In my previous lives, working at nonprofits and corporations for a few years, it was common that colleagues – but not me – wanted to visit websites, especially those like Metafilter. Someone behind a site called workFRIENDLY figured out a pretty good way to emulate Microsoft Word (old school flavors only) so that you can visit sites like Metafilter and not be accused of philandering, time-wasting, or even learning. The beauty of is that the WorkFRIENDLY filter itself strips out the styling of the site and converts it into Arial. There’s even a “Boss Key” that makes it look like you’re, well, thinking.
The whole thing reminds me of something I could have done myself in 1999. But I like the fact that it exists and I love the way sites look through WorkFRIENDLY, all stripped down and out. Of course, if you want to see what a website looks like without all the pretty stuff, you can always download and install Lynx, a free, text-only browser that can looks great on a Mac.
Store.
This is a store I would not mind shopping, so long as the staff can keep their hands to themselves.
Email Standards.
For those of you who care about companies wasting people’s time because they can’t agree about standards, a bright new website has launched promoting email standards. It’s called, simply, the Email Standards Project. Why does it matter? Because a hundred years ago, industries agreed that planes generally need a wing on each side, that cars need four wheels, and that roads should be paved with a line down the middle. This allowed everyone to focus on the activity of transportation rather than the act of transporting. With many thanks to Jeffrey Zeldman, Web standards has us on a path toward Internet browsers supporting basic website functionality and display. Now, a few people want the same for Email browsers and applications so we can focus on the activtiy of communication rather than the act of communication. Let’s go, email yo!
Bombers.
Tonight, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers lived up to their name. Sadly, they lost the Grey Cup but, to my untrained eye, they played incredibly well. It all came down the last few seconds of the game and I was truly rooting for them. The Saskatchewan Roughriders won, 23-19.
Getting Back.
I don’t know why I think is the one of the most romantic videos ever shot, full of Orientalism, Jewish love, physical tenderness, and plain old endearment. It features David Berman’s Silver Jews singing “I’m Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You” while holding his wife as they walk through Jerusalem’s Arab market.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tWmPFwYRk8&rel=1]
Oh, and it looks like the same director, Michael Tully is coming out with the Silver Jews movie. Cool.
Tiny Hands.
There are currently two spots airing right now about men with tiny hands. One is for Burger King and it’s okay; it plays on the stereotype of small hands and small members and the revelation of inadequacy among men. The second is more powerful and funnier, if more pretentious, spot for Herringbone; it features the short history of a boy with small hands who grew to be a beloved tailor throughout Europe.
These give hope to the world.
Helvetica Two.
I had one last opportunity on Thursday to see Helvetica, the movie. It was good, in a Helvetica kind of way. Here’s how the film and the typeface are similar:
- They obviate the need for explicitly delving into history. They stand on their own feet, which, in turn, stand on the heads of invisible giants.
- They purport to be well-rounded, neutral, and fun-loving. They ask to be seen as straightforward, honest, and open and they present themselves as the definitive and conclusive.
- They define themselves through requited love. They love to be loved and love you back for loving them and for being in love with loving them.
- They are fat in the middle and end somewhat squarely.
Postcript: It was great seeing the faces of some of my favorite type luminaries on a big screen.
Saddest Cubicle in the World.
When people ask me how I can afford to not work full-time at some kind of design agency or for a bureaucracy because I don’t get benefits or a pension, I think I will point them to this, a winner (or runner-up) of the saddest-cubicle contest sponsored by Wired Magazine, whose redesign is quite lovely, by the way and quite opposite to the office world of Mr. Smuckaluckovich depicted in these images.
Candy for Andy.
As I was explaining to my yoga class earlier this evening, I’ve been suffering the consequences of indulging in my daughter’s proclivities for acquiring large amounts of candy on Halloween. I can’t help it. The candy is there and so am I. The two want to meet.
In the bigger picture, I’ve now recognized that my sweet tooth will eventually get the better of me. I’m not going to give up on chocolate or anything. But I realize that buying high-end chocolate (e.g. like Hershey’s Extra Dark, a bar that is unlike anything found in the States yet can be bought in Canada at any regular supermarket) will satisfy my craving without forcing further indulgence and ingestion. I’m sure there’s some science around this.
My own paranoid theory around mass-market candy is that companies (including Hershey, of course) use just enough quality ingredients to sate the palette but the real pleasure is in the sugar itself. This leads to some satisfaction but, ultimately, the body requires a bit more of the goods and, well, there goes 3 bite-sized Snicker bars, 4 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and 3 Wunderbars. Down the hatch.
Jerry Upset.
My friend, D.C., sent this to me. Jerry Seinfeld is so obviously insulted by the King of CNN radio. It’s strange to watch real emotions on television through the prism of time-delayed YouTube.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv7ttHyu7Lo&rel=1]