September 2008
1 post
July 2008
1 post
Easy Tarte Tatin
So, I went to France on holiday last week and was dissapointed when I got back that I hadn’t actually eaten a single slice of apple tart. In order to compensate I decided to have a go at making a Tarte Tatin. I’ve never made one before but it was remarkably easy and very tasty so I thought I’d share…
First you’ll need a Tarte Tatin dish something like this which is...
April 2008
1 post
Developer Beware: Using Flash to Detect Screen... →
Thought this article about detecting assistive technologies was interesting. Particularly like the second comment by Christian Heilmann (of Yahoo!) who suggests that rather than using this for Flash we use it where AJAX or other progressive enhancements are present and gracefully degrade the behaviour accordingly to offer those users a better experience.
March 2008
2 posts
“In light of the Interoperability Principles, as well as feedback from the...”
– IEBlog : Microsoft’s Interoperability Principles and IE8
IEBlog : Microsoft's Interoperability Principles... →
Oh Happy Day! Yay, this put me in a good mood this morning.
February 2008
13 posts
TechCrunch UK » Where is your Bucks of Woodside? →
“The proposed default behavior for version targeting in Internet Explorer solves...”
– A List Apart: Articles: They Shoot Browsers, Don’t They? Jeremy Keith. This, is an inspired phrase!
A List Apart: Articles: They Shoot Browsers, Don't... →
“Here, here” as they say in Parliament. Yay! for Jeremy and his well constructed article. As ever I am jealous of the eloquence of these guys, jealous in a highly respecting manner ;)
“This toxic, counterproductive years of experience myth has permeated the...”
– Coding Horror: The Years of Experience Myth
Taking Projects to the Extreme →
This article has an excellent description of success sliders. Success sliders are a great visual tool so that everyone knows what will make a project a success - is it on time delivery? etc It also makes the client prioritise.
New Media Knowledge » Blog Archive » Beers and... →
I will now be chairing this panel, I think it should make for an excellent debate on issues that I am passionate about.
Information & Design Usability Resources →
Lots of useful tools and downloadable kits on this site
Card sorting: a definitive guide →
Useful article describing card sorting and why it is of use.
Heroes Happen Here :: HHH Comic →
Microsoft comic strip about how people who work in IT are heroes!?! Amusingly you will need Silverlight to view in full ;) Clever!
Influencing the customer experience through the... →
I used to work for the company that built and run MyCustomer.com shame they didn’t use any of the principles described in the article to build the site! Contrary to advice of course.
The Virtues of a Second Screen - New York Times →
Now there is actual real evidence why you should have 2 or more screens: Survey after survey shows that whether you measure your productivity in facts researched, alien spaceships vaporized, or articles written, adding an extra monitor will give your output a considerable boost — 20 percent to 30 percent, according to a survey by Jon Peddie Research.
January 2008
18 posts
“It’s the Hello! magazine for following Net Celebs. If you get vicarious...”
– All that Twitters is not told - broadstuff about Twitter my favourite thing on the web. Add me PinkPixie
It's time to overhaul copyright law →
From the Guardian UK Technology pages. Too damned right it is, its too complicated and damned silly as it is.
Are the mavens deserting Facebook? - broadstuff →
Mainly I really like the word ‘Maven’ but also thinking this is true.
Eight is Not Enough →
I like the idea of constant testing by users, it fits very well with agile and iterative development to my mind. If you are constantly testing, constantly improving, constantly developing then it makes sense to constantly be user testing with a small number of users.
Walk Score - Helping homebuyers, renters, and real... →
This is brilliant - it works for the UK! I love it, a lot of fun AND useful to boot!
How to demo software - Joel on Software →
Another great analysis - this would work, even for a small demo to one customer, the same principles apply. I like it :)
Q: When is an alliance in Bristol not a Bristol... →
Witty, but true observation on the concept of local!
Five whys - Joel on Software →
Another excellent article by Joel Spolsky, good analysis of a situation and IMHO an excellent solution. I really like that he borrowed from Toyota - when I was a student they were always held up as a shining example of brilliant outside of the box thinking within very strict cultural boundaries, a lot of their policies (like Just in Time delivery) just make sense.
HTML5, XHTML2, and the Future of the Web →
good summary of different specifications, and why XHTML is NOT a direct replacement for HTML (its not like the souped up version or anything)
Beyond DOCTYPE: Web Standards, Forward... →
From A List Apart. This is a very interesting article which is causing a big stir today.
“That demands tacit knowledge, collaboration, and trust — all things that seem to...”
– How Email Brings You Closer to the Guy in the Next Cubicle
@media 2008 | The Best Practice Web Design... →
Best conference I went to in 2007, would love to go again.
IA Summit 2008 - home →
10-14 April Miami!! That would be fun!
Petition to: investigate the current music... →
Please sign this petition to get the government to investigate and regulate charging for internet music broadcast.
Agile Project Planning: Are Functional Specs... →
Good question, and here is a good answer!
December 2007
5 posts
Web's Builders See Too Much Fuss Over Standards,... →
Slightly misleading title. W3C are a slow behemoth who are hindering innovation and creativity by taking forever to catch up. And those of us who are trying to ‘do things right’ are trying to adhere to standards which are out of date by the time they are thought of let alone consecrated by a very long winded process.
Assessing Your Team's UX Skills →
UX Magazine - Investing in UX →
How investing in UX can bring value to your business
24 ways: 10 Ways To Get Design Approval →
Yay! Some really good points here. And I want designs that I can be proud of to be produced :)
Articles Are More Valuable Than Blogs →
Oh how true! I wish people (read CEO’s) would stop with the blogging and get some decent content copy written. Publishers - Editors Comment is nothing new, thats all blogging is for you guys!
November 2007
6 posts
Web Social Architecture: Consulting Skills: Word... →
Andy Budd::Blogography: Personas Suck →
On Personas again. Andy sums it up very nicely, took the words right out of my mouth. (Damn him for his eloquent writing style, not that anyone would read it if I wrote it anyway!)
What’s not to love about instant cake mixes? |... →
This however is hilarious! I really did train as a pastry chef, and AFAIK instant cake mixes had been around some time at that point already, but still there was a need for professionals. That’s pretty much my opinion on what is now known as ‘The Great CSS Framework Debate’. Got to love cake though (even though I can’t eat it being wheat intolerant)
JeffCroft.com: What’s not to love about CSS... →
Bizarre! My personal opinion - if CSS is really the lowest common denominator in programming languages (I think its fairly easy once you are familiar with the intricacies) then why do you need a framework? However, saying that its mainly Brits who are against them, and that people who write CSS are the bottom of the programmer food-chain is quite derogative and a bit inflammatory and offensive...
Crappy Personas vs. Robust Personas » UIE Brain... →
Jared Spool rocks, listen to what he says!
Lovely Victorian terraced 3 bedroom house for sale... →
I am selling my house in Bristol, its really nice, have a look!
September 2007
4 posts
BristolSkillSwap | SkillSwap Re-Launched →
This Tuesday at Goldbrick House - sign up now - its going to be a good one!
Bristol Media | BarCampBristol - a user generated... →
http://www.bristolmedia.co.uk/blog/trackback/119
“Making Your Webinars More Effective.”
– http://direct.adobe.com/v?xJlHvPqEJcvWvWcvW I hate hate hate the word ‘webinar’ arrgghhhhh!!