Category: Uncategorized

  • How Hollywood has Trained us to be Bad People

    Hollywood sells drama. They do not give it away and they are not a charity. They sell a product in the form of movies and TV shows that can either get direct payment in a theater or indirect payment through advertising or subscription. They are a business, plain and simple. So to maximize their profit,…

  • Slack’s New Logo (YP vs MP)

    I hate the be such a Negative Nancy, A Debbie Downer, or A Bummer Brian. However, this new logo really rubs me the wrong way. Not for aesthetic reasons exactly. Let me explain. First look at the change: The new version lacks the personality and love that I have associated with Slack for several years.…

  • Asus MX34VQ 34″ UQHD Monitor and Scaling

    I was using a LG 34UM68-P ultra wide monitor, but I was having some trouble seeing the edges of the screen. They literally were so far away that they turned blurry to my old eyes. Previously, I had been using a LG 34UC80-B 34-Inch 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD IPS Monitor and I really appreciate the…

  • 2019 Predictions

    Generally, I like to write these down so I have a record of predictions made. Here we go, 2019 will see the following occur: (in no order) Trump will not be impeached. There will not be enough support from Republicans and Democrats will fear a backlash. However, his foundation and businesses will get a lot…

  • Holiday Electronics Reviews 2018

    I upgraded many of my electronics this holiday season. It’s only been a few days, but here are my initial reactions. iPad Pro 2018 I use my iPad for games, movies, light email, and reading news. I don’t want to draw with it or use it as a laptop replacement. It’s basically a big version…

  • Wishes for 2019

    Most Important Wish I wish fervently that Rush Bader Ginsberg has a happy and HEALTHY 2019 and 2020. She recently fell and broke some ribs. The x-ray noticed some bad tumors in her lungs. Thank God, they found it early and she is currently recovering. Stay healthy RBG. We need you! Design Tool Wishes Figma…

  • Cognitive Dissonance 2018

    Yesterday, congress passed a bill with bipartisan support to reform the justice system to make it more just. Specifically, it changed sentencing guidelines that have led to an 800% increase in prison inmates since 1980. It retroactively fixed the fact that there was a 100:1 ratio between sentences for crack cocaine vs. powdered cocaine. The…

  • Making Things Worse

    No one has the intention of making things worse. All designers have positive intent. However, in reality, there are plenty of services that get worse with upgrades. Recently, I have had a few upgrades that feel like downgrades. Feedly iPad App I am not sure what prompted such a big change, but I am completely…

  • New WordPress Editor 2018

    WordPress has released a new editor. It’s very different than the previous one. This is a little meta, but I am going to review my first impressions of the editor in real time. I will also try out a bunch of the features. Drop cap is cool, I guess, but it looks like ass without…

  • UX Suggestions for Scoop

    Scoop is a carpooling/ride-sharing service. Basically, I put in when I want to leave and it matches me up with people who want a ride near my work/home. They pay $6 and I get $5 of that per trip. The service in general is greatly appreciated, but the experience leaves much to be desired. Here…

  • Turn your Data into a Story

    The essence of data visualizations is to tell a story. There are some great charts like Napoleon’s march to Moscow and Florence Nightingale’s chart on the causes of deaths in the Crimean War. Recently, my oldest son pointed out the following chart to me. Both are an image of Washington DC. The first shows the…

  • Maybe I’m a …

    I never really thought about this until recently, but my first job as a product designer came when I was 32 years old. Maybe it’s best to backtrack and show the progression of what I thought I was. In 2nd grade, I made a sculpture of my father’s head. It looked better than the other…

  • Uncomfortable Chairs

    I spend a good deal of my life sitting in an office chair. It’s a good bet that you do as well. The chair at my desk; I have adjusted to have the right parameters of height and position. However, it’s still fairly uncomfortable. When I get up, I find it hard to stand up…

  • Rank Choice Voting

    Sometimes I imagine the whole world is a simulation and you could change one single variable to see what happens. What would life be like without John Wilkes Booth? What if Franz Ferdinand didn’t get lost that summer day in Sarajevo? What if Alexander the Great had died in his first battle? (He almost did)…