From the “I don’t know if I’m smart enough” dept.

At work I’ve been confronted by some interesting conceptual problems. The first is centers around XML driven site design for one of the projects that the Creative Team at OnX is undertaking. However, it is my firm belief that it represents a greater problem that I see with XML based site design.

I guess the problem is best defined as: “How does 1 XML file know its location relative to the other XML files that it interacts with? “ or rather, “How does the parser know?”

So I’ve been given roughly a week to think about the current direction of the project and suggest solutions as to how to implement this XML blueprint accross a larger site.

Trust me, it’s an interesting problem. I wish I could articulate it better.

My second problem is even more interesting, and I find that I’m thinking about it at the most in opportune times. One of the cool things that OnX will be delving into is the idea of an adaptive interface based on a user’s history with a website. Of course, this concept is not new at all; Yahoo, AOL, and Microsoft have been doing this in their “portal” strategies for a while. What makes OnX’s position different is that we must interact with several different vendors at the same time. It is an opportunity for us to define the User Interface look and feel, its behaviour as well as the business rules wrapped around these decisions for the clients entire web presence. Furthermore, in this case, since the vertical of this client is in the Automotive Sector, what we are building will most likely be the first of its kind. In fact, the technology that we are using is cutting edge.

I never in my wildest dreams thought that I’d be doing this at OnX.

So I guess the point of this blog is that these problems are extremely complex. They are “over and above” what I’m currently doing, so I find them mentally challenging. I’m hoping that I’ll have a moment of inspiration where I shout, “Eureka!” and all my problems will be solved.

Stay tuned.

From the “I want a new computer” dept.

Jeez, it’s only been 18 months, and I already want to replace my iBook with one of the new Aluminum Powerbooks.

Why do I need it? I don’t, but I want it.

Tai

The second problem is something that going to haunt me until I figure it out. It’s one of those brain teasers that really push and elevate your problem solving skills to new heights. Maybe I’ll be innovative.