November 27, 2003
Bush's Win-Win
Secret, bold, and successful. Is there a better winning combination? Bush's surprise visit to Iraq to visit the troops on Thanksgiving was one of the shrewdest political moves in recent memory. This one is going to resonate. It scores big points in various ways:
- Big morale boost for US troops. ‘Nuff said.
- Reinforcing the emotional connection between the Commander in Chief and his troops. Plenty of Americans will feel pride while watching this.
- Psychological blow to Al Queda and Saddam. It says “Our guy can come over to your neck of the woods, show his face, have a meal, greet his warriors, and leave peacefully. Your guys can’t even show their faces in their own backyard.” Note: Expect to see some Saddam and Bin Laden tapes in the coming days/weeks. They’ll have to show their faces.
- A positive change of heart for those on the fence.
- Priceless Photo ops.
- Needed boost in approval ratings and goodwill at home. Just watch.
- The first visit by a US President to Iraq. Ever.
- Boost for the Iraqi people. Bush invited and embraced members of the Iraqi Ruling Council at the surprise meeting/dinner. Including a woman. This is strong symbolism. These pictures and videos will tug at the humanity of the Arab world. Note: Look for a big PR push from the other side shortly - pictures of dead civilians, children, emotional/cultural imagery, etc.
Students of politics and strategy will remember this moment for a long time. This could be a tipping point (tipping towards the positive). Well see. Thoughts?
November 25, 2003
Embedded (Really embedded) Technologies
Boon or Bust?
Applied Digital Solutions is slowly gaining mind-share with their "resident information" technologies. They already do it for Fido and Fluffy, but how about Dick and Jane?
I don't know about everyone else, but I would really like to be free, Free, FREE, F-R-E-E of all the ID's, credit cards, gate keys, building passes, ATM cards, etc. that I am forced to carry around. I'm up to THREE wallets!
Are you ready for it?
"Defensive Design for the Web"
Finally. We're pleased to announce the title and release date of our book: "Defensive Design for the Web" will be published by New Riders Publishing on 02/20/2004 (meaning it should be in stores about 10 days after that). More details soon, but you can pre-order from Amazon.com today
In related news, Design Not Found features a crop of new entries on defensive/contingency design. Check out these snapshots: Bank One ("Reset Headache"), U.S. Postal Service ("Obscure Codes Mean Nothing to Regular Customers"), Yahoo! Chat ("Top 5 Questions"), and Register.com ("No to That, Yes to This").
"Definatly" Not
Good writing alert: "Definitely: Or, Why Ive Been The Way Ive Been" (parts one and two) by Sarah Brown explores the perils of having a "Where is this going?" conversation via text message.
And lying there in the dark, nervous and alone on my inflatable bed in a new city at 3 in the morning, it hit me: why was I wasting my time reaching out to someone who had no interest in reaching back? And obviously hadnt for some time: the breakup probably should have been my first clue. And above all, why was I wasting energy caring about someone who not only didnt give a fuck about me, but couldnt even spell the word definitely?
November 24, 2003
Cell Phone Switchers: A Missing Tool
Wouldn't it be nice if there was a single map with overlays for each major U.S. cell phone company's coverage area? This way I could directly compare coverage instead of having to go from map (Sprint PCS) to map (T-Mobile) to map (AT&T). At least Amazon has maps that are roughly the same size, but it would be even better if I could overlay the Sprint and AT&T map and see the places where AT&T offers service and SprintPCS doesn't (and vice versa).
UPDATED WITH MAP...
I put together a map. If you visit this page on the SprintPCS site, they show a map of their coverage vs. AT&T's coverage that looks like this:
Now, that's sort of useful, but wouldn't the map below be more useful?
Whenever you see red, you're seeing Sprint's coverage. Blue is AT&T. Black (or dark purple-blue) is dual coverage. Ideally there would be a feature to toggle each map so you could turn one off or turn both on. But, you get the idea. This took me 3 minutes. It's the little things like this that really make the difference.
To Each His Own
I just want it to stop raining. This guy wants an elephant. [Warning: Loud]
November 22, 2003
Note To Dry Cleaners of the World
Print your hours on your receipts. Please. It's even more important than your address (which you print in big-ass type). I know where I drop my clothes off, but I don't know how late you are open each day of the week. That would be helpful. Thank you.
Financial Ed
As an adult learning the ins and outs of personal and global finance, I've often wondered if a capitalist democracy like we've got in the United States should require some basic macro- and micro-economics in high school. We learn World History and US History, but we never get the economics behind the events shaping those histories in the first place. Wouldn't a basic economics class just make good sense?
November 21, 2003
Designer Suds
Yes, it CAN happen. ( -or- can it?)
In the beginning, the stated goals of many design projects use words, like, "innovative," "startling," and "different" only to end up looking exactly like every other version in its category. Why? Well, because it's very safe. Not too many project managers ever lose his/her job for making "safe" decisions.
Coming up with truly innovative ideas is hard to do. Even harder to see them survive and make to the marketplace.
So, when exceptions to that rule are found it's worth shouting. Here's one of them:
While everyone else is trying hard to look just like everyone else in the land of consumer products, these guys embrace risk to be truly different. And it seems to be paying off. Kudos to Method. (And to Target, too, for having some vision.)
The Making of the Audi Le Mans quattro
For those who appreciate cars, top secret projects, process (breaking and following), good craftsmanship (almost every component had to be produced by hand -- "Every switch, every wheel rim had to be machined out of solid blocks of aluminium!"), tight deadlines (only eleven months between the first design sketches and the car's debut at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show), beautiful design, small teams (8 at the core), new/high technology (innovative LED lighting, aluminium frame structure with carbon-fibre reinforced outer skin made of plastic and composite material, digital cockpit display, 5.0-litre twin-turbo V10 engine with petrol direct injection FSI and the new Audi magnetic ride suspension concept), behind the scenes photos, and Germans, you might enjoy this article at the wonderful GermanCarFans about the making of the Audi Le Mans quattro.
November 20, 2003
Does this Baguette Make My Butt Look Big?
According to this article in the Independent, over 10% of Americans are now on the Atkins Diet. The switch to low-carb diets has now driven breadmakers and other purveyors of high-carb foods to wonder just what the hell is going on. I'm wondering, too. It flies in the face of that old axiom "everything in moderation" the same way people who used to snack on potato chips and pretzels overdid it on carbohydrates before hopping on the Atkins train. Are we witnessing one of the biggest ever live-human science experiments or am I missing something by eating fruits, vegetables, and grains?
FAQ of the Year Award
Treat yourself to the last FAQ on the Jewelboxing FAQ page.
Donate Frequent Flyer Miles to the Troops
Got some extra frequent flyer miles hanging around? Why not donate some to the troops so they can get home while on R & R or emergency leave.
The end is may be near, but read this book anyway
Universal Principals of Design is the most irresistible book in design that I've seen for a very long time. Books are usually such a subjective thing that I don't normally insist on anyone reading the same things I do. But just published, this one should be required reading for designers of all disciplines, student or master. Clear, simple, clean and intelligent in its own design, too, the book covers 100 or so topics from the "Golden Ratio" to "Ockham's Razor." Nice.
November 19, 2003
EULA Hijacking
Does anyone else get the feeling that there's only been a handful of people who have actually paid a lawyer to write their End User License Agreement for their software product or web site? Same for privacy policies. Is there anything on the web more pirated than these agreements which generally rail against piracy or reverse engineering?
Elusive Humidity
It's that time of year again. Time to buy a new humidifier. I swear, no matter how much research I do, how much money I spend, which brand I buy, my humidifiers barely work and never last me more than one season. I've bought the kind that create that magicical white mist. The kind that wick water with huge sponge-like inserts. And the kind that boil (?) the water and steam it out. Any recommendations? Moisturize me.
Your Own Sport
From the makers of Babble comes Homemade Sports -- a site dedicated to all those homemade, homegrown sports you and your friends made up in your spare time. Add your own.
November 17, 2003
Denton on Times Piece
Here's Nick Denton's response on his own blog to today's N.Y. Times profile of him ("Building a Web Media Empire on a Daily Dose of Fresh Links").
It's fine, could have been a lot more overblown. But the piece is still embarrassing, and I'll pay some kind of price. Call it buzz karma. First they lift you up; then they knock you down.
It's interesting to be able to turn somewhere and instantly get a subject's response to a news item that profiles him/her. Especially since subjects always seem to have some complaint with how they are profiled (remember Dave Eggers vs. Times reporter David Kirkpatrick?).
Would anyway newspaper ever have the guts to start a blog where story subjects can post responses to articles that discuss them? I'm sure journalists would hate no longer getting the final say but it sure would be interesting.
November 15, 2003
Patagonia: Shop by Catalog
I don't know if any other retailers are doing this, but Patagonia now allows you to shop the catalog online. So when you launch this window from the main site, you can navigate the through a Flash miniature version of their physical catalog, find your garment, and then purchase it. Interesting idea, particularly when you've got the catalog in hand.
To serve you better, we've made some changes...
You already know (don't you?) that Amazon has made "Search Inside the Book" their default *feature*.
When I search on, for example, "FileMaker Pro 6 Web," I get 254 results! There's no way. Including such gems as:
-Family Reunion Handbook
-Non-profit for Dummies
-Career Change Handbook
-Security Training System
-Winning Resumes
When I search for what I think is a very specific requirement, the results are a lot like asking for "sex" on Google.
You get the idea. If I want what I asked for (what a concept), I now need to go to ADVANCED search.
Do I just "not get it" (again) or is "supersized" always better?
November 14, 2003
Fertility
In Ethan Watters' "Top Five Things to Tell Your Parents When You Are Still Single at Age 30 (or 35, or 40)", he argues the recent hubbub about the diminished chances of women age 30+ getting pregnant may be overblown.
While much has been made of the drop in fertility rates among women over 30, the numbers aren't all that bad. Two out of three women ages 35 to 40 can get pregnant within a year. Those who try for two years raise their odds to 91 percent.
November 13, 2003
Shopping Around the Edges
I've always been interested by the design of stores -- especially grocery stores. What's interesting is the way people flow through these spaces to accomplish similar goals. Some people enter and glide up and down each aisle, regardless of whether they need anything in any of them. Others come with a shopping list correlating to the arrangment of the store, from entrance to exit. It takes awhile for my own personal pattern to develop for each store, but I generally follow a subconscious rule: Only shop at the periphery. I basically skip the entire core of the market and go for produce, milk, eggs, cheese, coffee, and bread (stopping, of course, for a treat here and there).
What about you -- what's your pattern? Do the folks at Safeway, Whole Foods, Kroger, etc. monitor this kind of customer behavior the way site designers test usability and user flow?
November 12, 2003
25 Science Questions
NY Times: 25 provocative questions facing science, including "What Happened Before the Big Bang?" and "Can Science Prove the Existence of God?"
Zoned Out
I was checking to see if Comcast Digital Cable was avavilable in my area. I followed their directions, entered my zip, and was then sent to this page:
Area #? Multiple providers? North or North East? Is anything besides the lake east of Chicago? Huh? A great example of bad contingency design.
"Look At Me" Search Results
Some people are getting really creative in order to stand out in Google search results. Check out these results from Google. Look at the second or third result set down. See the big honking arrow bullet thing in front of the "NETFLIX Free Trial - Coupon - Netflicks Offer Code" result? Really stands out, doesn't it? It's simply a "►" in their TITLE tag. Smart, isn't it? I don't know which browsers will be able to display this (maybe all?), but here's a screen shot in case it doesn't work for you:
November 11, 2003
Curvilinear Design of Invesco Field
While watching some football the other week, I noticed something cool about the design of Invesco Field in Denver. Instead of the typical flat line, the top of the stadium is curvilinear in order to provide extra rows of seats in the middle of the field [images: 1, 2, 3]. Since it's exclusively a football stadium, it makes sense to increase the number of seats around the 50-yard line this way. Plus, it looks pretty cool without going overboard (trying too hard example = Chicago's new Soldier Field). Here's a case study on the design of Invesco field by HNTB, the architects behind it.
November 10, 2003
Let's Learn to Draw!
Assuming we (anybody?) can draw (help!), what does creativity look like? (I love step 3: "unknown time of chaos.") Perhaps it's somewhere between folding paper and fusion?
Give it your best shot.
Related Links: New York's best martini
If I Only Had $200,000,000 I Could...
Howard Dean claims:
George W. Bush plans to raise $200 million fromthe specialinterests for a primary in which he is running unopposed. Would you give $100 tothrow George W. Bush and his special interests out of Washington? If 2 million Americans each contribute $100,we will defeat this president -- andwe will changeAmerica. The formula is simple: 2 million Americans x $100 = George W. Bush out of office
Hmmm... Seems like a bit too simple, doesn't it? Is he claiming he can buy the election? Sure sounds like that's what he's promising.
Shopping by Color
So, J.Crew now lets you shop by color. For example, here are brown or grey or green sweaters. I've noticed that most large thrift stores (or at least the ones I've been to in Chicago) organize their merchandise by kind first (jackets, pants, shirts) and then color. It's really useful to see 100+ft racks of clothes organized by color. You like browns? Then go to the brown section and start your search there. I've always found it a natural way to shop. I recognize that it's probably not the best way to merchandise in upscale, smaller physical store environments, but I wonder why it's taken so long for a major retailer to make it easy to shop by color online (where physical space limitations don't exist). Or have I missed this feature elsewhere?
November 06, 2003
Is process more important than outcome?
In his "Incomplete Manifesto," Bruce Mau says this,
"When the outcome drives the process we will only go to where we've already been. If process drives the outcome we may not know where we're going, but we will know we want to be there."
I am a recent convert to this way of thinking - which is surprising since I've otherwise spent every prior day of my design career denying that true creativity should be anything like process or systematic, but more like informed intuition with a dash of validation thrown in after the fact for our clients' benefit. (Hmmm... I guess that's a process, too, isn't it...)
Mau's manifesto entry #3 is bourne out increasingly more often as it seems buyers of creative thinking and related services have become less and less comfortable with the "art" of design and more attracted, perhaps distracted, by the "science" of it all.
There are pros and cons to both sides of the question. What do you think?
I Hate Being Serviced Too
Besides enjoying Rosecrans' funny, well-written tale of his visit to a day spa, this paragraph made me shout YES YES YES!:
Oh definitely, I say, suddenly eager to please. I get this way whenever Im being serviced. The cab driver gets more attention than my friends; waiters get 20 percent minimum; the dry cleaner can ruin my pants and Ill still say, Thanks! I may hate bad service, but I usually hate myself more for being serviced in the first place.
I'm the same way! Someone else understands! I'm not that weird afterall (well, nevermind). I just can't stand being serviced. I can open the door myself, thank you. I can carry my bags myself, thank you. I can pull my chair out myself (and I can certainly put my napkin on my lap), thank you. Who else is with me (and Rosecrans, of course)?
iPod and G4 For Sale
10 gig, second generation iPod in nearly perfect, bright-white clean condition. $200/obo
450 MHz, Apple PowerMac G4 Tower, 27 GB drive, 512 MB RAM, internal CD/DVD and ZIP drive, ATI Rage 128 VGA video with 16 MB of SDRAM, Panther OS X 10.3 installed. $500/obo.
Both are available for pick-up in Chicago, or shipped for an extra fee. If interested, email me at Jason [at] 37signals.com. Post any questions here so everyone can benefit from the answers. Thanks.
November 05, 2003
Knockout
Looking for an example of a great idea? A great idea that's well executed? A great idea that's well executed and useful? A great idea that's well executed, useful, and affordable? Then take a look at Jewelboxing from our officemates at Coudal. Yeah, we wish we'd thought of that. Bastards.
BTW: Be sure to study the copywriting. Fantastic (although some quick bullets about what is included on the home page would be a welcomed addition). Finally, check out "One Thing Leads to Another" from their Jewelboxing blog to read about the genesis of the idea.
Little Paper Trail
MetaMattPVRstubs wants to know why little pieces of paper are still required as proof of purchase when virtually everything else is today is digitized, databased, and tracked. I'm sure it's because it leads to less returns which leads to higher profits, but at what cost to customer satisfaction? At least Circuit City's Receipt Tracker automatically keeps your receipt and warranty information on file at the store. Now that's a nice touch.
Crash Bang Boom
Isn't it interesting that out of all the millions of intersections in the US, six of the top ten most dangerous are in three cities and four of the top ten are on two roads?
ReUSINGIT
They were asked to create a redesign of Jakob Nielsens useit.com. Design a usable, intuitive layout and navigation, organize the content with usability in mind, and create a work of art which still reflects the importance and influence of Nielsens work. Here's how 53 designers responded.
November 04, 2003
"Our stupidity is embarrassing"
Michael Moore, in England, discusses Americans:
"They are possibly the dumbest people on the planet... in thrall to conniving, thieving, smug pricks. We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance. We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing. National Geographic produced a survey which showed that 60 per cent of 18-25 year olds don't know where Great Britain is on a map. And 92 per cent of us don't own a passport."
November 03, 2003
LAUNCH: sra.org
Today we're pleased to announce the launch of the redesigned sra.org (the site for the Society of Risk Analysis). You can check out the old site at the Wayback Machine. Many thanks to Jim for asking us to work on this project.
Blogging for Dollars
Matt Haughey's "Blogging for Dollars" discusses his experience with Google's Adsense at his pvrblog.com. [via Typepad]
From approximately 3,000 visits (not too shabby at all), enough people clicked through that I made $40 in the first 24 hours. The first thought that came to mind was this: "Great googly-moogly, holy crap. Crap, crap, crap. What the hell just happened? What did I do? What does this mean for weblogs? Would the world be covered in textads when I tell people about this? Shit!"
Now that Google has acquired Blogger, it will be interesting to see if they come up with ways to integrate blogs and text ads even further.