Slow news day. As we are all still reeling in the east coast from Hurricane Sandy, and seeing the devastating aftermath, there is no logical reason at all to get worked up over an announcement of yet another corporate acquisition.…
Month: October 2012
Movies, Neglected Cinema
Halloween III: Season of the Witch was the night HE (didn’t) come home…
“Happy Happy Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! SILVER SHAMROCK!” If when reading the above you heard the accompanying music in your head, my apologizes. Planting that particular “earworm” was a test, to identify fellow travelers. Yes, if you heard John Carpenter and…
UX 101, UX Articles
Lessons in UX: Embrace criticism
I’ve had my fair share of uncomfortable situations in design meetings, moments where the person presenting their work took any criticism of what they were showing as a personal assault, an attack on who they were and what they had…
Geek, Movies
Bond at 50: A critical reappraisal of Goldfinger
I love Goldfinger. Not the character Auric Goldfinger, Goldfinger, the movie. It is, by popular decree, the Best. Bond. Ever. It features the Most Famous Car in the World (the Aston Martin DB 5) Sean Connery at his hairy testosterone-filled…
Geek, Trek
More of me to love, now at TrekMovie.com and This Week in Star Trek!
Just a quick note to let the regular readers of ye’ ol’ blog know that I am now a regular contributor to TrekMovie.com. I’ve been a “friend” of that site for a couple of years now and so when one…
Family
Savor.
I’ve decided my new favorite word is “savor.” It’s something that I need to do more often, and that a huge chunk of people barely do at all. I know my dad didn’t. It will soon be two years since…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
In the Mouth of Madness is Lovecraft, John Carpenter style
John Carpenter has read the works of H.P. Lovecraft. That point is abundantly clear when you watch his loving homage to the works of Lovecraft, In the Mouth of Madness. Starring Sam Neill as a private investigator, the movie opens…
Technology, UX Articles
Kickstarter rocks! (even though my project wasn’t funded)
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will have noticed that about a month ago I started a Kickstarter project to help pay for some of the costs associated with writing my planned book on user experience…
UX Articles
Lessons in UX: Create rituals, not designs
I was privileged to be able to speak at WebVisions Chicago last month, and had a great time talking to a packed audience about future interaction models (And I didn’t embarrass myself, so that was a good thing). I was…
Family, Technology
Lessons in efficiency: Schedule it, then do it
I’m big into the “personal productivity” stuff – not because I try to fill my days with “busy work” just to check things off lists, but because being more productive and efficient lets me get more done in less time,…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
The Ninth Configuration is a movie well worth seeking out
Wiilliam Peter Blatty is best known for writing The Exorcist, one of my personal favorite films… and one I was tempted to pull from the shelf and rewatch this weekend. It is October, after all… the time you get ready…
Family
Success is not a zero-sum game
I lost a friend recently… no, they didn’t pass away; they just (very subtly) decided to no longer be my friend. They did this by “unfollowing” me on Twitter and ceasing all other communications with me. I reached out to…
Uncategorized
Twitter Updates for 2012-10-11
Good morning! # Trying to book my room for #dragoncon 2013. And, so, apparently, is everyone else. # The #dragoncon #passkey page for the Marriott is lighting fast! In the alternate reality where they were prepared for the huge traffic!…
Uncategorized
Twitter Updates for 2012-10-10
If you call yourself a writer, guess what you need to do every day? WRITE. Otherwise, you're a poseur. See also: self-described "actors." # Good morning! # NBC Delays #Community Return http://t.co/NqfCjUu1 # #Community ??s New Bosses Reveal Their Game…
Uncategorized
Twitter Updates for 2012-10-09
Good morning! # My latest contribution to TrekMovie is up: http://t.co/kGC3cPpS # Your favorite Original #StarTrek episode is now a fancy T-shirt http://t.co/Zcf1PpdH # Paramount to develop Theme Park near London, featuring #StarTrek #Transformers & Mission: Impossible rides http://t.co/bkefWNX2 #…
My Quora answers, Technology
Why do so few tech companies make integrated products?
The primary answer is simple: the companies who make these products have different divisions, with different management and (more often than not) different priorities. These divisions simply do not talk to each other, and when they do it is usually…