Everybody check out the BARK About Healthcare Blog. Molina Healthcare, where I currently work, is a member of the BARK consortium, and I designed and developed the blog in Wordpress. The blog is for people who are seeking government and other health and financial resources they might need after being laid off or if they’re having financial troubles. BARK’s being piloted in Missouri, and if it takes off, there’ll be a BARK for other states as well!

Loving these two t-shirts from Latina Magazine and Art Directors Club, respectively.

I am so happy to have a post about a good design change. It’s been quite a while. The LA Times launched a website redesign back in August, and I’m happy to say it’s looking good. For a short period of time, I will say, they had some issues with their ads not displaying properly, but they seem to be resolved.

First off, I love the use of the masthead. Before, they had totally separate branding for their website than they use for their newspaper. I’d always wanted their site to look more like the New York Times site and it finally does. Some have complained about the poor design of the NY Times site, but I think it’s just because they’ve outgrown their layout, both in terms of online ads, as well as new sections and how to navigate to them. All in all, I think the NY Times should move in a similar direction for their homepage, as it’s gotten messy over the last couple years. But I digress. The LA Times has a clean header– love the date and time at the top, which makes the whole thing really feel like a newspaper. The tabbed navigation system is really quite lovely and easy to use.

I like the simplicity of each featured section on the homepage, whether it’s Sports or Photos & Video. The typography is great– no tiny size font; crisp, clean Georgia.

What I do not love:

• The black in the masthead doesn’t look like black, but some PMS black that wasn’t designed to be viewed on-screen.
• Since there is no set style for links, it can sometimes be hard to tell which part of the content is a link and which isn’t until you actually hover over it for the underline.

And I am definitely no fan of their dynamic content for Weather, Traffic, etc. It’s overly “Web 2.0″ style as many call it and those silver buttons are bigger than they need to be. They could have easily have only used the charcoal +/- button only and reduced the padding involved.

The footer may very well be my favorite part of the website. Very clean and very functional. The ink blot in the corner is a nice touch.

Things get less awesome when you delve deeper into the site– dynamic content (embedded video players) look randomly placed and once again are designed with a “Web 2.0″ feel. The column layout breaks down as ads take up random amounts of space (top banner ad does not extend all the way across, but instead appears centered as the first part of the page’s content; the Google ad box is wider than the video player, leaving less padding between it and the headlines). The actual article pages are slightly better, but the crazy ad space remains.

My verdict? It’s a vast improvement from the previous design and I like it.

From SFGate.com, “Facebook Sued Over Privacy Practices”:

TechCrunch didn’t make much of the lawsuit though:

Plaintiffs in the case appear to have engaged in run of the mill socializing on Facebook: sharing photos, writing status updates and similar things. They’re then complaining that privacy, copyright and other rights are violated as people look at the photos, read the updates, etc. It’s sort of like jumping into a pool and then complaining that you’re wet.

Facebook is likely to agree. The company has stated it believes the suit has no merit and will fight it.

Yes, one would assume that common sense would dictate a weariness of what you put up on Facebook. However, for me, it comes down to this: When the content of my wall or a friend’s status post is changed, I get an e-mail about it, but when Facebook changes the content of their Terms of Use or Privacy Policy, at best, they post to their wall, which gets buried in your feed, if you even see it at all. If you have to have an e-mail to sign up with Facebook, why wouldn’t Facebook use it?

I remember way back when Facebook was college students-only, they made some changes to their default privacy setting so my profile content got reset. Next thing I know, I’ve got some guy I met in a class once calling me up all the time trying to get me to go out with him. We weren’t even Facebook friends at the time, and that’s how I found out I had to redo my privacy settings. Not cool. My roommate was able to learn from my pain, but still. A little notice would have been nice.

UPDATE: Facebook announced a couple weeks ago that they would dismantle Beacon, the ad system which broadcasted users’ actions elsewhere on the web by posting them to their feeds. Check out this PCWorld article for more information.

From theseventhletter on Flickr

Quite right.

Thanks to Ogilvy PR, who arranged a meeting with Becky, a rep from Intel to discuss upcoming products and whatnot.

When I arranged my meeting with Becky, the first thing that I found completely exciting was a chance to see the Vivienne Tam Netbook, up close and personal. Let me just say, it is so pretty. Prettier than Macs– that awesome flat red keyboard and the lovely little flowers all over the top. Yeah. And there’s netbooks coming soon from Disney, Hello Kitty, and possibly Pastry, the label by Rev Run’s kids.

Now, I personally thought it was a clutch-size laptop, which many others seem to think too as well since it was being billed as a “Mini” rather than a netbook. Becky was telling me that one of the new netbooks was one of the highest sellers on Amazon during the holiday season and so many of the customers were unsatisfied with the purchase, not realizing the difference between a netbook and a laptop.

So here goes me attempting to explain the difference: we all know a laptop is basically a portable version of the desktop computer; the netbook, however, is purely for consumption– going online, taking notes, etc. Think of it as the medium between a smart phone and a laptop. It’s not really built for storage, which means no photo editing, no downloading music. However, the netbook is really popular among college students (for taking notes in class) and bloggers on the go. As a web designer, I think it would be a great addition for doing cross-browser testing. Sure I’ve got Boot Camp installed on my Macbook Pro, but it’s kind of a pain to have to restart up in Windows and go back and forth.

The netbook is really more of a more portable complement to your laptop/desktop computer. Think: Macbook Air in terms of functionality, but cheaper– netbooks start around $300, unless you’re going couture for $1500-$3000. The Vivienne Tam netbook actually starts at $700. I should add that I’ve gotten in on some inside information– the pricing structure of the Air is soon to change and will go from being the $1800 it is now to being in the $600-$700 range. Um, can you say awesome? But before you run out and by an Air…

One thing the Macbook Air has up on the netbook is ULV (Ultra-low Voltage technology), meaning that not as much energy is being taken up by the processor. Coming soon is a new wave of laptops from Intel with a Centrino 2 processor. These will have ULV technology in addition to a newer, better processor (Centrino 2=DUO + 4G wireless technology). These laptops are ultra-thin (I got to see a working version from Lenovo and it weighed probably as much as my medium sized coffee from Swork) and will have all the capabilities of a regular laptop (along with a CD-ROM drive, thus one-upping the Air). I tried to get some insider news of anything Apple is working on to compete with these machines, but even Becky didn’t know– Apple is usually pretty hush-hush, even when it comes to their ad campaigns.

Now, I mentioned 4G technology above, and you’re probably thinking, if it’s anything like 3G technology, it sucks (Hey, I have AT&T Wireless too. I know as much as anyone that it feels like we’re all on Zack Morris’ wireless network.). But, it’s so much more awesome than anything you could have imagined. There’s something new spreading that works on 4G technology and it’s called WiMax. WiMax is already set up in Baltimore and Portland, which was done purposely for testing it out (low-population, less mountainous and wireless interference). The next city to get WiMax will be Las Vegas (it’s a flat desert land) and later will be the Bay area up north. What WiMax will do for you is give you wireless anywhere you go, not just hotspots as with 3G technology. You will be able to use a laptop data card for older laptops (currently the only carrier is Sprint’s Clearwire, but it will soon spread as WiMax is implemented), and the new Intel ULV laptops will have the technology built in. Now that is super cool. Remember a couple years back when that guy (anybody remember his name?) was talking about installing free wi-fi, well, everywhere? We’re getting closer to that except, um, not for free. Maybe one day…

Also, look out for Intel’s new Stars program launching this Summer. It’ll help you pick out which processor is right for you, so you won’t be purely relying on the product displays at Best Buy.

Pentagon Plans New Arm to Wage Cyberspace Wars – NYTimes.com. I think the president makes a good point in that we need to create some kind of protection from hackers for our most valuable information and data transfers– banking, traffic control, weapons use, etc. I’m glad that the president, though less progressive in some aspects, is at least “in-the-now” when it comes to the internet (Have you met a designer who doesn’t love the new WhiteHouse.gov?).

What bothered me a little bit, though, is where the NY Times article left the story:

Part of that debate hinges on the question of how much control should be given to American spy agencies, since they are prohibited from acting on American soil.

I mean, I could be paranoid, but what exactly do we mean by “control”? Control to “cyberattack” domestic hackers is one thing, but monitoring civilian internet access is another. It could be the NSA wiretapping debate all over again. Regulations would have to be put in place so that only those who have red flags are monitored, unlike the many people who had and still have their phones wiretapped by the NSA.

To take this argument one step further, the White House continues to suspend habeas corpus in terrorist cases with “tainted” evidence. Combine American cyberspy agency control with NSA wiretapping and the suspension of habeas corpus, and what kind of future do we have? In the words of President Obama,

“Our information age is still in its infancy,” he said. “A new world awaits.”

Just long as it’s not the world of 1984. More info on the government’s cybersecurity plan on the White House blog.

I’m a member of the Los Angeles Conservancy and found out about the upcoming plans to tear down the Century Plaza Hotel last month. As you may know, the Century Plaza Hotel is not just a beautiful modern building (designed by Minoru Yamasaki in 1966), but has a rich history consisting of political events, celebrity stays, and long-devoted employees (see this great, little Curbed LA article). The LA Conservancy is putting together a petition to save the hotel, and many preservationists, actress Diane Keaton among them, are banding together to see that this landmark hotel is not destroyed. The National Trust for Historic Preservation also ranks Century Plaza as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

After a multi-million dollar renovation, the Century Plaza owners plan to replace the hotel with two high-rise towers, not only to be used as a boutique hotel, but for condominiums and mixed-use space. Considering what is going on in the national economy, let alone in the microcosm of Los Angeles, this is not only a slap in the face to LA’s architectural landscape, but a completely culturally and financially irresponsible move.

The only arguments among those in favor of tearing down the landmark hotel say that a) it’s ugly and b) it’s too young. Well, firstly, if you don’t like the ravioli, honey, than get out of the goddamn kitchen. I think anything Frank Gehry builds is a vomit-inducing eyesore, so you know what? I don’t live in view of anything he’s built. It’s called, deal with it.

Secondly, Los Angeles is often the butt of many jokes regarding its lack of high-brow culture, a lack of anything long-standing, historical, or of any real significance. It is said that LA has no character. Saving historical buildings like this is a perfect opportunity to help build that character. What is increasingly infuriating is a comment by the developer himself:

Developer Michael Rosenfeld, backed financially by D.E. Shaw Group, says the building is too young to be considered historic. William Delvac, a prominent land-use attorney representing the hotel, said federal regulations would argue against naming a building younger than 50 to the National Register of Historic Places. [LA Times]

Well, you kind of have to let a building stay up long enough to turn 50 in the first place. Anyhow, 43 years old is not that far off. In other ironies, the Century Plaza is to be replaced with twin towers (the irony being that Yamasaki is the same architect who designed the World Trade Center towers, which were razed in a different series of events). Why are people in LA so set on tearing all things old down and replacing them with something new? Has the face of Joan Rivers taught you nothing? Sometimes, people, allowing things to age is the more elegant thing to do.

Reading Salon.com’s article “You Don’t Have Mail” by Mike Madden. I’m very much surprised to hear that the White House is having technological difficulties (e.g. e-mail down). I mean, I love the new website. The fact that this is the Obama administration aside, shouldn’t our government be on the cutting-edge of technology anyway? Are we not supposed to be the leaders of the free world who put a man on the moon?

Anyway, to criticize the Obama administration for the inadequacies of a technological system and its restrictions (Presidential Records Act (1978)) is more than a little ridiculous. George W. Bush was in that White House for eight long years. Why didn’t he do anything about it? Do Republicans mean to tell me that for eight years, the issues with technology weren’t Bush’s problem, but they are Obama’s after seven days? Seven, people. Seven. I don’t recall Bush fighting for a Facebook or a MySpace, let alone a Twitter feed. I find the following quote laughable:

“While the Obama administration’s overtures to focus on tech innovation and government reform win them [acclaim from] the media and Obamamaniacs, will they overlook the basics?” Republican consultant Mindy Finn, who ran Mitt Romney’s online operations, wrote on the Next Right. “When a blog that strikes a partisan, propagandistic tone serves as the only source for White House happenings, it’s beginning to look like they will. Where are the press releases and the speeches?”

First of all, I think anyone who follows Misty-Blue.net or knows me personally knows that I am by no means an “Obamamaniac.” Yes, I voted for the man, but I never believed that anyone could be “pro-hope” or “pro-change” the way his supporters did, and I was unfortunately one of the many white female liberals who questioned parts of his platform and thus was named a “racist in secret” by said supporters. I mean, what does that even mean– any of it? Nonetheless, I am happy that Obama is in the White House and am for the most part pleased as to what he’s been doing so far.

That aside, isn’t it a little bit the pot calling the kettle black when Republicans start talking about “a blog that strikes a partisan, propagandistic tone”? I mean check out the “Setting the Record Straight” section, which fell under “News and Policies” on the old George W. Bush White House website (brought to you by the George W. Bush Presidential Library). That hatred for those “leftist mainstream media” outlets The NY Times and The Washington Post really comes out on that little index.

Yes, I’ll agree with her on one point and one point only– “Where are the press releases and the speeches?” Before anyone gets all up in arms about it, let’s be real and realize that it hasn’t even been Obama’s first 100 days. After seven days in office, Obama has begun pushing his economic stimulus plan, halted suspicious Guantanamo trials, begun reviews of said trials and detention policy, appointed a “WMD czar” (something Bush never bothered to do within his eight years, let alone eight days), and begun to fix the environmental policy of which Bush attempted to roll back. What have you done in the last seven days? And if you want to check any of that out, you can find it on the White House website, not on the blog but under the confusing title of “Executive Orders and Presidential Memoranda”, which may be found under the confusing locations of the top navigation menu, the subnavigation menu, or the site map on the bottom of every page.

I do think that the Obama staff intends to put up press releases and speeches onto the site. It would have been nice if they had done that at launch, but they’ve already exceeded my expectations– that’s the great thing after living under the same Republican president for eight years (just ask anyone who lived through Reagan). I think it may be helpful, though, if the Obama staff had e-mail capabilities before they get to fixing the website. May be.

UPDATE: WhiteHouse.gov now has two new sections under “The Briefing Room”: Press Briefings and Nominations & Appointments.

The new whitehouse.gov is super awesomely designed. New great things:

• xHTML validates! Although the CSS does not…
• Nicely done header navigation. Look at that CSS transparency.
• Well-laid out site map at the bottom of the homepage.
• There’s a blog.
• Good use of (web) typography.
• Check out the new President bio pages and the fun stuff.
• The Constitution page and the rest of the “our Government” section aren’t too shabby either.
• And one of the best things of all– the Contact form no longer has you choose whether you have a positive or negative comment in a drop-down menu (which it did under Bush).
• Plus, you can sign up for e-mail updates. The form is where it often is on websites– the upper-right hand corner.

Not too much to complain about. It’s really lovely, actually. I do think that the First Ladies bios should have portraits like the President pages do. And I would like there to be links to iTunes and other podcast software on the Weekly Address page.

I don’t think the site could be any more user-friendly than it is now. The CSS makes the site very accessible; everything is easy to read and find (look at it with CSS turned off in your browser). I don’t know if any rewriting of pages has been done, but maybe the difference is just the new layout and organization of content.

Anyone who remembers the last website design can see the difference (see the Gizmodo article for a Bush-era screenshot). Or at least anyone who tried to find specific information on the old website can see the difference. There was a great podcast episode that discussed the type design of the Office of the President from Steven Heller some time ago, which might be interesting to look at now.

FURTHER READING:
• John Maeda and others critique the new whitehouse.gov as compared to the old one at the Boston Globe.
• Smashing Magazine discusses the new whitehouse.gov