Month: August 2000

I keep coming up with neat wireless device ideas – a Bluetooth-powered cordless earbud, a phone whose keypad folds back to reveal a larger screen for PDA use – only to discover that Ericsson (not Nokia, usually perceived to be the innovator) has already developed the idea. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to find these devices on their web site.

Sarah makin’ shish kebobs…

oh yes, just discovered The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems, a new book from Jef Raskin. I can’t order this one fast enough.

The link below was found as I was searching for more of Raskin’s thoughts on “human interfaces.” I saw the phrase somewhere and thought it was an older concept of his. What’s amusing is that when I did the search it would have been a perfect cue for one of those “Find books about HUMANE INTERFACE” prompts from search engine-book seller cross-selling arrangements. But those prompts generate irrational questions so frequently that I ignore them.

Nice POV from Jef Raskin on “Intuitive Interfaces”: “I suggest that we replace the word “intuitive” with the word ‘familiar’ “.

Shit, when did Yahoo start using Google as its search engine? I was a loyal Yahoo user, appreciating the speedy pages and clean design. But I can’t stand Google’s substitution of popularity of a link for relevance. I don’t want to read something just because others are linking to it, I want to read something relevant to my damn query. Time to shop around.

A cheesy looking site, LifeStarz.Com has a great premise behind it, to help you express your values and make it easier to keep them in mind. The Internet so rarely reaches for higher aspirations that I think are possible. Another reference of mine from 10.25.1999 is Bill Hill and Brenda Laurel’s ideas on spirituality and values-driven design.

Americans For Purity. Called “Sensible single issue politics for the upcoming elections” on the Razorfish blog (“Soupcan”). My favorite part, under the headline of “Solutions”:

“Science has discovered that men produce sperm cells constantly. All that sperm has to go somewhere! If an unmarried man doesn’t masturbate, all the sperm cells he produces end up in his urine. It would be very simple to require unmarried men to submit frequent urine samples, which could then be examined under a microscope. If an unmarried man has a low concentration of sperm cells in his urine, it means he has been having orgasms one way or another! Therefore he is guilty of either Masturbation or Fornication and should be imprisoned!”

Still not sure if this is a joke or not.

Gore Taps Sen. Lieberman As Running Mate. This is encouraging. Thus far it seems only those of Anglo-Saxon descent were considered electable at the national level.

Sarah astutely pointed out that the riveting 1900 House is essentially PBS’s version of Survivor.

Just posted a slide show with pics from my recent trip to Sweden.

I just found the book Crossing Platforms: A Macintosh/Windows Phrasebook. I’m glad someone wrote this book (and in particular these authors, as they are quite qualified). I can put away that nagging feeling that I should have finished my version.

I’ve resolved not to bother reacting to anything from that one usability guy, so I won’t post this link, which had me laughing out loud.

nth consecutive day of rain in New York, yuck. Not enough exercise, have reverted back to coffee from tea, and feeling existential about most things.

I wonder if the deliberate use of pheromones will decrease our receptivity to them?

Recently I heard the use of anti-bacterial soap encourages the growth of “super-bacteria” and that you’re better off with normal soap, but that has an urban legend ring to it now that I write it down.