Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2003

Sites are getting better at using minimalist design, maintaining archives, and offering comprehensive services. However, these advances entail their own usability problems, as several prominent mistakes from 2003 show. —Jakob Nielsen —Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2003 (Alertbox) Usually Nielsen’s blurbs are more informative… the “summary” on his site reads more like a marketing tease.…

It's the Story, Stupid: Don't Let Presentation Software Keep You from Getting Your Story Across

His full-time job is to keep software-loving scientists and engineers from burying their “whats” in their “hows.” It’s not easy, because PowerPoint’s “hows” get more numerous and distracting with each new release. MORE, the original presentation software, was a 300k program that turned outlines into “bullet charts,” its two-word noun for slides. The latest versions…

Jackson Web Site Unites, Divides Legal Profession

Some legal experts said that posting documents detailing the criminal charges against the 45-year-old entertainer was a breakthrough for public access. Others countered that it would undermine the spirit of the law and court proceedings, creating even more of a circus-like atmosphere. —Sue Zeidler —Jackson Web Site Unites, Divides Legal Profession (Yahoo/Reuters) I’ve blogged about Jackson’s…

Christmas Eve

I can also bake JUST as much as I like. OK, so I like baking a little more than strictly needed, and who really needs seven types of cookies these days, but it’s fun! And some traditions, like the ginger-bread house, have become too important to ignore. —Torill Mortensen —Christmas Eve (Thinking with My Fingers) Simply…

The Genius of O'Neill

He wrote his plays in longhand. He took his time. He followed the news; he was politically brave. He wrote of the self and also of the world. He wrote for the stage and also for publication. He was theatrical; he was dialectical. He cultivated a public image; a small crowd of remarkable people intersected…

Web Site Picks Year's Most Deeply Embedded Word

“Embedded,” as in the reporters assigned to accompany military units during the war, beat out “blog” and “SARS (news – web sites)” as the top word of 2003, Web site yourDictionary.com (http://www.yourdictionary.com) said….”Shock-and-awe,” the phrase the U.S. military used to describe the type of campaign it would wage in Iraq, topped other Iraq-related terms like…