Archive for May, 2009
Does exactly what it says on the tin; just the posts that relate to the above...
…and now for something completely different
Friday, May 29th, 2009
Academy Award-nominated actor, comedian, writer and film producer John Cleese comes to town next week as the keynote speaker at the Yorkshire International Business Convention to be held at the Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate on Friday 5 June 2009.
He will be there on business and probably far more serious than you might expect. The man who played hapless guesthouse owner Basil Fawlty (quite apt for the conference town of Harrogate) regularly lectures in America to students on matters such as psychology, business and writing… he has also developed his on screen characters to produce training films for the world of business.
The Yorkshire International Business Convention has a reputation for attracting high profile speakers and Big John follows in the footsteps of global names like Bill Clinton and ‘Sir’ Bob Geldof; albeit, his footsteps will be considerably further apart and no doubt created in a rather ‘silly’ fashion.
Here at Mixd, we are fans of his catalogue of work and will be paying our own tribute to mark the tall one’s visit… look out for us undertaking our own Ministry of Silly Walks up and down King’s Road next week.
Page fold in web design
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
Many people are familiar with the newspaper practice of maximising reader interest by placing premium content ‘above the fold’. The design of a newspaper broadsheet requires the paper to be folded leaving the lower half out of site and therefore unreadable at a glance. The notion of the fold has carried over to web design with many developers treating the bottom edge of the screen as a fold, beyond which they assume people will fail to scroll. The status of the fold in web design has been reviewed by several studies and the practice of cramming premium content in to the top of web pages has been called into question.
The fold on the web
Part of the problem with the fold on a web page is that the location of the fold changes from computer to computer and can be different depending on the operating system and browser being used. This means that if developers and advertisers want to use the fold to maximize content, they can only guess at the location of the fold. Some research suggests that the best guess would only accurately locate the fold for 10% of users due to the huge diversity of user systems in operation today.
The modern user
This topic has generated much debate among the web development community and it has been studied fairly thoroughly over the last few years. Studies such as Jakob Nielsen’s “Changes in Web Usability since 1994″, have shown that users routinely scroll down pages and are actually likely to search for content below the fold. Modern computer users, even casual ones, have adapted well to the internet environment and are actually fairly adept at finding information. There is a need to organise web pages in a way that attracts users quickly and the info above can be helpful in this area. If the page is organised well, many users will search the entire page.
Prominent websites such as the BBC and Guardian do not cram all of their information above the fold but instead organise material in such a way as to indicate that there is obviously more content below the fold. Current computer users are accustomed to browsing websites in this manner and the antiquated notion of the fold does not seem to have much of an effect on their internet habits.
As the Crowes fly…
Monday, May 18th, 2009
Gosh… back at work following a week’s annual leave. May I say, it’s truly magnificent to be back. I love being shackled to the desk by the real-time interegation of emails. It certainly beats the relaxing art and cafe culture of Amsterdam; that’s just far too chilled out.
Anyway, last Wednesday me and three pals attended the Heineken Music Hall and saw American band The Black Crowes. My association with this band started back in the summer of 1991 (after I finished my GCSEs) with long-wave radio station Atlantic 252 playing their cover of the Otis Redding classic ‘Hard to Handle’ at least once an hour. I had to hear more of this band, I had to see them live. In the autumn of 1992 they visited the UK and I saw a show (at Newcastle City Hall on 25 November!) that changed my appreciation of music… for ever.
Eighteen years on and wow… what a performance. To see six guys and two backing singers jamming their way through selections from their extensive back catalogue, peppered with some choice covers, for virtually two and a half hours was (to coin an American term) awesome. Some songs would be fairly true to the album and last 5 or 6 minutes; however, some would wander off in to elongated jams of the highest order, returning in the nick of time to the song’s original ending. The highlight of the show for me was a superb version of My Morning Song that let all the musicians flex their muscles and develop the song into a masterpiece of at least 15 minutes.
And what a venue the music hall is. The Dutch know what they are doing when it comes to enjoying themselves. Spritely youths push refrigerated trolleys through the crowds, serving ice cold lager to those who want it… and have had the foresight to buy the necessary tokens (muntens). And the best bit… if the guys with the trolleys can’t reach you, the ones with the lager filled backpacks can! I have to hand it to our Dutch friends for their friendliness, organisation and general willingness to ensure everyone has a great time.
As for The Black Crowes, they put on an amazing show, with a great atmosphere, light show and musicianship; I feel 18 again when I see them… with a tingle going up my spine. As lead singer Chris Robinson says “It’s a feeling you can’t get in cyberspace!”.
Apple iPhone. Yes or no?
Friday, May 8th, 2009
Right. I am looking into getting a new phone… owing to my current contract coming to an abrupt end (through no fault of my own I hasten to add) and me being moved to pay as you go / pay as you talk. Pay as you talk! Seems really awkward… having to ring up and pop credit on your blower. Not to mention when it cuts off half way through a conversa… Argh!
Anyhow, enough of my whinging. I am sorely tempted by one of these new-fangled Apple iPhones and before I enter into a 360 month contract, I thought I would ask the masses “are Apple iPhones any good?”
Answers on a postcard to the usual address; I am sorry, but entries can’t be returned. Alternatively, just comment on this blog post below.
All views would be appreciated; good and bad. Perhaps there are competitive alternatives out there from Nokia, Google or similar… but which is best and which do I go for? Pray tell.