Build a Wall

Between Content And Presentation

Deport 11×10^6

Undocumented lines of code

Extreme Vetting

Of clients entering The contracts

Nathan takes the long-term view... I feel like he really cares about my siblings and my children's inheritance.
C. S. Sheetz
He knows words, he has the best words. In fact, I’m a little jealous of the head he’s got on that body.
Hector Emmell
Uncaught TypeError: Object [object Object] has no method 'copyWrite'
Java "Jay" Scripps

A Mostly Qualified
Candidate

Profligate Wordsmith

AT FIRST I WROTE "PROLIFIC" BUT THIS IS MORE ACCURATE

Collaborative Raconteur

It's OK, I had to look up "raconteur" also

Multimedia Expert

Print, web, product, video, you name it

Uber Git-er-done'r

Think web Sites are hard? Try building a tiny house

Reflexive Comic

which basically means i laugh at my own jokes

Make Web Sites Great AGain:

A Guide to Writing Great Web Copy

Read the Guide
EXPERIENCE
talent
humility

A COMPELLING VISION FOR
Webmerica

Making web sites great again

Words don't just precede design

They are the design: “Words mean everything in the interface. Every single word you choose is important, from the call-to-action button to the headline to the words in an error message. Each word, if carefully chosen, adds to the experience of the user, making them more confident and sure that they’re on the right track. When carelessly chosen, each word erodes confidence and adds confusion.”

"Interface Design is Copywriting""How to Design Words"

Content Marketing: sounds dull, isn't

We’re a long way removed from the static brochure-sites of the early aughts. The most successful web sites today exist more as more web publications: think NYTimes, not Services / About / Contact. Content marketing attracts & engages customers through education and a distinct brand voice that marries an effective editorial strategy with the right publishing software & social media outreach.

"What I Learned at High5 Conference""Promote Through Education"

"We Don't build web sites any more"

Beautiful, fast, responsive web sites are now table stakes for clients. The modern web presence is one part of a larger software ecosystem, the clearinghouse that connects all the 3rd party APIs which serve the business goals: the CRM, the marketing automation, the CMS, the email newsletter, the hardware product, and the inventory control. The value is in the integration.

"The Future of Web Development""The (Commoditized) State of Web Design"

With Great Power...

More than any others, these three video essays have influenced my vision of how we make the web for the future. Each one in a different way invites us as web makers to take a step back and consider the what & why of designing for screens, rather than just the how: what does it mean that we now spend all day in front of them, sometimes starting mere moments from the time we wake up? As Wilson Miners notes in "When We Build" (channeling Marshall McLuhan), the digital tools that we make are now making us. How do we design experiences that enrich lives through that screen time, rather than diminish them?

Web Design in the 21st Century

In "What Screens Want," Frank Chimero wants to know what the native experience of a screen is, compared to video or print. Do screens have a "grain" that, like wood, we can design along instead of fighting against? He coins a term, flux, that describes the unique motion characterizing web interfaces. 

Finally, in her "Real Art Direction" series, Jen Simmons argues that we can better use the space inside our glass rectangles, suggesting that "responsive design is [not] just moving the sidebars around." Flexbox is supported by more devices than border-radius. Will we finally break free from our 2006-vintage 3-column layouts? At the intersection of these three challenging essays lies a thrilling vision for the future of content on the web.

Endorsements mexico didn't pay for

A 100% Real Human
Person

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is this a real web site?

A. Sort of! I made it as part of an application for a creative writing gig. I figure, when it comes to writing engaging web copy, better to show, not tell, right?

Q. What gave you the idea?

A. Well, the 2016 US presidential election has been on my mind a lot, dominating the media landscape as it has, and I thought it would be fun to parody it. It's timely and there's no shortage of material! It's also essentially the same pitch: "Pick me! Pick me!"

Q. How did you make it?

A. I started by writing it in my favorite notebook with my favorite pens, where I also sketched the rough outline & wireframes. From there, I created the bitmap graphics in Pixelmator  and composited the UI in Sketch. Finally, I assembled it in Webflow. The photos are from Unsplash and I used vector icons from Streamline.

Q. So you're not really running for office of some kind?

A.Nope. Although, if this goes well, I'll end up in an office of some kind.

Q. I'm not impressed.

A.That wasn't a question, mom.

Seldom asked questions

Q. What is the capital of Slovenia?

A. Ljubljana

Q. What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

A. African or European?

Q. How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll™ center of a Tootsie Pop™?

A. Three

Q. What does the "J" in "Homer J. Simpson" stand for?

A. Jay

Q. Will Roger Federer win another major?

A. Yes

Q. Which typefaces did you use?

A.FF Spinoza for headlines, Lato for sub-headlines and body copy, both served via Typekit. The exceptionally lovely Trend Sans for the hero imagery.

Q. Why can't you take anything seriously?

A.Pathological inability, I suppose?

Jeopardy asked questions

A. The ancient Greek name of this country means "one house", maybe reflecting that the area had only 1 temple

Q.What is Monaco?

A. Used to measure length, mass & time, the fundamental units of the metric system are the meter, the kilogram & this

Q.What is a second?

A. At the end of "Moby Dick", this narrator is rescued by another whaling ship, the Rachel

Q.Who is Ishmael? 

A.A drawing of a school chum of Julian Lennon inspired this song about a "girl with kaleidoscope eyes"

Q.What is 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'? 

A.This Canadian-American made broadcast history in 1991 by becoming the first person to host three American game shows at the same time

Q.Who is 'Alex Trebek'? 

Get to know your candidate

I can both juggle clubs and ride a unicycle, but not at the same time

I won $1200 last month playing poker in Atlantic City

I once briefly earned a living as a fashion model in China

No close-toed shoes from March to November is an annual personal goal

With my wife & dad, I spent the last year building a 250 SF house for us and 2 large dogs

My favorite non-web job after college is line cook at Whole Foods (breakfast especially)

Everybody is either a beach person or a mountain person; I'm the latter, though not by much

I have perfect pitch. Which has provided distressingly little material benefit, beyond courting my wife

I just wanted a ninth item here for the symmetry lorem ipsum dolor sit amet

NON-FICTION
Fiction

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1493

1493

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Great Stagnation

The Great Stagnation

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Gilead

Gilead

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

2016 Summer Reading