Merlin Mann. Worst Website Ever. SXSW 2008

Merlin Mann is one of the big brains behind 43 Folders. He gave a great presentation at this year's SXSW (South by Southwest Interactive Conference in Austin). He's a writer, speaker and broadcaster and this performance pokes the whole internet industry in the eyeballs. This is a really funny look at the web from a guy who's seen it all from the inside.

Digital Media Project Surprises

Usually it ain't a good idea to surprise a client. However, an occasional good surprise is ok.

It is best to set initial project expectations and then stick to delivering on those. But as is often said, "under-promise and over-deliver". When you surprise a client with something other than their expectations, use this handy chart to determine if you are offering a good surprise or a bad one.

Good Surprise	Bad Surprise
The project is finishing on time.	We are so totally late, it's ridiculous.
We're under budget.	Yea, let's talk about some budget issues.
We pursued some new design avenues and came up with a stunning interface that plays very well with the focus groups.	We accidentally turned everything purple.
We finished a few extra deliverables.	We haven't really, technically "finished" anything yet.
We found an unexpected revenue stream.	To keep this project alive, we need $10,000 a week.

Pie Charts, Graphs and Humor

Stand-up comedian Demetri Martin gives a great performance aided only by a flip chart and a pointer. And his humor. Those of us who want to improve our public speaking skills could learn a thing or two from this guy.

How to Name Your Server

If you've ever worked on a team that shares a file server, you know the importance of naming computers. Especially on local area networks where multiple servers are available. You need to have a way to tell them apart. Otherwise we'd be referring to the computers as "that box".

Server naming tends to be either functional (like PHOTOSTORE1 or Backup3) or whimsical (Ophelia and Hamlet). Production servers seem to take on a personality after a while, either because of the type of files on the box or because of the server's behavior. Does a temperamental computer called Tempest take on the personality associated with the name? I worked on a team where the servers were named after inventors and the Edison and Tesla machines were constantly battling each other just like their namesakes.

I have seen numerous approaches to server naming over my 18 years in the Internet business. Some have been named after Shakespeare characters; Jachimo, Othello and Roderigo. Other times it became all too clear that I was working with geeks when the servers were either named after Star Trek (Kirk, Sulu, Picard) or Monty Python (Throatwobbler, Gilliam, DeadParrot).

Are people who name their servers after Disney fairies just too cute to work with? Are people who name their servers after gangsters ultimately corrupt? When you meet a new team, you can tell a lot about them by how they name their boxes.

I sometimes wish I had 100 servers to name. Or better yet, maybe I could develop a special area of consulting. Yea, I could be a professional server namer. Can I get paid for that? I could come up with a million naming themes. Servers named after action movies. Nine servers named after planets. Seven small server named after dwarves. Call me and I'll solve all your server naming problems.

The Restless Phantom Jimmy Leg Syndrome

I was glad to hear that I was not the only one. Recently experts have confirmed the existence of "Phantom Vibration Syndrome." This is when you think your cell phone is vibrating, but in fact it is your imagination.

You pat the pocket that holds the phone and...nada.

It has also been called “vibranxiety."

The good news is that we are not crazy or dying, probably. In fact we are simply oversensitive to that particular sensation. The pleasurable act of receiving a call is punctuated by a stimulus that we learn to anticipate. This is a learned habit. We have re-wired our brains. Scientists call this neuroplasticity. We've hacked ourselves and now we are malfunctioning.

This is not to be confused with Restless Leg Syndrome, Phantom Limb Syndrome or The Jimmy Leg.

Do Not Erase: My Lust for Whiteboards

I have always been pro-whiteboard. I do not miss the days of the chalkboard. I welcome the glossy white surface! I once created a small conference room where all the walls were covered with whiteboard material. We could brainstorm or write notes or just sit there and stare at the wide open expanse of board.

The other day I was driving over the Fremont Bridge in Seattle and saw a billboard for Google. They've been advertising in Seattle a lot lately, doing a bunch of hiring for their Fremont and Kirkland offices. I love the want-ad they created. It's a giant whiteboard with "Do Not Erase" scrawled across it. Sorry for the blurry photo, I was driving by and I snapped the above picture with the iPhone during traffic.

If you too feel the whiteboard lust, then perhaps you should contact Wall Talkers. These high-end, custom dry-erase gurus will create all manner of whiteboard mayhem. They make curved whiteboard walls or they'll paint all surfaces with special dry-erase paint so that literally everything is write-onable!

If you don't have a whiteboard that prints out onto paper, then you'll need to take photos before erasing. Thousands of people have drawn all manner of things on their dry erase boards and posted the photos to a group on Flickr.

Many have been inspired by the mighty whiteboard, including artists and animators who create fun hand-drawn animations like this.