1 freetoken  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 5:51:40pm

“Wasabi Toast” - heh, that sounds interesting…

2 jaunte  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 5:54:14pm

I get that ‘make it pop’ request a lot. Also the one about updating enough to be appealing to a whole new set of potential consumers, without changing what is appealing to the current set of consumers.

3 brookly red  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 5:55:21pm

free markets work! LOL

4 Big Steve  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 5:56:17pm

speaking of well designed websites…….looks like LGF might hit 8 million comments this week!

5 Jimmah  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 5:56:22pm

Heh - the obligatory animal/cartoon ‘guide’ - I remember when every product website had one (1998?). Also reminds me of all those stupid internet bubble financial sites with names like “SillyElephant.com”.

6 Charles Johnson  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 5:57:24pm

He didn’t mention the client’s demand to let his twelve-year old son work on a few pages, because he’s “really good at that PHP stuff.”

7 Velvet Elvis  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 5:57:42pm

I charge less than most people because I don’t have a huge portfolio and mostly sell people sites based on free Joomla! templates and stuff like that. If they get too picky about the design (ie start asking for stuff I don’t know how to do) I tell them to keep their $500 and go see how much a real web designer charges.

8 Charles Johnson  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 5:58:08pm

re: #4 Big Steve

speaking of well designed websites…looks like LGF might hit 8 million comments this week!

Yes, we’re on track to hit 8,000,000 comments in 3-5 days.

9 ulmsey123  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 5:58:31pm

All the best of intentions. But it all got lost in the woods. It’s so easy to lose one’s focus, isn’t it Charles?

10 Charles Johnson  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 5:59:27pm

re: #9 ulmsey123

All the best of intentions. But it all got lost in the woods. It’s so easy to lose one’s focus, isn’t it Charles?

Actually, no. I’m as focused as I’ve ever been. How about you?

11 brookly red  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:00:54pm

re: #4 Big Steve

speaking of well designed websites…looks like LGF might hit 8 million comments this week!

well as I keep trying to tell my clients it is about content not design…

content, content, content!

12 Varek Raith  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:01:05pm

I actually considered web design… until I got a taste for what you’d probably have to deal with… After 1 semester I decided, nope, no thanks! :)
/Much more enjoyable putting together PCs.

13 Big Steve  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:01:11pm

re: #8 Charles

Yes, we’re on track to hit 8,000,000 comments in 3-5 days.

Question…..when someone badly misbehaves and is banned and has their comments deleted, does that make the overall comment number go down?

14 The Curmudgeon  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:01:58pm

Toads. A well-designed website should have hopping toads. And flash. And stupid music that starts as soon as you arrive at the site. Great stuff!

15 windsagio  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:02:30pm

re: #12 Varek Raith

In school, it was from stories like this from slightly older friends in programming and (the then just developing) web design that made me get out of that and get my Linguistics degree.

I still can’t decide if its better to be a loser or to live a life of agony >>

16 jaunte  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:02:44pm

re: #11 brookly red

The design helps a lot with the content, though. After getting used to LGF, for example, it’s really annoying to try to read threaded comment pages at other sites.

17 windsagio  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:02:45pm

re: #14 The Curmudgeon

don’t forget Comet Cursor!

18 Charles Johnson  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:02:47pm

re: #13 Big Steve

Question…when someone badly misbehaves and is banned and has their comments deleted, does that make the overall comment number go down?

No — the comment count you see under ‘Statistics’ includes deleted comments.

19 Slumbering Behemoth Stinks  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:02:48pm

re: #1 freetoken

“Wasabi Toast” - heh, that sounds interesting…

How about Sci Fi Wasabi?

20 Jimmah  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:03:58pm

btw that virgin media ad on the right of the page slows everything down to hell - if I scroll to where it’s no longer visible, normal service is resumed.

21 brookly red  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:06:23pm

re: #16 jaunte

The design helps a lot with the content, though. After getting used to LGF, for example, it’s really annoying to try to read threaded comment pages at other sites.

the design is just branding it’s the content that keeps you coming back…

22 jaunte  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:07:00pm

re: #21 brookly red

Maybe I should say structure.

23 freetoken  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:07:05pm

re: #19 Slumbering Behemoth


Cute lead singer… but man, that band is a bit weird…

24 Racer X  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:07:38pm

Speaking of funny - someone posted this the other day and I laughed my ass off.

This must be the funniest email conversation ever

25 freetoken  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:07:44pm

A leading candidate for worst website of 2009:

[Link: anselme.homestead.com…]

26 Big Steve  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:08:13pm

not to OT or nothing…..but I was hugely disappointed reading the morning Houston Chronicle and there was an editorial by Dr. Neil Frank. Dr. Neil was the head of the National Hurricane Center in Miami for years and then a very respected weatherman in Houston till he recently retired. However he appears to be a AWG denier and and I could get by that however his editorial is literally a laundry list of debunked items….Dr. Neil Frank on Climategate. I would have thought he had more on the ball than this.

27 von  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:08:29pm

You are probably not as hungry/a lot more busy than I am, Charles, but I’ve had these experiences too. Usually I just do exactly what they want and charge them for it. Does that make me a whore? Really funny comic though!

28 jaunte  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:08:53pm

re: #25 freetoken

Wow. It’s like an antbed got kicked.

29 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:09:04pm

What kind of monkey are you?

Hat tip to Charles, many moons ago.

30 brookly red  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:09:04pm

re: #22 jaunte

Maybe I should say structure.

let’s not do jesse james here :)

31 Varek Raith  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:10:03pm

re: #25 freetoken

A leading candidate for worst website of 2009:

[Link: anselme.homestead.com…]

Reminds me of Homer Simpsons web site. :/

32 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:10:37pm

re: #25 freetoken

A leading candidate for worst website of 2009:

[Link: anselme.homestead.com…]

Can a computer over-dose on brown acid?

33 Varek Raith  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:11:05pm

re: #32 MandyManners

Can a computer over-dose on brown acid?

There is a test for that…
:)

34 Racer X  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:12:02pm
35 Fenris  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:12:13pm

I totally get where you’re coming from, Charles; I’m living this nightmare right now. I had a battle getting one of my clients to pay me.

36 Interesting Times  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:12:39pm

re: #21 brookly red

the design is just branding it’s the content that keeps you coming back…

On the flip side, a hideous-enough design can keep you away from sites whose content is otherwise great (like this HTML special character code page - HATE the dark-text-on-dark-background that shows up when you view it with Firefox - thankfully I can disable all CSS and make it legible with the Web Designer Toolkit add-on)

37 Slumbering Behemoth Stinks  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:13:35pm

re: #23 freetoken

They are odd. John Lennon’s kid recorded with them for a while. Some of their stuff is mellow, some of it is hip-hopish, some of it is funky, but most of it is just plain strange.

38 brookly red  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:14:02pm

re: #36 publicityStunted

true that…

39 freetoken  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:14:14pm

re: #26 Big Steve

He’s been retired for quite some time.

Hoping to not sound too cruel here… but there is a real gerontology problem with some of the AGW denial. The denier industry rounds up some very old scientists who have long retired from any meaningful contributions to the specific fields which they had studied, and then use the fact that Ph.D. diplomas do not have an expiry date to try and confuse the public about the real scientific consensus.

40 windsagio  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:14:17pm

re: #25 freetoken

its old, of course, but this is always my go-to site for bad web.

[Link: www.angelfire.com…]

I’m sad that they no longer have the looped clip from the Will Smith “MIB” song.

41 Charles Johnson  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:14:35pm

And don’t even get me started on what it’s like to be a session musician.

“Can you make that solo a little more like Electro-Boy?”

“I need to feel more purple from you on that rhythm part.”

“I measured the tape, and your third note is about 3/100 of an inch late. Let’s do another take.”

42 windsagio  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:15:14pm

re: #41 Charles

hah, is there anything you Haven’t done?

43 freetoken  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:15:17pm

re: #37 Slumbering Behemoth

“strange” and Japan seem to naturally go together. One reason I love the place.

44 Charles Johnson  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:16:22pm

re: #42 windsagio

hah, is there anything you Haven’t done?

Well, I’ve never been in the Foreign Legion.

45 Varek Raith  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:16:57pm

re: #43 freetoken

“strange” and Japan seem to naturally go together. One reason I love the place.

Whenever I hear about something really, really strange happening in the world, I immediately think of 2 countries for its origin; Japan or the US. :)

46 [deleted]  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:17:00pm
47 Fenris  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:17:21pm

re: #41 Charles

What does purple sound like? I turned the volume all the way up on this page but I still can’t here a thing.

48 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:19:47pm

re: #44 Charles

Well, I’ve never been in the Foreign Legion.

Rosetta Stone can help you learn how to speak French, and then you’re off.

49 windsagio  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:19:54pm

re: #37 Slumbering Behemoth

hah they covered Black Hole Sun…. strangely

50 [deleted]  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:20:32pm
51 Fenris  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:21:38pm

re: #49 windsagio

hah they covered Black Hole Sun… strangely

I remember seeing that video in the 1994. Ended up getting flashbacks till 1997.

52 theheat  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:21:41pm

It would be funny if it weren’t so true. I’ve lived that scenario so many times I have an allergic reaction to anything that looks, sounds, or smells like it. I’ve often thought my work-related avatar should be a stick person representative of me, with a pistol shoved in my crudely drawn mouth.

I realize art/design is very personal, but anymore I stick by, “When I want your [un]educated opinion, I’ll give it to you.” Sometimes, there’s a certain allure to digging ditches, or cleaning the monkey cage at the zoo.

May all the armchair experts a million deaths in the pit of Comic Cans, animated kittens, and shit that sparkles.

Jaded? Maybe.

53 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:22:04pm

“THAT’S A FILTHY LIE!”

54 Soap_Man  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:22:09pm

re: #48 MandyManners

Rosetta Stone can help you learn how to speak French, and then you’re off.

Not to change the subject, but I’ve been thinking about Rosetta Stone to learn Italian. But it is a tad expensive and I have never met anyone who has used it.

So, is it worth it?

55 SanFranciscoZionist  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:22:22pm

re: #5 Jimmah

Heh - the obligatory animal/cartoon ‘guide’ - I remember when every product website had one (1998?). Also reminds me of all those stupid internet bubble financial sites with names like “SillyElephant.com”.

I remember the unlit Red Gorilla sign on Market Street, after the dotcom crash.

56 Fenris  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:22:42pm

re: #50 MikeySDCA

When I was a kid they had these freeze-the-sugar-water-in-the-plastic-sleeve things, and one of the colors was blue. Which was how it tasted. Blue.

Found it! The sound AND taste of purple.

57 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:22:43pm

(I’m watching Return of the King on TNT.)

58 windsagio  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:22:44pm

re: #51 fenrisdesigns

Superunknown is where Soundgarden started to go to hell.

I hate Sponeman too!

59 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:23:00pm

re: #54 Soap_Man

Not to change the subject, but I’ve been thinking about Rosetta Stone to learn Italian. But it is a tad expensive and I have never met anyone who has used it.

So, is it worth it?

Beats me.

60 Slumbering Behemoth Stinks  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:23:02pm

re: #49 windsagio

They also covered a Nirvana song.

61 theheat  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:23:15pm

re: #52 theheat

PIMF, Comic [fucking] Sans.

62 Soap_Man  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:23:57pm

re: #59 MandyManners

Beats me.

Oh, didn’t see what you were referring to at first.

Ha! My bad. Nevermind…

63 Varek Raith  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:24:13pm

re: #57 MandyManners

(I’m watching Return of the King on TNT.)

Which reminds me; I need to have a LotR marathon sometime this week. :)

64 windsagio  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:25:16pm

re: #60 Slumbering Behemoth

Japanese girls covering Grunge is so… very… wrong!

65 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:26:19pm

re: #57 MandyManners

(I’m watching Return of the King on TNT.)

Great stuff. LotR is a truly great story and Peter Jackson was able to turn in a worthy adaptation.

66 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:26:45pm

re: #62 Soap_Man

No problem.

67 Slumbering Behemoth Stinks  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:27:18pm

re: #64 windsagio

But it’s soooo adorable.

68 Jimmah  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:28:02pm

re: #60 Slumbering Behemoth

They also covered a Nirvana song.

Just for contrast, here’s a song that Nirvana covered :

69 abolitionist  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:28:08pm

For about 12 years, I was the programmer for a small (under 20 employees) specialized technology manufacturer, competing (in part) with HP.

The third manager in as many years said ISO9000!

A new IT guy relayed his version of the KISS principle: Bite banana, bush button.

70 Racer X  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:28:27pm

re: #60 Slumbering Behemoth

They also covered a Nirvana song.

My ears are bleeding.

71 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:30:09pm

re: #63 Varek Raith

Which reminds me; I need to have a LotR marathon sometime this week. :)

For years, I read The Hobbit and the trilogy every fall. I slacked off when The Kid was younger but, I’m back in the saddle.

I must say that reading them after the movies came out (I don’t go to the theatre but I have the DVD’s), I was a bit shocked at the differences. But, PETER JACKSON ROCKS.

72 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:30:52pm

re: #65 Dark_Falcon

Great stuff. LotR is a truly great story and Peter Jackson was able to turn in a worthy adaptation.

I wonder how much Tolkien he’d read in his youth.

73 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:34:22pm

autismspeaks.org


Whoa.

74 MandyManners  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:35:03pm

I’d love more threads on ant-vaxxers.

75 windsagio  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:35:45pm

re: #74 MandyManners

I’d love more threads on ant-vaxxers.

They’re bad for the ol’ blood pressure tho’.

76 Slumbering Behemoth Stinks  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:36:27pm

re: #74 MandyManners

The economy is in the tank as it is, we don’t need to go around vaccinating ants on top of everything else. :)

77 Jimmah  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:36:46pm

re: #70 Racer X

My ears are bleeding.

Good. That’s what’s supposed to happen. Here’s Nirvana covering the song, and doing a little tribute to the Vaselines (who ur frae Edinburgh in case ye didny know)

78 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:37:21pm

re: #76 Slumbering Behemoth

The economy is in the tank as it is, we don’t need to go around vaccinating ants on top of everything else. :)

SMACK!

79 Varek Raith  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:37:27pm

re: #76 Slumbering Behemoth

The economy is in the tank as it is, we don’t need to go around vaccinating ants on top of everything else. :)

I nominate Slumbering Behemoth for just such a task.
/:)

80 abolitionist  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:37:57pm

re: #69 abolitionist

Gaah! bush push button!!

81 Our Precious Bodily Fluids  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:39:25pm

That cartoon describes exactly why I am soooo glad that my professional work is strictly objective (it either works as intended and I’m done, or it doesn’t work at all and I’m still working on it). Anything aesthetically subjective that I create, I do it strictly to satisfy myself. If someone else happens to like it, that’s a bonus. If not, I don’t care.

82 John Neverbend  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:39:52pm

re: #48 MandyManners

Rosetta Stone can help you learn how to speak French, and then you’re off.

I remember watching a documentary about the Legion. Most of the other ranks they interviewed were Brits, and they barely spoke French. It didn’t seem to matter, even when they were visited by the general. They just said, “Je ne comprends pas, mon generale.”

83 John Neverbend  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:40:49pm

re: #72 MandyManners

I wonder how much Tolkien he’d read in his youth.


I do like Agent Smith’s rendition of Elrond.

84 ryannon  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:42:48pm

re: #44 Charles

Well, I’ve never been in the Foreign Legion.

Travel! Girls! Romance!

And you don’t even want to know your real name.

85 ryannon  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:46:24pm

re: #84 ryannon

Travel! Girls! Romance!

And you they don’t even want to know your real name.


[Video]

86 shiplord kirel  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:49:19pm

re: #44 Charles

Well, I’ve never been in the Foreign Legion.

We can fix that.
French Foreign Legion official recruiting site (in English no less).

Whatever your origins, nationality or religion might be, whatever qualifications you may or may not have, whatever your social or professional status might be, whether you are married or single, the French Foreign Legion offers you a chance to start a new life…

Join the 7699 legionnaires and non-commissioned officers hailing from 136 different countries, including France. Build yourself an exceptional future in which “honour” and “fidelity” are fundamental values.
The French Foreign Legion today

A total strength of 7699 men, made up of 413 officers, 1741 N.C.O.S. and 5545 legionnaires divided into 11 regimental formations.
Be a part of the news that makes the headlines !

By joining the French Foreign Legion, you are sure to be a part of the news that makes the headlines either in France on manoeuvres, or on external operations in French territories abroad… (French Guyana, New Caledonia, Mayotte, la Reunion, the French West Indies…)

87 Stan the Demanded Plan  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:50:40pm

re: #84 ryannon

Travel! Girls! Romance!

And you don’t even want to know your real name.


[Video]

That is a great clip! On his heart, his tattoo said “nobody” !!

88 Vicious Babushka  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:53:27pm

re: #6 Charles

He didn’t mention the client’s demand to let his twelve-year old son work on a few pages, because he’s “really good at that PHP stuff.”

I gave my son a website to design when he was 12 years old. Now he’s 24 and has his own graphics design company. I still own the domain* on his old website, and he actually still gets a lot of Google hits. I mentioned that he might consider redesigning it from its 1997 HTML format and he said, “how much are you gonna pay me?”

*This is the domain that has pwn3d a bunch of nazi hotlinkers. Bwahaha!

89 Jaerik  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:54:47pm

The “pop” bit is what gets me the most. That term has started to leak into other industry parlance and it sends me into conniptions almost as much as “synergy.”

90 SanFranciscoZionist  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:56:16pm

re: #84 ryannon

Travel! Girls! Romance!

And you don’t even want to know your real name.

[Video]

When my father and his sister were small, and acting up, my grandma would tell them that if they didn’t behave she was going to go and leave them and join the Women’s Auxiliary of the French Foreign Legion.

(No, there is no Women’s Auxiliary of the Legion. However, if there had been, it would have been populated by runaway 50s moms like my grandma, wearing camo capris, and looking adorable in their kepis.)

91 Vambo  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:57:06pm

my toast is never better than Godzilla farts. what am I doing wrong?!

92 jhrhv  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 6:57:59pm

The only thing that is missing is the part where they expect you to put in hundreds of hours, create all the photo elements then pay you in bottled water.

93 lurking faith  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 7:03:36pm

re: #89 Jaerik

The “pop” bit is what gets me the most. That term has started to leak into other industry parlance and it sends me into conniptions almost as much as “synergy.”

They’ve been using “pop” on the various interior design TV shows for years. I first heard it on Trading Spaces, back when lots of people watched that show, and I thought it was such a childish and stupid expression that I couldn’t believe anyone else would repeat it.

94 Wozza Matter?  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 7:08:02pm

re: #44 Charles

Nobody expects the French Foreign Legion…………….

(or am i thinking of something else?)

95 Dancing along the light of day  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 7:08:46pm

re: #6 Charles

He didn’t mention the client’s demand to let his twelve-year old son work on a few pages, because he’s “really good at that PHP stuff.”

OMG. That’s priceless.

96 Dark_Falcon  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 7:14:36pm

re: #94 wozzablog

Nobody expects the French Foreign Legion…

(or am i thinking of something else?)

Make it the Spanish Foreign Legion (which really does exist) and you’ll be getting closer. ;)

97 Wozza Matter?  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 7:19:21pm

re: #96 Dark_Falcon

Whats really slipping my mind though…. is what their chief weapon/s are. Sad days.

98 brennant  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 7:58:04pm

All of this is true… Only once in a blue moon do I get a client that is truly happy with the design from beginning to end. Being a graphic designer has its days where you want to blow your head clean off.

99 webevintage  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 8:00:14pm

If I ever have my site redone I am going to demand that the whole thing sparkle and the text must be only in LOL.
I know my customers will understand my love and devotion to Ceiling Cat…

100 The Sanity Inspector  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 8:09:41pm

From elsewhere on the net, about 10 years ago.

If Architects Had to Work Like Programmers

Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I
need, so you should use your discretion. My house should have between
two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that
the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the
blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also,
bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can
arbitrarily pick one. Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose
must cost less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure,
however, that you correct all the deficiencies that exist in my
current house (the floor of my kitchen vibrates when I walk across it,
and the walls don’t have nearly enough insulation in them).

As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly
maintenance costs as low as possible. This should mean the
incorporation of extra-cost features like aluminum, vinyl, or
composite siding (If you choose not to specify aluminum, be prepared
to explain your decision in detail). Please take care that modern
design practices and the latest materials are used in construction of
the house, as I want it to be a showplace for the most up-to-date
ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that the kitchen should be
designed to accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson
refrigerator.

To insure that you are building the correct house for our entire
family, make certain that you contact each of our children, and also
our in-laws. My mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how
the house should be designed, since she visits us at least once a
year. Make sure that you weigh all of these options carefully and come
to the right decision. I, however, retain the right to overrule any
choices that you make. Please don’t bother me with small details right
now. Your job is to develop the overall plans for the house: get the
big picture. At this time, for example, it is not appropriate to be
choosing the color of the carpet. However, keep in mind that my wife
likes blue. Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the
resources to build the house itself. Your first priority is to develop
detailed plans and specifications. Once I approve these plans,
however, I would expect the house to be under roof within 48 hours.

While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in mind
that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It
therefore should have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers.
Please make sure before you finalize the plans that there is a
consensus of the population in my area that they like the features
this house has.

I advise you to run up and look at my neighbor’s house he constructed
last year. We like it a great deal. It has many features that we would
also like in our new home, particularly the 75-foot swimming pool.
With careful engineering, I believe that you can design this into our
new house without impacting the final cost. Please prepare a complete
set of blueprints. It is not necessary at this time to do the real
design, since they will be used only for construction bids. Be
advised, however, that you will be held accountable for any increase
of construction costs as a result of later design changes.

You must be thrilled to be working on as an interesting project as
this! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be
given such freedom in your designs is something that can’t happen very
often. Contact me as soon as possible with your complete ideas and
plans.

PS: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the
instructions I’ve given you in this letter. As architect, it is your
responsibility to resolve these differences. I have tried in the past
and have been unable to accomplish this. If you can’t handle this
responsibility, I will have to find another architect.

PPS: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel trailer.
Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case.

101 The Sanity Inspector  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 8:12:26pm

re: #93 lurking faith

They’ve been using “pop” on the various interior design TV shows for years. I first heard it on Trading Spaces, back when lots of people watched that show, and I thought it was such a childish and stupid expression that I couldn’t believe anyone else would repeat it.

IINM, I first encountered the term in the book Dear Mr. Fantasy, by a rock music photographer from the 60s & 70s. He shot some portraits of Linda Ronstadt, and was told by her handlers that they had no “pop”, although she herself liked them.

102 PaxAmericana  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 8:39:53pm

I absolutely love that site. Read his article on the Twilight series. It’s beautiful.

103 akarra  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 8:41:25pm

Loved every part of that comic - I do feel sorry for everyone involved in web design who has to deal with clients like that. The web seems like a really well-designed place much of the time; I wonder how much better it could be if people had reasonable expectations.

104 Soccermom  Sun, Jan 3, 2010 9:58:10pm

Thanks for linking this. Every designer/developer I know (including me) has had clients like this.

105 gregb  Mon, Jan 4, 2010 6:49:36am

Jakob Nielsen has kept a running tab on bad Web design for years in a row as popular Web design evolved. The 2002 one was the first one with cartoons. I think of it like day-trading. Remember when everyone and their dentist/mother thought they were a stock option expert?

Web design mistakes
(2005) [Link: www.useit.com…]
Web design mistakes (2003) [Link: www.useit.com…]
Web design mistakes (2002) [Link: www.useit.com…]
Web design mistakes (1999) [Link: www.useit.com…]
Web design mistakes (1996) [Link: www.useit.com…]

106 JamesS  Mon, Jan 4, 2010 12:14:35pm

I’ve had the misfortune to do some web design for other people over the last few years, including one guy running a university club who was convinced it would all succeed if he could just get a shiny enough site. Never mind that the name was so misleading that the majority of hits were from Google, looking for something unrelated apart from the name, or the small detail of getting people to the site in the first place, if he could just cram enough “features” in there everything would be wonderful. Which is why he wanted to put video clips on the front page. No idea *what* video, of course, just that msn.com had video on their front page, so obviously he needed video as well. *headdesk*

Then there’s the (non-computer) company where one of the directors had designed the logo himself. No, he had no relevant knowledge or experience, but since when did anyone let that stop them? So, the official logo was a low-res BMP file I’m pretty sure had actually been done in MS Paint - and even he had no idea what the font was or where he’d found it. (Or if it was properly licensed for use. Whoops.)

It’s a shame: you wouldn’t go to a dentist and go “no, no, I think it should be a 15G sealing compound on that fissure, not a 14F”, or tell the electrician wiring your house it would be prettier if he used some nice purple and orange wires instead of the boring standard scheme, but somehow when it comes to the web everyone thinks they’re experts. It’s the same with print work, though: someone assured me two years ago that hyphenation is obsolete, replaced by justification. *puke*

107 Pythagoras  Mon, Jan 4, 2010 5:32:11pm

re: #54 Soap_Man

Not to change the subject, but I’ve been thinking about Rosetta Stone to learn Italian. But it is a tad expensive and I have never met anyone who has used it.

So, is it worth it?

I recommend Pimsleur. I suck at languages but learned Hebrew from the Pimsleur tapes (in the 1990’s) before going on business to Israel. Despite my obvious incompetence with the language, the Israelis always wanted to exchange simple pleasantries with me (and not others who were more fluent). Finally, I asked why.

They said, “because you speak it without accent.” My later experience with Brazilian Portuguese was similar.

If you want to learn a language so as to honor your hosts, Pimsleur is the one.

By the way, Google suggests Pimsleur vs. Rosetta Stone after only “Pims.”

108 Arby Dwiar  Mon, Jan 4, 2010 7:24:00pm

re: #8 Charles

Congratulations and All the Best!

109 jojostan  Mon, Jan 4, 2010 11:21:29pm

I did my very first web site for my company, updating a 10 year old static site with hi res pics of products, etc. We put the new site up 6 months ago, and it started out with “this is fantastic!” what a great site! (although the owner acknowledged it briefly, and proceeded to give me the spelling errors on the site, well i am a bad speller). In the 6 months it has been up, so are sales. He even told me about the improvement in sales in the last 6 months before I even gave him the google analytics report showing the site traffic in the last 6 months.

It is difficult and long work for anyone, especially me, a newbie, to do. But what did I get? “your spending too much time on the web site” and ” I’m gonna need to be able to change the site myself” as if this moron would know what to do. I did a network of all the office printers and he thought it was voodoo…

The president of a supplier came in and had an idea for a promotional tie-in of some sort on our sites. It was a good idea, and my boss looks at me and says “can you do it?” “In about 15 minutes” I reply. After the guy leaves, nothing more is said of it.

Most of the employees hate it now when we get site directed phone calls. They actually have to work. Well, what can I say? I should of known by my own personal axiom,
No good deed, gets unpunished….

sorry… I…had….to….rant!

110 Jerusalemyte  Tue, Jan 5, 2010 6:18:43am

Hell?
Keep Religion out of it.


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