Duncan Stephen

Article — 28 January 2014 — 157 words

Racing car construction kit

Personal

My brother got me this wooden racing car construction kit for Christmas.

Article — 26 January 2014 — 1,004 words

Iceland adventures part 3: natural attractions

Personal — Travel

It’s no secret that Iceland has some stunning scenery. Its geography is just fantastic. Nature does not get much more extreme than volcanoes. But more visually spectacular are its waterfalls — and, of course, the northern lights.

Article — 25 January 2014 — 124 words

Updates from work: University of St Andrews digital communications team

Web

Work: Study at St Andrews website, University of St Andrews

It has been an interesting year at work, and now the digital communications team has a blog.

Article — 19 January 2014 — 970 words

Iceland adventures part 2: in and around Reykjavik

Personal — Travel

About half of my trip to Iceland was spent in Reykjavik. Read about my trips to a geothermal spring, Reykjavik’s museums and shopping for an Icelandic jumper.

Article — 12 January 2014 — 1,243 words

Iceland adventures part 1: general impressions

Personal — Travel

I went on holiday to Iceland over new year. I have plenty to write about, but this first article looks at my general impressions of Iceland as a country.

Article — 15 December 2013 — 159 words

Fyrish Hill

Walking

Last weekend I took a trip up to the Highlands. There I climbed up Fyrish Hill, overlooking the Cromarty Firth near Alness.

Article — 6 November 2013 — 783 words

Not voting is a valid democratic act

Economics — Politics

People often claim that if you do not vote then you automatically lose your right to have a say in any way. This idea is dangerous and wrong.

Article — 9 October 2013 — 1,205 words

Implementing header images

Personal — Web

I decided to add header images to this website’s design. I opted for a parallax effect, despite the fact that I normally rail against them.

Article — 7 September 2013 — 774 words

Devising a colour scheme

Web

I recently made some tweaks to the colours of this website. I have always felt that colour theory was one of my weakest points as a designer, so I like to take any opportunity I can to learn more about it.

Article — 20 August 2013 — 982 words

Internet Explorer: time for Microsoft to start afresh?

Web

Happy birthday Internet Explorer, which has turned 18. But there is not much to celebrate. What can Microsoft do to stem the browser’s decline?

Article — 31 July 2013 — 487 words

How studying social science made me a better web designer

Economics — User experience — Web

I thought I had joined the many people who don’t use their degrees in their careers. But I have come to realise that my degree in social science has been absolutely vital to my web design work.

Article — 10 July 2013 — 664 words

Ignorance is inevitable

Economics — Politics

A survey showed that the British public is “wrong about nearly everything”. But the main lesson is not that so many people are stupid. It is that we are all ignorant, no matter how well-informed we like to think we are.