Archive for 2004

December 29th, 2004 So that was Christmas 2004 # 1

More to follow tomorrow…

December 25th, 2004 Xmas shopping 100% done!!!

Bought

Transported

Wrapped

Unwrapped

Wrapped again

Labelled

Tired, bed, sleep

Happy Christmas peeps

December 23rd, 2004 Christmas Shopping - 50% Done

Well I have the first wave out of the way. Something I hadn’t considered this year is a new limitation that I hadn’t had a problem with previously - namely that I now have to get all of my shopping home on the back of a motorbike. I’m glad I’m not buying for small children! (why is it that the smaller the child the larger the present?)

I survived the last Late Night Shopping spree in St. Hell-ier without injury (to others I mean) and even found the time to meet up with a new friend for a drink. There’s nothing quite like a G&T to take your mind of things!!! And as per tradition I have gotten myself my reward pressie for being such a good little elf and not murdering all who crossed my path (although it did cross my mind a couple of times - lady, it’s a push chair, not a Sherman). I was going to get a pocket backgammon set (cos in case you didn’t know I’m an avid backgammon player) but was in HMV picking up the nth CD when I spotted this. That’s right people, Sid Meirs Pirates is back and better than ever before. Well it looks like I know what I’m gonna be doing on Christmas Day!

As for pressies so far I have the following:

Dad - 100% (thanks Mum )

Mum - 70%

LemurGirl - 40%

Housemate - 100%

Everyone else - 0%

So it looks like I’ll be scraping the rest together sometime tomorrow.

Until then peeps

December 21st, 2004 Christmas presents for my bloggy friends

It’s that time of year when people’s thoughts have turned to gift giving and the finding of an eminently suitable present for each of your friends is no easy task.

With this in mind I’ve decided to provide a list of gifts for some of my dedicated readers.

First up is Markiss and for him I’ve found just the thing. It’s both gross and functional whilst maintaining the required level of tackiness for such occasions. Markiss - enjoy!

As for Jim, what do you get the guy who has a truly lovely wife, 3 (or maybe more) wonderful kids, his own house and a dream job? Well after careful though I figure that the author of a site called Snooze Button Dreams really needs the ultimate in wake-up kit.

Helen is pretty hard to buy for (except for the stuff that she already has listed on her wish list) but I think a fully illustrated copy of the worlds most famous lover’s guide should fit the bill nicely. Just don’t forget to warn your physiotherapist about the potential increase in his workload due to #35 and #723!!!

And the last one for this batch is Jeremy… world of soil? Nah, world of water in your own personal submarine.

I suppose I should warn you that I have no intention of buying any of these but after all, it’s the thought that counts….

December 21st, 2004 Browser Stats - Irrelevant or what?

Eric Meyer has recently posted a fairly cross broadside aimed at those who would utilise generic Browser Share stats when designing how to target a site’s design. Whilst I agree with 95% of what is said (i.e. that browser stats are useful only when taken within the context of the site they’re from and even then should not be relied on too heavily) I figure I should stick my oar in and add a couple of thoughts.

Firstly, I agree that using global statistics is a poor way to determine which browsers your site should support but I have to say that a little careful thought will allow you to derive useful information from the stats of similar sites. So whilst Eric is fundamentally correct in stating that his stats are of no use to any other site I say that they could be of use to someone planning a site with a similar demographic. Of course this information could be gleaned by applying a little common sense. For example:

A Website dedicated to web design and development

Such a site or blog is going to have a high share of Firefox users simply because people who are up on web technologies will more rapidly embrace such a browser.

A website discussing Mac software

Again, a little CS tells you to aim for Safari, FireFox and IE 5 for Mac first and all else after.

My only other concern is simply this - no-one should be using browser stats to determine which browsers should be able to view their site purely on the basis that all browsers should be able to view it. That’s the whole point behind XHTML, CSS, Semantics and all the other lovely things that have been keeping us web designers busy over the past 2 years. If you are picking and choosing between target browsers based on statistical analysis, even if your stats are the most accurate in the world (which they rarely are) then you have really missed the point. Keep your code valid first and ensure browser compatibility second. Make sure your design degrades well and not only will you not have to worry about browser share changing but your work will be effectively future proof.

Anyway, enough web talk for one day. Besides which it makes me more than a little nervous to comment on the writing of a guy who is responsible for 2 of the most thumbed books on my desk!