Issue Number 12 - October 1999

If you are interested in web site design, you may have come across the tutorial pages at Yale University's Centre for Advanced Instructional Media. [We featured the site our February issue earlier this year.] The tutorial is in Adobe's PDF format, the files are very big, and it's rather a loooooooong download. So now they've published it in book form. Even though the pages don't have the elegant colour of the on-screen version, it's a terrific book - because it concentrates on the basic principles of good design and information architecture. Every page is packed with good advice. Full details and review article at -

http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/lynch.htm

Writers' Tips - How to do Sex
"Murder is a crime. Describing murder is not. Sex is a not a crime, but describing it is."

The following requirements were laid down by the editors of 'Spicy Detective'.

1) In describing the breasts of a female character, avoid anatomical descriptions.

2) If it is necessary for the story to have a girl give herself to a man, or to be taken by him, do not go too carefully into the details.

3) You can have a girl strip to her underwear or transparent negligee or the thin torn shred of her garments, but while the girl is alive and in contact with a man, we do not want complete nudity.

4) A nude female corpse is allowable, of course.

5) Also a girl undressing in the privacy of her own room should at least keep a shred of something on.

6) Do not have men in underwear in scenes with women, and no nude men at all.

Source: Bookends - http://www.bookends.co.uk

'The Visual Display of Quantitative Information'
This is the third in the series of very impressive works by Edward Tufte we have reviewed here. It deals with how the presentation of data can be made more clear, more accurate, and more honest. One secret of Tufte's success is that he chooses stunningly attractive examples to illustrate his theories. The centrepiece of this collection is Charles Joseph Minard's time chart of Napoleon's attack on and retreat from Moscow, showing the devastating reduction in the size of the army plotted again geographic location and ambient temperature. All Tufte's books are written, designed, and published by the author himself - to extremely high production standards. Some of his theories have been challenged recently, but if you are interested in any aspect of design, his books are a must. Full details and review article -

http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/tufte-02.htm

Web Browser Archive
Where do old web browsers go when they are superseded by the latest versions? Anybody still got a copy of Mosaic, the little marvel which started it all? Why would you want an old browser? Well, some designers like to check what their pages will look like for those poor souls still stuck with legacy software. Here's where to get all the older versions - plus some you've never heard of before -

http://browsers.evolt.org/

The Origins of the Internet
The Internet has come into being so rapidly - and so recently - that there's hardly been time to pause and document its creation. But now that's starting to change. Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon have done good research into exactly who invented which part, and the how, why, and when it all happened. The centrepiece of their dramatically reconstructed account is the development of the packet-switching system which lies at the heart of the Net - something invented simultaneously in the US and the UK. This book has been chosen as a set text for the Open University's biggest-ever recruiting course - 'You, Your Computer, and the Internet'.

http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/hafner.htm

WIRED
Whilst we're on the subject of technology, if you're interested in IT, cybertrends, or the digital economy, you should subscribe to WIRED. It began life as an underground magazine, but became mainstream within its first year.

The latest issue has articles on the the most up-to-date hardware gizmos, very brief reviews of books, CDs, and novelties in the digital world, plus lots of glamorous adverts. But the centre of the issue is a clutch of articles about the future of movies in Digital Video. This is what WIRED is good at. The last issue had a similar focus on developments in MP3.

This is not to say that the magazine is without weaknesses. There's a lot of American Dream, from rags to riches stuff, and if you were not able to read it with some critical detachment, you might imagine that every second digiteer in the US was a millionaire. If you're in the US you'd be mad not to subscribe at the ridiculously low rate of $12.00 for twelve issues. It's $70.00 elsewhere. Subscriptions in the UK at 0161 281 6444. Details at

http://www.wired.com

Free Fonts
Tired of plain old Times New Roman? Bored with Arial? Here's a free font that will perk up your typographic palette. It's based (so the author claims) on the designs of the French artist, Fernand Leger, and is called Leger Light. But be warned - it's really wacky.

http://members.tripod.com/fontage/leglite.zip