December Mix: Goodbye 2008

I've been slacking on mixes and never uploaded the last several months' worth. I have a few of them lying around and at some point I'll make them available. The tracks on this mix were all released in 2008. The theme is letting go of the old year and starting fresh in …

Yes, Let's

I saw this op-ed today titled Let Detroit Go Bankrupt by Mitt Romney, and in spite of how much I think he's a crazy nutjob I actually agree with most of it. American car companies are failing, and a bailout won't do anything but give them more money to lose.

I recently …

Accessibility in Pop Culture

I saw this Tylenol ad the other day while flipping through the most recent issue of Real Simple magazine. I snapped it indoors with my iPhone so the quality is pretty poor, but they show the keyboard shortcut for enlarging browser text on PC and Mac.

Granted not all …

Karen

My mom died two years ago on Monday. I thought the week would be very difficult, but thinking about her has made me more happy than it has sad. I've undertaken the monumental task of scanning all the photos from my childhood, it will take forever, but here's one:

Record Scores for September

Remind me never again to get drunk at the Beachland and stumble into Music Saves afterwards.

• Bears - Who Knows 73


• Bound Stems - The Family Afloat 123


• Neko Case - Blacklisted


• Patsy Cline - Country Greats 123


• Creedence Clearwater Revival - The Concert 123


• Dear Nora - …

This article on Mozilla's Ubiquity has been making the rounds, but holy crap why aren't people thinking this way when designing mobile devices? Make everything more natural.

Every week Typesites showcases a site with, you guessed it, great typography. I hope he'll get some sites on here that haven't been around the design showcase block a million times, but great idea.

Ethnography Behind Intel's Classmate PC

The essence of this video:

Watch what's happening and how it happens, don't make assumptions about what people are actually doing. Ask questions, you won't see everything. Then enhance the experience naturally.

This is how every UX project should be approached. Help …

I just discovered Pasquale D'Silva, a talented illustrator and animator. You can read his musings and see tutorials on his own site, and he also has a great drawing tutorial on rhythm lines at Vectortuts.

The Work From Home(TM)

One of the best things working from home has afforded me is getting to make myself real lunch food in my own kitchen. This sandwich is my lunchtime staple, and I've made it a variety of ways just using what was on hand in my house so feel free to make …

New Mika Miko Video

I saw this on Stereogum today and had to repost. The first time I saw this band (I think with the Gossip?) my initial thoughts were "Yeah I liked Kill Rock Stars in 1994 too" but I got a few of their records and they're a solid, fun band.

Canadian designer Matt Brett just launched an awesome redesign of his site. Great use of icons! One thing I've always really liked about his sites is how he incorporates current games and music. I wonder if he's hand rolling that part?

Future Media Standards & Guidelines from the BBC. I particularly appreciated this point:

1.1.2. If a user does not have the correct plug-in to access the enhanced content, or cannot easily access the content because they are using assistive technologies (such as …

Look at This Freaking Cake!

Rachel made this for my birthday. It's a shark attack cake, because I love shark week. Happy blood day.

Movies I Have Seen Lately

When I moved to Cleveland Heights I had the good fortune to move three blocks from the Cedar Lee, the local independent film theater. Monday is $5 movie night, and I've been trying to take advantage of it's close proximity.

Since moving I have seen:

• Savage Grace

My New Record Player: The Beogram RX2

A while back I wrote about my love for Bang Olufsen and the Beogram. I regularly check eBay for them, but they're always missing the stylus or the hinges are broken. Buying something I can't test made me a little apprehensive as well. I recently came across someone on …

Belated July 2008 Mix

This mix is best served on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Rain for the first half is desirable but not essential.

Also appropriate for: driving to get dinner, Friday at 7pm, a trip to the book store, walking your dogs at dusk, dawdling and napping on the couch.

1. The …

June 2008 Mix

Enjoy this mix in one of the following conditions: sunny + hot + humid, rainy + hot + humid, or rainy + windy + cold.

It also goes well with: long drives across town at dusk, trying to find parking in the evening, rainy Saturday afternoon naps, beers at a quiet table, …

Hopefully My Absence is Over

Life hasn't afforded me the time for a blog post in a while. Here's what's going on:

1. I've been very immersed in my new job, I am working on some awesome things I can't talk about now because of trade secrets etc, but billing and payments in online insurance are about …

May 2008 Mix (Belated)

Long overdue, here is my mix for May. On June 2nd. I'm a little behind, give me a break I'm moving and completely drained.

Listen to this while lying on your couch with minimal lighting. Bonus points for incense and headphones.

There is also some album art.

1. French …