Remember Nickelodeon Gack? I was not allowed to have it in the house because it might gack up the carpet.

1. Take a trip to Apple’s website
2. Go to the search field atop the page, type in “virus” and wait for the quick results
3. Sit back and giggle.

via The Big Noob

I’m searching for some type of solution. And if there is no solution, someone will make a huge buck creating the solution.

The Problem: Social Overflow

Keep in mind how many sites you have a social presence, not even an active one, it may be some type of casual involvement. I’m sure there are a ton, as in my case. Most of those are very casual, meaning I don’t visit them all that often.

This is mostly because I forget about them or they really don’t mark high up on my list to give them the time to visit on a semi regular basis. Thus they lay dormant for a time until I remember and gain interest once again.

Is there a solution to this problem?

It would be great to have a page where you can scan this social content in a way that speeds up the process of being active on a site like digg or pownce. It has become very time consuming to do this currently and I feel that others who may be interested in what you have to say might not be able to see the various avenues in which you communicate online.

Would it not be helpful to incorporate all that communication on one page? Would anyone actually care to see where you are actively participating, what you are saying (or sharing) and who else is participating?

The more I think about it the more complex it becomes. But it also sounds very useful.

Is it a pipe dream?

What worries me about the possible solution is the possible overload. I might be asking for what I think is a bowl of berries but what I might actually get is a truckload, which is worthless also. There would need to be a balance so as to avoid overload while still making access to one persons content convenient.

Convenience is what I really desire. There is no website that is the Super Wall-mart of the online world, or none that I’m familiar with.

Just to clarify, I’m not complaining about the individual user names and passwords each site requires for participation. There are solutions for managing those very well. It’s the content from within those sites and activity of interest that needs to be managed more effectively, somehow.

In addition, I’m not taking in to consideration all of the blogs, podcasts, and forums to which comments are posted and further discussion takes place. If those could be integrated as well, that would be fantastic.

I’m sure you can relate to the sentiments and experience I’m relating. Is there a best practice for keeping sane in an effort to obtain content and participate in a convenient and thorough fashion?

Here is an interesting audio accessory. The Replug is a magsafe like headphone jack, meaning if you yank the cable the force overcomes the magnet attachment and physically disconnects. Using this on your headphones will most likely save your ears and neck more than your equipment, but a good yank could typically result in an unwanted fall, not that falls are wanted or anything.

This is a nice idea that I can see being applied to other cables that tend to be tugged, yanked and otherwise unwieldy. But I have a concern.

Force x Mass = Possible Fall

So if you use this on an iPod will it result in a fall regardless of this magnetic connection. Yes there are a lot of variables that effect this scenario, but consider this.

I occasionally set my iPod on my desk while I have my headphones in. If you use the regular length headphone cables with this and quickly jerk the iPod, I’m thinking the connection will break, as the iPod falls to the floor. I cant imagine that the mass of the iPod is enough to break the connection before the iPod starts moving.

Yes, you could have the iPod in a dock or do something to secure it, but that seems to defeat the need to have this also. I have a long headphone cord to prevent a quick turn that results in a fall and allows me to move about my desk without the cord restraining me.

This would be great for notebook users in general, however. An iPod may be better protected with a very protective case and some caution.

For example, in copywriting it is important to remain consistent in word usage. Sometimes rules can be made on-the-fly, as long as those rules are followed consistently.

Along those lines, how do you format the commonly used word email? There are a handful of ways that I’m sure I’ve used but never have I settled on one I like.

Sure, grammar can be put aside. In the end this is really a question of looks over words.

It has been a while since I’ve posted anything on Graphically Speaking, my design blog of sorts. If you noticed my absence, I apologies for seemingly dropping off the fiber line. It has been an extremely busy, yet happy, time in my life. I don’t usually get too personal on this site, however, I’ll explain what’s been going on since the play-by-play has been remiss.

I graduated college in June, finally. Well I was in school for 2.75 years to be exact, and my final quarter was extremely foreboding in regards a wild morning/night class mix-up. Five classes over an eleven week period topped with a large freelance project gave me the kick to focus, but this site was not part of that focus as you can imagine. I made it through college at the International Academy of Design, in Tampa, FL, and was so happy to obtain that BFA in Graphic Design. That marked a first in my family; I was the first to get a College Degree. Pretty cool in itself.

The self-discipline was worth it, though, and it lead to another set of busy months. You see, I was contacted by the president of a local ad agency after meeting him at my college’s portfolio event. I went in for an interview the next business day after graduating. I was amazed a the turn of events. I was offered a temporary position with the expectation that if they liked my performance and ability I would have the opportunity to work full-time at the agency. I accepted the terms, who wouldn’t, and hoped it would lead to something long term.

Keep in mind I prepared my portfolio, self-promotional material, and other typical documents with the expectation of going on a job hunt. It turns out that I never knocked on a single door to find a job. I currently work as a full-time art director at an ad agency in Tampa, FL. It’s actually fun because I have a passion for what I do and it is so rewarding to finally see my concepts produced.

So thank you for hanging in there. The months seem to be flying right by and many things have happened in the design blog arena. I’m planning on taking a different approach to this blog than in the past. I want to talk about new ideas, not just rehashing old news or even new news. I’ll leave that to other blogs that do it better. I want to do what I do best. Be creative, spontaneous, and fresh.

I have always referred to the web content as HTML. I have noticed, however, some sites, and blogs too, say XHTML valid. This is similar to my RSS dilemma, in that I’m not sure what the benefit of XHTML is. I could use some insight in this regard.

What is different between HTML and XHTML, and should I consider using the latter instead?