Year: 2008

Best viewed in X-UA-Compatible

Note: This post is quite a bit more technical than what I usually talk about.

Yesterday saw the release of A List Apart #251 which is causing quite a bit of discussion. It focuses on a proposal put forth my Microsoft and some members of the Web Standards Project for a new meta tag than will control the rendering mode of IE8.

The first article (Beyond DOCTYPE: Web Standards, Forward Compatibility, and IE8) covers the proposal, what it means and why it’s needed. The second (From Switches to Targets: A Standardista’s Journey) documents Eric Meyer’s shift in perspective from being opposed to, well, not opposed.

My initial thought is that it’s a horrible idea. After reading more about it, and seeing the arguments in favor I think it’s a bad idea.

Continue reading “Best viewed in X-UA-Compatible”

Goals for the New(ish) Year

I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. I don’t even know if anyone has ever followed through on one (aside from “quit making New Year’s resolutions”). There’s nothing wrong with turning over a new leaf when you hang up your new calendar, but it’s not usually my thing. That said, a number of people I admire and respect have decided to set goals or declare their hopes for the upcoming year. I figured I might as well join in.

I’m a bit late to the party on this, but I’m glad, because these are slightly different than what I would have said January 1. In no particular order, here are my goals for 2008. I may revisit them and adjust them as things change throughout the year.

  • Take the family on more day trips, and maybe do some kid friendly hiking
  • Write (or do some quantifiable writing related activity) every day. I’m not sure this is reasonable, but so far I’ve managed to pull it off. Some days I only get in ten minutes, but if I wait until I have more I might never write again.
  • Finish the first draft of the novel I started in NaNoWriMo (hopefully by end of February)
  • Return to and restart revisions on Miracles (I’d like to have it to first readers by April)
  • Write and market some more short stories. I received an encouraging rejection in October, but stopped submitting to avoid being derailed during NaNoWriMo.
  • Redesign this site. I haven’t been happy with the look of this place in years.
  • Post substantial posts here more often (weekly would be nice)
  • Keep learning new things. This is a constant goal, and one that I usually keep up with, but it’s worth stating.

Did you make any goals for 2008? Feel free to share them here (or if you posted them elsewhere share a link).

Links of Interest (January 8th 2008)

An Interface of One’s Own
Virginia Heffernan covers alternatives to Microsoft Word for writers including Scrivener (my personal favorite), Ulysses, WriteRoom, and Nisus Writer.
Tags: [tag]Virginia Heffernan[/tag], [tag]software[/tag], [tag]writing[/tag], [tag]Scrivener[/tag], [tag]Ulysses[/tag], [tag]WriteRoom[/tag], [tag]Nisus Writer[/tag]
Future of Ajax.NET Professional
With the release of VS2008 and .NET 3.5 Michael Schwarz is ending development on Ajax.NET Professional (an alternate Ajax toolkit for ASP.NET that predates Microsoft’s own).
Tags: [tag]Ajax.NET[/tag], [tag]ASP.NET[/tag], [tag]development[/tag], [tag].NET[/tag], [tag].NET 3.5[/tag]
The Secret Lair
An all new podcast hosted by Chris Miller and Kris Johnson.
Tags: [tag]Chris Miller[/tag], [tag]Kris Johnson[/tag], [tag]podcast[/tag], [tag]KJToo[/tag], [tag]The Secret Lair[/tag]
The transformation of a writer with Mur Lafferty
Wayne Sutton interviews Mur Lafferty about social media (video).
Tags: [tag]Mur Lafferty[/tag], [tag]Wayne Sutton[/tag], [tag]interview[/tag], [tag]video[/tag]
IE7.js version 2.0 (beta)
Dean Edwards IE7.js has been updated after a long period of inactivity. The new version is split in two files IE7.js brings IE5+ into the same level of compliance as IE7, while IE8.js contains further standards compliance fixes beyond what IE7 currently
Tags: [tag]browser[/tag], [tag]IE7[/tag], [tag]IE8[/tag], [tag]IE[/tag], [tag]javascript[/tag], [tag]Dean Edwards[/tag], [tag]IE7.js[/tag], [tag]standards[/tag], [tag]webdesign[/tag]

Go Listen: Stories of the Third Wave, Episode 6

The latest episode of Stories of the Third Wave, the companion podcast to Mur Lafferty‘s Playing for Keeps features a segment written by yours truly (performed by my lovely wife and I). It also features another great song from always entertaining Ookla the Mok.

Links of Interest (November 27th 2007 through January 3rd 2008)

How to rewrite
A detailed post on rewriting, and how to do it.
Tags: [tag]Justine Larbalestier[/tag], [tag]writing[/tag], [tag]howto[/tag], [tag]rewriting[/tag], [tag]editing[/tag],
Podiobooks.com Community
Online community based around Podiobooks.com. A place for listeners, authors, producers, etc. to communicate and help improve Podiobooks.com
Tags: [tag]podiobooks[/tag], [tag]social networks[/tag],
Issue #1 of Sci Phi is available
The first issue of Sci Phi (The Journal of Science Fiction and Philosophy) is now available. The download version ($7) contains all stories and articles in various ebook formats as well as MP3.
Tags: [tag]Sci Phi[/tag], [tag]magazine[/tag], [tag]audiobooks[/tag], [tag]science fiction[/tag], [tag]philosophy[/tag],
GTD: Free Bundle of GTD Articles Written By David Allen
Lifehacker has a link to a collection of 17 articles available for free download from the David Allen Company.
Tags: [tag]gtd[/tag], [tag]free[/tag], [tag]productivity[/tag], [tag]organization[/tag],
Infamous IE hasLayout is toast
This “feature” of the IE rendering engine has caused me more headaches than I care to remember. I’m not at all sorry to see it go.
Tags: [tag]WebDesign[/tag], [tag]ie[/tag], [tag]ie8[/tag], [tag]css[/tag], [tag]hasLayout[/tag],
Kindles in libraries – the importance of ebook standards
DRM, lack of e-book standards, and related issues are even bigger issues for libraries.
Tags: [tag]standards[/tag], [tag]Kindle[/tag], [tag]e-books[/tag], [tag]Tower of eBabel[/tag], [tag].epub[/tag],
AICN: 12th Episode will air!
SaveJourneman.net brings word that episode 12 of Journeyman will air. Journeyman is my favorite show of the new season, and I hope it comes back, but at least it will get to finish it’s run.
Tags: [tag]NBC[/tag], [tag]Journeyman[/tag],
Doug Morris, Old Person
Jonathan Coulton posted this summary of the New York Magazine blog’s summary or Wired’s profile of Doug Morris, CEO of Universal Music Group. I’m not going to further summarize, just read and be enlightened.
Tags: [tag]Universal Music Group[/tag] [tag]Doug Morris[/tag] [tag]music[/tag]