Here’s the thing… putting ads on your site for other products and services is dumb. Seriously. Does the extra revenue from those ads offset the fact that your brand takes a credibility hit? To be honest, it makes you look a little desparate for money. Here are a few examples:

300×250 Ad in the Right-Hand Column on the Amazon Homepage

728×90 Ad on the Bottom of the Product Page for the Iron Man DVD

Text Ad in the Top Right Corner of the Header on Amazon

Don’t you know that vertical stripes are slimming! And horizontal stripes do the EXACT OPPOSITE. And as someone who is actively trying to get into shape, trying on items of clothing with horizontal stripes is a constant reminder of my horrible physique… *commence sobbing*

So, I guess, thanks for making me feel self-conscious… jerks.

1. YOUR and YOU’RE are two different words meaning two different things.
2. ITS and IT’S are two different words meaning two different things.

Let us now see these words in a few example sentences…

Your car smells like cheese.

You’re a fan of cheese, aren’t you?

Its car smells like cheese.

It’s a fan of cheese, isn’t it?

That being said, I would like to make a plea to those of you that ride your bikes in the city… please try to follow the posted street signs. Cars obey the posted stop signs and street signals. Pedestrians obey the posted stop signs and street signals. But you bicyclists seem to just run through them at your leisure. And just recently, one of you nearly took my head off! I understand you’ve got momentum on your side and if the street is clear, then you’re going for it (red light be damned). But when we pedestrians see that red light, that’s our signal to cross the other side of the street. That’s when it’s safe for us. And since all the cars are stopped and waiting, it makes sense that all the bikes in that lane would ALSO be stopped and waiting. Apparently not.

I know in the ongoing car vs bike war, most bicyclists want cars (and their drivers) to respect the fact that they (bicyclists) have just as much right to the road as cars do. The thing is, if you expect them (cars and their drivers) to grant you those rights, it means you also have to follow the same rules… stop signs, street signals, etc. Please… for the pedestrians!

Disclaimer: I have many friends that ride their bikes everywhere. I also have many friends that walk everywhere (myself included). When you bicycle riders go flying down the street and whiz by us pedestrians (nearly hitting us)… it’s scary.

1. Mega Man Battle Network (featuring RPG style game play)
2. Mega Man Zero/ZX (featuring classic side-scrolling action)

The Battle Network games I have absolutely no interest in as I’m just not a big fan of role-playing games. The Zero/ZX games, however, seem like a more direct descendant of the original. But apparently Mega Man isn’t even the main character anymore? Gah! Stupid Capcom.

So, I have an idea… remake the original Mega Man in the same way Nintendo remade the original Super Mario Bros for the DS. Maintain the awesome/classic side-scrolling game play, but introduce some new features like new levels and bosses. Maybe spice up the game play a tad, but still maintain what made the original so much fun… a small blue robot shooting white circles at the bad guys.

Here’s the thing, though… please stop trying to suffocate me. I realize you enjoy those pine scented air fresheners, and ever more-so, not bathing for days at a time. But when the smell of your rancid B.O. mixes with the noxious fumes of artificial pine death, I begin to question my will to live.

In my attempt to not inhale any of this “air”, I simply stopped breathing. What else am I to do!? On one hand, I could inhale and risk damaging my ability to smell (and taste) for years to come. On the other hand, I could try and hold my breath for about 20 city blocks. Sadly, for my sake, I can’t hold my breath very long. I tried and we only made it 3 blocks. Damn traffic lights! The only other option was to breath slowly and try not to notice the scent that could likely kill a small child.

In the end, I made it to my destination and the damage wasn’t too severe… aside from headaches and nausea …oh, and the fits of screaming and cold sweats.

From his associates to his best friends, everyone in the little A-list circle of SXSW-speaking designers banded together to not only hock his wares on his behalf (in exchange for a free upgrade, no doubt) but to even defend his right to charge for his work on his schizophrenic website.

Do you think it’s fair that Shaun uses his influence to garner higher prices? It’s no secret that the $19 would be balked at by any other developer.

Shaun, please know that us B/C/D/etc-listers ALSO support your work. Mint is a fantastic product and that’s why I will gladly pay $19 for an upgrade (tax write-off!). I realize there are other alternatives out there (some free, some not); but none of them seem to have Mint’s flexibility, customization options, and general ease-of-use. Well done Shaun :)

The “mobile web”, to me, has always been a hassle. For one, I’ve never enjoyed the experience of trying to get online with my cell; and once online, the sites I’ve visited have always been rather lackluster. Perhaps that’s due to the limitations of the device (small screen, bad browsers, etc). Either way, the experience has always been a bit of a let-down. So much so that I’ve always felt indifferent when folks talked about the “mobile web” as the next big thing. How could people get so excited about an experience that felt fundamentally crippled?

Fast forward to yesterday (wrap your brain around that phrase!) and all this has changed. Apple’s iPhone is, more or less, presenting “the web”. Not the “mobile web”, but the web as we know it …just on a smaller screen. All of the sites we know and use, rendered the way we expect them to via Safari.

This was always the hardest part about the “mobile web” for me. Every site I would visit would be different than what I’m used to… different features, different look, different experience. It always felt like I had to learn them all over again; and that took work… work I didn’t feel like doing on a tiny little screen. With the iPhone I don’t have to to re-learn anything …no extra work.

On the back of this gem isn’t just a plain white expanse. Oh no. Hallmark has gone the extra mile and printed a handy little grid on it! How fantastic is that for cutting just the right size piece for your gift?

In addition, the paper itself is a simple but versatile red/green/plaid foil design… classy enough for anyone, but not too over the top. Well done Hallmark! When next christmas rolls around (or the next birthday), I’ll be sure to pick up a roll of your splendid wrapping paper. All the while knowing that my ineptitude at cutting a straight line will now be a thing of the past!

Ummmm… did someone in the art department miss this one? While I realize you are responsible for both the Playstation 3 and the Spider-Man films, why would you use the same typeface for two MASSIVELY popular franchises? Two franchises that aren’t really related to each other at all.

Now, if someone in the art department did this on PURPOSE, then what’s the benefit? Is there some secret synergy between the two brands we’re not aware of? Maybe there’s a Spider-Man themed Playstation 3 coming out next year? Or maybe Spider-Man plays the Playstation a lot in the next film?

Just curious to know what you all were thinking here…