Loose talk

As true now as it was in 1986.

Yesterday I took a call (and received an email) from a long-standing client. I designed for them in 2001/2. Over the last year, the staff responsible for updating their site had changed, they had mislaid their passwords and they needed help. So help was what they got.

A little over a week ago, but what seems like much, much, longer, my wife and I made the long trip from home to Australia to host three Visual Web Design Masterclasses in partnership with our good friends at Web Directions. It proved to be quite a week.

I’m currently spending my time writing and preparing content for a new DVD title, Designing Accessibility (For A Beautiful Web), part of a series of DVDs that I am making for New Riders, that will be published sometime in 2009.

Running a small business means that I divide my time between the things that I love doing (project planning, designing and dealing with people) and the things that I don’t enjoy so much (business planning, accounting and dealing with (some) people).

Nothing drives me crazy like TV ads for insurance comparison web sites (if I hear once more that you don’t have to be a computer wizard to use confused.com, I might just drive over the edge).

I promise. In the run up to the opening of the Watchmen movie next year, I will resist the urge to write about or link to every piece of Watchmen trivia.

In what I hope will not be a series about the stupid things that clients complain about.

Some of you might know that I’ve been passionate about learning to ride large motorcycles for a while and have been taking a DAS course at Pro Bike. While I’ve not yet managed to pass my test (that’s another story), I am determined and today more inspired than ever by an email from my friend Pascal who has just completed a ride from southern France to Beijing and back.

Suggestions for my late-night viewing.

On strong recomendation I plumped for the latest version of the Lacie Biggest FW800 RAID.

With a fanfare and flag waving, it’s time to announce the winners of the three Transcending CSS iPod Shuffles.

You’ve only been here for five minutes!

The Man in #000

The one where Malarkey and Alex laugh and cry with BB King.

Come you masters of war.

We will not worship the God they serve, a God of greed who feeds the rich while poor folk starve.

Lights going out and a kick in the balls. That’s Entertainment.

The day the music died.

I’ve been passed the baton by John Oxton

It seems to be the season for discussion on rips. My issue is not one of design theft, but of copy theft.

An eagerness to please should always push a designer to do the best for a client. But there are times where just when you thought the job was finished, a client will say, Can we just add…. The four stage sign-off sheet can be our best friend.