August 2006 Archives

It's a crisp Saturday morning as I make my way through the Davis Farmers' Market. I don't see the booth I'm supposed to man, yet.

I could use some coffee.

There's a wooden coffee cart near the kettle corn booth, with an espresso machine behind a glass pane and two large silver coffee pots. A black-and-yellow bumper sticker below the glass stands out:

NO COFFEE, NO WORKEE

• Official Google Blog: We love you, webmasters
  Incidentally, "Webmaster" is my new job title - it's on my business card and everything (I have business cards?!). It makes feel all warm inside that Google loves me.
  (tags: reference web webdesign webdev)

• 10 tips for keeping your desk clean and tidy
  Let's just say I could really use this.
  (tags: lifehacks productivity howto)
• F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)
  Another Nielsen article on heatmaps that show what people look at on pages. Key take-away: "Users won't read your text thoroughly in a word-by-word manner."
  (tags: cool usability web webdev webdesign)
• Growing a Business Website: Fix the Basics First (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)
  Continuing my Jakob Nielsen roll.
  (tags: web webdesign webdev usability)

• Patterns in Interaction Design
  This makes my life SO much easier.
  (tags: web webdesign webdev reference)
• How To Quantify The User Experience
  This also makes my life so much easier.
  (tags: reference web webdesign usability branding webdev)
• Voodoo Usability (Alertbox Dec. 1999)
  Old Jakob Nielsen article on why people who use websites say one thing but do another, suggesting that observation is better than surveys or focus groups as a way to figure out needs. He does note that short surveys can be useful in some circumstances.
  (tags: usability webdesign webdev web)
• First Rule of Usability? Don't Listen to Users (Alertbox)
  Another classic by Nielsen.
  (tags: usability web webdesign webdev)
• Keep Online Surveys Short (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)
  I guess I'm on a Jakob Nielsen tear today.
  (tags: usability web webdesign webdev)

• Creating a Style-Guide for your site
  Simple idea: apply your stylesheet to a stripped down page containing key elements from your site. File this under "why didn't I think of that?"
  (tags: css design howto tips web webdesign webdev)

I just created a Radio.Blog.Club playlist for you fine folks. Most of the selections are on my 5-star playlist on my iPod.

If you like this, I may make posts like this on a regular basis. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Today's playlist:

• Four Tet - Everything is Alright
• David Gray - Please Forgive Me
• Joseph Arthur - In the Sun
• Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
• Embrace - Ashes
• Embrace - Looking As You Are
• Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek
• Mae - Suspension
• Mae - Breakdown
• Halloween, Alaska - Call It Clear

• Estimate your Take-Home Pay
  I just started a new job, and I want to be proactive about budgeting. That means coming up with one before my first paycheck. This calculator helps you estimate what your take home pay will be after taxes.
  (tags: money cool)

• The Quiet Death of the Major Re-Launch
  Incremental changes are the way to go, it seems.
  (tags: webdesign webdev web design)

15 days and 475 spam emails later, my DSL at home is finally working again. It's crazy — my ISP had to disconnect it so that the phone company could change the name on my phone bill. Huh?

• Use Purpose-Driven Investing to Achieve Your Goals
  Simple idea: set up an account for a specific goal. Turns out, one of my banks makes it really easy to set up more than one savings account.
  (tags: money lifehacks)
• Where does the term "honeymoon" come from?
  "[A]pplied to such as be new married, which will not fall out at the first, but the one loveth the other at the beginning exceedingly, the likelihood of their exceeding love appearing to assuage, the which time the vulgar people call the honey moon." Eh?
  (tags: random)

• Woot Wine : One Week, One Wine
  Woot now sells wine -- one a week as opposed to one a day.
  (tags: deals wine)

• Motorola MOTOFONE | Uncrate
  Finally, a cell phone that's just a phone (and that looks good!).
  (tags: cool technology)