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Readings in Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think

I have been wallowing joyfully in the theoretical and practical insights that I'm finding in a massive anthology entitled Readings in Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think. I'm someone who often takes important phone calls while pacing in front of a white board, where I will draw diagrams and conceptual maps for my own benefit during conversations. There are roughly 50 different articles in this tome, organized into sections on topics such as the creative tension between focus and context, data mapping, and information workspaces. This is a treasure trove of research and inspiration for anyone who likes to think about thinking or wants to build tools to help people be smarter. I highly recommend it. Just don't drop it on your foot. Posted: 8/3/05; 4:54:57 PM #

The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Trick, & Hacks

For the last year, we have been working quietly on a series of upgrades to Nonprofit Online News and our other web sites. As pioneers, it's always interesting to watch the trains pull in next to you, when it seems like only yesterday you were breaking new ground in your covered wagon. In that light, one of the themes of our upgrades is modernization of our HTML, which includes migrating to the use of Style Sheets. We have a library of manuals on CSS, but it turns out that one of the handiest has been Rachel Andrew's The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Trick, & Hacks. Often, books are given titles like that as a poor excuse for sloppy thinking. This author is not afraid to make strong recommendations on the best way to solve a particular problem and that's been very helpful indeed. Posted: 8/3/05; 12:22:46 PM #