Today we’re proud to announce that over 1,000 videos have been run through Validifier. This is a fantastic achievement, well beyond our wildest expectations. Thanks to everyone who has checked out Validifier and made it such a success!
A quick update on Done21: Jim and I have been on a brief hiatus lately because of school, but finals are over and Done21 is alive and kicking. We’ve got some crazy stuff we’re cooking up, so stay tuned!
A good friend of mine out in California was recently robbed for the second time this year. Maybe he’s just unlucky. Maybe thieves love him. Or maybe, getting things stolen from you is just a reality of having “stuff.”
The US is a very materialistic culture. I really like my computer, my books, my furniture, and (mostly) all my other possessions. The problem though, is that so much of our net worth is tied up in physical assets. If all my servers crashed suddenly, I’d be just fine, because I can make virtual backups of all that. If my home was the victim of a Florida hurricane, however, it would be a different story.
There are all sorts of precautions you can take, but if those fail, there’s no restoring any backup copies. Really all you have is insurance, and hopefully, a decent record of all the stuff you own.
What do you do to protect the things you own? Let us know in the comments.
A big thanks goes out to all the volunteers and sponsors that made the first BarCamp Tampa Bay possible. The event was packed with informative presentations and interesting presenters. Jim and I really enjoyed interacting with you all. Great job Tampa Bay!
If you missed the Done21 presentation on Validating Flash Embed Code, no worries. A video recording of the presentation is available below, along with the slides. By the way, both the video and the slides utilize Flash, so of course, they’ve been fully Validified.
Enjoy! 
We live in the age of the iPhone. People know when something looks good and when something doesn’t, even if they aren’t sure why. This is exactly why the iPhone has enjoyed such enormous success. Looks count.
The logic behind the phenomena, is simple: Humans are naturally attracted to beauty. While the core functionality of any consumer product is still paramount, branding is a powerful sales tool that can give you the edge. It takes time and patience to build a strong brand, but it enables a product to rise above the noise.
A brand is a very intangible thing, fleeting even. Logos, colors, and marketing text are all important components, but really, a brand is a promise. It’s a pledge to quality, and it assures consumers that the people behind a brand will uphold an ideal. In short, people feel better about spending money on brand name products because they know what they’re getting themselves into.
Despite its benefits, building a brand can be a lot of work, and sometimes it doesn’t even seem worth it. Jim and I are about to make it a lot easier. Stay tuned…
Today we are pleased to announce Validifier, our simple tool for converting Flash embed code into valid XHTML. Validifier is completely free to use.
Most popular video sites offer “embed code,” which is a way for visitors to take Flash based content and put it on their own website or blog. Unfortunately, the embed code offered by most video sites is not valid XHTML markup. If you’ve ever tried to validate a page that contains embedded media and used the W3C’s Markup Validation Service, you know how ugly it can get. Using valid markup and adhering to web standards has many benefits, including better search engine optimization, stronger consistency across browsers, and improved web accessibility. So how can one follow web standards, but continue to share awesome videos of cats and 80’s pop stars?
That’s where Validifier comes in. Paste that same embed code into Validifier and you’ll get back valid XHTML markup. You can even modify the height and width of the content to your liking.
Now, go Validify the web!
“Less is more” is a phrase that gets used a lot. However, when it comes down to making real decisions, a lot of designers and developers have trouble tossing out features, particularly if they’re proud of them.
A couple weeks ago, Jim and I added in a Facebook-like “status” feature to an application we’re working on, to help emphasize communication. It was pretty slick, but after letting it marinate for a while, we decided that it wasn’t really needed. And now that I’ve lived without it for a few days, you know what? I don’t miss it at all. In fact, removing status updates added focus to the core purpose of the app.
Web development is kind of like filming a movie. During principal photography, you get tons of awesome footage, and you want your audience to see it all. But a good director knows the difference between cool shots they really love, and shots that actually tell the story.
Like so many other things in life, throwing away features is something that’s easier said, than done.
We’re Nick Pettit and Jim Hoskins, and together, we’re Done21. Our goal is to solve practical problems by building simple web applications. This blog is where we’ll talk about upcoming products, web design and development, and more.
Our philosophy is simple: Jim and I are all about less. Often people feel a product would be better if it had some particular feature that it’s currently “missing.” At the same time, we humans like things that are simple to use. So how can these two conflicting ideas coexist?
The reality is, great products are simple to use because of all the things that they’re not doing. Crazy configuration pages, option menus, and dialog boxes might seem helpful at first, but usually end up getting in the way. We’re going to take back sanity and solve real problems.
We’re working feverishly on our first product releases and are looking forward to giving you a first look in the coming weeks. If you’d like behind-the-scenes access to all things Done21, subscribe to our newsletter over at Done21.com.
