bastardlee

Potential sex

Level 0: The cellphone conversation

Maybe this is a little bold to be stating on a tech-oriented blog, but I dread having a conversation about cellphones. I don't care what kind of cellphone you have. I don't care that you care what kind of cellphone I have. I don't want to talk about what kind of apps I use, or the new features, or the latest goddam iPhone.

Its probably because the conversations are usually so freaking trite and predictable, and 99% of the time no one has anything interesting to say about their cellphones, my cellphone, or what kind of cellphone they want and deserve. It's also a reminder of the consumer culture we live in and it makes me feel like a yuppie when I'm fighting my hardest to avoid becoming one.

That all said, I inevitably end up in them, and a part of me dies every time, even as I smile and laugh and talk about the great speech recognition on my 3GS and how AT&T sucks.

this doesn't include Silverlight in the comparisons, but it compares HTML5+JS vs. Flash on Mac and Windows platforms (and a few browsers):

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/does_html5_really_beat_...

Although i agree that there are a lot of issues wrong with Flash, some of the things you mention aren't entirely accurate. For example, you can link directly to interior Flash content with SWFAddress (http://www.asual.com/swfaddress/). Also, there have been greater strides made in crawlers so that Flash content is more easily indexed by crawlers.

I will be the first to admit there are a lot of poorly designed Flash sites, but from an interactive design perspective, Flash still gives you the most freedom to create more innovative ways for user interaction. IMO this isn't something that should be dismissed so quickly.

a question that is relevant but not touched upon by this article is how much to weigh feedback into the decisions you make about your startup.

while feedback is an absolutely necessary part of developing your idea, its also important that you have a clear vision of what you're trying to accomplish and not let feedback lead you astray from that vision.

disclaimer, i'm coming from an interactive design background, so may be a little more sensitive to crappy feedback that muddles my beautiful designs :)