Posted by
Matthew Dorrell on
Thursday, September 7, 2000Do you enjoy chinese food (the simulated, americanized variety), or the song “Cats in the Cradle” (by Ugly Kid Joe or others)? If you answered “yes” to either question, do not go here.
Posted by
Matthew Dorrell on
Wednesday, September 6, 2000The Onion is a site which hardly needs an introduction. A site actually driven by content worth digesting, it is one of the few websites worth visiting on a regular basis. The paticular genius of the site is the disguising of social comentary as low-brow humour.
This week they have outdone themselves. Someday, I Will Drive This Short Bus Myself, is an incredible well written, and touching* article, not just by The Onion's standards but, I think, by anyone's.
* Author is comfortable enough with his masculinity to be able to say "touching," and mean it. No giggling either.
I remember reading an article about how the web and hyperlinks were going to change the way children thought. At the time I dismissed it as mumbo-jumbo about non-linear thought patterns and other such nonsense. I fear the hypothesis have been proven true in myself.
Sitting in an evening university class (a place which is both foreign and familiar to me), I found myself constantly wanting the professor to move on. I found myself 'skimming' the lecture and was incredibly frustrated when I couldn't control the movement from topic to topic.
Clearly, part of the problem is my inability to interact with people who don't exist on my computer. However, I think this points to a clear conclusion: The Internet has fried my brain.
Humankind Systems, maker of a fine webmail template I bought recently, seems to be diversifying.
Their product, The Flasher, occasionally flashes on your computer screen while you work with affirmative messages like:
- cigarettes taste bad
- smokers are ugly
- lung cancer is painful
- I like to exercise
- I love my body
- I Chew My Food Thoroughly
I did not make this up. However, I wish I had.
A fine demonstration of how to make a point with interactive media by the Laramara Foundation. Be patient and do what it says. Try It >>
Requires Flash and a set of speakers.
I would like to state, that from the beginning I was against the title of this site. Although the meanings are different, ‘Volition’ triggers similar word-sound-associations to ‘Volitile’ and ‘Violation’. Both words that I associate to negative things. I'd complain more, but I don't have a better title.
Posted by
Matthew Dorrell on
Tuesday, September 5, 2000Nothing is more upsetting than a good domain name gone to waste. Well no, actually there are many far more upsetting events, and Sick.com could have proudly displayed any of them. At the very least it could have been a medical webiste or a porn site. However, Sick.com peddles e-cards. These aren’t just any e-cards either, these cards are “cards that bite!” They range from the inane , to the inexplicable , to the profoundly inexplicable. Can anyone explain these to me? Am I missing something? Is there a larger joke here which I am not grasping?
I suppose the quality of Sick.com isn’t entirely surprising considering the apparent leader in the field of e-cards, but if you want to make an “in your face” e-card, at least put some effort into it.
Posted by
Matthew Dorrell on
Tuesday, September 5, 2000I was just like to take a moment to call my own judgement into question. Specifically, why did I assist in the creation of a website whose address I consistently misspell? In retrospect, as nifty a title as acts of volition may be, dogs and cats would probably have been a wiser choice.
From Jakob Neilsen's Alertbox column on Regulatory Usability at useit.com:
“I don't like the Government telling Microsoft to make their software even worse by preventing them from integrating features into the operating system. I also don't like the notion of user interfaces designed by the Justice Department.”
I don't like Microsoft's bully tactics any more than the next guy (NOTE: I love Notepad), but I definitely agree with Jakob on this one.
