Free, or What It Costs
On charging market rate or nothing at all when friends and family ask for professional help.
Writing
Old Web Guy, New Home
I've been on the web a long time. This is where the archive lives now.
Software is handmade
Every line of code is written by a person. Software carries the style, assumptions, and fingerprint of its maker. That handmade quality is worth remembering.
Embrace mistakes
Hiding mistakes makes them compound. Owning up earns understanding and keeps the environment honest. Mistakes are how you grow.
Twitter keeps drawing me in
Skeptic, then investigator, now a near Twitter freak. The secret is following people who inspire you and getting the right tools to engage.
My experience as a Twitter-er
After reluctantly joining Twitter, it turned useful fast. Product updates, book recommendations, quick answers. A good tool for the right things.
What is Twitter? And why should I pay attention?
Had a Twitter account for a year, posted twice, and still not sure what it is for. Is it a useful tool, a cool toy, or just noise?
View my blogs on your iPhone
Blog themes built for full screens look awful on an iPhone. A WordPress plugin from ContentRobot fixes that by formatting content for mobile viewing.
Scrabulous told to shut it down
Hasbro and Mattel told the creators of Scrabulous to shut down their Facebook app. 550,000 daily users says that is the wrong move.
Practicing Productive Avoidance
When a project starts feeling like a weight, switching to something else entirely is the right move. Productive avoidance keeps momentum alive.
Google Docs
Google acquired Writely and turned it into Google Docs. Between that, Gmail, and Spreadsheets, desktop office apps are looking increasingly unnecessary.
Checking Twitter more than email and IM
On getting hooked on Twitter: real-time news, ambient awareness, and why iPhone ubiquity turned a skeptic into a daily user.
An Event Apart Seattle
Notes from An Event Apart Seattle 2006: Zeldman on client relationships and web writing, Meyer on CSS, Santa Maria on design, and Goto on mobile.
Pair Programming
A first experience with pair programming: writing tests, writing just enough code to pass them, and learning Ruby alongside someone who knows it well.
Changes for some notable bloggers
Jason Kottke ends his micropatron experiment, Derek Powazek leaves Technorati, Cameron Moll turns down Apple. Three people choosing their own path.
What is RSS and What is it for?
That little orange button subscribes you to content from your favorite sites, all in one reader. Here is what RSS is, how it works, and how to get started.
Carson Workshops: Eric Meyer Professional CSS XHTML Techniques
A recap of the Carson Workshops Eric Meyer CSS session: afternoon info overload, good networking, and why this kind of in-person event is worth it.
Google [owns the] Earth
Google keeps impressing with Google Earth, joining a lineup that already includes Google News, Gmail, Maps, and a personalized homepage.