this is why i love the internet
If you scroll down two posts, you’ll see my request for some help on a web-art project I have in mind. Like all internet projects, it has a design component (crucial for success); and a back-end component (crucial for existence).
The design people I know say: “Sure, I can do the layout bit, but how the hell do we figure out all the image management and all this back-end stuff?”
And the back-end people I know say: “Oh, easy-peasy, but the real problem will be design.”
And if you are lucky you get a good idea, a good back-end development, and a good design … and if all three click, maybe you have something interesting.
Stay tuned, I have a great new URL for said art-project … and I hope a cool little project or two in the pipes. Totally useless, totally fun.
On that note, I was talking to Boris tonight (way too long since we had a good chat)… talking about ideas and people and different personalities. And he said (this is a paraphrase): “There’s nothing worse than when you float an idea, and someone says to you: ‘Why?’ … Ask me, ‘How?’ and we can start talking. But if you say, ‘Why?’ then we’re already speaking a different language. From ‘How,’ you can start thinking about ‘Why’ if you want … but if ‘Why’ is your first question, then you aren’t even interested in the edge of the snowplow, and I don’t want to waste my time.”
I don’t know if the How/Why ranking Boris gives is the best way to make millions building web tools for people, but it sure as hell is the only way I’d like to live my life. My answer is always: well, who cares “why” … do you want to do it? … and since I don’t know how to do anything, the next question is usually: “Does anyone know how? Wanna help?”
