step of the creative process and I've never really been able to flow smoothly from beginning to end. Most often, I'll decide that I want to create something. I usually have a vague, general idea of what that 'something' will ultimately become. But where to start, which direction to move in, and where to find inspiration often come rather slowly.

I believe that this creative hurdle is the one thing that stands between me and a huge amount of potential in the creative field. But I've also been rather successful at identifying and capitalizing on a niche that I'm uniquely qualified for. The world of developers (coders and programmers... the number-crunchers) and that of designers (photoshop and illustrator junkies... the pixel-pushers) often have very different priorities, standards, and practices. I have found that I have a unique ability to combine and reconcile these two worlds. I can bridge the gap between the nerds and the artists, bringing the two camps closer together overall.

Now, I realize that my skill doesn't sound like much. Couldn't anybody in this industry do a decent job applying styles to a functional framework? Probably, yes. But I'm good at it. Very good at it. I can do it quickly, efficiently, and intelligently, all while adhering to strict web standards and "web 2.0" best practices. I guess you could think of me as a... pixel-cruncher. Kind of sounds like an obscure comic book superhero...

On Googling Flash

Google announced recently that their spiders have "learned" to crawl and index Flash content on websites. Flash designers are celebrating, CSS designers are probably a bit nervous. There goes part of our ammo in the "why CSS is better than Flash" battle. But, there's hope for us CSSers.

From Google's own blog entry about the breakthrough, "Google has been developing a new algorithm for indexing textual content in Flash files of all kinds, from Flash menus, buttons and banners, to self-contained Flash websites." Key words here: textual content.

Google can now read the words your Flash sites display. But it can't gain any insight into the other pieces such as backgrounds or images. CSS has multiple techniques for accomplishing this task. So, go ahead and celebrate, Flashers (heh). But if you ask me, CSS still has the upper hand in this tilt.

On the Latest Redesign

It seems a redesign comes once a year or so. The last few redesigns applied to this site were products of necessity. I was trying to get a new job.. I wanted to ditch tables, etc. But this one, coming about 13 months after its predecessor, is based on nothing but boredom. I was tired of yesterday's version, so I made this one. Simple as that.

This version combines a few techniques that are new to me, such as mod-rewrite rules, jQuery javascript library, and third-party plugins for things like Twitter and Flickr. Overall, I'm very pleased with it. Please take a minute to let me know what you think.

On Corporate Sponsored Clouds

Remember gazing up into the clouds as a little kid? Trying to find bunny rabbits or smiley faces?

Advertisers remember it too. Now you can gaze skyward and see Mickey Mouse... literally. What will they think of next?

Company floats ads in 'clouds' shaped like corporate logos - Wired Magazine

On the Documentation Generation

Ever watch "reality television?" Ever think, "These people are idiots. I could be on this show and do a better job?" Me too. Did you ever consider, though, that these people, often teenagers or twenty-somethings, are being asked to lead "normal" lives all while having a camera crew document the whole charade? That has to have an effect on a person...right? Well, no not really. Sociologists and researchers are raising new questions about the phenomenon.

Sociologists have begun to question the effect of all this exhibitionism on young people. Can they form durable identities off-camera, or are they so used to producing their images for outside consumption that images have replaced their essences? Will a generation for whom all secrets are fair game and every private moment can become public trust each other and form intimate relationships? -- Jennie Yabroff, Newsweek

What I find most interesting about this is how it relates to human interaction. In the critical media world, there is a concept known as "parasocial relationship." The term refers to a situation in which one party feels that they are sharing a sincere, intimate relationship with a second party, however the second party has no knowledge of the presumed "relationship." The sitcom Friends spoofed the parasocial relationship when Joey played a character on a soap opera, Dr. Drake Remoray. Joey goes on a date with a beautiful woman, who believes that she is dating Drake, refusing to acknowledge that Drake is a fictional character portrayed by Joey (play within a play, anyone?). We'll call this Parasocial Level 1.

A logical extension of this definition of parasocial relations is the concept of being friends with a fictional character. It takes the aforementioned definition into account, where the second party has no knowledge of the "friendship," in this case because the second party doesn't actually exist. In this case, if I thought Bart Simpson was my best friend and we hung every night around 7:30pm, I would be enguaging in this second type of parasocial relationship. We'll call this Parasocial Level 2.

How does this all relate? Well, it's my assertion that the "documentation generation" is moving in the direction of Joey/Drake's beautiful date. This is true in several ways: First, the "doc gens" are losing self identity in the name of performance and acting, impairing their ability to function as healthy, balanced individuals, and maybe impairing their ability to recognize the difference between reality and "reality tv." Second, doc gens put so much stock in their performances and those of their peers, that their friends are only constructed representations of themselves. Therefore, they are actually creating and relying upon friendships with scripted characters. Voila, an example of Parasocial Level 2.

Interesting implications for the future of American society... I hope it doesn't become to severe a problem.

Note: It's worth pointing out that yes, I do realize the irony in writing a blog post about this issue... READ MY BLOG AND THEN WE CAN PRETEND WE'RE FRIENDS!

Check out the full Newsweek article. It's really an excellent article.

On Charitable Searching

You may recall from a recent post that I discussed some benefits of charitable giving. As I said in that post, thanks to the efforts of my fraternity, I've had the opportunity to take part in many different charity-based projects. The most recent one is a bit different. And I must say, a lot easier. It's called GoodSearch.

GoodSearch is a search engine (powered by Yahoo) that donates 50% of all revenue earned to charity. The kicker: which charity receives donations is up to you. So, I'll take another opportunity to plug Push America, Pi Kappa Phi's national philanthropy. You can search through GoodSearch and benefit Push America on the PiKapp UMass website, or own their own site. You can even add it to your Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari browser.

Happy GoodSearching.

On Politics (briefly)

I don't want to say too much on the matter. I simply want to point out that everything I've read on the internet, seen on tv, and heard from any half-way-reliable source leads me to believe that Senator Barack Obama can, should, and will be the next president of the United States. I support him and I truly hope he wins.

I think all 3 of the major candidates are impressive in their own ways. But for my money, Obama is it. His e-campaign can be followed in the following locations.

• Barack Obama on Facebook
• Barack Obama on MySpace
• Barack Obama on YouTube
• Barack Obama on Flickr
• Barack Obama on Digg
• Barack Obama on Twitter
• Barack Obama on LinkedIn

Check him out. Read about him. Watch videos. Do your own research. You'll be impressed. Go Obama.

On Charitable Giving

You know that old saying, "'Tis better to give than to receive?" I, for one, believe it. I think that giving money and goods are excellent ways of being charitable and generous. But, if you ask me, it just doesn't get any better than donating your time.

I've had friends and family participate in events like the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure's Breast Cancer 3-Day, and several other large programs. I have personally been a part of the Relay for Life, I've done work with Habitat for Humanity, and I've done quite a bit of work raising money and awareness through a national philanthropy called Push America.

Push America is a national philanthropic organization, founded in 1977 by Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity with the purpose of instilling lifelong service in its members and enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities. I am a brother of Pi Kappa Phi, and in my time in college with PiKapp, we were involved with several different philanthropic programs. We held our own events, participated in UMass-sponsored events, ran national events at a local level, and raised tens of thousands of dollars.

Every year, PiKapp sponsors a 5k road race around the UMass campus to raise money and awareness for Push America and for persons with disabilities around the Amherst community. This year, the PiKapp 5k Road Race will be held on April 26th at 9am. All of the money raised will be donated, 75% to Push America and 25% to the Special Olympics of Western Massachusetts.

It's a great event for a great cause. The pikapps have already raised more than $5,000 and the race is still several weeks away. If you have any interest in running, helping, or donating, please visit the pikapp website and visit the Race section.

On Web 2.0-ness

Well, it's springtime again. And you know what that means... a new design for this site. This one was inspired by a few big factors. One, it's time to evolve beyond the tiny 800x600-compatible layout. Another key influence was the "web 2.0" craze out there.

Let me explain that... As a designer, I do believe that the latest wave of design trends has evolved into a new, separate entity from its humble roots. In that sense, one might consider it "version 2.0." However, that term is utterly meaningless. It has basically come to be a term that business personnel use either to sound like they know what their IT guy is talking about or, more commonly, to sell something.

So, this design is inspired by the latest design conventions that I find functional and aesthetic. That is, tabbed navigation, 3d-effects, and full-width backgrounds. No more boxes or full-height drop-shadows.

So, as always, I would love some feedback on the design. Please let me know what you think.

On Back-End Beauty

In a "web 2.0" age, anyone who knows what to look for in a well-functioning website will give a subject site the ol' once-over, and just as quickly, hit a few familiar keystrokes and peruse the site's source code. Of course, with Ajax-based web apps gaining in popularity, "source scoping" is becoming a futile effort.

I, for one, still prefer accessible, source-outputting, server-side languages. I also believe that code, in any format, can be as beautiful as the interface it powers. In my experience in this industry, I've done far more work as a designer than a developer. Yet, in the development experience that I do have, I have structured the server-side code to output well-formed, beautiful client-side code. Plainly put, I have an insatiable need to style my code.

Below, I've provided two versions of the code behind this site. Compare the two for yourself. I believe you'll see what I mean.

Un-Styled Code

<div id="notebook"><h1>Notebook</h1><p id="box">The thoughts and ideas of one ambitious, 
inqusitive, observant, verbose web designer.</p><div class="entry"><h2>On Back-End
Beauty</h2><p>In a "web 2.0" age, anyone who knows what to look for in a well-functioning
website will give a subject site the ol' once-over, and just as quickly, hit a few familiar
keystrokes and peruse the site's source code. Of course, with Ajax-based web apps gaining
in popularity, "source scoping" is becoming a futile effort.</p></div></div>

Styled Code

<div id="notebook">
	<h1>Notebook</h1>
	<p id="box">The thoughts and ideas of one
		ambitious, inqusitive, observant, verbose web
		designer.
	</p>
	<div class="entry">
		<h2>On Back-End Beauty</h2>
		<p>In a "web 2.0" age, anyone who knows what
			to look for in a well-functioning website will
			give a subject site the ol' once-over, and just
			as quickly, hit a few familiar keystrokes and
			peruse the site's source code. Of course, with
			Ajax-based web apps gaining in popularity,
			"source scoping" is becoming a futile
			effort.
		</p>
	</div>
</div>

Is it just me? Or can the back-end be beautiful too?

The idea behind a styled interface is simple. We want whatever is public to look good. Well, I submit that source code has become public, and therefore, deserves just as much care and style as the interface.

On Parental Mind Control

For any Facebook users out there, you may have seen a "Sponsored Story" in your news feed recently. It's a YouTube-style internet video clip/advertisement for a computer. I'm not generally one to publicize an ad. By definition, they get enough exposure on their own. This one, however, I feel is worthy of some extra attention.

It's very simple... kid wants computer > kid tries to control parent's mind > parent makes fun of kid > parent gets kid the computer anyway, seeming unaware that his mind is being controlled. The tagline? "No, really. It works. The Society for Parental Mind Control can show you how."

Let me tell you why this is one of the most interesting ad campaigns I've ever seen...

1. It's a YouTube-style "funny internet clip," very popular with teenagers.
2. The name "Parental Mind Control" is enough to make anyone with parents stop and think twice.
3. The added bonus phrase "No, really. It works" is a blatant lie, but because of its "straight-forward honesty," many people will think, "It does? How?" and click the link.
4. It's a clear example of viral marketing, combined with a sort of internet-age "reverse psychology" in which the ad company lies to you, you know they are lying, they know that you know they're lying, but they lie anyway for "humor value."
5. It's built on the modern American teenager's willing dependence on their parents, saying, "Use mind control, get a sweet computer." It might as well say, "Manipulate your parents and get them to buy you an expensive piece of equipment. It won't cost you a dime! Who cares about how much it costs them?!"

The marketers behind this ad did a fantastic job of combining techniques and targeting their audience. I'd be interested to see how many computers they sell as a result of this ad. It occurs to me that I don't even know who is selling the computer. The ad never says. But, I suppose that if I control my parents' minds effectively, they'll just know which computer to get me.

On Life-Changes

This is a pretty uncertain and changing time for a person... post-graduation, that is. A few personal upheavals thrown in there, and you've got a dazed, wandering kid trying figure out which way is up. Funny, though, is the tendency times like these have to make us more self-aware and better able to take a step back and appreciate the complexities of life. It's very humbling.

On April

So April came and went. In like a lamb? Sure. Out like a lion? Maybe. Either way, it's one more month out of the way between me and graduation. Graduation is three weeks from this Saturday. ...yikes.

I had a few additions to the portfolio this month. A Mobile Percussion Seminar re-design, and a brand-new project, the UMass Veterans and Service Members Association. Check them out, I'm very proud of both.

On The Past Few Months

At last! After more than three months, TJKweb is finally back. I had to go through a battle with my old host company. Finally, a reliable host that provides both flexibility and security. Since they're not paying me, I won't advertise for them by recommending them by name.

Spring is officially here. And with it comes a redesign and a fresh look for the site. I'm using this redesign to experiment with some more clean, white-based design ideas. And as always, the green tint made its way in.

There are 55 days left until I graduate. It's starting to sink in...

On Patenting

Ever wonder if you were violating a patent? Now you can find out with the push of a button with the patented Google Patent Search!

Just like the "arrangement of facts" case from the 1980's, Google isn't doing anything new here. They're arranging publicly available information in a certain way to make it accessible and marketable. I call it a patented Google patent search because the techniques they use to search are patented and so is the search results screen layout users see upon completing their search. The Google Patent Search indexed over 7 million patents, dating back to 1790.

I find it funny, and a bit ironic, that you can now use a patented search to search for patents.

On Web Rankings

"Spurred by the popularity of MySpace, News Corp. sites have overtaken Yahoo sites as the most viewed by U.S. Internet users, according to new industry data cited by News Corp. on Tuesday," [from News.com]. The ranking is debated heavily, mostly by Yahoo, who are reluctant to relinquish the title.

MySpace and Yahoo continue to battle each other in the world's biggest popularity contest. And it's actually a very close race. Microsoft pulled up a distant third place, racking up only about a third of the visits NewsCorp and Yahoo reached. Not making the top three was Google. It seems Google and Microsoft missed the boat on purchasing MySpace, especially as a means to compete with Yahoo.

What will happen, I wonder, when MySpace starts offering Yahoo-style services: email, messaging, searches, news, etc? You know... grown-up stuff.

On 2006

A recent New York Times article called 2006 the "Year of Self Expression." If you refer to an entry from last week, I discuss this trend of user-generated content ("UGC") as it relates to news. In the Times article, it relates to media moguls snatching up all of the UGC outlets as this trend grows.

Google bought Blogger. Microsoft bought Friendster. NewsCorp bought MySpace. Google bought YouTube and made an offer to Facebook. It seems that "success" for one of these UGC outlets is being redefined. Now, the best thing that can happen is to be bought out for $1.65 billion, and after you contributed absolutely none of the content.

Sure sounds like a get-rich-quick scheme to me. But it's working. And it's only the beginning.

On ProBlogging

A Canadian court has recognized a blogger as an occupation in a case involving an arrest for obstructing a police officer. The court noted that the blogger was "simply plying his trade, photographing a demonstration for inclusion in his blog when he was arrested."

Blogging is an occupation? Who's hiring? What are the requirements? I can see the paralells to an independent journalist or photographer, but in those cases, someone will purchase your work and publish it in their medium. Where's your product to sell? You're just going to publish it yourself. Does ad revenue alone make enough for you to call this your occupation?

More surprising to me is the fact that a blogging has embedded itself so deeply in society that it's become a legitimate claim to call yourself a professional blogger. It was only about three years ago when blogs were considered pointless esoteric rants by many people. My how the tables have turned...

On You-Witnesses

It seems that user-involvement can't go far enough. From the earliest message boards to chatrooms, to online networking, to wiki software, blogging and vlogging, user-generated content seems to be in high demand, and only getting higher.

Yahoo and Reuters recently announced a new service (or product) known as "You-Witness News," in which people are asked to submit digital camera footage or cell phone camera pictures of any news-worthy event to Yahoo news' website.

From a news/media perspective, it's a great idea. Instant access to news from real eye-witnesses, average Americans just doing their part to help inform the masses.

But from a critical perspective, isn't this just another step (or maybe a giant leap) in the direction information-as-commodity behavior? And, since news productions, just like every other media program, are simply content designed to attract viewers in an effort to sell products through advertising, the real commodity being sold here is the consumer or viewer.

How's this for a perfect circle? Now users are being encouraged to actively participate in generating the very thing which lures them into becoming a tradable commodity. You-Witness. You-View. You-Get-Sold.

On Wi-Fi

The recent trend of free, city-wide wireless internet access is raising some eyebrows, mine included. From BBC News, "Manchester could become the biggest free wireless internet hotspot in Europe under plans unveiled by the city council."

If a city is providing free internet access, what are the implications for its citizens and users?

• What do the ISPs have to say about this?
• Should we listen to what the ISPs would say?
• Will the government be regularly monitoring/regulating use?
• If everyone is on one network, what are the security implications?
• How will deadspots be dealt with?
• Do you really want the internet to be accessible from anywhere?

I can't be the only one to raise these concerns.. can I?

On Portaduction

Cell Phones, Laptop computers, Portable Digital Assistants, Satellite-Connectevity & "Anywhere Internet"... the world has become portable. Gone are the days of tethered desktop workstations and static, immobile command centers.

Portability and productivity have become synonymous. Television viewers and internet browsers are constantly bombarded with advertisements promising products that will free your business from it's physical constraints, unshackling us all from the laws of gravity.

I have dubbed this wave of the future "portaduction", or portable production.

Portaduction will have vast implications for the world of communication, technology, and law. These issues now cross borders, all over the country and the world. Will the laws catch up?

On Online Referencing

I'm not sure if anyone else has ever used the phrase "online referencing." If not, maybe I should copyright it. What I mean by my new phrase are these websites that serve as a collection of material or information, that claim to "try to make users' lives easier."

Take, for example, the Daily Jolt. The Jolt is a website that collects information like news headlines, weather forecasts, links to academic resources for students.

The idea is to attract visitors by inticing them with information that they "need," and while they access this information, they view ads that make the publishers a considerable sum of money. We have two, or now three, of these online reference sites born and bred right here at UMass.

The first was the simple and effectively-named, "UMass Links." Quickly thereafter, a second version followed, this time playing on the school's name with, "ZooMass Links." The third, and most recent, edition is a new company called "CampusLive."

These three are now in direct competition with each other, with the exception that ZooMass Links and CampusLive are owned and operated by the same people.

There is a lot of money to be made here. The ads are targetted at a very specific genre of viewer, and as it turns out, there is a high demand for the service. Each of these sites simply collects and arranges information. They don't author anything. What implications are there for providing other people's copyrighted material? So far, none.

On Social Networking

What is it about my generation that makes us totally infatuated with this idea of "connectedness" and "social networking?" No generation before us ever cared so much about so little. Granted, they lacked the technology necessary for this kind of thing, but even now, when the technology is all but ubiquitous, they still don't appreciate our desire to know everyone.

Neither do I.

Don't get me wrong. I still participate in it. I very much enjoy it. But there's something else to it. To our parents, we're strange because we belong to these networks. To our peers, we're strange if we don't. I don't subscribe to the idea that our virtual, parasocial relationships are as important as our personal ones. I'm not sure my peers see it that way either, but to an outside observer, that's the way it would seem.

Take the number of subscribers to sites like MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, and Xanga. According to a comScore Media Metrix study, in August 2006, 79,669 different people logged on to these sites from home/work/university locations in the United States.

I don't see a huge problem with my generation using these services as much as we do. I think it's vane and narcissistic that we advertise our lives and show off how many "friends" we have. But hey—this is the information age. In today's 20-something society, you have to publicize yourself. It's all a game, right? Well, as with most things, it's all just fun & games until someone gets hurt.

On Cyber-Results

I am a webdeveloper. I perform work. I produce a good. I receive monetary compensation for my goods and services. Just like the good old-fashioned business model. The only problem is, when it comes down to it.. I don't have anything concrete to show for my efforts. Every "good" I've produced is in the realm of "intellectual property."

What that really means is that it's intagible. We're in an age now where tangibility is no longer a requisite for ownership and legitimacy. Something doesn't have to physically exist for it to be perfectly legit and legal. I guess that's not such a big deal, it's just a little bit different than what we're used to dealing with, and it will take some getting used to.

It's also not a brand new idea. Ever since people began copyrighting song lyrics, artwork, books and other writings, broadcasts and radio frequencies... the concept of owning and legitimizing something that exists beyond the two-dimensional world has been in play.

It's still a little odd, and some ways a bit disheartening, to think that none of my accomplishments can be held or touched. They're ultimately just arrangements of electric currents. I'm proud of them, certainly. But I can't frame them or keep them in a shoebox to show my grandkids someday.

On Licensing

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 License.

"Attribution," "Noncommercial," "Share Alike." Each of these parts to the license are important. They mean that if you use anything from this site, you must credit the author--me. You may not use anything from my site for profit. That would be stealing. And if you alter, transform, or build upon my site, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one.

I really like the idea of a friendly, collective, free licensing system. I just wonder how long and how effectively it will work. Has the Creative Commons system been held up in court? All I did to get approval to call my work "licensed" was fill out a tiny form on a website. How can this be considered on the same level as the system used by the U.S. Patent Office?

Also, if you'll direct your attention to the bottom of this page, you'll notice that I have included a copyright notice. Why have both on one site? Well, because my work is copyrighted. By law, anytime you author something and publish it on the internet, you automatically own the copyright to it. In my situation, I think it's important to share and build a collective exchange of ideas. The Creative Commons license is my way of contributing in a friendly, legal way.