commadot.com
type: channel
description: by Glen Lipka
date: 2026-06-05T17:02:27Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
generator agent: https://wordpress.org/
items: The Best Time to be Born
items: Relearning to read
items: Drama in the Yard
items: Retirement thoughts
items: Information Experience Design (IxD)
items: New Dog: Mixolydian
items: Medical User Interface
items: Trust relationships

The Best Time to be Born
type: item
creator: Glen Lipka
date: 2026-06-05T17:02:25Z
subject: Uncategorized
subject: Kids/Family
subject: Random
description: My kids often tell me that it would be criminal to bring a baby into this world, but I strongly disagree. It’s by far the best time in human history to be born. Things are better now than they have ever been worldwide. By the numbers News shows often highlight the bad things in the […]
encoded: My kids often tell me that it would be criminal to bring a baby into this world, but I strongly disagree. It’s by far the best time in human history to be born. Things are better now than they have ever been worldwide. By the numbers <img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="585" data-attachment-id="17336" data-permalink="https://commadot.com/the-best-time-to-be-born/image-146/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image.png?fit=1243%2C710&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1243,710" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="image" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image.png?fit=1024%2C585&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image.png?resize=1024%2C585&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17336" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image.png?resize=1024%2C585&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image.png?resize=300%2C171&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image.png?resize=768%2C439&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image.png?w=1243&ssl=1 1243w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /> <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="1024" height="629" data-attachment-id="17339" data-permalink="https://commadot.com/the-best-time-to-be-born/image-149/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/image-3.png?fit=1160%2C712&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1160,712" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_sp…

Relearning to read
type: item
creator: Glen Lipka
date: 2026-05-19T17:41:06Z
subject: Uncategorized
subject: Random
description: The first book I read for fun was at summer camp when I was around 11 or 12. The book was A Cast Of Killers by Sidney D. Kirkpatrick. It totally captured my imagination and I read it without stopping, cover to cover. Thus began a decades-long obsession with reading. I actually got in trouble […]
encoded: The first book I read for fun was at summer camp when I was around 11 or 12. The book was A Cast Of Killers by Sidney D. Kirkpatrick. It totally captured my imagination and I read it without stopping, cover to cover. Thus began a decades-long obsession with reading. I actually got in trouble for reading during classes in school. This was especially annoying to English teachers who could not understand why I read my own books and not theirs. At 16, I applied and secured a part time job at Waldenbooks in the local mall. This was perfect because of the discount. I was always on the lookout for deeply discounted hard covers and started building my collection. <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-attachment-id="17322" data-permalink="https://commadot.com/relearning-to-read/books-2/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/books-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="books" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/books-scaled.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/books.png?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17322" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/books-scaled.png?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/books-scaled.png?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/books-scaled.png?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/books-scaled.png?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/books-scaled.png?…

Drama in the Yard
type: item
creator: Glen Lipka
date: 2026-05-11T01:19:02Z
subject: Uncategorized
subject: Random
description: Some birds have been leaving dead mouse parts in a small stone water pool we have in our front yard. The mystery is why. I have thought of some possibilities. A Sicilian Message Maybe the birds are sending us a signal. Like “Luca Brasi swims with the fishes”. The birds are saying that our days […]
encoded: Some birds have been leaving dead mouse parts in a small stone water pool we have in our front yard. The mystery is why. I have thought of some possibilities. <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-attachment-id="17311" data-permalink="https://commadot.com/img_0834/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/img_0834.jpg?fit=2000%2C1500&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2000,1500" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1778435450","copyright":"","focal_length":"3","iso":"25","shutter_speed":"0.0009478672985782","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_0834" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/img_0834.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/img_0834.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17311" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/img_0834.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/img_0834.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/img_0834.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/img_0834.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/img_0834.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /> A Sicilian Message Maybe the birds are sending us a signal. Like “Luca Brasi swims with the fishes”. The birds are saying that our days our numbered and we should watch out backs. I assume this is specifically for our household and not all humans, but it could be either. Or maybe it’s a signal to other animals. Like it’s some kings head on a spike in medieval times. <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="1024" heigh…

Retirement thoughts
type: item
creator: Glen Lipka
date: 2026-05-02T15:59:44Z
subject: Uncategorized
subject: Work
description: I have been working (or looking for work) non-stop for almost forty years. My first job in high school was at Waldenbooks, which I loved. I worked through college, had my own business, was employee #1 at Marketo and was there through a successful IPO. I was early to use CSS, early to use jQuery, […]
encoded: I have been working (or looking for work) non-stop for almost forty years. My first job in high school was at Waldenbooks, which I loved. I worked through college, had my own business, was employee #1 at Marketo and was there through a successful IPO. I was early to use CSS, early to use jQuery, early to use JavaScript frameworks in a commercial app, early to use Figma. I led teams, I worked at start-ups, I have architected complex systems and designed innovative software; all mostly in the B2B realm. All-in-all, I think I have had an interesting and fruitful career. Sure, I could have made more money. I made my share of dumb (or unlucky) decisions. Right now, I find myself in a position where I am financially secure, assuming a reasonable lifestyle. (No addictions or expensive habits) I am not working anywhere at the moment, so the question of retirement has been on my mind. Some people think I will get bored. It has me thinking of how I might fill my days. Here are some of the possibilities. Mentoring I am actually taking a break from ADPList. I have found it rewarding, but it is somewhat of a one trick pony. Almost every single mentee is looking for work and doesn’t want a mentor once they find the job. I have helped many find jobs. If you are looking for a job, these are the steps. The market is terrible right now, not just for designers. Tech companies are shrinking. Also, the skill set is changing quickly. (This leads me to my next item…) Conclusion: Taking a mentoring break from ADPList. If you need me, connect on LinkedIn. Writing a UX book For years, I considered writing down everything I know about software design. I was always too busy working or looking for work that I just did not commit the time. Now that I have endless time, I could do it. The problem is that everything I know about design is about to go out the window. AI is radically changing everything about tech. I don’t even know if there will be “users” in the future. What is the point of inform…

Information Experience Design (IxD)
type: item
creator: Glen Lipka
date: 2026-04-28T15:50:10Z
subject: Uncategorized
subject: Technology
subject: UX
description: The world of design is changing more rapidly than ever before. I had considered writing a book of everything I know about product design, but I think the title would have to be “How we used to make software back before AI”. (Sad trombone noise) One of my least favorite things about AI is the […]
encoded: The world of design is changing more rapidly than ever before. I had considered writing a book of everything I know about product design, but I think the title would have to be “How we used to make software back before AI”. (Sad trombone noise) One of my least favorite things about AI is the way LLMs communicate. It’s all verbose text! One design principle I have is “People don’t read. They skim”. Yet, chatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc; they all communicate with these long text messages. There is a problem when this is the only way we experience the power of AI. There are better ways to communicate. Brevity is a skill AI needs to develop. I believe that human designers also need to become better at information experience design. Information architecture has been around a very long time, but mostly it has been focused on how to organize large sets of data and how to arrange a single page of information. Additionally, user interface is the bread the butter of product design, but is generally focused on buttons, menus, forms, and other actions invented at Xerox Parc. Lastly, there is data visualization, but that is typically for charts and graphs. I feel there is a missing domain of design focused on using this new paradigm. Information experience design I’m coining this term because there is not an alternative that hits the specific area I am trying to address. (Maybe someone can suggest something better). IxD (to me) is how to arrange response data for rapid consumption. The consumer may be a person or potentially an agent of another AI. It is about how to convey lots of info without forcing the user to read a book report by a bot. Remember the DBA? They used to be worth their weight in gold in Silicon Valley. They would optimize queries and data structures to make gathering information faster and more scalable. They mainly worked in SQL and ERD diagrams. I feel there is a similar job emerging, but works in a different way. Let’s take a few use case examples: Many agents …

New Dog: Mixolydian
type: item
creator: Glen Lipka
date: 2026-04-19T03:10:26Z
subject: Uncategorized
subject: Kids/Family
description: Our black labrador retriever, Leroy, has been with us a long time. He just turned 14 and is in pretty good health. In his younger days, Leroy was Olympic level fetch master. He could sprint non-stop. Nowadays, his arthritis is bad, but if you have a ball, he will still run hard to get it […]
encoded: Our black labrador retriever, Leroy, has been with us a long time. He just turned 14 and is in pretty good health. In his younger days, Leroy was Olympic level fetch master. He could sprint non-stop. Nowadays, his arthritis is bad, but if you have a ball, he will still run hard to get it and bring it back to you. We decided to get a second dog, a puppy, to overlap with Leroy getting near end of life. At first, we eyed breeders with their mini golden retriever varieties. However, like with Leroy, we decided to go back to the ASPCA. Name: Mixolydian Blossom Lipka Nickname: Mixie Birth date: Jan 2, 2026 Breed: Siberian Husky / German Shepherd (Pending DNA report) Personality: Curious, friendly to dogs and people Coat color: Brindle At first, Leroy was ultra excited to be around Mixie. But after a couple of days, he is settled down and somehow has been trying to teach Mixie the ropes. I swear he was trying to get her to pee outside. We are trying to train her, but the first few days have had many mishaps. She is very treat focused, so training is moving steadily. She is small now, but she should grow to be similar to Leroy in size. We feel good about our new family member. Photos below. <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="771" height="1024" data-attachment-id="17282" data-permalink="https://commadot.com/faca1b14-377d-4e21-9a3b-953cbdfb9acc-18785-00000da5c0075514_file/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/faca1b14-377d-4e21-9a3b-953cbdfb9acc-18785-00000da5c0075514_file.jpg?fit=1506%2C2000&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1506,2000" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="faca1b14-377d-4e21-9a3b-953cbdfb9acc-18785-00000da5c0075514_file" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/…

Medical User Interface
type: item
creator: Glen Lipka
date: 2026-04-14T17:23:39Z
subject: Uncategorized
subject: UX
description: I was recently at the doctor and saw the user interface they use. It made me throw up in my mouth a little. Redacted screenshot below. Apologies for cropping the left hand side of the screen. It’s just more of the same. This is a perfect example of an application with no information architecture. It’s […]
encoded: I was recently at the doctor and saw the user interface they use. It made me throw up in my mouth a little. Redacted screenshot below. <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-attachment-id="17270" data-permalink="https://commadot.com/medical-user-interface/bad-ux/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bad-UX-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1920" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.78","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 16 Pro Max","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1775826283","copyright":"","focal_length":"6.7649998656528","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.0076335877862595","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Bad UX" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bad-UX-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bad-UX.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17270" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bad-UX-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bad-UX-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bad-UX-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bad-UX-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/commadot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bad-UX-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&ssl=1 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /> Apologies for cropping the left hand side of the screen. It’s just more of the same. This is a perfect example of an application with no information architecture. It’s just an explosion of data and buttons all over the place. The doctor said, “I hate this. I can’t find anything.” But she also said, “This is new, you should have seen the old one!” Watching her use it, she kept …

Trust relationships
type: item
creator: Glen Lipka
date: 2026-04-11T16:09:45Z
subject: Uncategorized
subject: Random
description: This has come up recently in many forms. It’s interesting to me how trust is the key ingredient in almost all human interactions. Musical Bands I have two family members in bands and the issue of trust comes up often. I’m not a musician but I understand how you need to trust your drummer or […]
encoded: This has come up recently in many forms. It’s interesting to me how trust is the key ingredient in almost all human interactions. Musical Bands I have two family members in bands and the issue of trust comes up often. I’m not a musician but I understand how you need to trust your drummer or bass player to hit the right notes in the right key with the right timing. Additionally, you need to trust your band to be on time and in tune for the gigs. When trust is broken either musically or professionally, it can fracture the band. Just look at the Beatles documentary on Disney+ “Get Back”. International politics I was listening to the NY Times podcast the other day. A reporter was saying the American adventure in Iran is breaking a long standing assumption that America, despite its flaws, is still inherently benevolent. The behavior of Trump and the administration is doing to opposite of building trust. They are shattering it. Trust in international politics leads to economic realities like what currency a nation holds. When the dollar is the world’s currency, it’s good for America. If that changes, it could lead to very bad outcomes. Countries are trusting the US less and less. Professional leadership I always tried hard to establish trust in the people I managed by being transparent. It is up to the leader, the person in a position of power, to establish the baseline of this trust. Sometimes, that means letting people make mistakes in a safe way. Other times, it means being vulnerable and owning up to your own failings. Trust is when someone can be wrong and move forward through the issues coming out stronger on the other side. When trust is not there, the company gets bad outcomes like lost productivity or bad strategic direction. As they say, culture eats strategy for breakfast. A culture of trusting teammates with their positions and responsibilities is also key to successful organization. Of course, some (many?) companies thrive in spite of this. Still, when you wo…