With the maturity of tools and availability of friendly sys admins, it’s easy to take for granted the many base technologies that power our applications. Adding HTTPS support to a site is very much a plug and play affair, which is why it’s refreshing to see Jeff Moser peel back a couple of layers to reveal what really happens in those first milliseconds between the browser and the server.
Jun 10 2009
Journal of Information Architecture →
I always dream of referencing authoritative, empirical data when discussing design – a field shrouded in feelings and subjectivity. The trouble is finding academic papers penned by authors with complicated, German names, forcing one to lean on the authority of a blog post regarding the Top 50 Cutest Typography Techniques to justify a point.
The Journal of Information Architecture seems like a step in that direction. Just reading the titles and abstracts left me feeling much smarter.
[via Konigi]
May 7 2009
Chrome Experiments →
Barely mentioning its corporate patron, this Google-sanctioned website doubles as an awkwardly latent promotion of the Chrome browser as well as a showcase of what’s possible using the latest browser technologies. Some of the experiments are genuinely eye-opening.
Apr 28 2009
Tweetie for the Mac →
Just as I was thinking about the insufficiencies of my current desktop Twitter client, coupled with my physical aversion to installing any AIR applications to alleviate those insufficiencies, along comes Tweetie for the Mac. From the same people that aced the iPhone Twitter experience, this looks like a desktop client with all the right details. I look forward to shelling out for it come Monday.
[via Andre]
Apr 17 2009
Don Norman: The Three Ways That Good Design Makes You Happy →
Don Norman has always been an advocate of user-centered design, but only relatively recently has he started to exalt the virtues of aesthetics, or better yet, emotional design. This is a video from 2003 where he touches upon the three core aspects of emotional design. I’ve always recited one of his main points: pleasant things work better.
Mar 25 2009