Wednesday 14 May 2008

Why Macs are Scientifically Better than Windows

Reliability.

Filed under:   humor, blogging, software, society, hardware, community, religion
Posted by:   Molly | 6:10 pm | Comments (38)

Saturday 12 January 2008

Too Wired in a Wireless World?

When traveling, I always notice I need to pack extra cables and wires, transformers and adapters.

The luggage I pack is sometimes filled with so many wires, cables, power supplies and other do-das that I am quick to wonder if something about all this is a bit fishy.

Do you have more cables now as a result of all our “wireless” devices or less than when we were “wired”?

Filed under:   software, web design and development, hardware, browsers, molly asks you
Posted by:   Molly | 5:23 pm | Comments (29)

Thursday 18 October 2007

Standards Needs and Wants

What do you need and want from Web Standards?

1. I want generated content
2. I want CSS3 features, especially design-oriented techniques such as better flow and layout, multiple background graphics, etc.
3. I want to rebuild the Web

Rebuilding the Web would be a very sexy pipe dream from which we all woke up with cream in our respective jeans.

I’m hoping CSS3 is more sexy. I kinda think it offers us a lot.

Part of my role is to ask and to translate the collective concerns to organizations that need to hear (and most importantly, understand) your needs. I personally don’t know what is “correct” or “right” really. So, I’m asking. And I’ll keep asking, and hopefully our voices will have some impact. I believe they can, and ultimately will.

Would readers be so kind as to tell me what your role is (designer/developer/implementor/other) in your answer as that will help me understand the context of your responses?

Filed under:   professional, policies, standards, software, web design and development, WaSP, society, hardware, w3c, creativity, browsers, microsoft, ie7, ajax, innovation, accessibility, javascript
Posted by:   Molly | 10:16 pm | Comments (54)

Thursday 14 June 2007

Look What Pete Did to My Mac!

Look What Pete Did to My Mac!

This got a few good comments on Flickr but really, it’s so important I felt necessary to blog it here for your pain and pleasure. When I told Pete he put a pit in my Apple, he told me “No, Molly, it’s a seed from which amazing things shall grow.”

Filed under:   humor, software, web design and development, photos, hardware, microsoft, ie7
Posted by:   Molly | 4:47 am | Comments (22)

Monday 9 April 2007

Oh Lord Won’t You Buy Me A Perfect Stats App?

I need suggestions for the perfect Web analytics. Google? Mint? I’m starting to lose my grip on really informative, and dare I use two u’s in order: Usable use statistics for Web servers.

Suggestions, anecdotes, questions and general grumblings? Let’s have ‘em!

Filed under:   software, web design and development, hardware, innovation
Posted by:   Molly | 3:14 pm | Comments (48)

Thursday 10 August 2006

Ode To My 12″ PowerBook G4

I love you, my dear mac, indeed I do
in my soul and heart I shall e’er hold you true

So silver, so sleek, except for the bump
that cycles around from fore to rump

But to protect you, dear mac I’ve always tried
unlike that naughty Ian Lloyd!

He wraps rubber bands ’round his 12″
and only takes it out when he’s in a pinch.

Oh, my PowerBook, with your sturdy G4
Can a MacBook really offer so very much more?

Everyone who’s got one says they’re so smart

Call me sentimental,
but it’s ’til your death do us part.

Filed under:   humor, hardware
Posted by:   Molly | 2:36 pm | Comments (24)

Friday 14 July 2006

Top Ten Male Hotties of the Web, 2006

This is such a sexist post, I should be ashamed of myself. But I’m not. I decided I’d write my top ten hot males on the Web list so we can discuss.

Fact is, there are at least 20 people that didn’t make the top list. The men in web, let’s face it, not only dominate, but they’re just HOT.

So, today, at the risk of embarassing everyone on this list, I present to you my ten top male hotties of the Web, 2006

Notice that I’ve used an unordered list. Feel free to order or delete my nominees at will.

• Andy Clarke. Oh I’m biased but it’s a good bias. If you’ve not seen him present in his suit and that hot pink tie I bought him, then you should. His presence, insight and charisma will change our world. He’s the one who understands and can navigate with ease the separation ‘twixt design and code. Andy is, even if you choose to order this list, my number one.
• Dean Edwards. Okay, I’ve probably just done something really wrong by outing two of the hottest men I’ve ever met, both from the UK. A pattern perhaps? But let me tell you ladies and gents, this man is gifted. He’s a genius programmer, which would be hot to me on its own. But, wait there’s more! How about that sexy white streak in his hair? Or the fact that he is a world class cook? Oh, be still my beating heart.
• Douglas Bowman. Okay, the guy is cute. But what I really love Doug for is his compassionate insight regarding humanitarist ideals and the Web. If you’ve never seen this side of Doug, well, I recommend it. You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll see what I mean.
• Dave Shea. The man is perfection. Just ask him No, seriously, I’ve co-authored a few books in my time, but Dave has been and will always be the consumate professional. And he’s very nice to look at, too. More importantly, he has such a great soul, which he pretends to contain but all you need do is look into his beautiful eyes.
• Eric Meyer. Redhead, tall, droll, and smart. Not to mention he probably saved my life one night. And then some. The man is too sexy for his books, I tell ya!
• Derek Feathersone. Have you felt his arms? I touch him just to be reminded what strength really is. I think Derek is going to save us all a lot of pain. If he weren’t married and I weren’t, well, me, and it were a different life? This is a guy I could and would have married.
• Joe Clark. Okay, I’m throwing this one in for spice, but really. Joe is hot not for any expected reason, but because when I look in his eyes, his soul is right there. He is a person that doesn’t do the social thing too well, but he’s also one of the very few people I’ve ever seen stick by his ideals and convictions. I hate vacillation. With Joe, you’ll always get his truth, and that’s just plain hot.
• Tantek Çelik.. Let’s put aside the fact the man has given more to our profession than anyone I know: Mac IE, the DOCTYPE switch. Technorati. Put all that aside, and Tantek, dressed in black from head to toe with two computers side by side multitasking while he waxes poetically about the building blocks of the world’s future? Hot hot and let me say again, hot.
• Faruk Ateş. Faruk is not only physically beautiful, he’s got a soul I recognize. Had I been younger and male, I think I would be very much like Faruk. As it stands, he could easily be my son in terms of years, and I love him as if he were. Here’s a young man with an open heart and mind, and willing to stake his claim. He’s earned accolades, and critics too. To the critics, I say, I think you might be jealous. To those that have hired him, I say treat him right and don’t neglect him. He’s smart, he’ll figure life out, he deserves your love and appreciation.
• Erik Hatcher. Many of my readers might not know Erik’s name, but with the rise of Web apps and search, you should. A Java developer I first met in Tucson, then again across the states, I have to say this man is brilliant. And stealth. He’s doing the backend stuff we all should aspire to. Besides, apparently for a very white boy, he can speak Chinese well enough to make a girl gush. And you know exactly where I mean. HOT!

Is that it? Only ten? Oh why oh why did I choose that number? I’m thinking John Allsopp, the ever dreamy Simon Collison, Roger Johansson, Steve Champeon, Simon Willison (he’s just so cute and I’m sure he’ll hate me for writing that, but so what), Chris Wilson, John Oxton, Jon Hicks, Jeremy Keith, Hugh Forrest, Nick Finck, Matt May, Bruce Lawson and Patrick Lauke . . . oh I thiink this list is just too short. Maybe a “who’s not hot” list would serve us better.

What do you think? Let’s hear you’re top 10 list, male and/or otherwise

Filed under:   humor, hardware
Posted by:   Molly | 6:40 pm | Comments (44)

Sunday 2 April 2006

Got Some Time? Dump Yer Stuff!

Finding I’ve got no room left on my main computer’s hard drive I decided to begin tossing everything I didn’t need. There’s something refreshingly cleansing about a good, thorough computer purge, and I’m recommending it as a spring-clean must-do for everyone.

Here’s what I’ve been tossing:

• Miscellaneous utility apps I downloaded for a spin and never ended up using. Return on space: 500MB
• Big apps I never use that came with packages like Office. I mean, who really uses Project anyway? Return on space: 3GB
• Music I downloaded that I listened to once because someone recommended or it looked interesting, and I’ve never liked it or wanted to listen since. This is a big category because I’m lazy and let the piles build up. Return on space: 5GB. And I could trim it more
• TV Shows / Movies. This stuff takes up huge amounts of space. I’m going to get me a Lacie drive soon for those things I want to keep. Return on space: 10GB

Total return on space: 18.5 GB. I feel so fresh! How about you?

Filed under:   humor, software, hardware
Posted by:   Molly | 7:01 am | Comments (26)

Wednesday 18 January 2006

Okay Computer: A look at our computers and how we use them

I’M SITTING HERE LOOKING AT THREE COMPUTERS and thinking about the computers we have and how we use them. With web designers and developers, the results are sure to be very vast and varied due to all the platforms we deal with regularly.

Here’s my stuff:

• PowerBook G4 (12″) running OS X 10.3.9 - main travel computer, so for me, my day-to-day computer. I love it for the majority of tasks but doing any kind of screen intensive work is very difficult with the 12″.
• Home-brewed Intel Pentium 1 Gig RAM running win2k - main office server, runs my network as well as serving as the primary storage for 32 Gig of music and thousands of photos (oh boy I need to back this one up).
• Sony Intel Pentium notebook running winXP - had a great display which is why I used it but the screen is dying and I really only use it for testing.
• There are about five other computers in various stages of use or disuse in my office here, including an original blueberry iMac (yum!)
• Remote Web servers - I work on a variety of them, mostly all Linux of some sort with Perl, PHP, MySQL and a variety of open-source software related to web sites. I don’t work on any Microsoft servers currently.

What computers do you have and how do you use them?

Filed under:   software, web design and development, hardware
Posted by:   Molly | 5:56 am | Comments (53)