Attic Topic
Welcome to the beta of the new saila.com. Send in your bugs.
Work
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Smells like Seattle
Almost exactly five months ago , I started my first major foray into the world of self-employment and began working with a series of exceptional clients to develop web applications and advise about online strategy. The quality, and quantity, of work surprised me, and I savoured every moment of it. -
Good job posts
When checking the times for (my first) DemoCamp tonight, I stumbled across the TorCamp job board. This is an excellent place for anyone looking to fill local Toronto jobs with potentially qualified people. -
Changing things up
Just a quick post to let you know about some changes that have happened and will be happening. -
Web Directions North, Wrap-up
Right now, I’m wearing a sweater, inside a chilly room in snow-covered Toronto… -
Web Directions North, Day 1
The first official day of Web Directions North is now done; and despite my bias, Dave Shea, Derek Featherstone, Maxine Sherrin, and John Allsopp all deserve our collective thanks. What started as the musings on some blogs, has evolved into a stellar conference in the very fog-heavy city Vancouver. -
When to update a site
Mike Davidson’s thoughts on code promotion schedules have generated a number of interesting comments. Essentially, he began by questioning whether two weeks is too long or too short for releasing Web site improvements. There’s a lot of back-and-forth debating the meaning of “code” but most agree that it depends. (Anil Dash’s clarification of Vox’s scheduling explains in detail how good updates should be managed.) -
Gummo’s down
To make up for some overtime, I decided to take a few days off to both escape work and to continue developing the new version of this site. Late this afternoon, though, I was stunned when I heard about a co-worker’s departure. For the past four-and-half years, through boom and bust, we’d worked side-by-side — in fact, I’ve never worked with anyone else that closely for that long. This was the person who first showed me how the sites function and later became one of the few colleagues I’d share a drink with. But now, when I return to work on Monday, the chair beside me will sit empty. -
Going west, and north for Web Directions North
For the past dozen years, my professional life has revolved around two fields: one well-established, the other emerging. And in the past few years the intersection of the two — journalism and the Internet, respectively — has begun changing the business landscape of both. -
Agile advantages
The more I read about Google’s software development mentality, the more it makes sense from an organizational perspective. -
Dream project
Imagine your dream project. Now imagine it being handed to you. What would you do? -
Add a comment at The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail becomes the first mainstream media outlet in Canada to allow its regular readers to comment directly on the news presented on its Web site. -
The Globe and Mail: now comments-enabled
Just spent a lot of hours finishing up what has become the first comments-enabled manistream news Web site in Canada. Yes, The Globe and Mail is now taking comments on its news pages. For a full write-up, read the latest rant. -
Seeking standards-based Web developer
Keith was mentioning it earlier, and I agree, it’s hard to find good Web standards developers. So with that in mind, consider this an open call for ones in the Toronto area. Essentially, I’m looking to hear from those who dream live Web standards, and dream semantic mark-up. Being a news junkie who knows why * html can make IE behave is a definite bonus. -
Searching The Globe
Another item on this site about stuff at the globeandmail.com — one of these days that site will actually have a blog to deal with this kinda stuff. Until then, I’ve created three search plugins for Firefox (or Mozilla, or Netscape 6+, or MacOS’s Sherlock). -
Pumping up the praise
Canada is without a feedback loop when it comes to online developments and this is an attempt to adjust that. -
Print, past; future…?
David Akin points out that the latest newspaper readership numbers show the papers are actually losing younger readers (or perhaps more accurately, they aren’t attracting new younger readers). So where are those people going for their news? Maybe the Web sites of said newspapers — I know I have for the past eight years or so. -
Working for Asper
An email landed in my inbox today pointing to a wonderfully ironic story: not only does Leonard Asper love convergence, he’d also like to own the newspaper I work for -
The Globe at 160
Canada’s self-proclaimed national newspaper (and my national paper) is also older than the country itself; the Globe and Mail celebrates its 160th anniversary today -
Big redesigns
The infrequent posts here are a result of the work I’ve been doing on the biggest CSS redesign I’ve been involved in. Though not a radical design, the underlying HTML has been completely re-worked to be both more semantic, more accessible, and less invalid. Look for it soon -
CSS designs for finance sites
The second in a series of new products I’ve been working on has launched; like the first, it’s a financial service company’s mutual fund profile using an all CSS-layout. Read the related rant for more details about the process. -
Mutual funds get CSS layouts
A second Canadian financial services company converts its mutual fund profiles to CSS layouts. -
Update: few updates coming
Updates here will be a bit quite here for a little while because: -
Granted a stay
Going, going…staying, although I’m now an employee with The Globe and Mail — as are all those I work directly with. Our V.P. did some incredible lobbying on our behalf -
Reuters layoffs, Shift folds, Salon sinks, but the BBC redesigns
Reuters cuts 3,000 jobs. Damn. -
Lay-offs; list of three column layouts; Color Blender; DevEdge redesigns
Yesterday, a lot of good people lost their jobs (my own fate is still up in the air). It was, as one would suspect, a far from pleasant experience. -
Déjà vu; moreCrayons; jwz on CSS
Things at work are still operating in a post-takeover (because, in essence, that’s what it is) haze. Rumours drift through the office, but no confirmations of anything. Although the circumstances are quite different, I have a lingering sense of déjà vu. -
BCE ends convergence
Convergence, for BCE, is dead. Today BCE essentially announced the end of Bell Globemedia in anticipation of a future sell-off. Sympatico.ca goes back to BCE; The Globe and Mail (and its affiliated Web sites) will go one way; and CTV and its related sites will go the other. -
New gig; GetContentSize; XUL; no W3C patents
As has been officially announced, I’m now the Assistant Editor at Digital Web Magazine meaning I’ll be handling interviews, like this one with Jakob Nielson conducted by Meryl K. Evans and Nick Finck. -
Trade by Numbers
The last of the two big projects I’ve been working on this month finally launched today. Although Trade by Numbers is a small, monthly e-zine, it is, I believe, the first time a globe*.com site -
Bell Globemedia Interactive lay-offs; updated validator
BGM Interactive, one of the heavyweights in the Canada Internet content game, has cut about 10 percent of its workforce. The company — my employer — operates The Globe and Mail Web sites, CTV’s Web sites, and Sympatico, among others. -
New tableless Opera site
I’m coming down with a cold and have two big projects due this week, so postings may be rare. However, you may be cheered to know that Opera.com has also abandoned tables, and uses valid XHTML and CSS on its site -
Broker Survey
For those of you wondering what I do for a paid job, The Globe and Mail’s 2002 On-Line Broker Survey is a good example (and those using Gecko-based browser will see a simple, CSS-based rollover effect on the tables). -
Episode II; changes
So last night, I saw one of the first public screenings of Star Wars: Episode II after avoiding almost all the hype and comments about it. Although I do want to share some quick impressions about it, I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, so most people will be able to reveal my comments if they want. -
Speaking the unspoken
Here’s a new way to put words in your mouth: MIT has developed software that creates video of people saying words they have never spoken. While good for computer animation, it could become a powerful tool for propoganda, as the The Boston Globe briefly mentions in it’s overview of the technology. -
Take some time away from work
The Europeans have been doing this for a longtime, and I have been a quiet proponent of the ideas as well: taking a month off to recharge one’s batteries. -
Mike Bullard and Steve Mann
Went to the taping of Mike Bullard’s show after picketing today. During my time on the line I’ve read a few books, the latest being Cyborg. Written by the eccentric Steve Mann (the wearable computer guy), it’s, unintentionally, a fascinating insight into a hard-core geek’s head. -
Queen’s Park sit-in
Went to OPSEU’s big protest at Queen’s Park. We’ve been on strike, for almost five weeks, and the union decided to make its presence felt as Ernie Eves was sworn in as Ontario’s new premier. -
Strike; CSS Masters Series
Well, I won’t be working for a while. -
Enjoying Neo-Citron while building civilizations
Been quiet due to a (for me) rare cold that hit on my first real long weekend in a long while. One advantage with being doped-up on Neo-Citron at home is wasting time building civilizations. For some more interesting reading, go to the first big event from Independents Day. -
Ontario Science Centre site launches; OJA deadline
Launched the new Ontario Science Centre site today, after spending a couple of hours trying to figure out some weird style sheet interpretations in IE 5.0 for Windows (praise ELEMENT/* */{ attribute: value }). This morning, I was able to fix a weird style sheet interpretation unique to IE 5.0 for the Macintosh. I'm now struggling with a buggy JavaScript engine in IE 4.0 for the Mac that creates endless loops when trying to detect if the page is framed (partial solution). -
Taxes; Contact; OSC redesign
Beautiful sunny days have been the standard for the past while here in Toronto, thus partially explaining the lack of entries. But so to does: -
Ch-ch-changes
Though saila.com’s latest look was designed months ago, merging i|money with CANOE Money distracted me from moving it out. But things have settled down now, and both sites are online (and use CSS extensively). Like CANOE Money, saila.com’s focus has changed and is now shaped as a resource for online journalists and Web workers -
Résumé
Craig Saila is also available for small-scale Web development projects.