About 60 Second Windows – 60-Seconds.com

Please come on in. Make yourself at home.

60 Second Windows is the blog department of the Graphic Design & Publishing Center, with Designer and columnist Fred Showker. It began as a monthly column with issues and curiosities surrounding the wonderful world of technology – and has continued since 1988 – 30 years. .

60 Second Windows is vested in design and publishing — graphics, layout, typography and related topics — focusing on important issues that confront visual communicators who must deal with the technology. We’ll keep a sharp eye on the computing and online industry, security, cybercrime, the government and issues that have a direct impact on the lives and successes of those in the visual communications fields.

The most important ingredient of 60-Second Windows is you. Without you there’s nothing to talk about, and no one to talk with. So please, plan to speak up, jot in some comments, or post a question. We’re here for you. Above all, have a good time!

Origins of 60-Seconds

60 Second Windows started in 1988, as a column for user groups, distributed on diskettes distributed by the Mug News Service when the online world was in its infancy. It went online in the forums of GEnie, Delphi and Compuserve, the first consumer online services. It was distributed along with content and subscription information on the first debut diskette of upstart network called America Online.

What makes it special?

Besides the fact that it’s the longest continually running digital publication dedicated to the visual communications community — it maintains the content integrity and communication spirit of a user-driven publication from the first issue.

Much of the content covered in these pages is based on real-life questions and problems from readers, or seminar attendees. Most importantly the high content to noise ratio makes it easy to read, understand and remember. Unlike many of the other dot-coms with a twenty-year-plus online record, the concept of high content, low noise is still a cornerstone here.

The Mission is Communication and Awareness

The mission is communication — where busy people can be exposed to important ideas and concepts without taking a lot of time, nor enduring a lot of noise. You can just read. (Which is what some 100,000+ of your fellows do each month.) Or you can take a chance and speak up. Long before the concept of blogs every appeared, this was an ad hoc soap box or bully-pulpit where you can bitch, moan, rant, scream, glow, praise, wonder, or merely speak your piece. We won’t censor you unless your input somehow would be socially unacceptable among an audience of educated, honorable adults.

60-Second Windows is always open for your soapbox. Use it.

Thanks for reading, and keep in touch.

Harrisonburg, Virginia 540-433-8402