Jeffrey Zeldman's Blog, page 41
October 25, 2013
I Remember Mama
TODAY IN 2000 the lady who brought me into this life left it.
Pneumonia was listed as the cause of death, but she was really killed by Alzheimer’s, a disease that, to all intents and purposes, had already taken her life back in 1993. What died in 2000 was not my mother, although I mourned her again when her body finally passed, and I was shocked by the depth of pain I felt at her demise. I thought I had already grieved for her during the seven years of her mental and spiritual extinguishment.
My mother was a natural comedian. If you’ve seen Woody Allen in a movie—particularly the early, funny ones—you’ve met her, in a way. The comedy was a defense against a despair she could never shake—because of what happened to her father, because of what happened to the boy she loved when she was a teenager, because because.
My mother loved her children more than anything, which is a big reason I love myself and can love others.
If there is a heaven, she is in it, and if she is in it, she is surprised and pissed off and complaining.
My mother never met my daughter, but I am startled by the ways my daughter sometimes reminds me of the grandmother she never knew.
Hi, Mom.
October 24, 2013
Big Web Show № 101: Let’s Kill Some Dreams—Advertising & The Web with Jeremy Fuksa
DESIGNER, producer, and radio host Jeremy Fuksa and I discuss advertising’s view of the web, the web’s view of advertising, and new design processes for our multi-device web overlords. Enjoy.
Keep Hope Alive
Check all episodes on Mule Radio.
Subscribe to The Big Web Show on iTunes.
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Big Web Show № 101: Let’s Kill A Few Dreams—Advertising & The Web with Jeremy Fuksa
DESIGNER, producer, and internet radio bon vivant Jeremy Fuksa and I discuss advertising’s view of the web, the web’s view of advertising, and design processes for our new overlords. Enjoy.
Keep Hope Alive
Check all episodes on Mule Radio.
Subscribe to The Big Web Show on iTunes.
Subscribe to The Big Web Show’s RSS feed.
October 23, 2013
Meaning and Non-Meaning
I’M AT THE MakingWeb conference in Oslo, Norway. Nearly all of the presentations here have been in English, but the one I’m listening to now is in Norwegian, a language of which I speak not a word. The ambient flow of phonemes teases my jet lag and makes my lids heavy. Yet each time I am about to drift off, a name or phrase I know leaps from the sea of foreign syllables, awakening me with a sudden shiver of recognition:
Mobile First, Norwegian Norwegian Norwegian. Teehan + Lax, Norwegian Norwegian Norwegian. Responsive Design, Norwegian Norwegian.
October 17, 2013
ALA № 384: Unsuck Flat UI; Master Digital Project Momentum
Flat UI and Forms
by JESSICA ENDERS
Though some decry flat user interfaces as pure fashion, or as the obvious response to skeuomorphic trends, many designers have embraced the flat approach because the reduction in visual styling (such as gradients, drop shadows, and borders) creates interfaces that feel simpler and cleaner. Trouble is, most flat UIs are built with a focus on the provision of content, with transactional components (i.e., forms) receiving very little attention. So what happens when flat UIs and forms collide? User experiences can, and often do, suffer. Keep your flat forms from failing by using controlled redundancy to communicate difference.
Mastering Digital Project Momentum
by PERRY HEWITT
Digital projects begin in high spirits and tip quickly into miscommunication and crisis. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Extend your early kickoff meeting harmony throughout the life of your projects. By understanding your client’s organizational drivers and key players before the sticky note sessions even begin, you can establish the momentum needed to keep the extended team focused on goals. And by managing stakeholder communications throughout the job, you can avoid land mines, save time and effort in the long run, and deliver a project that satisfies stakeholders, agency, and users alike.
Big Web Show № 100: Dan Brown Works With Others
Author, lecturer, studio co-founder, UX wiz, and web design pioneer Dan Brown is my guest in Episode № 100 of The Big Web Show (“Everything Web That Matters”). Listen in as Dan and I discuss collaboration strategies, the path from HTML to UX, growing a design studio business, Brian Eno and more.
And then…
Check all episodes on Mule Radio.
Subscribe to The Big Web Show on iTunes.
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Listen on SoundCloud.
October 10, 2013
Where Ideas Come From: Foursquare’s @Naveen on The Big Web Show
IN EPISODE № 99 of The Big Web Show (“Everything Web That Matters”), Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai and I discuss mobile apps and the quantified self; the genesis of bookmarking places; creating mobile UIs in the bad old days before smartphones; how Delicious’s bookmarking helped inspire Foursquare; what was really innovative about the iPhone from a mobile developer’s perspective (it’s not what you think!); when to quit your job and start a product or service; where ideas come from; and what’s after Foursquare for him. Enjoy Naveen on The Big Web Show.
For more fun:
Check all episodes on Mule Radio.
Subscribe to The Big Web Show on iTunes.
Subscribe to The Big Web Show’s RSS feed.
Listen on SoundCloud.
October 4, 2013
Big Web Show № 98: Designer Debbie Millman
I CHAT with internet radio pioneer, design author, and brand maven Debbie Millman about broadcasting, writing, teaching, publishing, learning to be happy in your own skin, and the importance of early failure to long-term success and happiness. Enjoy Debbie Millman on The Big Web Show.
(Want more Debbie? Check Observer Media (Design Observer)–Debbie’s legendary audio interviews with the likes of Jessica Walsh, Milton Glaser, Massimo Vignelli, Maria Popova, Stefan Sagmeister, Dave Eggers, Jen Bekman, Gary Hustwit, Tina Roth Eisenberg, Erik Spierkermann, Jessica Hische, and many more.)
October 2, 2013
Not a Thing in Texas
6:00 AM, AUSTIN. My nine-year-old vegetarian daughter just phoned from New York to inform me that matzo ball soup is made with chicken broth. She has just learned this fact, and wanted me to know so I wouldn’t accidentally eat food made from animals while I’m away. I thanked her and assured her that matzo ball soup is not a thing in Texas.
September 27, 2013
Shoulda used semi-colons
EVERYBODY needs an editor. Twelve hours after posting Big Web Show № 97 (“Research For Tomorrow—With Erika Hall”), I reread my deck and see an absurd alternate meaning created by the use of serial commas instead of semi-colons.
Enjoy the episode—and laugh at my grammatical folly—at muleradio.net/thebigwebshow/97/.
