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March 22, 2006
What's the secret to successful web design?
well, as in many other cases, that depends on how you would like to measure your success. Are you interested in being noticed for your sleek coding and simplistic design? Or are you trying to show that you artfully master all the latest and greatest tips, tools and tricks of webdesign? Do you want positive comments on your website, or maybe even an award or recognition for your design? Do you measure success in number of visitors? Or perhaps you just are interested in the bottom line - how much money can you make on your website?
This article, The Surprising Truth About Ugly Websites, brings up the classic debate of form vs. function, and reminds us that in fact
a large part of our society is actually afraid of the Internet.
and that it is often this part of society that actually drops the dollars at various websites (often by bringing in ad money). So the bottom line here is actually not a big surprise - especially if you know a little something about the fundamental tenets of marketing - it's all about trust. The important part is determining your target audience and then figuring out the best way to earn their trust.
Posted by lara at 12:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 03, 2006
Cloning - this scares me
ok, so mainly because of an Ethan Hawke obsession among my friends in middle school, i saw the movie Gattaca a few years back. Watching it gave me quite the chills, and i've never forgotten the gist of this movie - highlighted by it's tagline "There Is No Gene For The Human Spirit. "
I've been paying some attention to the discussions of cloning in the news, and recently came across an article in a magazine here that discussed commercial cloning. The main picture with the article was this woman holding a clone of her cat... she had a new version of her old cat made after it died. In the same article they discussed the present state of human genetic analysis and modification, including the options of removing genetic flaws and sex-selection. (of course, such options are only available to those who have a significant amount of money to spend on it, but they are available nonetheless) This scares me.
It immefiately brought to mind Gattaca, and the issues that the movie raises about the ethics of genetic manipulation... and now companies like Clonaid use quotes like this
If you just lost a beloved family member and would like to see an identical twin of him/her live again,
to promote their services. This absolutely terrifies - and disgusts me. We are now taking the proverbial step of playing God and who are we to claim that we are so sophisticated, ethically justified, or even just downright responsible enough to take on that sort of role? where is this going to end?
Plotline from Gattaca:
Gattaca Corp. is an aerospace firm in the future. During this time society analyzes your DNA and determines where you belong in life. Ethan Hawke's character was born with a congenital heart condition which would cast him out of getting a chance to travel in space. So in turn he assumes the identity of an athlete who has genes that would allow him to achieve his dream of space travel.
(from imdb.com)Posted by lara at 12:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
