Beginnings of a poem/random ideas that have been floating around in my head these last few days. Memories from growing up mostly.

Summer mornings – getting up early to pick raspberries for breakfast.
Winter evenings – sitting behind the wood stove. (Very cozy – warm is a good thing.)

We’d be a lot better off if instead of this whole war thing, we simply challenged al Qaeda to send their four best pro wrestlers to fight against three of our pro wrestlers and Leonardo DiCaprio. Not only would we quickly resolve this conflict, we’d get to see Leo beaten with a folding chair.
-James Floyd

Heh – I’d pay to watch that.

Overheard while Bill and Paulie were playing Smackdown… “Brutality that would make a mob enforcer proud”

Two good articles at the NY Times – An Alternate Reality and The Real War.

I’m getting very tired of the flag. It’s the same kind of tired I feel when I see a gap commercial or hear a top 10 song. Overdone and overdone. Holding that symbol does not make you better people, folks.

Hmmm…. and on that subject, spending lots of money won’t make you a better person either; no matter what the president says.

Things that are making me smile: Smallville (I want to see flying by the end of season 1, but please don’t do the costume), Buffy (Going where only intrepid fanfic writers once dared. And a naked Spike didn’t suck either), and my computer (functioning nicely)

Things *not* making me smile: Christmas shopping, lousy weather, paperwork, 1-800-mattress, and large crowds.

Decent article at Digital Web Magizine about how web designers have to be more sensitive to the fact that many new computer users (all of whom what to get on the ‘net yesterday it seems) don’t understand the basic language of websites. A button labeled “Submit” means nothing to the 50 year old who just filled out an online form, though he would know perfectly well how to mail a paper form or hand it physically to the person it needed to go to. (One example)

This is a valid concern, and part of me agrees with it. However, the basic idiom and knowledge of the web (submit buttons send information, software must be downloaded in order to run on your system, you need an ISP to go online, your browser and your ISP are not the same thing….) these could be considered the basic language of the web. For these first timers (many of them 40 and up) learning the language is essential. They may have real world skills and much knowledge, but they may also be pig ignorant when it comes to surfing around or doing something as basic as determining what web browser they are using. This doesn’t make them bad people. It means they have to learn.

Think of it like visiting a foreign country – you need to know certain basics of communication in order to survive. (hello, my name is, where is the restroom, thank you, help, etc…) The natives are expected to be understanding of you, but I think no one (except perhaps American tourists abroad) expects the language of a foreign country to be suspended purely for their convenience.

Knowing to hit the submit button after you fill out a form is like knowing how to ask for the restroom in the language of the country you are visiting. It’s a simple bit of knowledge and it is up to the tourist/visitor/foreigner to learn these basic pieces of information. I’m not saying that web designers should collectively tell the uninformed to shove off, and many websites can be made more accommodating and user friendly. However, there is a limit to the hand holding. I will play native guide as well as I am able, but those who are just entering the online world need to take responsibility for their own educations.