8 Ways to Sunday

Just finished watching a subtitled foreign-language film, and I’m reminded of something a South American exchange student told me in (I think) high school.

He said the way native English speakers talk reminded him of a typewriter. Each word is the snap of a key, the end of each sentence a carriage return.

He contrasted it to native Spanish speakers, who flow their words all together. There was no judgement in his passing observation.

Clackity chkt click, snap. Vrrrrrt!

Arthur C. Clarke passed away yesterday afternoon, having suffered from breathing problems and back trouble during the last days of his life. His was some of the first “hard” science fiction I read, after graduating from the Star Trek spin-off novels in my local public library.

ZDNet’s Jason Perlow reminds me of a passage from 2010 that seems appropriate for the occasion. In this exchange, the dead/assimilated David Bowman talks with HAL about his own impending demise:

HAL: What is going to happen?

Dave: Something wonderful.

HAL: I’m afraid.

Dave: Don’t be. We’ll be together.

HAL: Where will we be?

Dave: Where I am now.

Thanks for your stories, Sir Clarke. Have fun exploring the universe.

“A camel is a horse designed by a committee.”

– Sir Alec Issigonis, designer of the Austin Mini

Dictionary company Merriam-Webster has named w00t their 2007 Word of the Year. According to the site, w00t was submitted for consideration way back in 2005 by “Kat from Massachusetts” with the following definition:

w00t

interjection
expressing joy (it could be after a triumph, or for no reason at all); similar in use to the word “yay”

“w00t! I won the contest!”

Visitors to m-w.com finally voted it into the top spot for this year’s competition. You’ve come a long way, w00t.

In other w00t-related news, Grant Barrett — editor of the Double-Tongued Dictionary of fringe English — has written another amusingly formal exploration of the word’s origins. This one is far longer and more detailed than the one I linked to in 2004.

Somewhat surprisingly, Barrett traces the word’s history to hip-hop music instead of online gaming and “leet speak.” I think his argument is weakened, however, by the claim that “whoot and w00t are, for our purposes, variations of the same lexical item.”

As they say on the internets, O RLY?

About a week ago, I launched a new weblog on the Zenscope Studio site. There are a lot of other Web developers and graphic designers with blogs, but most of them are writing posts that only interest other developers and designers. This is a great way to share knowledge and find collaborators, but it shuts out the client.

With Zenlog, I’m aiming for both audiences. There’s advanced tips and design analysis for fellow pros. There are also beginner tutorials and business-oriented articles for potential clients.

Client communication and education is sorely lacking in this field. Too many design professionals seem to look at their customers as a necessary evil. I’m doing my small part to change things.

Risky Business?

I’m not sure how this approach will work out. Business owners may not be interested enough to tune in, and I wouldn’t be surprised to get some blow-back from other developers and designers. My latest article — stating that the Web industry should “get over itself” when it comes to client relations — will probably raise some eyebrows (and tempers). But how else should I respond when the latest issue of A List Apart refers to clients as “schmucks with money” and “the well dressed nemesis”?

Sound Off

Love it or hate it, I’d like to know what you think. So check out Zenlog, and leave some comments telling me where you stand.

Be sure to subscribe to the new blog, and stay tuned for “How to Find and Hire a Great Designer” — coming soon.