UX is all about human psychology. Here are some key truths. People are dillusional optimists. Whether it’s estimating how much work something will take, stock market speculation, gambling, or any other predictive test, people will always exaggerate their chances of success. It’s hard-wired into most of us. How many times have you said, “Just a…
I saw this image on Coding Horror by Jeff Atwood, which borrowed it from Thom Holwerda. on this page. I redrew the image using Balsamiq. Since, I saw it, I have been internally using this metric for a slew of other topics besides code. American Idol. For each contestant, I used this metric to measure how…
I made this my desktop background. It’s giving me a headache. Courtsey of Grand Illusions
My mind is overflowing. Work has been hectic, so I haven’t been able to finish a coherent thought/blog. These are some short bits, that could have been blog entries, but didn’t quite make it. Try and imagine them fleshed out. Programmers are modern magicians making things appear as if by magic. People love software that…
Naming things is super important. People will like something or hate it based on appearances and names. See “Don’t Think of an Elephant” by Lakoff or “Blink” by Gladwell for more details, but suffice it to say, “People make decisions quickly based on very little criteria”. Microsoft is naming their next operating system “Seven” or…
What a day. We started off by learning to GeoCache. It’s basically an international treasure hunt using GPS, a website and hiding treasure around the world. Believe me when I say, there is a secret geocache within a few miles of you. There are 3 within a half-mile of me. It’s loads of fun and…
Twas the night before Solstice and in the Lipka hut, we are wrapping and cleaning and cooking it up. We have a big day tomorrow and lots to prepare, but I have time for a quick blog post, … maybe, if I dare. It’s been an up and down year with some good and some…
Every year its the exact same thing. Over and over and over again. They Jets get my hopes up. They show a glimmer of decency. They look like they could almost play. Then they break my heart. The rip my heart right out of my rib cage, then they throw it in the ground and…
The Shield was my favorite show on television. It’s over now. They had 7 seasons and went out on top. The show never got boring, never became ridiculous. No one was ever abducted by aliens. The writing was always excellent, the plot was great and the acting was superb. I loved every minute of it.…
I used to play aD&D (Advanced Dungeones and Dragons) when I was about 10 years old. It was made by a company called TSR. It was a great game that exercised my imagination and taught me how to think creatively. It also gave me a life-long appreciation for mythology and cross-culturalism. The books back then…
Remember in Back to the Future when Doc fed his car garbage and it turned it into energy? It was called Mr. Fusion. I thought, “What a great idea! Trun garbage into energy!” Well, they were pretty smart, I guess. Today I heard news about a laser at Lawrence Livermore Labs that can create unlimited…
Last year, I complained about too many California propositions and initiatives. Clearly, no one was paying any attention. There are a dozen new initiatives tomorrow. The answer to most of them is “I don’t know!” How am I supposed to know if the legislation will work? So this year, I am making a stand and…
2008: Sumo Wrestler (Picture to Come) 2007: Gorilla. Matthew was my monkey boy. 2006: Wizard. I scared the heck out of Matthew. He freaked. 2005: Jared apparently was a John looking for a hooker in a bar. Ahh, I was Superman! 2004: Superman. Wow, I wore it two years in a row? Katie is an…
Gallup released a pol in 2005 asking about paranormal activities. This is Gallup, not some fly-by-night polling service. It’s not very long, please look at it. I can’t believe, CAN”T BELIEVE that 37% of Americans believe that a house can be haunted. And 21% believe in witches. I don’t know which is scarier: This poll…