Author: chris

Web developers hold the power

Posted on by chris

I read somewhere recently how web developers (designers, usability people etc) are far more important that they are given credit for. I’m not going to disagree 😉 The thinking is that in this increasingly web-centric world we live in, the people building the web are the ones who hold the power.

That isn’t so hard to understand. After all, the people who held the power during the Industrial Revolution were the ones developing steam power. Back a few more millennia and the ones holding the power were the ones developing fire. Power isn’t just about physical brute strength, power is about knowledge. And without the knowledge of the increasingly numerous ranks of web workers the Digital Revolution ain’t going to change a thing.

Which makes Patrick Kennedy’s article all the more true. We do hold the power to shape the future. The web is changing everything, this web we hold in our hands and shape with our fingers. It’s changing politics, fashion, entertainment, commerce, communication – hell, it’s changing what it means to be one human in a world of other humans.

So the question is, how wisely are we using our power?

This ain’t no disco

Posted on by chris

Andy Budd, one of the Cool Guys of the web design world, recently brought my attention to this. It’s a collection of photos of the offices of design agencies around the world. As you can image, there are some pretty cool places to work.

My home officeIt reminded me that I’d taken a picture of my own creative space to show you all (yes, all three of you). So here it is. I’d like to draw your attention to four things I think you’ll agree every home office, especially one for a world class web dude like me, needs.

  1. Bread bin (green circle). This contains the ends of loaves that no-one wants to finish (generally cheap white bread, yuk) but occasionally yummy treats such as cinnamon and raisin bagels or even lemon cake.
  2. Bananas (yellow circle). What more do I need to say?
  3. Selection of onions and peppers (red circle, middle tray). I could have bigged-up the fruit (top tray) and potatoes (bottom tray) but the onions and peppers have the right kind of spicy kick for a creatve space.
  4. Cat’s dish (blue circle). I’ve accidentally dipped my toes in this more than once, but that’s the price that I pay for my art.

So you see, the right kind of ambiance is vital for ensuring that top-quality work is produced by yours truly. And long may it continue.