The great rivalries in sporting history are more than just contests of talent and effort; they’re studies in contrast.
All-American baseliner Chris Evert Lloyd vs. Czechoslovakian net-rusher Martina Navratilova. Graceful, dancing Muhammad Ali vs. power-puncher Joe Frazier. Bird vs. Magic. Nicklaus vs. Palmer. Contrasting styles, which, when brought together in head-to-head competition, snap together like puzzle pieces and produce spectacular, unpredictable results.
We now add to that list Shaun Inman vs. Kevin Cornell. Designer/programmer vs. designer/illustrator. The cerebral vs. the visceral.
Is it true that devoting two years to the development of the web application Mint has left Inman's visual skills atrophied? So says one inside source whose name I promised not to reveal, who was Kevin Cornell. Is it true that the funnier the comic strip, the more fragile the psyche of the artist, and thus the more prone to crack under the pressure of competition?
We find out Friday. Please, maintain proper hydration levels throughout the contest - Layer Tennis is a thirsty game.
Shaun Inman is a designer and programmer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His web stats app, Mint, is both exquisitely clever and exceedingly popular. It's like crack for bloggers. His personal web site and weblog is shauninman.com, which Inman redesigns -- splendidly each time -- on a seemingly weekly basis.
Kevin Cornell is a freelance illustrator and designer. His illustrations are evocative, his designs are magnificent, and his comics are funny. His web site is Bearskinrug.co.uk, but the ".co.uk" is a trick intended to fool the authorities, as Cornell resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
John Gruber publishes Daring Fireball, an intelligent and opinionated journal devoted to geeky things like operating system interfaces and just about anything that has to do with Apple. John has the ability to make complicated things simple and the enthusiasm to cut through the noise and get at what's what.
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The votes were counted and recounted. Every hanging chad was examined. In both Semi-Finals the winner prevailed by a very slight margin. The Finals are now set for Friday, July 10 at 2pm Chicago time. Lots more about the match and our expanded coverage soon.
Winners will be decided by your votes and will advance to the Finals on July 10th. To vote for a player simply post a Twitter message that includes #LYT and your favorite's name with the "hash" sign in front of it. Use These: #LYT plus #mrdraplin or #mrhubacek for the early match. #LYT plus #mrinman or #mrhansen for the late match. Voting is closed, winner announced later today.
Layer 10 is up. And that's a wrap for our second semi-final match.
The Ref's coin-flips and also his preview of today's first live Semi-Final featuring Aaron Draplin versus Greg Hubacek have been posted. Shaun Inman plays Scott Hansen in the nightcap and Jim Coudal's preview for that match is live too.
Find links to all the matches played previously and check on matches to come here.
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