I’m Jason Long, an independent web developer and designer living in Columbus, Ohio. These are some of things I’ve found interesting around the interwebs, with an emphasis on visual design, good UI work, and front-end web development. Want to say hey? Try // //]]> Tumblr (3.0; @strake)http://thestrake.com/<img src="http://16.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksuw99pVbL1qz7b4yo1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://wtfispantone.com/post/238300489/thoughtbot-com-got-a-redesign-which-launched">kevin</a>:</p> <blockquote><p><a href="http://thoughtbot.com/">thoughtbot.com</a> got a redesign which launched today. It was a joint effort between myself and designer <a href="http://www.fyates.com/">Fred Yates</a> who joined thoughtbot over the summer.</p></blockquote> <p>Nice work guys!</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/gD9Xto8n7PQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/gD9Xto8n7PQ/238312180http://thestrake.com/post/238312180Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:34:05 -0500http://thestrake.com/post/238312180<p>I’ve got a couple of projects that I’d be interested in trying out the recently released <a href="http://code.google.com/closure/">Closure Tools</a> on. Have any workflow best practices started to surface yet in regards to compiling your app’s Javascript with these tools? The <a href="http://closure-compiler.appspot.com/home">compiler UI</a> is slick in that you can see the results of the compiled code, but I’m thinking you’d want to automate things with the <a href="http://code.google.com/closure/compiler/docs/gettingstarted_app.html">command line tool</a> somehow (rake task, Git pre-commit hook? Maybe with the <a href="http://code.google.com/closure/compiler/docs/api-ref.html">compiler API</a> on the server?).</p> <p>Duncan Grazier may be on to something with his <a href="http://github.com/itsmeduncan/comjiler/">comjiler project</a>. I’d be interested in hearing about how people are using the Closure compiler in the wild - Rails apps or otherwise.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/KiO-zE--wgA" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/KiO-zE--wgA/238128085http://thestrake.com/post/238128085Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:17:40 -0500googlejavascriptwebdevhttp://thestrake.com/post/238128085<p><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksss7bcjR61qz6i2u.jpg" alt="http://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/the-peculiar-logic-of-remote-control-design.html"/></p> <p>Why are remotes for cable boxes so cluttered and complicated? Is it so that they amp up the cognitive load for users in hopes that they will be too lazy to learn how to expertly skip commercials, <a href="http://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/the-peculiar-logic-of-remote-control-design.html">as the author of this post suggests</a>? I don’t buy that since cable companies don’t have any incentive to control how customers view their content.</p> <p>They do, however, have incentive to keep costs down and we can be sure that they partner with hardware manufacturers who will build dirt cheap remotes. Simplifying the complex is difficult and time-consuming. Problems that are difficult and time-consuming are expensive to solve. Slapping on a button for every single function in the spec is simple. And simple is cheap.</p> <p>Thoughts?</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/fReeETMohzM" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/fReeETMohzM/237085704http://thestrake.com/post/237085704Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:03:43 -0500uxcomplexityhttp://thestrake.com/post/237085704<img src="http://22.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksrpr3QVk21qz4axuo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://soxiam.com/post/236503236/fuck-that-where-is-the-19th-button-i-asked-for">soxiam</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p><b>fuck that. where is the 19th button i asked for?</b></p> <p><i>John McCreesh, Marketing Project Lead at OpenOffice.org, welcomed the announcement: “The OpenOffice Mouse is a really cool addition to the desk of any keen OpenOffice.org user. The Mouse team have worked closely with experts from the OpenOffice.org User Experience project to deliver the full benefits of the world’s leading open-source office software to the fingertips of users. The prototypes are stunning - I can’t wait to get my hands on the finished product.”</i></p> <p><a href="http://openofficemouse.com/pr110609.html">OpenOfficeMouse: The Multi-Button Application Mouse for OpenOffice.org</a></p> </blockquote> <p>I had to click through to make sure this wasn’t on The Onion.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/UbbBZVGtK1Q" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/UbbBZVGtK1Q/237070285http://thestrake.com/post/237070285Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:41:06 -0500http://thestrake.com/post/237070285<img src="http://15.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksp9romLOg1qz6iv8o1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>You may have seen Eric Testroete’s awesome Halloween costume (a giant 3D version of his own head) on the interwebs this week. <a href="http://testroete.com/index.php?location=head">Check out how he made it</a> using 3ds Max, Mudbox, Photoshop, and Pepakura.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/mGbQRobedgY" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/mGbQRobedgY/235149626http://thestrake.com/post/235149626Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:23:47 -05003dhalloweenhttp://thestrake.com/post/235149626<img src="http://8.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksoug188vv1qz6iv8o1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://www.macheist.com/">MacHeist nanoBundle</a> - 6 free apps (although WriteRoom is probably the only one I’ll use)</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/A0vz97NzULw" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/A0vz97NzULw/234919216http://thestrake.com/post/234919216Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:52:00 -0500http://thestrake.com/post/234919216<a href="http://dustincurtis.com/incompetence.html">The Incompetence of American Airlines & The Fate of Mr. X</a>: <p>Makes me wish I traveled more so I could fly AA less. And Dustin’s site still rocks.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/3EhFQxCZCj8" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/3EhFQxCZCj8/234188069http://thestrake.com/post/234188069Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:23:36 -0500http://thestrake.com/post/234188069<img src="http://17.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksn75mghvP1qz6iv8o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Came across this vintage Apple ad while flipping through a 1981 National Geographic.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/Kwn_yMPm1yI" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/Kwn_yMPm1yI/233980499http://thestrake.com/post/233980499Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:32:02 -0500appleadvertisinghttp://thestrake.com/post/233980499<a href="http://blog.bogojoker.com/2009/10/improving-the-web-inspector/">Improving the Web Inspector</a>: <p>Lots of nice updates to WebKit’s profiling/debugging/inspecting tool.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/YyN2yMdAC5o" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/YyN2yMdAC5o/232053097http://thestrake.com/post/232053097Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:38:23 -0500http://thestrake.com/post/232053097<img src="http://23.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksjl65fwjj1qz6iv8o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://labs.ideo.com/2009/11/02/taking-a-bite-out-of-apple/">For real</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/NuThL3CtVpY" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/NuThL3CtVpY/231972822http://thestrake.com/post/231972822Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:44:28 -0500http://thestrake.com/post/231972822<a href="http://cnnsi.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=In+a+powerful+autobiography%2C+ANDRE+AGASSI+speaks+in+-+11.02.09+-+SI+Vault&expire=&urlID=413793127&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsportsillustrated.cnn.com%2Fvault%2Farticle%2Fmagazine%2FMAG1161984%2Findex.htm&partnerID=289881">I Hate Tennis</a>: <p>By Andre Agassi, from his upcoming autobiography</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/sNylbXo2Sfc" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/sNylbXo2Sfc/230739612http://thestrake.com/post/230739612Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:28:00 -0500tennisautobiographyhttp://thestrake.com/post/230739612<img src="http://22.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksgeneRHcC1qz4fjao1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://thijsjacobs.com/post/230174351/black-is-a-color-code">thijsjacobs</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>From one web designer to another; “black” of course is a valid color code. Loving the Steve Jobs-suit, but someone kick me if I start speaking in HEX values.</p></blockquote> <p>Reminds me of the ThinkGeek quote, “There are only 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don’t”.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/_mKCy1b2TNQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/_mKCy1b2TNQ/230230795http://thestrake.com/post/230230795Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:34:31 -0500http://thestrake.com/post/230230795<p>Do you know what these CSS properties are for: azimuth, pitch, and elevation? Me either. And neither did <a href="http://uitrends.com/2009/10/23/terrible-guesses-at-3-random-css-properties/">this guy</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/n9KqtezNkv4" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/n9KqtezNkv4/229027563http://thestrake.com/post/229027563Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:44:08 -0400csshttp://thestrake.com/post/229027563<a href="http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001307.html">Revisiting "The Fold"</a>: <p>I’m thrilled to see more debunking of “the fold” lately. This time, Jeff Atwood weighs in on the non-problem. The only thing I take exception to is the warning about lining up page elements along the fold, giving the impression that the page complete at that point - as if the fold is an actual pixel measurement and the same for everyone. I’d buy this argument for device-specific layouts (ie. iPhone), but within standard web browsers? Not so much.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/IzNxvPNxjss" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/IzNxvPNxjss/227879392http://thestrake.com/post/227879392Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:24:00 -0400usabilitymythshttp://thestrake.com/post/227879392<img src="http://5.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksbtmvhvnQ1qz6iv8o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://content.stamen.com/movin_on_up">Stamen’s new digs</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/EeblkECIBPM" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/EeblkECIBPM/227869517http://thestrake.com/post/227869517Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:06:00 -0400interior designofficesstamenhttp://thestrake.com/post/227869517<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" data="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5943199&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF"><param name="quality" value="best" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="scale" value="showAll" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5943199&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF" /><embed src="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5943199&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br/><br/><p>Scott Thomas talks about the chaos surrounding the design work for Obama’s campaign.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/z5pavfQ3s1o" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/z5pavfQ3s1o/227860125http://thestrake.com/post/227860125Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:49:04 -0400designobamahttp://thestrake.com/post/227860125<img src="http://4.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksa8iefwlA1qz6iv8o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://loftlifemag.com/mu/?p=3503">Wilco’s Loft</a>. Minimalism be damned.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/Kh_Za3E5QOI" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/Kh_Za3E5QOI/227007133http://thestrake.com/post/227007133Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:32:37 -0400http://thestrake.com/post/227007133<object width="400" height="336"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tGXK4jKN_jY&rel=0&egm=0&showinfo=0&fs=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tGXK4jKN_jY&rel=0&egm=0&showinfo=0&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="336" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><br/><br/><p>The upcoming Android/Google navigation looks very nice.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/vIWkKjEE6_k" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/vIWkKjEE6_k/225933574http://thestrake.com/post/225933574Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:25:23 -0400googleandroidgpsnavigationhttp://thestrake.com/post/225933574<img src="http://15.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ks82n1XuoS1qz6iv8o1_400.png"/><br/><br/><p>“Singletasking” by Caterina Fake</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/yi8kGWgcH_0" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/yi8kGWgcH_0/225821887http://thestrake.com/post/225821887Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:30:36 -0400productivityhttp://thestrake.com/post/225821887<img src="http://5.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ks6x77fdAN1qzsmmko1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://dvint1.tumblr.com/post/225160907/via-i-imgur-com">dvint1</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>via <a href="http://i.imgur.com/W6zzI.jpg">i.imgur.com</a></p></blockquote><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheStrake/~4/HJygj6gAWj0" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheStrake/~3/HJygj6gAWj0/225174345http://thestrake.com/post/225174345Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:52:44 -0400http://thestrake.com/post/225174345