July 24, 2008
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Like “the boy who cried wolf” modals demand that you stop what you’re doing right now to figure out what the hell they want.
They should only be used when software needs to stop the show for an emergency, but lately they’re being used for basic forms and messages. Like Flash sites that reinvent browser scrollbars [...]
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June 1, 2008
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Which one of these favicons could you pick out of a lineup? Whether they’re in your dock, taskbar, bookmark list, feed reader, or browser tab, the whole point of icons is to differentiate themselves. For sadistic bonus points, the new Google favicon is translucent, so in an unselected browser tab it’s even [...]
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May 23, 2008
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No Rackspace, I wouldn’t like a chat window crammed down my throat before I’ve even looked around.
“To view this you need to install Microsoft Silverlight by clicking the button below.” Also: “before reading this atrocious dialog box you’ll need a microscope…and legal counsel.”
Ah, classic Windows helper mascots. I bet in the computer world “Rover” looks [...]
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May 8, 2008
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Why does this page, which millions of us see every day, not remember my preference?
I have never selected “Add to Google homepage” and I never ever will. RSS sucks enough without you adding another smidge of friction.
You can do it. You have the technology.
Hugs and kisses,
Nathan
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May 8, 2008
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This is an exquisitely rendered schematic of my desk:
You can see that I had difficulty fitting everything on a 3×5 card. Any system that be can’t comfortably diagrammed on an index card is too complicated to be user friendly, so I’ve taken about 5 minutes out of my busy day to solve the problem for [...]
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April 26, 2008
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Today at the Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market the herb stand guy sold his wares in these:
You can just drop these pots made of pressed grass into soil: no re-potting required, no plastic pot to throw away. It’s great when eco-friendly products outperform plastic alternatives.
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April 23, 2008
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Puma’s lace-up moccasin design is brilliant. You can tie loose knots to speed through airport security or you can tighten them up for more support. Plus, they look like something Doc Brown brought back from 2015.
I might get a pair to match this blog. Consistent branding is key in the future.
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April 18, 2008
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The Best: Fullscreen writing mode*
So simple, so powerful, and hidden in plain sight:
Overall the new editing interface is much better and less likely to mangle your post.
The Worst: Image uploading
Zoom
They came so close to nailing this. For example, it’s great that you can now upload multiple files at one time, but the bad stuff totally [...]
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