Export Aaron Gustafson archive posts to Markdown

export/2005-05-26-say-what-you-mean.md

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+---
+title: "Say what you mean"
+date: 2005-05-26 01:47:30
+comments: false
+tags:
+  - "usability"
+description: "While doing some DNS modifications (for this site, in fact) on AIT Domains , I received the following error message when trying to update the nameservers:"
+permalink: /archives/say-what-you-mean/
+---
+
+<p>While doing some <span class="caps">DNS</span> modifications (for this site, in fact) on <a href="http://www.aitdomains.com"><span class="caps">AIT</span> Domains</a>, I received the following error message when trying to update the nameservers:</p>
+<p><img alt="Failed to modify domain nameservers! Error: NameServer not added to easy-reader.net Invalid old value for an attribute." src="./images/say-what-you-mean/aitErrorMsg.jpg"/></p>
+<p>The site’s programmers may know what that means, but I certainly don’t. That’s not the kind of error message that should be public-facing. These guys really need to read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?path=ASIN/073571410X&amp;link_code=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;tag=easydesign-20&amp;creative=9325" title="View product details at Amazon">Defensive Design for the Web</a>.</p>

export/2005-05-27-trash-dom-treasure.md

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+---
+title: "Trash + DOM = Treasure?"
+date: 2005-05-27 02:42:47
+comments: true
+tags:
+  - "(x)HTML"
+  - "CSS"
+  - "design"
+  - "JavaScript"
+description: "I was browsing the popular links on del.icio.us today and stumbled onto Nifty Corners and (via that page) More Nifty Corners . I have to say that I am incredibly impressed with the scripting, but I fear there is something wrong with..."
+permalink: /archives/trash-dom-treasure/
+---
+
+<p>I was browsing the popular links on <a href="http://del.icio.us/">del.icio.us</a> today and stumbled onto <a href="http://pro.html.it/esempio/nifty/">Nifty Corners</a> and (via that page) <a href="http://pro.html.it/articoli/id_599/idcat_31/pag_1/pag.html">More Nifty Corners</a>. I have to say that I am incredibly impressed with the scripting, but I fear there is something wrong with this picture.</p>
+<p>Lately, <a href="http://novemberborn.net/javascript/using-dom-for-hover">there</a> <a href="http://www.adactio.com/journal/display.php/20050421185604.xml">have</a> <a href="http://www.kurafire.net/log/archive/2005/04/26/on-separating-style-and-behaviour">been</a> <a href="http://www.robertnyman.com/2005/04/25/53/">some</a> <a href="http://novemberborn.net/javascript/using-dom-for-hover/seriously">border</a> <a href="http://www.adactio.com/journal/display.php/20040804214738.xml">wars</a> over the <abbr title="Cascading Style Sheets"><span class="caps">CSS</span></abbr> <code>:hover</code> pseudo-class and its forays into the behavior layer. Sure, it’s easier to have <abbr title="Cascading Style Sheets"><span class="caps">CSS</span></abbr> do the work sometimes, but that doesn’t make it right. Frankly, I agree with the concept that behavior should be separated from presentation, just as presentation should be separated from content (which is why I use JavaScript to open and close the faux-<code>&lt;select&gt;</code> in my <a href="http://www.easy-designs.net/articles/"><code>&lt;select&gt;</code> Something New series</a>).</p>
+<p>I am also a big believer in clean, semantic markup, so I become concerned when anyone is adding superfluous code to the document to force a design issue. I know some might say I live in a glass house, but when I see someone putting code like this</p>
+<p><link href="https://github.githubassets.com/assets/gist-embed-c77408be8058.css" rel="stylesheet"/><div class="gist" id="gist489207"> <div class="gist-file" translate="no"> <div class="gist-data"> <div class="js-gist-file-update-container js-task-list-container file-box"> <div class="file my-2" id="file-lame-html"> <div class="Box-body p-0 blob-wrapper data type-html" itemprop="text"> <div class="js-check-bidi js-blob-code-container blob-code-content"> <template class="js-file-alert-template"> <div class="flash flash-warn flash-full d-flex flex-items-center" data-view-component="true"> <svg aria-hidden="true" class="octicon octicon-alert" data-view-component="true" height="16" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 16 16" width="16"> <path d="M6.457 1.047c.659-1.234 2.427-1.234 3.086 0l6.082 11.378A1.75 1.75 0 0 1 14.082 15H1.918a1.75 1.75 0 0 1-1.543-2.575Zm1.763.707a.25.25 0 0 0-.44 0L1.698 13.132a.25.25 0 0 0 .22.368h12.164a.25.25 0 0 0 .22-.368Zm.53 3.996v2.5a.75.75 0 0 1-1.5 0v-2.5a.75.75 0 0 1 1.5 0ZM9 11a1 1 0 1 1-2 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 0Z"></path></svg> <span>      This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. 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1-1.5 0v-2.5a.75.75 0 0 1 1.5 0ZM9 11a1 1 0 1 1-2 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 0Z"></path></svg></span></template> <table class="highlight tab-size js-file-line-container js-code-nav-container js-tagsearch-file" data-hpc="" data-paste-markdown-skip="" data-tab-size="8" data-tagsearch-lang="HTML" data-tagsearch-path="lame.html"> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="1" id="file-lame-html-L1"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC1"><span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">div</span> <span class="pl-c1">id</span>="<span class="pl-s">container</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="2" id="file-lame-html-L2"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC2"> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span> <span class="pl-c1">class</span>="<span class="pl-s">rtop</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="3" id="file-lame-html-L3"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC3"> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span> <span class="pl-c1">class</span>="<span class="pl-s">r1</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span><span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span> <span class="pl-c1">class</span>="<span class="pl-s">r2</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span><span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="4" id="file-lame-html-L4"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC4"> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span> <span class="pl-c1">class</span>="<span class="pl-s">r3</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span><span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span> <span class="pl-c1">class</span>="<span class="pl-s">r4</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span><span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="5" id="file-lame-html-L5"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC5"> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="6" id="file-lame-html-L6"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC6"> <span class="pl-c">&lt;!–content goes here –&gt;</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="7" id="file-lame-html-L7"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC7"> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span> <span class="pl-c1">class</span>="<span class="pl-s">rbottom</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="8" id="file-lame-html-L8"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC8"> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span> <span class="pl-c1">class</span>="<span class="pl-s">r4</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span><span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span> <span class="pl-c1">class</span>="<span class="pl-s">r3</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span><span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="9" id="file-lame-html-L9"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC9"> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span> <span class="pl-c1">class</span>="<span class="pl-s">r2</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span><span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span> <span class="pl-c1">class</span>="<span class="pl-s">r1</span>"<span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span><span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="10" id="file-lame-html-L10"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC10"> <span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">b</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="blob-num js-line-number js-code-nav-line-number js-blob-rnum" data-line-number="11" id="file-lame-html-L11"></td> <td class="blob-code blob-code-inner js-file-line" id="file-lame-html-LC11"><span class="pl-kos">&lt;/</span><span class="pl-ent">div</span><span class="pl-kos">&gt;</span></td> </tr> </table></div> </div> </div></div> </div> <div class="gist-meta"> <a class="Link--inTextBlock" href="https://gist.github.com/aarongustafson/489207/raw/e02f8792acaf258cd968c43749c124b95319e750/lame.html" style="float:right">view raw</a> <a class="Link--inTextBlock" href="https://gist.github.com/aarongustafson/489207#file-lame-html">          lame.html        </a>        hosted with ❤ by <a class="Link--inTextBlock" href="https://github.com">GitHub</a> </div> </div></div>
+<p>into their document (even if it is via the <abbr title="Document Object Model"><span class="caps">DOM</span></abbr>), I begin to shudder. Maybe it’s the nagging purist in me, but that just seems wrong.</p>
+<p>Are we falling into the old patterns again, forcing design issues through hacky markup? Does the use of non-semantic markup (<a href="http://www.meyerweb.com/eric/thoughts/2004/08/23/markup-missive/">taking a page from Eric</a>, no doubt) make it <span class="caps">OK</span>? Does the fact that it’s inserted via the <abbr title="Document Object Model"><span class="caps">DOM</span></abbr> make it any more valid? Where do we draw the line?</p>
+<p>I don’t have the answer, but I think we need to have the conversation.</p>
+</p>

export/2005-05-28-i-wanna-be-a-big-player.md

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+title: "I wanna be a big player"
+date: 2005-05-28 23:04:03
+comments: false
+tags:
+  - "business"
+description: "I opened the latest issue of Baseline to find a giant 2-page spread for 1&1 (a hosting company), touting their “ Dynamic Content Catalog ” and it’s ability to give you “website content like the big players.” Basically, they are offering..."
+permalink: /archives/i-wanna-be-a-big-player/
+---
+
+<p>I opened the latest issue of <a href="http://www.baselinemag.com">Baseline</a> to find a giant 2-page spread for <a href="http://www.1and1.com">1&amp;1</a> (a hosting company), touting their <a href="http://order.1and1.com/xml/order/HostingOverviewContentmoduls"><span class="initial quote">“</span>Dynamic Content Catalog<span class="final quote">”</span></a> and it’s ability to give you “website content like the big players.” Basically, they are offering to syndicate content (news, sports, games, etc.) onto your site, so you no longer have to worry about keeping your site fresh or interesting.</p>
+<p>I feel like this is an attempt to reintroduce the idea that every site needs to be a portal (why that concept is still floating about I’ll never know). I also see this as as flying in the face of one of the most important business objectives: establishing a brand, voice, etc. through copywriting. If all you have to offer your clients is data with no distillation, why bother?</p>

export/2005-06-06-why-intel.md

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+---
+title: "Why Intel?"
+date: 2005-06-06 21:19:40
+comments: false
+tags:
+  - "business"
+  - "humor"
+description: "I’ve been doing a little research lately into new laptops and I am finally starting to understand a little more about processors, etc. , so I am dumbfounded to hear that Apple is dumping IBM ’s PowerPC chips for Intel’s Pentium line..."
+permalink: /archives/why-intel/
+---
+
+<p>I’ve been doing a little research lately into new laptops and I am finally starting to understand a little more about processors, <abbr lang="la" title="et cetera meaning ">etc.</abbr>, so I am dumbfounded to hear that <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/jun/06intel.html">Apple is dumping <abbr title="International business Machines"><span class="caps">IBM</span></abbr>’s PowerPC chips for Intel’s Pentium line</a>. From my experience, <a href="http://www.intel.com">Intel</a> chips a) run really hot and b) suffer from a severe processing bottleneck (3.2 Gigahertz with a 533 Megahertz Front-Side Bus? <abbr title="what the fuck?"><span class="caps">WTF</span>?</abbr>). It seems to me that it would have made more sense for <a href="http://www.apple.com">Apple </a> to go with <a href="http://www.amd.com"><abbr title="Advanced Micro Devices"><span class="caps">AMD</span></abbr></a>, they’ve got incredibly powerful chips which I understand do not suffer from these problems. Maybe there’s something I’m missing, after all, I’m not a chip guy (or a <a href="http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cultofmac/index.blog?entry_id=1125226">Hollywood mogul</a>).</p>
+<p>Enough about the switch, I wanted to share some humor. I love this exchange on <a href="http://www.slashdot.org">Slashdot</a> in reaction to the news:</p>
+<blockquote cite="http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=151831&amp;cid=12738056">
+<p>Dispel any remaining doubts; we are now living in the evil mirror universe.</p>
+</blockquote>
+<blockquote cite="http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=151831&amp;cid=12738130">
+<p>I’ll believe that when the Red Sox win the World Series!</p>
+</blockquote>
+<blockquote cite="http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=151831&amp;cid=12738199">
+<p>Yeah, right — that’s about as likely as finding out who Deep Throat is.</p>
+</blockquote>
+<p>You can <a href="http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/06/06/1752234">read the whole trail</a> if you like.</p>

export/2005-06-20-standardizing-nomenclature.md

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+---
+title: "Standardizing Nomenclature"
+date: 2005-06-20 14:54:15
+comments: false
+tags:
+  - "(x)HTML"
+  - "coding"
+  - "web standards"
+description: "I agree with Richard : peoples’ eyes do glaze over when you say “semantic,” but they don’t have to. When Molly & I co-teach or when I am on my own, I always try to strike a balance by alternating “meaningful” and “semantic.” I feel it..."
+permalink: /archives/standardizing-nomenclature/
+---
+
+<p>I agree with <a href="http://www.clagnut.com">Richard</a>: peoples’ eyes do glaze over when you say “semantic,” but they don’t have to. When <a href="http://www.molly.com">Molly</a> <span class="amp">&amp;</span> I co-teach or when I am on my own, I always try to strike a balance by alternating “meaningful” and “semantic.” I feel it is important that “semantic” does not go away because it does have value. That said, it is necessary to relate to your audience, no matter what their level or experience, so I think alternating the terms and showing the interchangability of the two is beneficial for everyone.</p>
+<p>It is also very important to stress the difference between “structure” and “semantics.” Way too many people (myself included) have used these terms interchangably, when they are not the same. “Semantics” is about meaning whereas “structure” deals with the framework of your markup. Some say structure has only to do with your <abbr title="eXtensible HyperText Markup Language"><span class="caps">XHTML</span></abbr> skeleton (<span class="caps">DOCTYPE</span>, <code>html</code>, <code>head</code> <span class="amp">&amp;</span> <code>body</code>), but I view a page like a house. To me the “structure” is the framing upon which you build your roof, walls and floors. In <abbr title="eXtensible HyperText Markup Language"><span class="caps">XHTML</span></abbr>, that translates not only to your document skeleton, but also to how you use <code>div</code>s to “frame” your content, how you use heading tags to designate content sections, <abbr lang="la" title="et cetera meaning ">etc.</abbr></p>
+<p>Confusion arises in some cases when elements are both. In the case of heading tags, they are semantically meaningful (each tag conveying the relative importance of the heading it wraps in relation to the document and the other headings) <em>and</em> structural (forming the document outline). Additional confusion seeps in when we discuss how structural <code>div</code>s should be identified or classified semantically.</p>
+<p>These sorts of nomenclature confusion are things we need to overcome. Our industry is still very new and we are all learning a little more every day. Sharing a common language is very important for effectively communicating (especially in our global community) and is something I think needs to be stressed even more as we move forward. I think this is yet another area where we need to establish standards and, by having <a href="http://www.clagnut.com/blog/1487/">discussions like this</a>, we are taking the first steps toward establishing those.</p>