Spencer Critchley on O'Reilly Broadcast tag:broadcast.oreilly.com,2008-08-07://53 2010-11-24T23:29:45Z Movable Type Pro 4.21-en Never Give a Client Three Choices tag:broadcast.oreilly.com,2010://53.43436 2010-11-24T23:29:45Z 2010-11-24T23:29:45Z In most design fields it's conventional wisdom that you should give a client three versions or "comps" of an idea, so they can choose their favorite, or maybe combine what they like best about two or all three of them.... Spencer Critchley http://bootsroad.com In most design fields it's conventional wisdom that you should give a client three versions or "comps" of an idea, so they can choose their favorite, or maybe combine what they like best about two or all three of them.... Top Drupal Gotchas, #2: White Screen / Not Enough PHP Memory tag:broadcast.oreilly.com,2009://53.38564 2009-11-22T21:08:52Z 2009-11-22T21:08:52Z Continuing my effort to spare newcomers to Drupal from falling into this powerful content management system's most common traps, this time I look at a frequent cause of white screens - the sudden and scary devolution of a previously healthy Drupal site into a blank browser window. This can be caused by coding mistakes, such as neglecting to conclude a line of custom PHP with a semicolon. Spencer Critchley http://bootsroad.com Continuing my effort to spare newcomers to Drupal from falling into this powerful content management system's most common traps, this time I look at a frequent cause of white screens - the sudden and scary devolution of a previously healthy Drupal site into a blank browser window. This can be caused by coding mistakes, such as neglecting to conclude a line of custom PHP with a semicolon. Top Drupal Gotchas: "Access Denied" and Permissions Problems tag:broadcast.oreilly.com,2009://53.38079 2009-10-31T16:35:00Z 2009-10-31T16:35:00Z The Drupal Content Management System keeps getting better and better. But the learning curve is still steep and the interface is still tricky - even after working with it for several years, some gotchas keep tripping me up. That tells... Spencer Critchley http://bootsroad.com The Drupal Content Management System keeps getting better and better. But the learning curve is still steep and the interface is still tricky - even after working with it for several years, some gotchas keep tripping me up. That tells... We Need to Teach Visual Critical Thinking tag:broadcast.oreilly.com,2009://53.35609 2009-03-16T15:15:05Z 2009-03-16T15:15:05Z I was just looking at yet another vacuous presentation graphic, this one purporting to illustrate the SMART test for defining objectives. It looked something like this: This is of course rubbish. Infographics guru Edward Tufte would object strenuously to its... Spencer Critchley http://bootsroad.com I was just looking at yet another vacuous presentation graphic, this one purporting to illustrate the SMART test for defining objectives. It looked something like this: This is of course rubbish. Infographics guru Edward Tufte would object strenuously to its... Taming an Airport Express WDS Network tag:broadcast.oreilly.com,2009://53.35606 2009-03-14T18:10:34Z 2009-03-14T18:10:34Z Apple earns enough goodwill with its usually beautiful design and usability that every now and then it gets away with murder. Case in point: the Airport Express. I recognize that many people are happy with their AE's. I've found that... Spencer Critchley http://bootsroad.com Apple earns enough goodwill with its usually beautiful design and usability that every now and then it gets away with murder. Case in point: the Airport Express. I recognize that many people are happy with their AE's. I've found that... Dawn of the Software Comedian tag:broadcast.oreilly.com,2009://53.35522 2009-03-06T15:15:00Z 2009-03-06T15:15:00Z Microsoft Songsmith, designed to be a software aide for musical composition, has instead proved to be a great tool for comedy, as early adopters have exploited its bent for generating hilariously inappropriate accompaniments to famous artists' vocal tracks. This is... Spencer Critchley http://bootsroad.com Microsoft Songsmith, designed to be a software aide for musical composition, has instead proved to be a great tool for comedy, as early adopters have exploited its bent for generating hilariously inappropriate accompaniments to famous artists' vocal tracks. This is... More Creativity in a Can: When Thomas Dolby Met the Rhinestone Cowboy tag:broadcast.oreilly.com,2009://53.35492 2009-03-04T15:00:00Z 2009-03-04T15:00:00Z Microsoft Songsmith has been stuck in my mind lately like, well, a bad song (follow that link at your own risk). It's got me reflecting about the long trend towards using music technology to increase productivity, but not creativity. And... Spencer Critchley http://bootsroad.com Microsoft Songsmith has been stuck in my mind lately like, well, a bad song (follow that link at your own risk). It's got me reflecting about the long trend towards using music technology to increase productivity, but not creativity. And... Creativity in a Can tag:broadcast.oreilly.com,2009://53.35221 2009-02-10T16:02:10Z 2009-02-10T16:02:10Z For me, what's wrong with Songsmith is not that it's so uncool. It's what's wrong (though maybe not so egregiously) with a lot of music technology: the underlying premise that productivity is an absolute good. Spencer Critchley http://bootsroad.com For me, what's wrong with Songsmith is not that it's so uncool. It's what's wrong (though maybe not so egregiously) with a lot of music technology: the underlying premise that productivity is an absolute good.