Of Abstract Designs, Blogging and Business Strategies

2006, Mar 03

Of Abstract Designs, Blogging and Business Strategies

Filed under: Uncategorized — Hrishikesh @ 04:23

This was supposed to be a blog only on abstract design, but I did not have enough material to make that post stand on it’s own… So here’s a (rather mediocre, I might add) bhel-puri:

Have you seen the abstract stuff that most web-site designers use? Take the arrows on this template for example. They might indicate that we are going somewhere, or whatever you might care to interpret them as… They are, in essence, abstract. Or consider those haphazardly arranged rectangles on some other blogger templates. They are wonderful, and some how in sync. The curves instead of sharp cuts on some pages are all that it takes to make a design appeal. And yet, they are quite unexplainable.

You can say that you love a design because of a particular element, but you can’t really justify why you love it, in particular. That’s probably the beauty of it. I feel deep within we all love enigmatic designs, and being abstract allows us to connect on that level. Many interpretations afford that, and good designers bank on it.

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I don’t have a focussed weblog. And I don’t know if I should make it into one. The dilemma I face is such: If I turn the blog into something that targets a specific area, I am virtually assured of the publicity. How? The blog is referred to by others who are interested in that specific domain. My energies are targeted into that specific direction, leading to better posts, and possibly more readers. Of course, I risk alienating my other readers, and make the blog non-personal. Which is against the principle of having a personal weblog in the first place.

As an alternative, I can go with two blogs… One focussing at something specific, and the other, quite random, like this one. Unfortunately, the available time is only so much, and that is a major constraint for a whole lot of things.

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I know of a web-hosting company that is entirely a Linux shop, partly because Linux is free and (relatively) cheaper. Which means that they only support stuff that runs on Linux, that is, non Microsoft stuff. This directly translates to: All those web designers who will be using the hosting services of this particular company, won’t be using any of Microsoft’s software and technologies to do their job. And that really hurts the big-shots at Microsoft. So what do they do?

They send over their marketing chaps to the hosting company with offers about discounted software that they can use to get some of the hosting share over to Windows… This is vendor lock-in… And Microsoft does it extremely well. Every single time. Almost.

How’s that for a business strategy?

Comments (20)

http://www.blogger.com/profile/5154159 Rohit Bhute

Can you tell us the name of this company? Or are you bound by an NDA?

Per se, its not as if true-blue Linux hosting services don’t want to offer MS technologies. Its just that to use one, you need everything that MS offers (or rather, shoves down your throat). But I think a trend is being set. Last heard (from you, incidently), ASP runs on Apache.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5154159 Rohit Bhute

Can you tell us the name of this company? Or are you bound by an NDA?

Per se, its not as if true-blue Linux hosting services don’t want to offer MS technologies. Its just that to use one, you need everything that MS offers (or rather, shoves down your throat). But I think a trend is being set. Last heard (from you, incidently), ASP runs on Apache.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/7661562 Haridas Dave

The part about design and how it appeals to humans is attempted to be explained by Dan Brown in his famous Da Vinci Code. According to him, everything visually delighting had a special ratio “phi, the divine ratio”. And somehow or the other, I feel it is true, for humans as well as abstract designs. For webdesigners like you Hrishi, maybe you should try changing your website to entire phi ratio one.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/7661562 Haridas Dave

The part about design and how it appeals to humans is attempted to be explained by Dan Brown in his famous Da Vinci Code. According to him, everything visually delighting had a special ratio “phi, the divine ratio”. And somehow or the other, I feel it is true, for humans as well as abstract designs. For webdesigners like you Hrishi, maybe you should try changing your website to entire phi ratio one.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5513182 Varun Rajkumar

Just like those abstract designs, every blog I feel has a certain personality or a feel, which I feel you would lose by making it specific.
You can keep adding the stuff, you started the blog for… but also see to it that it’s the variety that brings people like me to a particular blog.(I realised that after blogging half a year about the same girl… who @ the end.. gave me laat!!)
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5513182 Varun Rajkumar

Just like those abstract designs, every blog I feel has a certain personality or a feel, which I feel you would lose by making it specific.
You can keep adding the stuff, you started the blog for… but also see to it that it’s the variety that brings people like me to a particular blog.(I realised that after blogging half a year about the same girl… who @ the end.. gave me laat!!)
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5164138 Hrishikesh

Did u even ask her?
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5164138 Hrishikesh

Did u even ask her?
http://www.blogger.com/profile/7661562 Haridas Dave

very well, very interesting question there hrishi. Hammer on the nail, Whoa!!! Varun, kuch vishesh tippani???
http://www.blogger.com/profile/7661562 Haridas Dave

very well, very interesting question there hrishi. Hammer on the nail, Whoa!!! Varun, kuch vishesh tippani???
http://www.blogger.com/profile/6724787 aditya save

Varun you better change the motive of your blog……..
http://www.blogger.com/profile/6724787 aditya save

Varun you better change the motive of your blog……..
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5154159 Rohit Bhute

The Golden Ratio, 1.61803399, along with the Fibonacci sequence and fractals, is proof that the beauty of mathematics had a root in nature. Now, I still don’t know why the world is fixated over a stupid author’s foolish conspiracy theory novel but the golden ratio has been known since Greek times, so no credit to the author. They used it relentlessly in their art – be it paintings and sculptures or massive structures like the Parthenon. Every mathematician worth his salt and every architect too (not your Raheja/Hiranandani type, but those you see featured on NatGeo’s Megastructures type) knows about the significance of 1.61803399.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5154159 Rohit Bhute

The Golden Ratio, 1.61803399, along with the Fibonacci sequence and fractals, is proof that the beauty of mathematics had a root in nature. Now, I still don’t know why the world is fixated over a stupid author’s foolish conspiracy theory novel but the golden ratio has been known since Greek times, so no credit to the author. They used it relentlessly in their art – be it paintings and sculptures or massive structures like the Parthenon. Every mathematician worth his salt and every architect too (not your Raheja/Hiranandani type, but those you see featured on NatGeo’s Megastructures type) knows about the significance of 1.61803399.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/7661562 Haridas Dave

well rohit, to tell u the fact, I did not know regarding the golden ratio until I read Da Vinci Code. You cannot just say he is stupid, because such things require research dude. To write something about such a topic and to use it in the right context is no doubt a reasonable achievement. Golden Ratio may have been known since the Greek ages, but there is new effort to understand it thanks to Dan Brown.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/7661562 Haridas Dave

well rohit, to tell u the fact, I did not know regarding the golden ratio until I read Da Vinci Code. You cannot just say he is stupid, because such things require research dude. To write something about such a topic and to use it in the right context is no doubt a reasonable achievement. Golden Ratio may have been known since the Greek ages, but there is new effort to understand it thanks to Dan Brown.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5513182 Varun Rajkumar

Well… some “Idiot” asked and gave me away(I am still angry @ the guy for that..)

But .. Laat it was…

And I believe Dan Brown deserves the accolades he got for his novel, even if a mathematical concept was being used, it was his mind and creativity that created a classic “best seller”.

I know a lot of comments here are pretty irrelevant.. to the post..Hope Hrishi won’t mind..
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5513182 Varun Rajkumar

Well… some “Idiot” asked and gave me away(I am still angry @ the guy for that..)

But .. Laat it was…

And I believe Dan Brown deserves the accolades he got for his novel, even if a mathematical concept was being used, it was his mind and creativity that created a classic “best seller”.

I know a lot of comments here are pretty irrelevant.. to the post..Hope Hrishi won’t mind..
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5164138 Hrishikesh

@Rohit: True, I for one had read about the Golden ratio in some foreign author book while studying for Numerical Techniques in our second year, and then at the Joel on Software website, before reading about it in the Dan Brown’s book. Fibonnaci came waaaayy earlier, possibly when I was seven. And fractals when I was in my early teens.

@Haridas: I never really liked Da Vinci Code, or for that matter, most of Dan Brown’s books, he glamorises stuff a little too much, all Hollywoodish type. I really liked his Deception Point, tho, since it was that kinda book.

@Varun: More details please. And no, I certainly don’t mind that, traffic of all kinds is appreciated!
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5164138 Hrishikesh

@Rohit: True, I for one had read about the Golden ratio in some foreign author book while studying for Numerical Techniques in our second year, and then at the Joel on Software website, before reading about it in the Dan Brown’s book. Fibonnaci came waaaayy earlier, possibly when I was seven. And fractals when I was in my early teens.

@Haridas: I never really liked Da Vinci Code, or for that matter, most of Dan Brown’s books, he glamorises stuff a little too much, all Hollywoodish type. I really liked his Deception Point, tho, since it was that kinda book.

@Varun: More details please. And no, I certainly don’t mind that, traffic of all kinds is appreciated!

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2006, Mar 03

Of Abstract Designs, Blogging and Business Strategies