Jeffrey Zeldman's Blog, page 50
August 29, 2012
The Great Discontent & Me
In celebration of TGD turning one tomorrow, we’re going back to our roots. Jeffrey Zeldman—the “godfather of web standards”—has already left an indelible mark on the web industry and those of us who work in it, but what of his life before that? We met Jeffrey at A Space Apart, where he recounted a journey that started long before the [web] was born.
I’m honored to share this lovely, free-form interview: The Great Discontent: Jeffrey Zeldman.
August 26, 2012
From an imaginary novel
I AM Jewish but my parents named me Jesus, which they pronounced Hay-Seuss, with an emphasis on the Hay. You can imagine the joy of being me in public school. First day of kindergarten, Miss Terwilliger called out, “Jesus. Jesus? Jesus!” And I sat there like a stuffed dummy, because I didn’t recognize the name. About the fifth Jesus, I realized she meant me, and cried out, “It’s Hay-Seuss,” with an emphasis on the Hay. Laughter rang in the classroom, followed by beatings at recess. Like my namesake, I was destined to suffer for the sins of others, although in my case it was only for the sins of Mr and Mrs Kaplan.
Little Jesus, Happy At Last—coming in 2015 from Jeffrey Zeldman
August 25, 2012
From Chicago, With Love
HEY, FRIENDS. I write from the magical city of Chicago, where I’m enjoying the first Happy Cog Summit. Next week, following our meet-up cum strategy session cum karaoke party, comes An Event Apart Chicago, three days of peace, love, and web standards (plus more Chicago magic).
I won’t be writing here much while these events continue, but I’ve started a Chicago 2012 photo slide show for your pleasure, and will add to it as time and aesthetics permit. You can also stalk me via my new Foursquare Chicago list.
Once An Event Apart kicks in, starting Monday August 27, and until it ends Wednesday night, August 29, I’ll post links and notes here—and you can follow the hot tweet-by-tweet action on A Feed Apart, the official feed aggregator for An Event Apart. Yowee!
Stalk me! JZ’s Foursquare Chicago list
Chicago 2012 photo slide show
Happy Cog
An Event Apart Chicago
A Feed Apart
August 22, 2012
HTML5 Video Player II
JOHN DYER’S MediaElement.js bills itself as “HTML5 and made easy”—and that’s truly what it is:
HTML5 audio and video players in pure HTML and CSS.
Custom Flash and Silverlight players that mimic the HTML5 MediaElement API for older browsers.
Accessibility standards including WebVTT.
Plugins for WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, jQuery, BlogEngine.NET, ruby gem, and plone.
For complete information, visit mediaelementjs.com.
Hat tip: Roland Dubois.
August 21, 2012
August 8, 2012
An Event Apart posts 2013 schedule: 8 cities, 8 shows
AN EVENT APART, the design conference for people who make websites, announces its 2013 schedule: eight cities, eight shows.
Registration is now open for:
Atlanta – February 18-20, 2013
Seattle – April 1-3, 2013
San Diego – May 20-22, 2013
Boston – June 24-26, 2013
Washington, DC – August 5-7, 2013
Chicago – August 26-28, 2013
Austin – September 30-October 2, 2013
San Francisco – December 9-11, 2013
Join us for three days of design, code, and content with fantastic designers, writers, and speakers including Josh Clark, Kim Goodwin, Erika Hall, Scott Jehl, Colleen Jones, Jeremy Keith, Ethan Marcotte, Karen McGrane, Mike Monteiro, Jason Santa Maria, Jen Simmons, Jared Spool, Jon Tan, Aarron Walter, and Luke Wroblewski — not to mention Eric Meyer and me.
“The Web Everywhere: Multi-Device Web Design,” a full-day workshop by Luke Wroblewski (Mobile First, A Book Apart 2012), follows each two-day conference event in all eight cities.
You can register for the one-day multi-device web design workshop, for the two-day conference, or save over $100 when you attend all three days! Tickets are now on sale, and are first-come, first-served. Every AEA show in the past three years has sold out in advance. Don’t miss out; register early.
Photos and Drawings from An Event Apart DC 2012
AN EVENT APART is the design conference for people who make websites. Enjoy these photos and drawings from An Event Apart DC, now concluding at the Westin Alexandria.
The next An Event Apart three-day conference event takes place later this month in Chicago.
See some of you there!
August 2, 2012
Leo Laporte interviews JZ
IN EPISODE 63 of Triangulation, Leo Laporte, a gracious and knowledgeable podcaster/broadcaster straight outta Petaluma, CA, interviews Your Humble Narrator about web standards history, responsive web design, content first, the state of standards in a multi-device world, and why communists sometimes make lousy band managers.
July 31, 2012
Product Management for the Web; Beyond Usability Testing
IN ISSUE NO. 357 of A List Apart for people who make websites:
Beyond Usability Testing
by DEVAN GOLDSTEIN
To be sure we’re designing the right experience for the right audience, there’s no substitute for research conducted with actual users. Like any research method, though, usability testing has its drawbacks. Most importantly, it isn’t cheap. Fortunately, there are other usability research methods at our disposal. The standouts, expert review and heuristic evaluation, are easy to add to a design and development process almost regardless of budget or resource concerns. Explore these techniques, learn their advantages and disadvantages, and get the low-down on how to include them in your projects.
Product Management for the Web
by KRISTOFER LAYON
Whether we prototype, write, design, develop, or test as part of building the web, we’re creating something hundreds, thousands, or maybe even millions of people will use. But how do we know that we’re creating the right enhancements for the web, at the right time, and for the right customers? Because our client or boss asked us to? And how do they know? Enter product management for the web—bridging the gap between leadership and customers on one side, and the user experience, content strategy, design, and development team on the other. Learn to set priorities that gradually but steadily make your product (and the web) better.
SINCE 1998, A List Apart has explored the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.
Illustration by Kevin Cornell for A List Apart Magazine.
July 30, 2012
Saul Bass pitches AT&T
CULTURAL HISTORY GEM: Saul Bass’s Original Pitch for the Bell Systems Logo Redesign, 1969. Article and curation via brainpickings.org. Hat tip: Tim Murtaugh.
