John Cox

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Interesting

www.usabilitypost.com

Why Nobody Uses Opera

Opera's negligible market share despite superior features and innovation stems from poor brand positioning rather than technical deficiency. While Chrome successfully positioned itself as the fastest and simplest browser, and Firefox as the most customizable option, Opera tried to market itself on everything at once—speed, security, and innovation—which made it stand out to no one. In a crowded market, consumers gravitate toward products with clear, quantifiable identity within a specific category, and Opera's failure to own a single distinctive position left it invisible to mainstream users despite genuine technical leadership.

Permalink strategybusinessmarketingbrowser

A List Apart

A Simpler Page

# Summary This essay argues that tablet reading design must reconcile the physical boundaries of the device with the potential for infinite content scrolling, and presents Bibliotype, an open-source HTML/CSS/JavaScript template designed to establish typographic baselines for long-form reading on iPads. Rather than forcing print design conventions onto tablets, the author proposes designing specifically for three reading distances (close in bed, medium on a lap, far at a table) across both portrait and landscape orientations, and advocates for HTML5-based formats like ePub3 as the future of digital publishing rather than proprietary app ecosystems. The template provides practical tools for testing font sizes, line lengths, margins, and layout grids to achieve comfortable readability in these varied contexts.

Permalink design

68kb.com

Impressive Webs

When to Use the HTML5 “section” Element

The author clarifies the HTML5 `<section>` element's proper use by consulting the specification and establishing that it represents a thematic grouping of content but should not be used for syndicated material (which requires `<article>` instead) or for styling purposes (which require `<div>`). Through a series of practical do's and don'ts, the piece demonstrates that `<section>` has limited appropriate uses—primarily for non-syndicated, thematically-related content like chapters, tabbed sections, product descriptions, or employee bios—making it one of HTML5's more confusing and perhaps unnecessary semantic elements.

Permalink developmenttutorial

lamb.cc

Typograph (lamb.cc)

An interactive exploration of how typographic scale and rhythm work together on web pages, using Robert Bringhurst's principles as a foundation. The piece explains how to establish a base font size on the body element, set appropriate line-height to create vertical rhythm (symbolized as λ), and then compose all other type sizes in relation to this baseline using the em unit, allowing the entire design to scale proportionally. Draggable interface elements let readers experiment with different typographic scales (traditional, Fibonacci, Modular) and see how subheadings can be adjusted while maintaining the vertical grid that keeps text aligned to consistent rhythm.

Permalink designtutorialcss3

webdesignledger.com

35 New Clean & Minimalist Websites to Inspire You

I don't have an article to summarize here. What you've provided appears to be a comments section from a blog post about minimalist web design, but the actual article content—the main piece that Gisele Muller wrote showcasing minimalist websites—is not included in the material you shared. To write an accurate summary of what the piece argues or reports, I would need the body of the original article itself.

Permalink designminimalism

Tuts+ Marketplace

Mashuptown.com

Mashuptown.com: Best of BOOTIE 2010

Bootie released their 2010 best-of compilation in both continuous and unmixed versions, featuring work from mashup producers Adrian and Mysterious D along with bonus tracks and a Rio-themed CD. The post highlights "We No Speak Americano," a megamashup by Mashup-Germany and Faroff that layers multiple hits including "Everybody," "Ray Charles," and the Backstreet Boys into a single track.

Permalink music2010s

Lifehacker

Marginal REVOLUTION

Japanese claims about China — Marginal Revolution

This piece identifies local government financing platforms as China's primary financial vulnerability rather than residential real estate bubbles, explaining that these vehicles emerged after 1990s tax centralization left localities dependent on Beijing and were weaponized during the 2008 stimulus when local governments had to fund a third of spending themselves. By mid-2010, 8,221 such platforms had accumulated ¥7.7 trillion in loans, with 20-25 percent flagged as problematic by regulators, and the author raises the speculative possibility that defaults could trigger yuan depreciation.

Permalink economics

Marginal REVOLUTION

Marginal Revolution: Japanese claims about China

This piece argues that China's most pressing financial vulnerability is not its residential property bubble but rather the debt accumulated through local government "loan platforms"—financial vehicles created after tax centralization left local governments revenue-starved and forced to borrow commercially to fund infrastructure mandates. By mid-2010, these 8,221 platforms had accumulated 7.7 trillion yuan in loans, with 20-25 percent classified as problematic by regulators, creating systemic risk that could potentially trigger yuan depreciation if defaults cascaded. The author treats the scenario as speculative but worth serious consideration rather than dismissal.

Permalink real estateeconomics

Smashing Magazine

Web Design Questionnaires, Project Sheets and Work Sheets - Smashing Magazine

Web designers need client questionnaires to gather project information and provide accurate quotes, and this resource compiles examples from leading design firms showing both downloadable and online formats. Downloadable questionnaires tend to be longer and work better for complex projects, allowing clients time to reflect and keeping a permanent record, while online forms offer immediacy and reduce dropout risk but can feel overwhelming and prone to submission errors. The piece examines a dozen firms' approaches and their trade-offs to help designers evaluate and improve their own intake processes.

Permalink freelancebusiness