Blogging and all that Malarkey

Sue and I were driving home last Sunday when I realised that on Tuesday this week we would’ve seen Motörhead live at the Manchester Apollo.

While I’m finalising the table of contents for my ‘shot,’ I’ve been thinking about the things that I regularly do when I’m ‘Designing with a Browser’, one of which is using the contenteditable attribute in the templates that I share with clients.

Let me start this list of my top five country music albums of 2015 with a confession. Although country’s been by far my most listened to genre again this year, I haven’t listened to it as much as I have the past few years. In the latter part of the year, I’ve taken several musical diversions. The last one’s been Electric Light Orchestra, a band that I’ve loved since my teens. But, with the possible exception of their Wild West Hero, they couldn’t be further from county.

I doubt that anyone except me and 24 ways creator Drew MacLellan have noticed, but since my original Contract Killer in 2008, I’ve had an article published by 24 ways every year on the same day, December 23rd. Even after seven years, I don’t take that spot for granted and I was really chuffed when Drew asked me to write again this year.

The new Hardboiled Web Design Fifth Anniversary Edition is now available to buy from Smashing Magazine, in a beautifully printed softcover book and all ebook formats. I also have a bit of a confession to make.

When Mark Boulton and I were planning the first edition of Hardboiled Web Design, we both knew who we wanted to illustrate the cover, Kevin Cornell. Kevin’s interpretation of the hardboiled detective theme was so perfect that I couldn’t have imagined anyone else illustrating for Hardboiled.

Andrew Fairlie tweeted to tell me that he’d open sourced his company’s ‘Getting Good Feedback’ document. Inspired by @Malarkey’s Contract Killer, I’ve started a “Good Design Feedback” open source project https://t.co/zVe6WPTCyX

It looks like Geek Mental Help Week 2015 is getting off to a good start with two mental health related events, both happening on Thursday evening.

Last year’s Geek Mental Help Week was, by all accounts, well received and a terrific success. Despite the fact that we pulled it together with sticky tape and string, people told their stories about how mental health issues had affected them and the people who care for them. Those stories were honest and humbling to everyone who read them. I hope that next week, Geek Mental Help Week 2015 can do something similar.

I have some very special news to announce about my book. It’s a brand new Fifth Anniversary Edition of Hardboiled’Web Design that’s published by Smashing Magazine.