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Back To Features LandingLifestyles of the Web Savvy
With the explosion of voices, news, and entertainment online, knowing where to go, what to read, and how to stay on top of it all can seem like trying to climb Mt. Everest with a bungee cord and swim trunks. How do you do it? We went right to the source and asked these wired pros about their personal approach to information, technology, and security to see if they could offer some tips to stay ahead.
Elaine / Web Designer / California / USA
What kind of web design software do you like best and use most? I mainly use Adobe Photoshop as a web tool almost every day.
Where do you get most of your information about design and technology?
When it comes to Web trends, I mainly refer to blogs:
http://www.pageplane.com
http://www.webdesignerwall.com/
http://digitalthread.com/
For good measure, I always refer to trade magazines or design annuals that highlight print work: HOW, IdN. CommArts, and anything by Phaidon
For general techy stuff, I refer to sites like: http://www.notcot.org/, http://www.cnet.com/
What are your favorite web apps and why? This is going to sound funny. Although I work in the design industry, I’m a bit against the proliferation of Web apps. There’s this crazy trend to purchase Web apps especially for the iPhone, which has transitioned to a level of unnecessary dependency. Sure it may make things a bit more efficient to have quick access to real-time train schedules or curing a span of boredom by purchasing a “social networking” web app. But do we really need it, or do we just need to have it?
What would you absolutely die without accessing online every day? Definitely email because it’s such a major communication tool with co-workers and my personal life. The second thing I would probably die without is CNN.com since we don’t own a television at home. It’s the one site I always conveniently refer to for a quick glimpse of what’s going on with the world.
What are your favorite design books of all time?
The Push Pin Graphic: A Quarter Century of Innovative Design and Illustration
MTIV: Process, Inspiration and Practice for the New Media Designer
Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop, Timothy Samara
When it comes to Internet security, what do you do to make your life just a little bit more secure? At home we are anti-wireless, maybe because we are too lazy to rip out all the running cables that are strategically placed along the walls. We are both PC /Mac users, and truly adamant about using virus protection software, firewalls, and setting encryption with our routers.
We do, on the other hand, run one laptop with a wireless card that accesses our neighbors’ wireless network. This is a piece of straightforward, simple advice: Encrypt your wireless! Anyone can gain access since it’s too easy to tap into. When traveling out of town, a hotel’s wireless system is a virtual honey pot. There are times in the past where we have accessed another user’s laptop for kicks. We have sneaked our way to exposed personal and business documents, contacts, the programs they run, etc. Really scary.
Mark Anderson / Programmer / Portland / USA
What kind of programming do you like best and do most? Ruby programming in general, because the Ruby language is so elegant and naturally intuitive. More specifically I make Ruby on Rails applications because I can work with a team or independently to implement ideas and deploy the application easily.
My focus is on building mobile and web applications that facilitate meaningful expression and interaction among members of niche communities.
Where do you get most of your information about programming and technology? Mostly through organic absorption of tangential information while searching for specific solutions to development problems. Also links from colleagues and:
http://ajaxian.com
http://digg.com
http://www.wired.com
http://weblog.rubyonrails.org
What are your favorite web apps and why? I’ll mention three: flickr, twitter, facebook. All three allow users to expressively interact and share parts of what makes each person special. Also, each is a platform extensible by any other developer, hence open to endless possibility.
For instance, http://favrd.com is a Best of Twitter that’s possible because of the Twitter API, and I dig it.
What would you absolutely die without accessing online every day? Hands down: flickr. My life is enhanced by giving and receiving vivid images of what interests my friends and loved ones.
What are your favorite programming books of all time?
Getting Real by 37 Signals
The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and Dave Thomas
Programming Ruby (the so-called "Pickaxe") by Dave Thomas
Designing with Web Standards by Jeffrey Zeldman
When it comes to Internet security, what do you do to make your life just a little bit more secure? Learn to assess your vulnerability in your most common contexts. Understand which actions and situations are almost guaranteed to be safe and which are definitely a threat. Know that every exposed node on the Internet is being bombarded with attacks constantly, but you’re safe behind a firewall until you choose to poke a hole either in or out.
Chad Berkley / Programmer / Santa Barbara / USA
What kind of programming do you like best and do most? I’m a high-level kernel hacker mostly. I write "backend" Java source for desktop and server applications. I don’t like doing GUI stuff, I’d rather be the one that makes the application work and let other people do the pretty stuff.
Where do you get most of your information about programming and technology? Wired.com, arstechnica.com, slashdot.org, and random Google searches.
What are your favorite web apps and why? Flickr. They have the most powerful, yet easy-to-use app out there. It constantly amazes me how well it works for how many photos get uploaded every minute.
What would you absolutely die without accessing online every day? I wouldn’t say I’d die, but I’d really miss Flickr if it were to go down. I’m not tied to my computer and I can actually function without a computer. Sometimes I even force myself to take a few days off.
What are your favorite programming books of all time?
The algorithm design manual is a great reference for algorithms and heuristics for everything from generating convex hulls to sorting sparse matrices. It’s a really good book and I’ve been using it for over 10 years.
When it comes to Internet security, what do you do to make your life just a little bit more secure? Here’s what I tell my parents: Don’t open email attachments. Turn on the firewall. Don’t use Word to transfer information (e.g. embed photos in a word document to transfer them around...yes people do this). Don’t download "screensavers" or stuff like that. If I could, I’d force them to switch to OSX instead of windows. It’s much more secure and much easier (for me) to administer. If I was talking to a "Wired" person, I’d just say "ditch windows, especially IE."
