Topic “Left Brain”

I have been using Drupal for projects here and there for 5 years. Really, once I found Drupal I haven't looked back… much. At the time I was using Mambo, and there was no easy way (or, at least I didn’t know how) to override modules to make completely table-less layouts. This coupling of markup and functionality drove me to look elsewhere. I love Wordpress, and would recommend it for anyone wanting to set up a blog. However, if you are need a customizable platform for handling different kinds of content, I found it lacking in a handful of places.

On multiple occasions the topic of “Where to start” with web design has come up. There are many blogs out there covering the topic of web design/ frontend development, here is a good start to creating the ultimate web design bookshelf.

I just attended a Social Media Club Meeting where David Hinds gave a lecture titled "How to Grow Vibrant Virtual Communities". Hinds has definitely spent some time thinking about social behavior on the web and some of the things he said really got me thinking.   I'm not sure how often he presents, but if you get an opportunity to hear what he has to say on the subject, I would recommend giving him your ear (especially if you are new to the subject). Just be sure to think critically.

Let’s talk about the fold. I have previously lobbied rather firmly that the fold does not exist on the web, but as of recent I am starting to come around… somewhat. There is a fold, but most people are doing it wrong.

Narrator: For more than 12 years, ominous rumors had been privately circulating among high-level web developers that a world wide consortium had been at work on what was darkly hinted to be the ultimate weapon: a doomsday device. Intelligence sources traced the home bases of this top secret international project to the perpetually fog-shrouded wasteland below the facilities of MIT/CSAIL (USA), ERCIM (France), and Keio Univ. (Japan). What they were building or why it should be located in such remote and desolate places no one could say.