I’ve seen some approximations that are different enough to write off as pure coincidence. The Stopdesign identity is intended to be strong, bold, and memorable. But I will freely admit it’s a simple concept as old as Chinese Taoist philosophy and the Yin Yang symbol they use to represent harmony and equilibrium in the universe. continued

Earlier today, I had the honor of giving a presentation about the beauty of CSS at Digital Design World. The crowd seemed warmly receptive to hearing about (and seeing) how they can make better-looking sites by putting into practice some basic design principles, practical tips, and a few advanced techniques.

Tomorrow afternoon, I co-present a session on “Design and Accessibility” with Andrew Kirkpatrick, Project Manager from the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media. I’m looking forward to sharing the stage with Andrew, and discussing how paying more attention to accessibility does not mean resorting to insipid design. continued

Ooo, yeah, I know. Jeffrey Zeldman reports that the CSS Validator Changes the Rules. It chokes on the Box Model Hack’s voice-family property when used in a style sheet specified with the “screen” media type. Jeffrey plans on republishing his piece tomorrow at A List Apart, which of course, will have a forum attached, if you care to respond. continued

Technically, I don’t care much who wins the SuperBowl tomorrow. I grew up in the Midwest, and played football in junior high and high school, so I enjoy watching a good game occasionally. Particularly college ball. As for the NFL, I’ve never been a fan of either the Panthers or the Patriots, so the game can go either direction, and it won’t affect my emotional state one iota. I am, as always, looking forward to the commercials. Some years disappoint. Others are filled with some of the best creative that money can buy from an ad agency. continued

My original Sliding Doors of CSS article published at A List Apart is now fully translated and available in Italian on gdesign.it. Capisce? Mille grazie (many thanks) to Giuseppe Di Carlo for asking permission and doing the work to translate the article.

Note: The article is also available in Russian, thanks to Andrei Smirnov.

After writing about the IE Factor several days ago, I thought I’d detail a specific example which had me pulling out my hair last week. I’ll also provide the solution I came up with. As I stated Monday:

Tweaks that should have worked had no effect, prompting me to try things that made absolutely no sense to try.

continued

Any person, group, or business which creates or manufactures a product for mass consumption — or offers a wide-spread service (such as a utility company) — is potential target for public scrutiny and criticism. Any noticeable flaws quickly rise to the top, providing fuel for the most outspoken critics. The larger the distribution and dependence on the good or service, the larger the target, and louder the criticism. continued

I relate it to a driving experience. One in which I drive to a certain destination often enough, that I become more and more familiar with the route that takes me there. I learn the best streets getting to and off the freeway system, every exit along the way. I know the interesting segments, the boring stretches. Most importantly, I start to recognize traffic patterns, and can predict the areas of congestion that will slow me down. No matter which route I take, there’s usually one portion of the trip where I know I’ll slow to a crawling pace. Some routes can’t be avoided, and the delays they bring must be factored into the total time I think the trip will take. continued

Only a couple days left for the current Blogstakes contests. Win a three-book collection from The Onion or a hard-shell CD case. It couldn’t be easier to get entered if you already have a blog — just add a link to one or both of the contests somewhere on your site where others will find it. Nothing else required is from you. Someone reading your site clicks the link you made, they fill out a simple form on Blogstakes. If they win, you win too. Two girls for every — no, scratch that — I mean: two winners for every prize. continued

This is interesting. HP and Apple are joining forces to create an HP-branded digital music player based on Apple’s iPodâ„¢. The device will be due out this summer. I had mixed reactions upon first seeing the news. My immediate thoughts went back to the Mac clones of 7 or 8 years ago. But I’m assuming Apple and Jobs know what they’re doing by OEMing the device for another brand powerhouse.

It certainly seems this could continue the increase in exposure of Apple’s hardware and software. According to the release:

As part of the alliance, HP consumer PCs and notebooks will come preinstalled with Apple’s iTunes® jukebox software and an easy-reference desktop icon to point consumers directly to the iTunes Music Store, ensuring a simple, seamless music experience.

If nothing else, it’s an interesting experiment while Apple is enjoying the market leader position in the digital music player space. Will Apple benefit in the long run? Who knows? But it’s a brave step either way.