Articles

I’m a PC Okay, so I am not exactly a PC. I am typing this on my PowerBook. Unless of course you consider a Mac to be a personal computer. I do, but it has long been the decision by American culture that a PC is anything running the Windows operating system and a Mac is made by Apple and is the perfect computer (PC?). Anyhow, we’ll stick with popular consensus. Linux also goes on PCs, but since I administer a lot of Linux daily, I’ll talk about it some other time. Sorry fellow penguin-heads. ...

Arrr! It be that time of year, me hearties. Tha’s right. ‘Tis international talk like a pirate day. Every September 19th, you too can participate in this meme and talk like a pirate. That is, if you’re strange like me. My friends and co-workers usually just roll their eyes and walk away. But that is no deterrent to my enjoyment of the day. If you need a little primer, head on over to the official International Talk Like a Pirate Day site and have a look at “The Basics”. If you are more visually oriented, the site’s founders, Ol’ Chumbucket and Cap’n Slappy, have posted a YouTube video called Talk Like a Pirate Day: The Five A’s. ...

That is a post title that is not likely to get many search hits except among that small group of Internet savvy, Google-fu wielding, sassy septuagenarians. So why use it? Well, it’s like this. I was driving to work this morning and I passed a couple of seventy-somethings in a convertible out for a nice, cool cruise. It was a beautiful morning, and I must admit my jealousy at these two elders out for a leisurely jaunt. ...

(via Slashdot) Apparently modern steel is just not good enough anymore. As we create new technologies, we must turn more and more to fiction for inspiration. Okay, so I doubt anyone was sitting in the meeting suggesting that an attempt to make Rearden Metal be made, but that’s essentially what scientists are seeking to create – a new miracle metal. On the anniversary of 9/11, it is good to see that research surrounding the collapse of the Twin Towers has led to information that could better our technology and our world. ...

Pocket change is quite useful, especially if you’ve got a jar to put it in at the end of the day. Store it all for a year and you’d be surprised at how much money you can save in this way. But that’s not the kind of change I am talking about today. During my undergraduate studies, I had a management course with a professor who was boring. Correction. He was BORING. Despite that, he had a surprising amount of enthusiasm for kaizen. So much so that the item that sticks in my mind most from the course is that very concept. ...

An old adage reads, Never say never. The irony is not lost on me, but that aside, the message is important. Even so, I believe it is wrong in some cases, especially those where the negative aspect of the word “never” is reversed so as to make it a positive way to approach life. Such is the case when I say, Never Stop Dreaming About a decade ago, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming an actor. Stage primarily, but I would not have turned down an opportunity to appear on the silver screen. ...

It’s a simple question that built the Twitter empire 140 characters at a time. What are you doing? And yet, I feel that although I use Twitter fairly often, I do not actually ask myself that question enough throughout the work day. How many times have you found yourself wasting what would be otherwise productive time doing something… well, unproductive? If you’re a regular reader here, then you’ve heard of Merlin Mann by now. I’ve written about his sites, and I’ve written about his Inbox Zero solution for e-mail (which I will swear by for the rest of my life). It won’t come as a surprise then that the Mann who built the 43 Folders site on the principles of Getting Things Done and general productivity has once again come up with a nifty little tool for staying on track. ...

I’ve written about Merlin Mann in the past. His Inbox Zero talk is still as relevant today as when he first gave it – possibly more relevant with the information overload that some of us deal with daily. While he may post in fits and starts (with good reason), it is always a pleasure when he comes roaring back with both guns blazing. Imagine then my delight today when my RSS reader showed not one, not two, but four updates to the 5ives web site. If you’ve never visited the site, here’s a little background. ...

While watching coverage of the 2008 Olympic games this summer, I have noticed a trend in the reporting of medal counts. When the reporters speak about individuals who are competing in the Olympics, a lot of weight is given to the fact that they are earning gold medals and not just silver or bronze. Take the Michael Phelps story, for example. On Sunday morning, Phelps swam the butterfly leg on the 4x100-meter U.S. medley relay that held off Australia in a world record-setting victory, giving Phelps his eighth gold medal of these Games and his 14th over all.He had previously come close to the record, but as far as the count of Olympic medals go, this would not have been quite as impressive had he not won all 8 gold medals. Don’t get me wrong. I am not playing down his accomplishment. Rather I am setting a basis for my argument that follows. [caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“458.0”][ ](https://Ian W. Parker.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/medal_front.gif) Medals - Beijing 2008 (front)[/caption] ...

(via Smashing Magazine) Edison Morais over at Smashing Magazine has authored a post discussing horizontal navigation layouts in modern web sites and web applications. This was of interest to me as I had toyed with the idea of presenting my site in a horizontal layout several years ago. I managed to cobble together a working prototype and was ironing out some final details when I decided to scrap it. ...