Entries in The Internet

Welcoming our New Internet Overlords

Published on Sunday, July 17, 2011

This past week saw the launch of Google's latest social network, accompanied by an unusual amount of hype -- if you can consider quotes like "it has a chance" worthy of hype. Seemingly a mashup fo twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, can Google+ sell us on a product that requires users to input a great deal of data, to receive no new functionality in return, aside from the convenience of one login? And should we be even more concerned about the consequences of storing all of our online eggs in Google's one basket?
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Predictions for the Web in 2011

Published on Monday, January 17, 2011

Filed under The Internet

Yes, it's that time of year again, when everyone starts looking back at the previous year, and looking forward to what the next trip around the sun has in store. Web designers are no different, and in an industry built around constant change, the predictions come fast and furious. While 2010 brought about some incredible innovations – HTML5, CSS3, canvas, the iPad, apps, and real fonts for the web – 2011 seems to portend something much different.
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When Monkeys Rule the Wasteland

Published on Sunday, October 17, 2010

Filed under The Internet

A month ago Steve Jobs unveiled the new logo for iTunes, which swiftly prompted reactions that ranged from 'horrible' at worst, to 'meh' at best. The new logo unveiled by shopping mall mainstay The Gap, however, couldn't aspire to 'meh' on its best day. Their subsequent explanation that this design was simply the start of a crowdsourcing project seems more like a calculated (and cowardly) afterthought than the original impetus behind unleashing this abomination on the world. Yet even if the new logo was a stroke of creative genius, the loudest voices on the web would ultimately be the ones critical of the new design. Should companies simply expect such vocal negativity when attempting to rebrand themselves?
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Riding the Information Superhighway into the Intelligence Age

Published on Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Filed under The Internet

I remember sitting in my high school G/T class, which most of the time was little more that a free period, and being introduced to Megatrends, and the concept of the Information Age. After all, it was 1993, and email and the Internet were terms just entering the public consciousness. I had access to neither at the time, and really no idea that 5 years and a college degree later, I'd be building my first website, or that ten years later, I'd be completely dependent on them. Were I sitting in that class today, however, we wouldn't be discussing the Information Superhighway. We'd be discussing the power of Personalized Intelligence.
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The Marvelous Power of the "Like" Button

Published on Thursday, July 01, 2010

Filed under The Internet

Part Two of "The Changing Landscape of the Internet"
Last Week, a since-deleted tweet from a less-than-reliable source hinted that Google would soon be launching its own social networking site, Google Me. While many have tried tried this model, no one seems to come close to the power wielded by the masters of the you-niverse at Facebook. Given the latest statistics, Google has right to worry that Facebook, now the leader in daily impressions, will soon become the leaders in search. With their network and their Cross-Domain technology, Facebook seems poised to take over the Interweb, and play an influential role in the evolution of the operating systems that run your hardware.
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The Changing Landscape of the Internet

Published on Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Filed under The Internet

Facebook is the new Google. Google is the new Apple. Apple is the new Microsoft. Microsoft is the new... (gulp) ...AOL. What in the wide wide world of sports is goin' on here? Where is this all leading? And who will wind up on top? To answer that question, we've got to look back at the history of these companies, their current trajectories, and how they've evolved through the years.
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Stop Googling Yourself

Published on Friday, May 28, 2010

Filed under The Internet

Funny thing about the interweb... with a few simple keystrokes, or speaking a few words (thanks Google Voice) we have access to detailed information about any topic we so desire. With a huge world of knowledge out there to explore, it seems almost laughable that 57% of adults in America have Googled themselves. Do we expect to find out something we didn't know about ourselves?
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A Client's Guide to Building a Website

Published on Friday, April 02, 2010

Filed under The Internet

Beginning a website can be a daunting task for anyone, even the most seasoned design professional. For clients, it must feel even more daunting, based solely on the brand new lexicon they are forced to learn. Domain name? Webhost? CSS? Sometimes, I might as well be talking in Klingon. As it became tedious explaining these terms the FIRST time I ever tried, I decided it would be easiest to write up this short glossary of web design terms for my clients, so they have an easy reference should the jargon in their task list get confusing.
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Arbiters of taste at the Internet McDonalds

Published on Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Filed under The Internet

With the launch of Android, the development of it's own smartphone, the less than glorious launch of Buzz, and the release of sketches for it's new tablet, Google seems to be the new everything for the interweb. In fact, they seem to be taking over. Their simplicity led to a revolution in the way people approach the web... but just because simplicity is good, doesn't mean Google is doing it well. Updated April 20th, 2010.
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