xset | Archive | December

Well I have the first wave out of the way. Something I hadn�t considered this year is a new limitation that I hadn�t had a problem with previously – namely that I now have to get all of my shopping home on the back of a motorbike. I�m glad I�m not buying for small children! (why is it that the smaller the child the larger the present?)

I survived the last Late Night Shopping spree in St. Hell-ier without injury (to others I mean) and even found the time to meet up with a new friend for a drink. There�s nothing quite like a G&T to take your mind of things!!! And as per tradition I have gotten myself my reward pressie for being such a good little elf and not murdering all who crossed my path (although it did cross my mind a couple of times – lady, it�s a push chair, not a Sherman). I was going to get a pocket backgammon set (cos in case you didn�t know I�m an avid backgammon player) but was in HMV picking up the nth CD when I spotted this. That�s right people, Sid Meirs Pirates is back and better than ever before. Well it looks like I know what I�m gonna be doing on Christmas Day!

As for pressies so far I have the following:

Dad – 100% (thanks Mum )

Mum – 70%

LemurGirl – 40%

Housemate – 100%

Everyone else – 0%

So it looks like I�ll be scraping the rest together sometime tomorrow.

Until then peeps

Christmas presents for my bloggy friends

// December 21st, 2004 // No Comments » // Personal

It�s that time of year when people�s thoughts have turned to gift giving and the finding of an eminently suitable present for each of your friends is no easy task.

With this in mind I�ve decided to provide a list of gifts for some of my dedicated readers.

First up is Markiss and for him I�ve found just the thing. It�s both gross and functional whilst maintaining the required level of tackiness for such occasions. Markiss – enjoy!

As for Jim, what do you get the guy who has a truly lovely wife, 3 (or maybe more) wonderful kids, his own house and a dream job? Well after careful though I figure that the author of a site called Snooze Button Dreams really needs the ultimate in wake-up kit.

Helen is pretty hard to buy for (except for the stuff that she already has listed on her wish list) but I think a fully illustrated copy of the worlds most famous lover�s guide should fit the bill nicely. Just don�t forget to warn your physiotherapist about the potential increase in his workload due to #35 and #723!!!

And the last one for this batch is Jeremy� world of soil? Nah, world of water in your own personal submarine.

I suppose I should warn you that I have no intention of buying any of these but after all, it�s the thought that counts….

Browser Stats – Irrelevant or what?

// December 21st, 2004 // No Comments » // Personal

Eric Meyer has recently posted a fairly cross broadside aimed at those who would utilise generic Browser Share stats when designing how to target a site�s design. Whilst I agree with 95% of what is said (i.e. that browser stats are useful only when taken within the context of the site they�re from and even then should not be relied on too heavily) I figure I should stick my oar in and add a couple of thoughts.

Firstly, I agree that using global statistics is a poor way to determine which browsers your site should support but I have to say that a little careful thought will allow you to derive useful information from the stats of similar sites. So whilst Eric is fundamentally correct in stating that his stats are of no use to any other site I say that they could be of use to someone planning a site with a similar demographic. Of course this information could be gleaned by applying a little common sense. For example:

A Website dedicated to web design and development

Such a site or blog is going to have a high share of Firefox users simply because people who are up on web technologies will more rapidly embrace such a browser.

A website discussing Mac software

Again, a little CS tells you to aim for Safari, FireFox and IE 5 for Mac first and all else after.

My only other concern is simply this – no-one should be using browser stats to determine which browsers should be able to view their site purely on the basis that all browsers should be able to view it. That�s the whole point behind XHTML, CSS, Semantics and all the other lovely things that have been keeping us web designers busy over the past 2 years. If you are picking and choosing between target browsers based on statistical analysis, even if your stats are the most accurate in the world (which they rarely are) then you have really missed the point. Keep your code valid first and ensure browser compatibility second. Make sure your design degrades well and not only will you not have to worry about browser share changing but your work will be effectively future proof.

Anyway, enough web talk for one day. Besides which it makes me more than a little nervous to comment on the writing of a guy who is responsible for 2 of the most thumbed books on my desk!

An Everyday Christmas? I don’t think so

// December 20th, 2004 // No Comments » // Personal

One of the downsides of the recent explosion in blogs I read (the list is somewhere near 300 now!) is that commenting has become a lost art. Well no, not lost, but very selective. And this means that there are those who may think I�ve forgotten about them and their wonderful writing.

Off all the sites I peruse (or to be more accurate, of all the sites my feed-reader aggregates and sorts into piles of stuff I�ll like, stuff I�ll find interesting and stuff that it really isn�t sure about but it figures I should diversify my source anyway because a man cannot live by tech blogs alone) there are a number who are firmly planted on top of the pile.

These are the people I know and love. In some cases only through their writing, in others through some obscure fiscal transaction and in one case through good old DNA.

And so I would like to point you at three posts, all from the same gifted young lady, all with a Christmassy feel that have warmed my heart / caused me to projectile anti-snort coffee / angered me over the past few days*.

Firstly we have the joy filled image of Santa stopping off for a quick latte and some existential chit chat climaxing in a Musical Number worthy of Rogers and Hammerstein.

By way of demonstrating just how well this person writes, she has also managed to invoke my terrible anger toward the villain of this simple story. I know that one day all kids must learn the truth about Santa** but it should never be delivered in such a crushing and impersonal manner as this.

And finally, a simple campaign to ensure that we grown ups grow down a little this holiday and remember the magic that has long since been driven from our lives by seemingly endless years of drudgery and overbearing adulthood�

Happy Christmas Helen.

*but not necessarily in that order.

** The truth being that Santa is in fact not a real person but a series of franchises financed by a massive multinational gift giving syndicate known only by the acronym E.L.V.E.S. whose head office is indeed in the North Pole but only by virtue of the relaxed nature of Arctic taxation.

Christmas? Aw crap …

// December 20th, 2004 // No Comments » // Personal

There seems to be a great deal of Christmas related conversation around the �sphere at the moment. What�s with you guys? Anybody would think its a week away or something.

I�m looking forward to Christmas but with the muted anticipation that comes from having about ten beeelion projects on the go* leading to the distinct feeling that, whilst all this festive jollity is all well and good, it would be a little more convenient if it could come back later … say June ish?

It always seems to be the way though. This is the season for whole weekends given over to nothing but parties (sounds like heaven on earth but you run out of small talk real fast after the 2nd all nighter). Hell I haven�t even had time to start my Christmas shopping … looks like I get to be one of the Massed Horde of Christmas Eve Shoppers, eyes rolling widely as we storm up and down infested streets desperately trying to check off lists the length of the Taipei 101. And of course once I�ve bought all the stuff there is the small issue of getting it home on a motorbike, paying off the mastercard (circa 2085), and wrapping it up in time to be promptly unwrapped and consumed less than 12 hours later … note to self, be more damn organised next year.

And of course there is time for all the usual end of year reconsiderations – what did I do that I could have done better / shouldn�t have done at all / needed to use more lubricant whilst doing / etc. – as well as the ever present lamentations regarding the commercialisation of the holiday period and everybody bitching about pretty much everything.

Well I�m ready for all that now� good thing too as we have but 4 days to go. I have finished the last of the pre-Christmas parties, I�m set for the shopping (taser is fully charged), and I have programmed my Palm�s copy of omni remote with the necessary channels for the Sky box, the TV and the stereo so as to ensure I don�t get caught out by the Sound of Music.

All that�s left to do now is to sit back and wait … … …

… … … and the shopping … … … fuck!

* December is meant to be a quiet time in my line of work. As soon as I find out which of my colleagues forgot to send the clients the memo they�re dead!

F#ck ing brilliant

// December 18th, 2004 // No Comments » // Personal

Jim has a new story posted over at Protomonkey and this one actually has reference to me!!!

So go read a true tale of entrepreneurial ~~mis~~ adventure and show your appreciation in the usual way by donating your money, underwear, small children, etc.