January 30, 2004
Dean's Paper Blog
The new DeanPost is an interesting (and smart) idea.
"DeanPost" is a Grassroots-created, weekly Hard Copy of the "Blog for America". Share the excitement with your friends, relatives, co-workers, or your favorite Senior Citizen - anyone who isn't Web savvy, or anyone who just might prefer the Blog in a convenient, digest form.
Taking the Dean For America blog offline. Sharp. They even let you customize the print version:
In addition to our standard, four-page digest, an exciting feature is that "DeanPost" can be customized for YOUR location: Simply type in your Zip Code, and "DeanPost" is delivered with your "Get Local" events in a convenient PDF format ready for printing.
Creative thinking.
January 29, 2004
Blog Comments as News
The Chicago Tribune's "Kerry picks up support" cites a comment from the Dean blog as evidence of dissatisfaction among Dean's "core supporters."
The abrupt campaign switch didn't sit well with some of Dean's core supporters who were quick to weigh in on the campaign's blog..."I'm really concerned with this," a Georgia supporter wrote on the Web site. "This new guy [Al Gore's former chief of staff] is a lobbyist and the very definition of a Washington insider. What gives?"
I'm not all that convinced unidentified blog commenters really deserve coverage from legitimate news sources though. If blog comments are really news, can we expect a Newsweek cover story on Don Schenck's cigar collection soon?
Nothing Just Happens
Yes, someone invented CtrlAltDelete. Reminds you that nothing just happens. Someone is behind every little thing. Someone designed that nut. That socket. That switch. That vent. Even that fork and knife. Those things weren't even ideas at one point. Appreciate them.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2...
The Private Launch is on. Those who have been included should check their inbox every 30 seconds for that golden ticket. Emails will be trickling out over the next few days.
In the meantime, we'd also like to announce the launch of the Everything Basecamp support blog/site. This is where we'll keep all the FAQs, how-to's, tips & tricks, articles, buzz, etc. A lot of it may not make sense to you until you use Basecamp, but feel free to look around and begin to get acquainted. There may be some hints in there.
The Public Launch is just around the corner. Stay tuned to this site and Everything Basecamp for the official announcement. Thanks for your patience and valuable feedback thus far. Here we go...
Fake Handwriting on Form Letters
Is anyone else out there disgusted (or irritated or humored or all of the above) when they receive a form letter in the mail that uses one of those fake handwriting fonts? I know they're trying to "personalize" the letter, but I find these letters so much more impersonal because they're trying to fake me out. What's more impersonal than trying to trick someone? They are insulting the intelligence of the readers -- thinking we won't notice that it wasn't written by hand. Come on guys, give it up. I'm filing this post under "Customer Experience."
January 27, 2004
A New Chat Term Thingee: LOLFR
Ok... LOL is often used, but rarely meant. So, when you LOL for real, use LOLFR. Or did some 9 year old already beat me to this one (aka: ODS9YOABMTTO)?
Basecamp Preview: The Dashboard
In our final preview we'll look at Basecamp's control center: The Dashboard. Your project Dashboard lets you see all your clients and projects on one screen. Each project name links to that project's extranet site. You can work with an unlimited number of clients and projects, and clients with multiple projects are grouped together.
Here are some highlights from the screenshot:
- For each project, you can quickly spot the next upcoming milestone and posts that have been added since your last visit.
- Projects that haven't had a new post or comment in 30 days are automatically moved to the Inactive Projects section.
- "What's fresh?" sidebar gives you a meta-look at recent activity from all your active projects. Today's activity is always called out with a yellow flag for easy scanning.
- Often times what's important is not what happened today, but what was supposed to and didn't. Red "Late" flags ensure that no missed milestone goes unnoticed.
Stay tuned -- soon we'll be announcing Basecamp's Private Launch and subsequent Public Launch. Sign up to get the news via email.
January 26, 2004
Design on the Clock
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer launched an innovative home page redesign today. The layout changes based on the time of day. They have an afternoon layout ("more links to material that might provoke a smile"), a 4-o'clock layout ("brand-new headlines, traffic cams, stock reports, top clicks and more"), and an evening layout ("at night you're probaby shopping, gaming, researching or chatting... so, we'll highlight consumer reporting, shopping channels, game reviews, forums, upcoming events"). They've put together a page to explain and diagram the redesign concept. A nice effort at thinking differently about web-based news. Or is it?
Layouts that change based on the clock. Useful or frustrating? What do you think? News at 11.
Mac Anniversary
The Mac turns 20. Steve Jobs says, "In the modern world there aren't a lot of products where the people who make them love them. How many products are made that way these days?"
So why then is the Mac market share a measly 5 percent? "Who ended up running the company? Sales guys," says Jobs. "At the critical juncture in the late '80s, when they should have gone for market share, they went for profits. They made obscene profits for several years. And their products became mediocre."
January 23, 2004
Pick Me Up
It's about time the USPS will pick up Priority Mail packages at your location. And, better yet, it's free no matter how many packages you have. Very nice.
Hollywood for Ugly People
Denton drops Wonkette. DC will always be the same.
An Old Favorite
If you haven't seen it, check out the best of CNN photo weblog. It features all those insanely great CNN news graphics. Gotta love some of these gems.
January 22, 2004
Basecamp: Private Launch Coming Soon
Basecamp will be launching very soon. We've decided we'll be launching in two phases: 1. A private launch and 2. A public launch. The private launch will take place about a week or so prior to the public launch. The private launch will be open to a few hundred randomly chosen people (plus the beta testers and a few hand picked others). We'll choose the bulk of the people from the Basecamp mailing list, so if you want to improve your chances to be one of the first to use Basecamp, visit the teaser page and sign up for the mailing list. Hope to see you there.
January 21, 2004
Franken Radio
Progress Media, the investment group launching a nationwide liberal radio network inked Al Franken and signed its first distribution deal this week with WNTD in Chicago, the country's third-largest market. Newsweek interviewed Franken and he's got a few funny quips about the illicit behavior of the family-values crowd.
On Rush Limbaugh:
Q: Youve said that Rush just "rails for three hours."
A: I didnt say that in a wholly derogatory way. Just that youd think that if you did that, just talking for three hours with no guests, no break, youd need to be taking some kind of drug.
On his one brief meeting with G.W. Bush:
I asked him a few questions. This was when the cocaine stuff was coming out and I said, "I dont care if you did it or not but since we are here, I have to ask if you have ever manufactured any crystal methamphetamine." And he laughed, but Id hoped he would say no. He didnt deny it...But had he denied it, I could have asked him why he never gave a straight denial about the cocaine stuff. So, the one time we met he just completely outsmarted me.
January 20, 2004
Basecamp Preview: Posts & Comments
Today we'll look at the core of Basecamp: Posts and Comments. (Check out the earlier previews to see how Basecamp tackles specific project tasks like Milestones and To-Do Lists.)
The blog-like interface of Basecamp means quick and simple publishing.
Posting a project or status update is as simple as posting to a blog.
Commenting on posts is even easier. Your clients will eat it up.
Posts serve as the foundation of Basecamp. Posts can announce project
updates, show design reviews, ask questions, solicit feedback, and more.
Posts appear in reverse chronological order so the latest information is
always at the top of the screen. Posts can contain text or images and can
also be supplemented with specially called-out links to files and web sites.
Comments can be formatted just like posts -- complete with bold text,
italics, links, even bullet lists or images. And since each person has
already logged in to Basecamp, there's no need to reenter names or emails. Just type your comment and go:
Here's a peek at a post with comments below and the "Who's Talking" sidebar on the right (mentioned in Thoughtful Extras):
Soon you'll be able to try out Basecamp for yourself. Sign up on our mailing list and be the first to find out when Basecamp launches.
January 19, 2004
Grand Royal Auction
3 days left to buy Grand Royal, the Beastie Boys' bankrupt record label, via online auction. Some more details available at Yahoo! Launch.
January 16, 2004
When Mars Inspires
Simply amazing simulation of the current NASA Spirit Mars mission. Can you imagine the complexity associated with an achievement like this? Truly inspiring (and tear jerking). The things we can accomplish when we won't take NO for an answer (and have $800 million to spend).
January 15, 2004
Basecamp Preview: Thoughtful Extras
In addition to Basecamp's core features (like Posts, Milestones and To-Do lists) we've built in all sorts of thoughtful featurettes and extras that make managing your project easier.
Basecamp features discussion threads (more to come on that soon) but what if you need to connect with a team member one-on-one? Check out the "Who's Talking" sidebar (below left) that appears next to each thread. Phone, email, and IM info is available at a glance for each person participating in the conversation.
Two important questions in any project are "What's the latest?" and "Where are we behind?". Basecamp grabs your eye with "NEW", "TODAY" and "LATE" flags (above right) to call out new posts or Milestones you've missed.
Basecamp also knows file formats. Links to files in your posts are automatically given a proper icon:
And, of course, you can customize Basecamp's appearance. Choose from a variety of color schemes or specify your own -- right down to the link color:
Be sure to sign up for our mailing list to be notified when Basecamp launches.
Consumer Electronic Confusion Afoot?
Will computers ruin consumer electronics? This Newsweek reporter thinks so:
But consumers have decades of experience with audio-video equipment that, well, just worked, and whose components you could mix and match, and for which you could buy LPs or CDs that played on any brand of gear you happened to have and that's the standard by which the new technology will be measured.
I feel this way about mobile phones as well... "What you have a Nokia from AT&T and want to switch your phone over to Cingular? Sorry, you need to buy a completely new phone... Oh, sir, I know it's the same model Nokia, but it's, well, incompatible with our network." Sigh.
January 14, 2004
Dreaming of Exploitation
In Cambodia, NY Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof writes that for many workers there the idea of being exploited in a garment factory working only six days a week, inside instead of in the broiling sun, for up to $2 a day is a dream.
...the fundamental problem in the poor countries of Africa and Asia is not that sweatshops exploit too many workers; it's that they don't exploit enough.
Are the protesters against third world sweatshops and NAFTA and free trade missing the reality of the situation?
Expensive at the Movies
Is this why movies are pushing $10.00 a seat?
January 13, 2004
When Less Than A Minute Takes 7-8 Days
An oldie but goodie I've been meaning to post for a few months. When applying for an American Express card, I was told an "Express Approval" should take take "less than a minute" (see below).
I'm generally impatient, so seeing that I could get approval in less than a minute, I proceeded to fill out the entire application online. Silly me. After taking the time and submitting the form, I get a message that says: "Thank you for applying... We will advise you of your application status by mail or phone in 7-8 business days" (see below).
So the decision in "less than a minute" was a decision to tell me it would take 7-8 days to receive the real decision? I like you American Express, but this sort of bait and switch is not appreciated.
January 12, 2004
iPod Idea: Smart Shuffle
- Straight Shuffle: Shuffle randomly
- Rut Shuffle: Shuffle music I play frequently
- Discovery Shuffle: Shuffle music I rarely play
Last night's shuffle discovery: Candle from Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation [ iTMS link ]
Basecamp Preview: To-Dos
Last week we looked at how Basecamp handles Milestones. Today we'll take a peak at a feature we've used every day since we built it: To-Dos.
The To-Do section is for getting all the little things done. To-Do lists are mostly free-form -- you just make a list, give it some checkable items, and move them around as you please. Each To-Do list contains unfinished items in the upper portion, and completed (checked) items below:
New To-Do items are added inline, right below each list's unfinished items. When you create a new list you can add items one-by-one, or 7 at a time if you're in a hurry.
Moving lists and items is simple. The move controls can be toggled on and off, and allow you to move items within a lists or entire lists. From left to right, the first icon moves the item to the top, the second moves it up a notch, the third down a notch, and the last icon moves it to the bottom.
But your clients don't need to worry about any of the above. They just see what's done and what's not:
We've still got more up our sleeve, and be sure to sign up for our mailing list to be notified when Basecamp launches.
January 11, 2004
37signals Speaking Announcement
If you're in the Chicago area, come check out my CHI-Squared presentation on January 28th at 6:30 at DePaul University (Loop Campus). Details at the CHI-Squared site. I'll be talking about three things: 1. Context and Perspective (presenting products and information online so people can relate to sizes and weights without being able to touch/feel/hold them), 2. Setting Expectations (using button and field labels to help people know what comes next and what to expect from an interface), and 3. Contingency Design (helping people get back on track when things go wrong online). Hope to see you there.
January 08, 2004
Basecamp Preview: Milestones
Basecamp, our new web-based project management tool, will be launching this month. We can't spill all the beans just yet but here's a sneak peek at one of Basecamp's many nifty features: Milestones.
Basecamp lets you track important project milestones and note who is responsible for each one. Basecamp automatically categorizes your milestones into either upcoming (shown in red) or completed (shown in green). Checkboxes let you move items from "Upcoming" to "Completed" with one click. Also, relevant posts (we'll talk about "Posts" in a future preview) can be attached to any milestone. This way you can keep track of conversations related to a specific miletone.
Further, Basecamp plots and color-codes milestones on a calendar for easy scanning. Yellow is today, red is upcoming, and green is completed.
In this example, today is January 8th, the last completed milestone was on December 30, and the next milestone is due on January 12.
Editing is easy too (see below). You can edit a milestone in place and shift subsequent dates proportionally - even limit them to business days.
Stay tuned for more Basecamp sneak peeks in the days ahead, and be sure to sign up for our mailing list to be notified when we launch.
Checks and Balances
Looks like the journalism police have arrived. The Wilgoren Watch is a blog dedicated to deconstructing the New York Times coverage of Howard Dean's campaign for the White House (with an emphasis on Times' reporter Jodi Wilgoren who's got the Dean beat). This sort of reporting on reporters provides an interesting feedback loop.
Meanwhile, MoveOn.org has posted the 15 finalists for the Bush in 30 Seconds ads.
January 07, 2004
iPod Mini: Smaller Rightfully Costs More
I'm hearing a lot of people complain about the price of the new iPod mini. People are breaking it down by price per megabyte/gigabyte and then comparing it to the other iPods (and not to the non-Apple competition). I think that's missing the point. The competition isn't other iPods, it's other products. Apple loves that you are debating between their two products.
Further, when it comes to technology, smaller is almost always more expensive. Miniturization requires more R&D and greater engineering precision. Apple has basically managed to re-issue the original 5GB iPod, but shrink it down considerably (in all dimensions), keep the battery life around 8 hours (I know the original was 10, but 8 is plenty close for a much smaller unit), house it in a new durable aluminum case, provide color options, make it Firewire and USB 2 friendly (including charging via USB), make the same unit Mac and PC friendly, and price it lower than the original 5GB iPod. To me that's quite an achievement. And, when you look at the other competitors in the market, you'll see that it's priced right on target. Should it have been $199? $149? Who knows if it even could have been (it's easy for us to say, but we don't know the whole story). Apple did the right thing -- they'll get the early adopters to pay as much as possible and then they can reduce the price in about 6 months once they've been able to measure the success (or failure). Of course, we'll all have to wait and see how the market takes it.
January 06, 2004
Chicago Photos
Some great shots of Chicago from Chicago Uncommon.
Craigslove
So, I posted an ad to sell a TV on Craigslist Chicago. There was a lot of interest, and I sold the TV in 1.5 days, but today I got a great offer:
"Any interest in trading for an erotic massage.... to include any service of your choice!!!!"
Gosh, for that I'd throw in my Universal Remote.
January 05, 2004
T26 Redesigned (Speaking of Font Sites)
A few weeks ago I posted about the design of OurType. Well, today Carlos Segura -- a 37signals alumnus -- launched the redesigned T26. Out is the flash nav (and other Flash features), and in is simpler navigation, a streamlined and simpler look, useful features (recently viewed, etc), and more. I certainly think it's an improvement. Thoughts?
Collecting Hell
The Fales Library at New York University will house the extensive archives of punk icon Richard Hell (NY Times). Here's Hell on why he's such an avid collector:
"Not to get too intellectual and pretentious and overwrought, but in a strange way you only really exist in the works you do. If you don't keep them, then you don't exist. I really find myself going back through things when I don't know what to do next. You look at them to figure out who this person is and what there is to do now. It's like looking at a movie. I've often felt that way about my whole life, too. It's like I'm trying to make a movie that's happening in real life, and the thing that's interesting to do next would be the thing that would be interesting to see happen in this movie."