more brief new york stories
It’s been a while since my first full day in New York. I haven’t had time to write, which must be a good thing.
1. Chinatown might be the most… neighborhood-y neighborhood on Manhattan. It’s very clear that the residents live and work there… It’s got a strong connectedness. Every other neighborhood is such a destination.
2. [...]
first full day in new york
1. It’s windy and chilly. Thankfully, it’s supposed to get a little warmer. I underdressed.
2. 10 years later, and Starbucks still seems to be the most consistently reliable source of coffee. New York: that’s just sad.
3. I had a burger and black-and-white shake from the Shake Shack (thanks, Joshua!). Both were very yummy. I don’t [...]
Flickr should know bettr!
So, I’ve just switched from Safari to Firefox, so I have to sign in to all my web services. Including Flickr. Arriving at the sign in page, I see:
And then I keep staring. Because I can’t figure out where to sign in. The page before had a link that said “Sign in”. So, naturally I’m [...]
peterme in New York, JJG in Amsterdam
In a week and a half, I’m heading to New York to teach our Beyond Usability workshop with Lane Becker. October 31 and November 1. I’ve never liked Halloween, but I love Dia de Los Muertos. If you haven’t signed up, use my promotion code of FOPM to get 15% off. And if we should [...]
Is Lab Usability Dead?
I would love it if we could simply put a stake into the practice of lab usability. It’s run its course, and it’s simply not well suited to truly measuring the effectiveness of designs in the modern era.
Usability engineering was born of a simpler time. Before everyone was networked. When people used computers for Calculation [...]
Martin Wattenberg lecture at SIMS
Martin Wattenberg is one of my heroes. He’s a information visualization guy, and I’ve been following his stuff for about as long as I’ve been maintaining this site (that’s since 1998…). Even if you’re not an infoviz nerd, you’ve still probably seen his NameVoyager, which shows trends in baby names since 1880.
This afternoon, he [...]
Office 12 UI Is Information Architecture
A follow-on thought from my previous post.
If you watch the video interview with the Office UI lead, you’ll hear her talk about making accessible 1,500 commands.
The new ribbon, and its task orientation, is not an interaction design solution, but an information architecture solution. It’s actually classic information architecture. What is the most suitable cognitive/mental [...]
Beware of false prophets…
Causing a buzz among folks who design websites and software is Jakob’s latest Alertbox “RIP WYSIWYG.” The coming Microsoft Office User Interface portends the move from the What You See Is What You Get interface popularized by the Macintosh, toward a What You Get is What You See model, also called “results-oriented UI.”
Now, I [...]
Just come out and say it…
From an email I just got…
Peter
Bestica, Inc is helping World’s Number 1 internet brand find some directors in User Experience Design. If you want to contribute and be a part of their success and have experience in the User Experience Design in any of the following products please send me your resume. The products are
Communications, [...]
Podcast I Like: The Word Nerds
Finding good podcasts has been remarkably difficult. The various services (Odeo, Podcast Alley, Loomia) have terrible terrible search and browse mechanisms. But, with my new Nano, I wanted something to accompany the walking part of my commute.
One podcast I’ve gotten to like is The Word Nerds. It’s a weekly program by three high school [...]
Linkblog
- And the angel said unto him, stop hitting yourself!
March 4, 2010 | 8:34 amFunny.
- A new global visual language for the BBC’s digital services
February 22, 2010 | 2:24 pmTruly impressive work, and an impressive post detailing it!
- Talking Heads in Rome 1980
February 21, 2010 | 8:26 pmA series of 11 videos on YouTube of a 1980 concert. Sweet.
- Hot Pockets Ingredients
February 21, 2010 | 8:22 pmUm. An elegant poster of a disgustingly over-ingrediented “food”.
- The Birth of Cheap Communication (and Junk Mail)
February 21, 2010 | 12:07 pmFun, breezy take on the original “Victorian internet” – the British Postal System.
- Roger Ebert: The Essential Man
February 16, 2010 | 8:06 amHe might have no jaw, but Ebert has been as eloquent as ever of late (and quite the liberal activist!)
- Bing Maps Explore is pretty sweet
February 11, 2010 | 6:21 pmSadly, it requires Silverlight, but the functionality is fly. Check out the “Map Apps” (bottom of the screen). The Streetside Photos app draws geotagged photos from Flickr and applies them into the Street View. Pretty awesome.
- Ravens Coach Brian Billick Tackles Super Bowl XLIV : NPR
February 6, 2010 | 10:03 amAs we approach the Super Bowl, I found this interview about what a coach really does surprisingly informative.
- Henrietta Lacks: A Donor’s Immortal Legacy
February 6, 2010 | 10:02 amThis is utterly fascinating. Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cells are the world’s first immortal cells. I had never heard of HeLa cells before this interview with author Rebecca Skloot. Now I want to read the book.
- The Incredible San Fancisco Artists’ Soapbox Derby, 1975
February 4, 2010 | 8:00 am24 minute film about a truly delightful community endeavor. I don’t think SF has this kind of artist mojo any longer, but I’d love to see something like this Oakland, careening down Joaquin Miller Road.
- Paywalls, Blogs, Comments, Editing and Magazines: A Conversation with Paul Ford, Web Editor of Harper’s Magazine | The Awl
February 4, 2010 | 7:37 amIf you’ve followed ftrain for the past 10+ years, you already know that Paul Ford is among the smartest people on the internet. This conversation with The Awl about pay models for publishing and his experience at Harpers is a little precious at times, but worth a read.
- Interview with Bloom County creator Berkeley Breathed
February 2, 2010 | 8:12 amBloom County was among those key influences informing my sense of humor, including Monty Python, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Edward Gorey. This interview looks back to its creation.
- Axe Cop
January 31, 2010 | 9:52 pmSo awesome. And funny. The best comic ever written by a 5-year-old and drawn by his 29-year-old brother. I wanna Avocado Soldier t-shirt.
- Lost Landscapes of San Francisco 3 and 4
January 31, 2010 | 7:28 pmRick Prelinger collects archival, industrial, and found footage of San Francisco, and presents them as clips in front of live audiences. Delightful look at the city’s past.
- Roger Ebert’s best films of the decade
January 31, 2010 | 7:23 pmI’m a little late on linking to this. Historically, I’ve found Ebert to be far too forgiving a critic (he just loves movies too much and gives poor ones a pass), so I was surprised at how close his list is to mine (if I bothered to make one). Synecdoche, Me And You and Everyone We Know, even Juno.
- Taking Directions from Slime Mold
January 25, 2010 | 7:54 pmIf my colleague Kate Rutter were to have a spirit organism, it would be slime mold. Slime mold are bizarre, neither plant nor animal nor fungi, and they’ve become the poster species for self-organizing systems. Anyway, they can also design subway systems. Scroll down to listen to the piece about them.
- Where has all the popcorn gone?
January 24, 2010 | 4:20 pmThe folks on Chowhound have the same question I did the last time I went to the supermarket. Popcorn could become the next artisanal fetish.
- S.F.s Market Street changes as city evolves
January 23, 2010 | 8:07 amCarl Nolte does it again with an exploration of Market Street’s multiple personalities. The stretch between 6th and 9th is among the most depressing urban blights in the US.
- Online Dating: The 4 Big Myths of Profile Pictures
January 21, 2010 | 8:13 pmOKCupid.com is a dating site. OkTrends is where the people behind the site reveal insights discovered through statistical analysis of site behavior. It’s awesome.
- How to be a superstar bartender
January 18, 2010 | 8:39 pmExcellent set of explicit instructions for the basics of mixing drinks (measuring, shaking, stirring, twists, etc.)
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