Branding, in and of itself, is a violent activity
The word “branding” gets thrown around a lot in marketing circles. “How can we get people to interact with our brand?”
I thought it was worth reminding everyone that a brand is really a red-hot logo on a stick that is seared into livestock’s hide to keep people from stealing them. It hurts. A lot. Read More
Mr. Abernathy ponders the theological ramifications of landing the Johnson account.
The sad thing is most of the tasks we perform every day are mundane.
For most of us, even our big wins make most people respond “Good for you” when they’re really thinking “So what? You gonna buy the next round or what?” Read More
Have you found this guy on Facebook?
Networks: Harvard Alumni, Cell block 6 – Waupun, WI
Sex: Male
Birthday: August 17, 1969
Hometown: Bratislava, Slovakia
Relationship Status: It’s complicated Read More
Satan enjoys a latte at Starbucks
Somewhere, or maybe it’s everywhere, in a Starbucks lurks Old Scratch himself.
He’s sitting there wearing designer jeans, a Geoffery Beane shirt, a Jerry Garcia tie and sipping a Venti double-shot latte with two pumps of caramel. You know this because he ordered it once, took a sip and then loudly proclaimed to the entire establishment that it wasn’t right. Read More
Wherever you go, there you are
This has always been my favorite saying, ever since I heard it in…wait for it…one of the Mad Max movies. Despite its dubious origins, I’ve found that it can be simultaneously motivating and comforting. There’s a good book on the topic.
So, with that in mind, here’s some unsolicited advice on how to deal with a bad situation: Read More
There’s a manifesto inside me, I know it. Not some crazy bunker-dwelling screed (but time will tell), but a sometimes funny, sometimes scary view of what I see every day.
So here’s the pitch: 365 days. One sketch per day. A little pithy commentary after each sketch.
I’ll do it all on free platforms. Sort of a digital verison of Walden without the trancendental insights or intelligence. I’ll make every sketch available as a t-shirt, coffee mug and poster. If I’m lucky, I’ll break even on the hosting.
The only thing I’ll pay for is hosting and Moleskine notebooks.
There, I wrote it on the internet so it must be true.
If you’ve got a bunch of WordPress installs on a server and need to find all of them, try this shell command:
find . -name “wp-config.php” -print > {your favorite path}/wpinstalls.txt
It worked for me!
I just had a powerful experience with Twitter that has cemented it in my mind as a powerful marketing tool.
In preparation for a meeting on a site UI this morning, I revisited An Introduction to Using Patterns in Web Design on 37signal’s site. It’s a fantastic overview of Christopher Alexander’s approach to design based on “chunks” or patterns.
After I read the article, I tweeted about it. I was sure that any number of my followers might have an interest in it. If not for their personal use, then for a reference if and when they work with me.
Here’s the tweet:
Doodlehaus tweet about Designing with Patterns by Ryan Singer
Here’s where it gets interesting. Minutes later, Jason Fried, owner of 37Signals tweets about the same article. He noticed someone was revisiting some older content produced by his company and saw it as an opportunity to promote 37Signals’ expertise on the issue.Check it out:
Jason Fried of 37Signals tweets about Pattern Design
From a random shout into the Twitter void to nearly instant recognition from the owner of one of the Web’s most innovative companies. Now that’s cool.
There are other halo effects from this exchange. Ryan Singer gets props for his article. 37Signals gets more exposure as a leader in clean, usable interface design. Christopher Alexander sells some more books. Hey, I write this post that references all these things.
All because of one little tweet.
Start digging some nerd holes
Start digging some nerd holes
Famous words from Bart Simpson. I think they reflect the frustration people often feel when they deal with those who are heavily technological in nature. People who lace every sentence with jargon that has meaning only to them. To the average person, this odd dialect is both unnerving and maddening. Read More »