Author: Glen Lipka

  • Crash

    Katie and I recently watched Crash. Katie ad I liked the movie alot. It was a study on people’s motivations and the cause/effect relationships people have. It shows how someone becomes the way they are, especially in irrational moments. However, there was one scene. The one with the little girl. Both Katie and I YELPED…

  • Next Book

    I just finished The Paradox of Choice. Somewhere in the middle of the book it switched from being an information architecture/usability/psychology book into a self-help book for coping with depression. All good interesting stuff, but I was given the book by a usability expert and thought it could have been more targeted for my needs.…

  • No Problem

    Lately Jared is being very sweet to me, although I hear not so sweet stories from Katie. This morning he said, “Daddy, I have something special to tell you… Thanks for throwing me on the bad, I liked it.” I said, “Your welcome, you are a good boy.” He replied, “No Problem!”. I like that…

  • The Paradox of Choice

    I was recently, at work, given the book, The Paradox of Choice, to read. It confirms many anecdotal stories and observations I have had about human behavior and decision making. A long time ago, I heard a report on NPR about a study that said, “People who research decisions and review many alternatives are usually…

  • A conversation in the White House:

    Vice President Dick Cheney: I am the most powerful vice president in the history of the US! I rock! I can get away with anything! I rock so hard. Karl Rove: Hmmm, you never shot anyone. Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton while he was VP and got away with it. Vice President Dick Cheney: Aaron…

  • Emotional Design

    I bought the new Gillete Fusion Razor with battery. I didn’t have high hopes, but I had to know, would a battery powered razor be any better than a normal razor? The answer, I can answer from this morning is yes. The thing vibrates, so it feels like it is much harder to cut myself.…

  • Html Editors

    I have been frustrated for years with Macromedia’s complete lack of support for Homesite. Even though it solves my problems, I do not like being treated that way. I want new Beta software, all the time! So I have been looking for something that is like Homesite, but actively being worked on. Dreamweaver failed the…

  • Potty all the Time

    This morning, something wonderful happened. Matthew (Age: one and a half) said to Katie: “Potty!” Katie brought the boy to the bathroom and had him sit down. The next thing you know… SLAM BAM THANK YOU MAMM! He did it! Matthew, I love you. Please keep it going. Let’s not make this a one-time thing.…

  • Superbowl XL

    Pretty good game. The Pittsburgh Steelers won the game. Several plays (interceptions) could have changed the game. Each team had a chance to win and the defenses stepped up. In general, the Seattle Seahawks wide receivers dropped the ball several times in several key plays. I think that may be the ultimate difference. This game…

  • Because?

    In discussions about a website, I had said that the word “downloads” on a software site would make the user think the page that followed with have links to download something, probably the software itself. The reply was, “Well, how do you know what the user would think?” This is a very tough question. This…

  • Pride and Embarrassment

    I realized something interesting about books I was reading in public. Some books I would hold high and almost invite people to see what book I was reading. Some books, I would hold low and cover the spine. This pride and embarrassment syndrome was almost unconscious, but I noticed it. I definitely think a book…

  • Afghanistan Drugs

    The first time I heard of the Taliban was in 2000 when they announced that they were outlawing the poppy crop. They cracked down on the heroin producing plant with dictatorial authority. The next time I heard about them was after 9/11 when the U.S. entered the country and overthrew the Taliban control and drove…

  • Technical Updates

    So both of my servers are down. I pulled our workstations off the domain and switched to workgroup mode. So far, I haven’t had any withdrawal symptoms. I was going to set up a Microsoft Media Center Edition 2005 box, but ran into a problem. To make it work, I would need a better video…

  • The Mayor of New Orleans is Insane.

    MSNBC Article describing Mayor Ray Nagin’s recent speeches. He says God sent the hurricanes because God doesn’t like America and is mad at black people. So I imagine God is watching TV. God has a kickass system, large plasma display with surround sound. Probably SONY. God also has a sweet remote that controls the TV…