OmegaMom

The world is filled with minor annoyances.  Some of these annoyances can be avoided.

Right now, I’m trying to look at a Virginia county website.

The website uses navigation buttons that are powered by Java.

If the buttons don’t show up, there’s a little link at the bottom of the navigation bar, saying, “If Link Buttons Above Are Not Loading to Page OR If Municode Navigation Window Is Not Appearing CLICK HERE”.  The “CLICK HERE” link leads to a page saying you need to download the latest and greatest version of Java and install it.

Excuse me?

This is a municipal website.

It’s not there for the convenience of the webmaster.

It’s there for the convenience of the people who want to visit the website.

Why should I be forced to download the L&G version of Java in order to use their website?

Dudes, I work with websites all day long.  I design websites.  I work for a government entity (well, kinda).  Let me tell you, I’m not going to design a website that requires my users to download and install extra-special stuff!

And what about ADA compliance?!

This is appalling.  It has taken me ten minutes to download and install the L&G version of Java.  All I want to do is visit their website, glean a few facts and figures, and move on.

I don’t care that FrontPage is nice and easy to use when creating websites.  I don’t care that they probably don’t have a dedicated webmaster.  They are a public entity, and they’re supposed to be serving the public.  What if I weren’t computer-savvy?  What would I do then?  How many of their users are computer-savvy?  How on earth can they get away with web design that actually requires them to devote an additional page to telling their users how to get their website to work??

Bah.

(Not to mention their website is just fugly.)

Technorati: Usability, ADA compliance, websites, rants

This Mother’s Day weekend was wonderful all around.  In fact, Saturday, I went around humming, “What a Wonderful World”, it was such a good weekend.  I was handed my requisite box of truffles from Mr. OmegaMom, OmegaGranny got candied ginger dipped in chocolate, and OmegaDotter’s various MD projects were proudly unveiled.  Then, on Sunday morning, we trekked off to the local big Mother’s Day buffet with another family that adopted from China, we went off to a variety of nurseries for plants, and then OmegaDotter and I drove OmegaGranny down the hill and spent the day with her, hanging out on the porch and enjoying the pleasant breezes, visiting Great Grandma (who is, alas, very frail these days), then off to dinner and back up the hill.

OmegaDad is an exemplary son-in-law to OmegaGranny.  Some mothers-in-law want flowers.  Some want candy.  Some want perfume, or diamonds, or squishy Hallmark cards.

What really pleases OmegaGranny is being able to take interesting pictures.

So.  On Mother’s Day, while motoring to and fro between the Mother’s Day buffet and the various nurseries, OmegaGranny went, “Oooh!” to the Tank Farm.

And on the way home, OmegaDad did a quick U-turn and pulled into a driveway near the Tank Farm, so that OmegaGranny could take pictures of Industry.

It’s interesting how different people see the same thing differently.  OmegaGranny’s approach was to do “Industry in Context”.  And she was delighted by the “dead things”–a car seat on its side, revealing springs and ratty, bird-eaten stuffing.

Mine was to do ooh-interesting closeups, and there were lots of opportunities–big tanks with blue stairs, an old yellow hulk pulling a small tank car, railroad cars with graffiti.

Then, later on, there was the chance to do “rural rust”.

I was still more interested in the Industry pics, myself, but OmegaGranny had a ball with the various rusty vehicles dotting the landscape aroundabout. And there was a fine selection of rural graffiti, as well, where OmegaDad also stopped for another set of pictures.

Once upon a time, Mother’s Day was very painful for me.  These days, I realize it’s just a day–because, to me, every day is Mother’s Day.  Which is something that you just don’t realize when you’re striving for motherhood–it’s akin to being hung up on the wedding, when it’s the marriage that’s important.  If you had told me at the time, of course, it wouldn’t have sunk in–being wrapped up in misery is its own reward, if you will.  But “being a mother”, “being a family”–they aren’t one day events.  It’s an ongoing adventure, with its own ups and downs, and, as I now realize, it just never ends.  Which is glorious.

A belated Happy Mother’s Day to all my mom readers, and Happy Mother’s Day-to-Come to all my readers who are still waiting.

Technorati: Mother’s Day