Yahoo has a web UI design patterns library, giving names (and examples) to do dozens of usable things.

A set of design patterns in pictures. Metaphors are cool (thanks pk).

An interesting heuristic for web UI design from 37Signals.

Vista’s last mile, a report on the time crunch leading up to the impending release. The article has a few tidbits on how Vista is being tested:

With each day’s build, Microsoft is running a battery of automated tests against around 1,000 of the leading software programs. It has written 750,000 lines of code just to create the test patterns, which take 355 servers the better part of the day to run.

Ryan Tomayko explains REST architecture principles to his wife, easily one of the most accessible descriptions around. While the moniker REST annoys me (it’s so uninspiring), it’s a terribly cool set of patterns.

My time away from this blasted machine has been a good thing. While it has only been a few days, it reminded me that there is more to life than pointless surfing and sarcastic banter. I spent the down-time relaxing, reading, and remembering how much practice it takes to become good at anything.

Speaking of real life, I prepared several dozen linocut printing plates on the weekend. The preparation is a zen-like activity, not really a means to an end. You can buy art-grade stuff to avoid the grunt-work, but I actually enjoy the process. And, ages ago I bought a roll (3 meters) of real-live linoleum flooring at an auction, which means I’ll use it even if it kills me. The commercial art stuff, in comparison, is thicker, softer, and is backed with burlap to hold it together (read: easier to use). I prefer the less-traveled road, though, as the trip is really what it’s about.

The preparation is simple: flatten and back the linoleum with something washable. For the backing, I’ve been using old T-shirts and contact cement (three of my fingers are glued together as I type). To flatten, I prefer gravity, time, and mass (5 kilos of popcorn seeds today).

There is really nothing like preparing every aspect of something. It’s like writing your own software libraries — you get exacltly what you want — it just takes longer. The activity of preparing the groundwork provides a sense of ownership and security — and complete customization. Plus, there is much to be learned from the effort. And, learning is good.

Print-making is really my favorite form of artistic expression. It’s organic, entertaining, and something that I don’t butcher every time I attempt it. It takes long enough that I have to think out the design before committing to a plate. The process is tedious enough that I am forced to work at a zen-like speed — as there is no sense in rushing knife work. And, the effort gets more interesting in the second stage, when I can start playing with inking and printing. I spend as much time messing around in the print stage as I do carving the plates — which makes it twice the fun. It is like generic programming, where the big win is in the re-use.

I also spent some time reminding myself how watercolours work. I failed at in my first few attempts — so I resorted to practicing basic skills. It seems that I forgot that black has to be watered down many times more than most colours. Failing to remember this left my paintings with a sad, whore-like quality. I later found a few mild successes, like the foliage on the left … but I really have a long ways to go. I’ll take a few small victories when I can get them though — and will practice regularly over the next several months. Perhaps I’ll attempt painting something larger than my thumb when I know it won’t suck ;-)

I’ve been pondering what I’ll carve for my next set of plates. I was considering a multi-plate nature thing, for the colour possibilities … but my sketches were frustrating (painting them failed). I played around with a few pattern sketches instead (right) — something I fall back on when nothing real is working. The patterns hold a lot of promise actually. I might try a 2 colour set of pattern plates — and attempt some colour variations (to learn from). If nothing else, a complex pattern will be challenging to carve.

The real world is too much fun.