Their logo is a bit unoriginal though. Being familiar with Linux, Drupal, and the other open-source CMS packages, I quickly recognized it as a mashup of some other logos. Here’s the steps it took to make the new logo:

Step 1: Take the logo from competing open-source CMS package Joomla:

Step 2: Rotate it counter-clockwise 90 degrees:

Step 3: Cross-pollinate it with the Ubuntu Linux logo:

Step 4: Some minor tweaking of shade and positioning, and ta-daa!, new logo:

Update:In the comments, reader “bloggo@bloggo.com” notes “The logo to which you are referring was created when Fast Company debuted their original reader’s network, the Company of Friends, in November 1997. Unless those other logos are almost 11 years old, most likely they copied Fast Company, or else it’s a coincidence.” The earliest link I can find in the Wayback Machine shows this logo as of July 5, 2003, so I’ll assume they are correct about the 1997 creation date (screenshot below). Thanks for setting us straight.

But I digress. While watching Bullitt, I almost leapt off the couch, never knowing the tribute that Michael Mann had made to Bullitt in one of my all-time favorite movies, Heat. See for yourself:

1968’s Bullitt

1995’s Heat

I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, and assume that because she’s a writer, she wants to protect her little corner of the world, and let the photojournalists fend for themselves. To not stand up for other professionals, especially those so closely tied to syndicated/published writing, seems incredibly shortsighted to me. If the aim of You Witness News is to devalue well-constructed art, it can only be a matter of time before they will attempt to devalue well-constructed writing, and she will have then sold herself out.

We have said it time and time again on The Podcast Brothers that when negotiating the value of your content, you owe it to yourself and the podcasting/user-generated content community at large to make sure your content is not undervalued by those who would attempt to undervalue it in their own self interest. It seems Natali could use a bit more of this attitude, rather than throwing her photo-taking counterparts to the wolves.

At best, her attitude is selfish; at worst, it is a slap in the face to those who have an eye for “the shot”.

Notice anything interesting? I’ll give you a hint, here’s the IE6 home page at Microsoft.com (red rectangle inserted by me):

and here’s the IE7 home page at Microsoft.com (again, red rectangle inserted by me):

That’s right, up until now, Internet Explorer was called “Microsoft Internet Explorer”, meaning “The web browser that is created by Microsoft”. Now, Internet Explorer is called “Windows Internet Explorer”, meaning “The Web browser that belongs with/is intended for Windows”.

Here’s a couple more screen snippets, from the browsers themselves:

IE6, a.k.a. Microsoft Internet Explorer

IE7, a.k.a. Windows Internet Explorer

See the difference? It’s a subtle shift in Microsoft’s strategy in the ongoing browser wars, which I believe is meant to stop the advance of Firefox. For the technically savvy, Firefox will always be an option, but now, for the uninitiated, Firefox won’t look as attractive as “the browser that was meant for Windows”.

Edit: Ok, so I’m a little slow…Wikipedia’s entry on Internet Explorer first notes “Internet Explorer (known as Windows Internet Explorer in Windows Vista)…” on November 24, 2005

You have to be kidding me. 10 days? Nothing takes 10 days anymore, especially when it comes to updating my SMS preferences. In 1860, the Pony Express got someone’s ‘preferences’ (mail) from Missouri to California in the same amount of time.