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Tumblr’s New Error Page (View full-size)
Look, I really like all the folks at Tumblr, but how is it possible that you cannot go a single day without getting an error at least twice? Lots of users, lots of load, I get it. But seriously, come on.
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I’m easily amused by people who express their politics through bumper stickers. I just see it as a good reason for the opposition to take their anger out on your car.
Well, this guy has one-upped those bumper sticker happy folks by turning his Dodge Dakota into a giant billboard of his political views. “Buy American” it says if you can’t read his hard-to-read graffiti font. He also had more statements going down the side that, unfortunately, I couldn’t snap a pic of it.
Thank you sir, your dedication to express your opinion by permanently stamping your vehicle with your political views has almost convinced me that my next vehicle should be American.
Not.
Or the working title:
Sorry Portland, I’m Breaking Up with You For the Hot, Tanned, Busty Blonde that is Los Angeles, Although I Typically Go For Wavy Haired, Glasses-Wearing, Tatted Up, Scarf-Wearing, Intellectual Brunettes Like You, Portland, the Thing is It’s Been 4 Years and This Relationship isn’t Going Anywhere, Time to Move On, Smooch Smooch, Love You, Bye
Spring of 2005, I decided that I needed to leave Florida. Living there my whole life, I felt life there became rather stagnant for me. I love my Florida friends, most of whom I have remained in contact with, but I wanted to experience something completely different — something that would be impossible to do in Orlando, a cultural wasteland centered around family-friendly fun. Fresh off of dropping out from the University of Central Florida, I thought this was a good opportunity as ever to live up to my already nomadic lifestyle by leaving Florida and moving to the West Coast.
I finally set my sights on Portland. In a toss up between Portland and Seattle, I ended up choosing Portland over Seattle because The Art Institute of Portland had a Bachelor’s program for my preferred field of study versus Seattle who only offered an Associate’s program ((This decision appeared to be an important at the time, but actually turned out to be the most trivial as I ended up dropping out 2 weeks into the quarter, putting school on an indefinite hiatus.)). I found a place on craigslist and made a verbal agreement with my future roommate via email. Once all the necessary steps were taken, I embarked on a 3-day, 2,900 mile journey from Panama City, Florida to Hillsboro, Oregon — just me, my Ford Mustang, and everything I could stuff into my small, impractical car.
In retrospect, I can’t believe I did it. It was a ballsy move on my part to move to the other side of the country without a job, verbally agree to move in with somebody I’ve never met, not to mention, I’ve never visited Portland before I moved here. I didn’t know if I was going to like Portland. None of this mattered to me, what mattered to me was Florida was behind me.
Almost 4 years later, I believe moving to Portland was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Friends will probably find that hard to believe as I’ve complained so much about Portland in the past. This place has been a roller coaster ride for me with a lot of ups and downs. But the truth is, I was using Portland as a scapegoat for my own personal demons. This place has changed my life — I did a lot of growing up here, it altered my perspective on what is important, not to mention, I’ve met a lot of awesome friends here. Friends I hope to keep the rest of my life. Portland will always have a special place in my heart.
Why am I writing this now you ask? Because I will be moving to Los Angeles next week. In a similar, but less ballsy fashion as when I moved to Portland: Just me, my Ford Mustang, and what I can fit into my small, impractical car will be making the trip while the rest of my possessions will be put into storage for the time being. I’m still unemployed, so obviously finding a job will be at the top of my priority list. Even though there are a few uncertainties, I’m excited for the future. Unlike Portland, I’ve been to Los Angeles and what I saw of it, I thought was great. I’m extremely happy to be moving back to a warm climate with a beach nearby.
I only have a few friends in Los Angeles right now, so if you are reading this and you live in the L.A. area, I’d love to meet up with you.
Portland friends: I might get to see some of you before I go. If I don’t, I’m already planning to come back in a month or two. Thanks for everything and I hope to see you all again.
Excellent compilation of all the interface design patterns & libraries out there.
Interesting story Willamette Week ran in 2005 about the resistance aginst the Mount Hood Freeway in the ’70s that completely reshaped the future of Portland away from other typical large metropolises. Invest in public transportation, not highways — what a novel idea.
Pardon the meta-post, but I wanted to share a few improvements I made here on the blog:
Some people have a hard time reading light text on a dark background, and prefer dark text on light backgrounds. Research shows that dark on light is generally more readable ((Roger Johansson wrote on this very subject a few years ago. While he did not provide any research, a couple commenters linked up some research on the subject that states dark on light is better for readability.)), so I decided to create a light theme that is basically the inverse of the dark (original) theme. You can easily switch between the dark & light theme by clicking the appropriate link located at the top right corner. Your choice will be retained in a cookie to save you from having to change the theme on every visit. Oh joy!
Until a few days ago, all entries were included all in one feed. While that feed will remain intact, I’ve included two other feeds: articles only and links only. Wow, exciting!
I’ve decided to experiment with auto-posting my entries to my twitter account. I’ve noticed that I usually post infrequently in bursts, so I can’t imagine that it would be any more annoying than tweeting links of interest. But, if it reaches a point of annoyance, please let me know on twitter or email me.
New favorite tumblr:
People post ridiculous “art” to Tumblr which often consists of a photo with “meaningful” text overlaid. These pieces frequently make it into Popular. We reblog them here and call them out for being stupid.
An *excellent* write-up on the difference between **control** and **intelligent** user interfaces, the failure of natural language search in Wolfram Alpha, and the “demo illusion” (i.e. a person having success with a system they have created may not lead to success among the masses).
(via [Signal vs Noise](http://37signals.com/svn))
20 user experience deliverables, along with resources and examples. These deliverables are only a means to an end, but user experience designers spend a good chunk of their time creating these artifacts.
I love seeing how other designers present information and ideas in a easy to digest format.
