Well, all credit to Nalbandian who, from 2 sets down, fought back and in the end proved too strong for Murray. All credit to Murray too, though, who played another excellent match. He needs to improve his match fitness, but he's young and has plenty of time to work on that. His prospects over the next few years look very exciting and I look forward to seeing him in his next big tournament. Well done Murray!

BBC story:
Brave Murray falls to Nalbandian

Technorati: Tennis, Wimbledon 2005, Andrew Murray

Big relief!

One of our cats, Thistle, likes to go on a summer holiday of her own when the weather gets hot and sultry. Every year since she was about 4 or 5, when we get a really hot and sunny spell, she wanders off somewhere and doesn't come back for several days. We've never figured out where she goes, and have never been sure if she is simply hanging around in a cool spot under a bush nearby and popping in for a bite to eat now and then, or if she really does go for a wander to more distant locations, cadging meals as and when she can.

The first few times she did this, we got really, really worried, imagining all sorts of horrible fates that might be preventing her from coming home. But she always turns up again after a few days (usually once the fine weather breaks and we get some rain), perfectly OK and behaving as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Although I'm prepared for it now as we get into summer each year, she always manages to stay away 1 day more than I am able to remain sanguine, and only reappears after we have started to seriously wonder if this time she won't be coming back.

True to form, over the past week, as the weather remained hot and sultry, she started to stay outside most of the time, and then around Monday afternoon or evening headed off to wherever it is she goes. And also true to form, by this morning, We were getting seriously worried, and when she didn't turn up within a couple of hours of the weather breaking, we began to wonder if this time we'd seen the last of her.

And then just a few minutes ago, she reappeared, asking for something to eat but otherwise, as usual, behaving as if she'd never been away. Sigh!

We do wish there was some way we could track where she goes, if for no other reason than to satisfy our curiosity!

Technorati: Pets, Cats

What can I say but "Wow!". His match against Radek Stepanek today was a stunning display of talent and passion. I think Scotland may have got herself a champion tennis player. Looking forward to seeing what he can do in the next round against Nalbandian.

BBC story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4124764.stm

Technorati: Tennis, Wimbledon 2005, Andrew Murray

There's something that has puzzled me for a while now.

Why do some people regard as a data table a table that is used to control the visual layout of a form? These aren't dumb people, or people who don't know very much about web accessibility. In some cases they're people whose knowledge of web accessibility I respect. But I do disagree with them on this issue.

The working definition I use to decide if an HTML table is a layout table or a data table is this (assume the table is structured correctly, whichever kind of table it is):

1. Does the content of the table make sense when the table structure is removed and the content is presented in a linear fashion?
   If the answer to this is "yes", it's most likely a layout table.


2. Is the table structure essential to understanding the content of the table, so that much of the meaning is lost when that structure is removed?
   If the answer to this is "yes", it's most likely a data table.

So far, I haven't come across any situations where these two questions don't give a clear indication as to whether the HTML table I'm reviewing is a layout table or a data table.

Using these two questions when reviewing a table which contains a form, the clear answer, it seems to me, is that the content still very much makes sense when the table structure is removed, and that the table is there purely for the purpose of controlling the visual layout of the form elements. It isn't required in order to be able to read, understand or use the form.

HTML markup for forms provides perfectly adequate facilities for structuring the form content, and making clear the relationship between, for example, a text label and the form control to which it relates. The table structure isn't needed for this. A form which is not contained in a table might look untidy (unless CSS formatting is used instead), but it isn't less meaningful, or more difficult to understand and use, than the same form presented in a table.

So why do some feel that a form needs a table and/or that a table which contains a form is a data table?

Technorati: Accessibility, Web Accessibility, Web Standards