Sometimes I am early to the party. For example, I was an early user of HTML (1994), CSS (1997) and jQuery (2006). However, one technology I never got into was podcasts. (Until last week.) I listen to NPR alot and always liked This American Life, Public Radio International and Freakonomics Radio. However, I kept noticing that…
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has gone up quite a bit in the last 100+ years. It looks like a hockey stick of growth with some sharp crevices. However, if you use a logarithmic scale it looks alot straighter. (logarithmic means that the Y axis isn’t linear but exponential. Notice the numbers on the left of…
I try incredibly hard to avoid saying someone is an asshole without further explanation. The reason is that the adjective lacks any specifics. It doesn’t help you understand WHY. When Donald Trump speaks, I constantly want to scream at the screen, “Shut up! You are such a dick!” This is when I catch myself and…
The Human Resources department (in most cases) is not the Office Energy department. Typically, no one is in charge of this crucial aspect of a company. When someone is visiting your office for an interview, they are noticing things such as: Office layout Types of computers/screens on the desks Ceilings/Lighting Energy/Collaboration People Density Chairs If…
Well, my sabbatical is over and it’s time to get back to work. My kids are in the same boat, getting ready for a new school year. It has been a great summer. Here are some of the highlights: Hawaii Trip Lots of Tennis (2-4 times a week) Wrote about 20% of the UX book…
I was helping someone set up a password on Intuit.com. When they asked for a password, they presented this visual clue. Notice where it says NO SPACES. That is just lazy programming. Spaces are a completely valid character for a password. There was no designer or product manager who said, “No, don’t let them put…
It’s such an interesting expression. I heard it on a podcast of This American Life. It means to look around different neighborhoods, so that when you buy a house it sends your kids to the best local (public) school possible. The problem is that the phrase implies a very specific economic reality. When I “shop…
Last night, I took the 2.5 hour drive to Sacramento for my kids to see Epic Rap Battles of History live. You may not be familiar with ERB, but they are great. They are #17 on the top Youtube channels with almost 2 billion views. The format is funny and smart and edgy. I’ve been…
Recently, I have turned out Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and DirecTV. They all have certain benefits and different UX. This isn’t a comprehensive review, but hopefully is helpful to you. There are so many ways to use these services. The xBox, native TV apps, DirecTV, Roku, Amazon Fire stick, WDTV, iPad, Android Phone, desktop PC,…
In many silicon valley companies, you can earn a sabbatical after 7 years in the same company. While many people jump from company to company each year, I have been lucky enough to find a home for a longer period of time. So this summer, I decided to take my vacation (2 weeks) and sabbatical…
I just got back from a vacation to Maui, Hawaii. It was the first trip that I had taken without my extended family (siblings, parents, cousins, etc) in decades. I haven’t traveled much, so this was a new adventure. I went just with my atomic family (wife/kids). Here is a quick run down of some…
A person just declared to the world that they identify with a certain group. Their DNA contradicts that assertion. Who am I talking about? Bruce/Caitlin Jenner Rachel Dolezal Bruce Jenner says, “I’m not a man. I am a woman.” The world says, “You go girl!” Rachel Dolezal says, “I am black” and the world responds, “No…
In any disruption there are winners and losers. The internet has been the enabler to disrupt many businesses in the last 20 years. Some examples: Music. Downloadable compressed audio enables ripping/pirating. Losers have been the record labels. Winners have been iTunes and small artists who want to get their name out there especially using YouTube and…
I have been using OneDrive for a while now as our cloud service. However, complaints have forced me to reconsider. Here is a quick summary of my thoughts on the subject. Pricing OneDrive pricing. 15 GB Free 100 GB $1.99/month 200 GB $3.99/month 1 TB $6.99/month (includes Office 365) Google Drive Pricing. 15 GB Free…