Northlander.org is the online persona of Dan Bowling, a web developer living in Missoula, MT.

Shorts Archive

Apparently 20/20 did a segment on graphic design. The whole thing is just over a minute and makes no sense unless you are a graphics designer, I would assume. He even mentions Paul Rand.

03.04.07 | # | Start the conversation

Web 2.0, and my industry in general, has been nicely summarized in a single, short, video. If you only watch one video today on the web, let this be it.

The video is a response to the YouTube Web 2.0 video.

02.05.07 | # | 1 Comment

I don’t know about you, but when I am testing a website I sometimes find it difficult to find every kind of user that will be using it to test with and get feedback. This is especially true in my field of Higher Education, where the prospective students simply are too young to be in my circle… I usually have to make do with some work study students (whose opinions have helped me greatly).

The types of users I have trouble with are the disabled ones. Not so much the blind users, as I can easily test my designs using a screen reader myself. But the colorblind user isn’t something that I traditionally could test myself, or go back to some theory that I learned back while reading A List Apart. That all changed when I found a great site called the “Colorblind Web Page Filter.” It is truly a resource I can’t be as effective with without.

One thing that I will add as a tip on this is that you can test an image of your design prior to building it (or sending it as a proof too). If only I could find a way to make designing for cognitive disorders so easy.

01.23.07 | # | Start the conversation

Tips for a better design review process - Kieth wrote a great article that all designers should read. Nothing ground-breaking, but a great review. I am looking forward to the discussion in the comments.

Microsoft takes email back 5 years - I don’t regularly read this site, but all of us that do web marketing need to be aware of the rendering changes in Outlook. Go figure, as the webmail clients get better, the desktop ones revert. The world is out to get us, I am sure.

Letterpress Squid Cards - Amazing printed cards! My birthday is the 29th of this month, anyone want to get me a package or two? [hat tip]

01.16.07 | # | Start the conversation

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  • Great as always. I am a PC for life guy myself, but I always wish apple would do what I want it to.
    (tags: apple humor video)

05.03.06 | # | 1 Comment

05.02.06 | # | Start the conversation

  • Of course, they kinda cheat by adding in outside power, but there appear to be practical applications to this.
  • It takes 1/2,000th of a second for a major leaguers bat to deliver nearly 10,000 pounds of force. The ball compresses almost an inch, storing energy. Some of that energy accelerates the ball. The rest heats the ball to about 1 degree warmer. So yes, a bat
  • Colbert was surrounded by the liberal media who are destroying this country, except for Fox News. Fox believes in presenting both sides-the president’s side and the vice president’s side.

05.01.06 | # | Start the conversation

04.30.06 | # | Start the conversation

  • The British judge who presided over the Da Vinci Code trial has put a code of his own into his judgment and said he would “probably” confirm it to the person who breaks it.

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