hyalineskies

To Mr. Scrivens, Mr. Rundle, Ms. White, and Co.:

Roughly one year ago, I launched hyalineskies 6, a complete re-invention of the site’s purpose. It went from an online diary of sorts to a passionate publication for web design, and I applied to 9rules in the same month. In the summary for why I believed that hyalineskies should be admitted, I wrote that if I wasn’t accepted in Round 3, I’d try harder; it’s now Round 5 and I’m trying a second time. For the past year, I have relentlessly tried harder, and this is the result of everything I’ve learned. I present to you both hyalineskies, my flagship, and five reasons why I should be awarded that 9rules leaf this time around.

1. Good design.

9rules obviously likes design. So do I. Since the release of Gridlock, my previous template, I’ve been busy at work learning more JavaScript, better XHTML, W3C standards such as WCAG, general interaction design, and actually attempting to gain a real background in art and graphic design by studying traditional typography and illustration. (I can name tons of typefaces at a glance now, but I’m not sure that’s helped hyalineskies.) I’ve read well over a dozen books on information architecture, interface design, and graphic design. My previous design was added to a few CSS galleries within a month or two of its launch; this site design was admitted within 24 hours of its release into more than double the galleries the old design has ever been. hyalineskies has also been using a magazine-style architecture since October 2005, long before it became “trendy” to do so. I could write tons about this template, but it’s been done before.

2. Dedicated written content.

Since last October, I’ve written over sixty articles on Web culture, technology, design, and information theory. I’ve interviewed Roger Johansson, Michael Heilemann, and Jake Tracey of 9rules, then Khoi Vinh of Subtraction and NYTimes.com. This week I’ve interviewed Chris Anderson of Wired and The Long Tail fame. I’ve criticised the Flock browser and subsequently argued with its user experience director in my comments section. My work has caught the attention of Dick Costolo, FeedBurner CEO, and members of the Crazy Egg team. All of my content is magazine-length and meticulously researched, written for a highly educated and passionate audience. And, at any time, a user can still comment on old articles, thus maintaining a perpetual discussion on the most popular hyalineskies subjects.

3. Innovative coding.

Since last year, I’ve exploited an XSS vulnerability in Facebook and subversively redesigned my profile, posting the exploit to hyalineskies and subsequently gaining a position on Facebook’s computer security advisory team, working with Facebook engineers to improve network safety. I’ve built a comprehensive, open-source package to redesign MySpace profiles, covering everything from IA to RSS and MP3 functionality. The tools have subsequently been used on dozens of MySpace profiles. I’ve also been on the pulse of industry trends, authoring WordPress plugins to emulate the 37signals Troll Cap and Khoi Vinh’s Favicon List.

4. Absolute commitment to the industry.

I am fanatically committed to Internet industry and culture, living to improve social media for future consumption. I have been an advocate of social media’s strengths and argued against Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists on the downfall of traditional newspapers. I have little respect for the status quo if social media can solve a problem more efficiently. I try to maintain a weekly publishing schedule on hyalineskies; last week I was publishing content at 3:30 in the morning after finishing homework. If I miss a week, it’s because I’m still fact-checking my content, thus sacrificing deadlines only for reliability. I’ve applied for an ISSN from the United States Library of Congress and treat hyalineskies as a publication, not just another blog. I’m a member of the Association for Computing Machinery’s SIGCHI and a supporter of the Interaction Design Association. I respond to nearly every reader e-mail I receive. I take suggestions for Pilot Training articles directly from readers. I’m applying to graduate school for a Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction with absolutely no financial support in the endeavour. In the past, I’ve put interaction design before my girlfriend. That’s probably why I’m single now. I don’t think it’s possible to care more for something than I do for new media. But I could use a girlfriend now.

Also, if you need references, try Andy Rutledge, John Zeratsky, Derek Punsalan, and Jake Tracey.

5. A decent reputation.

I’m somewhere between an academic and a developer; I go to local conferences on information theory, have coffee with professors, and read scholarly publications on social media. Meanwhile, I’m a freelance consultant and developer for social media startups. Over the summer, I worked for Organic, the seventh largest interactive agency in the world according to Advertising Age, on information architecture and social networking profiles for DaimlerChrysler Corporation. I was the primary information architect for DaimlerChrysler’s newest international operations, constructing interfaces for new DaimlerChrysler sites in over two dozen countries. All of my interfaces are currently in development at Organic for distribution to DaimlerChrysler’s international operations. If the third largest corporation in the world trusted me with their international assets, shouldn’t you trust me as part of your network?

At this point, I’m spent. I’ve stated my case. Oh, and Scrivs, you still owe me one of those 9rules pins I paid for a few months ago. Give me a 9rules leaf and I’ll forgive you. Please?

Sincerely,
Eston Bond

P.S. Pretty please? :P