Jackass Of All Trades

The last semesters have taught me that it is impossible, even for an older student with a good work-ethic and the proper attitude, to be enthusiastic and hard-working in every class and program. Frankly, the whole world of web design, Css, and Dreamweaver leaves me not only baffled but utterly disinterested. Web-design is algebra... I hated algebra. It's all rules, formulas, and not a damn one of them makes sense. We're talking RANDOM! Memorization, chaos, misery. Frankly, web-design is everything I hated (all along) about computers wrapped up in one big shit-stinky package.

I want to know enough about Dreamweaver to put it on my resume, get a job, and then like learning Karate, I hope I never have to use it.

On a personal note, I think juggling 3 jobs and taking classes (and looking into a 4th job) has probably worn me out more than I would like.

Thank God

Thank god there are still some people out there who are not going with the 3-column same-font-as-everyone-else sites. This has remained a site I find inspiring... and hopeful.

http://www.jonathanyuen.com/main.html

I don't know much about the artist or the work, and while it is beautiful to look at, I don't know how happy I would be if I were an A.D. and wanted to hire this guy. As a commercial venture, whether or not the site is easily navigable or effective is questionable.

Regardless, it is refreshing to see that some people are not letting themselves be castrated by current trends, expectations, and "rules."

What's Up With All This Web Rigidity???

OK, when the whole web-site thing first happened I was pretty excited about the internet and the design opportunities.

Well, that's gone and done, and now we are stuck with all these rules, conventions, and expectations that have, in my opinion, created an environment where every web-site looks like they belong in the same magazine or have been overseen by the same Art Director. Now, I understand the need to create order out of chaos, but I think these conventions have suffocated the flexible design possibilities the web originally offered, creating a homogenized look.

The first sites I saw, way back when, were a little like a treasure hunt, and while that was intolerable so far as usability goes, it was a lot more fun. Clever people with a first-rate design staff were able to play effectively on that playground while still maintaining easy usability and navigation. Unfortunately even those artists and designers eventually submitted and started publishing rigid boring designs. "You will be assimilated!" And, YES, we have all assimilated.

For me this has taken a lot of the thrill out of the internet, and has in many ways burned out my desire to design web pages.