withoutnations - Mark Mitchell » Notes

The beginning of the end for Internet Explorer 6

Mark — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:25:56 +0000

Internet Explorer 6 is facing unprecedented, high-profile criticism. Could this be the start of a broad public movement to persuade users to finally abandon the browser? While the arguments presented by developers and designers over the last decade have largely gone unheeded, declarations from government institutions and media providers may carry more significance. Posing the browser as a security risk and an obstruction to new, feature rich web applications is a clever and completely justifiable argument.

July-August 2009: Digg considers dropping IE6 support, YouTube begins phasing it out

15 January 2010: Microsoft admits the attacks on Google’s system by Chinese hackers permitted by a flaw in Internet Explorer

16 January 2010: The German government issues a strong recommendation for users to upgrade or switch browsers

18 January 2010: A government agency in France responsible for cyber security restates Germany’s assertion

1 March 2010: Google will begin phasing out IE6 support for Docs and Sites

end of year 2010: Google will begin phasing out IE6 support for GMail and GCal

Musings on the potential for surprise in the mundane and otherwise arbitrary

Mark — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:34:13 +0000

I have roughly 750 songs on my iPhone at the moment, selected at random from a pool of over seven thousand files in my library. As I listened to the music on my iPhone this evening, the playlist came to Gogol Bordello’s “Avenue B” — the earlier recording from East Infection. This was followed by the Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike version. Interesting, I thought — though not an uncommon occurrence.

Next, Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man” from Highway 61 Revisited. What followed? The same, from Before the Flood. As I considered the odds of two repeating versions of two different songs, I’m hit with the live performance included on Bootleg Series Vol. 7.

Uninspired music library — highly intelligent algorithm — random chance?

Glide.

Mark — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:34:30 +0000

Panasonic produced a line of road bicycles in the mid to late 1980s. The bike I used to commute to work over the last two years was, specifically, the Panasonic Sport 500. A cursory internet search will tell you that a 10 speed model was released in 1985, built on a steel frame with high tensile 1020 tubes and fork.

It was — it is — a great bike. I customized it quite a bit, but the fact remains that it had a strong frame, decent brakes and reliable tires. Ideal for the fifteen mile commute each day. It got me safely through a 45-mile bike tour (in unrelenting, ferocious rain). I was forced to leave it in storage in the states when I made the move to the UK (a bit too large to fit in the suitcase). I revisited it recently, this is a sort of homage.

Polaroids

Mark — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:27:51 +0000

A collection of polaroids taken in New York in 2006.

Weather Forecast

Mark — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:59:06 +0000

An end to our unseasonably good weather this month

Headshift

Mark — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:26:17 +0000

I started work as a Web Designer and Developer at Headshift two weeks ago. They provide tools and platforms for organizations and businesses looking to further explore social technology. Given that my usage of social media seems directly inverse to its general popularity, working in an environment that encourages said adoption should be inspiring. I’m excited to join the design team and eager to dig into an array of new projects.

Geocities, In Memoriam

Mark — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:07:19 +0000

Geocities has shut down. I can’t imagine the service has seen much activity in recent times, even with the Yahoo acquisition. I abandoned it not longer after it became obvious how cheaply you could build and host your own domain. Geocities does hold some sentimental value. In the early days of the web it was a magnificent idea. It was certainly responsible for nurturing my interest in web design — or rather, design in general — and nudging a good number of people into learning basic HTML. In its prime, I was running a half dozen different sites in different neighborhoods.

Perhaps the first and longest running however was a fan page I built dedicated to Pink Floyd. There were earlier iterations, but one in particular stuck and remained live at http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/6120/floyd.html for a number of years. The earliest record I see in the guestbook for the site (preserved at the internet archive) is 19 August, 1997. I was sixteen years old, writing code and pasting sites together in Adobe Pagemill.

Distortion Clouds? Check. Outer Glow? Check. Copperplate Gothic? Check. The Outer Bevel effect was probably created with Kai’s Power Tools.

Simpler times, it seems.



Almost Poetry
Mark — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:40:43 +0000
Of all the unusual or ridiculous responses I received in response to a posting for a flatshare, this remains my favorite.
“I don’t like americans.

Saying that I don’t know all of them so forget it.

I’m a musician vegetarian against a dictatorship and against the NWO.

People should work together and be friends no matter what.

I am also an inventor an scientist and I try to make this world a better place.

If you are a good webdesigner and can sign up to this, I got a house.

[redacted] that’s the postcode.

I’m vegetarian.

I love Tim Buckley if you know him.

I play guitar i sing and I smoke.”


Quotation: Persistance and Determination
Mark — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:27:44 +0000
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
attributed to Calvin Coolidge


Shades of Grey (with a bit of color)
Mark — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:47:53 +0000
The business cards I ordered from Moo arrived today. Considering they have been digitally printed, the quality is certainly good for the price. I particularly like the recycled card stock, a very subtle smooth texture with a visible grain. The design was rushed out this weekend in the hopes that they would be delivered in time for Glug — which I’ll be attending tonight. Selecting Caecilia for the typography was smart, and the color actually matches what I intended. Next time I order though I’ll make sure to make the design a bit more interesting.