July 2010
4 posts
“I made up my mind… that I would never try to reform man—that’s much too...”
– R. Buckminster Fuller, 1966—quoted on What is Design with Intent?
The Happiness Project Toolbox →
Interesting stuff. Haven’t read the book, but the website has interesting things on it, and the toolbox looks equally interesting.
“Play the game for more than you can afford to lose…only then will you learn the...”
– Winston Churchill (via theimpossiblecool)
“Q. Can I use the first person?
A. Evidently.”
– Chicago Style Q&A: New Questions and Answers
June 2010
5 posts
Science Fiction: Nokia goes Android | Monday Note →
Jean-Louis Gassée daydreams about Nokia’s future. I think he’s on to something; unfortunately, I also think he’s on to something in the comments, where he points out that Nokia’s strategy, direction, goals, and culture are in the way.
X-Mini speakers →
I’ve heard an X-Mini II in action, and it sounded remarkably good. The price:performance ratio is very good in these things.
JavaScript Blacklist →
Keep an eye on this one. Seems to be triggering a Safari bug at the moment, but well worth installing once he either works around that, or Apple releases a fix.
Freckle Time Tracking →
“Save Time… Earn More.” Not using it at present, but looks nice. Read their manifesto even if you never plan to use their software.
(From the creators of Every Time Zone.)
The HTML5 test - How well does your browser... →
Not sure I like the idea of scoring based on moving targets, but it is interesting to see how my current browsers fare.
1994-2004 Land Rover Discovery Upgrades - Four... →
Good info, and highlights some weak points of Disco 1 vs 2.
May 2010
14 posts
Betalogue—Using styles in word processing: Pages... →
One of many reasons I like Pages better. Stability is the biggest reason so far.
ReclaimPrivacy.org | Facebook Privacy Scanner →
FB is doing and saying some scary shit these days, privacy-wise. I already had my settings at a reasonable level, but this did prompt me to make a couple tweaks.
Two weeks of travel, Ten iPad lessons - SlashGear →
Overall, sounds pretty promising. I think issues 4 (iWork) and 5 (file management) will get worked out with time. My guess is sometime over the summer (iPhone OS 4.0 release or thereabouts).
What Makes a Hand Tool Ergonomic? →
Ever wonder how to choose tools that will minimize strain and damage to you when you use them? This is not a bad start on some metrics. (They don’t mention glove choice, which can seriously change how a tool works, but it’s still a useful intro.)
Gallery hanging systems can solve artwork clutter... →
Track, cables, clips, grippers: all you need. Pretty cheap, actually. Even cheaper in Chicago where every old apartment has picture-rail crown molding.
E-Fail →
Choose project failure mode, then caption, then image, then send for help!
Nine Myths About Socialism in the US →
On a collision course with socialism? Hardly, and that’s too bad.
A Collection of Printable Sketch Templates and... →
As the title says. Good stuff.
The System 364: What to Say… →
Nope, it’s parents everywhere… (Hi, Dad!)
“MS began using [MP3] in 1998. The FSF says “they would have been safe” [using...”
– Ed Bott on the FSF’s campaign for Ogg (my edits for brevity)
Paste in Place →
I am in love! Brought to the world’s attention by The System. (Of course, he was referring to a function in Flash/Photoshop/etc., but I googled it anyway, just in case, and this site came up first, and is fantastic!)
Macworld reviews five iPad bags →
There will be more, but already there are some very nice bags on the market.
April 2010
7 posts
“All that beautification time was well-spent. This is important; I think that, at...”
– ongoing by Tim Bray · LifeSaver Lessons
He’s got a good point, here, and I hope that Android devs continue to improve the fit and finish. Android might be on my next phone, after all. :)
Google Squared →
This shows promise. Dunno if it’s in active development, but it could be useful.
“The extent to which you have a design style is the extent to which you have not...”
– Charles Eames (via bmdesign)
CSSDesk - Dynamic CSS Sandbox →
Alpha right now, and damned cool already.
Time Zones →
“Never warp your brain with time zone math again.”
xkcd: Computer Problems →
Classic.
March 2010
8 posts
“The phrase “engineers build bridges” is just a euphemism. Actually,...”
– Alan Cooper
“Democrats in America were put on earth to do one thing: drag the ignorant...”
– Bill Maher: New Rule: You Can’t Use “There Will Be No Cooperation for the Rest of the Year” as a Threat If There Was No Cooperation in the First Half of the Year
“Q: Is design an expression of art?
A: I would rather say it’s an expression of...”
– Charles Eames (via Bruce Mau Design)
Saturation: an iPhone color app →
“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the...”
– James Branch Cabell, The Silver Stallion, 1926 US essayist & novelist (1879 - 1958)
“Charlie and I believe that a CEO must not delegate risk control. It’s simply too...”
– Warren Buffett, in his letter to shareholders for 2009: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2009ltr.pdf
“Sometimes doing your best is not good enough. Sometimes you must do what is...”
– Winston Churchill
“Tech•nol•o•gy (noun): New stuff that doesn’t work very well or that works in...”
– Donald Norman’s definition, from his new book, Living With Complexity, due out in October 2010.
http://jnd.org/dn.mss/living_with_complexity.html
February 2010
5 posts
DAYTUM →
Have not looked around much, but I have the feeling that it could be useful for something, sometime:
“Daytum helps you collect, categorize, and communicate your everyday data.”
On MicroSD Problems « bunnie's blog →
Fascinating detective work, and a fascinating look into the world of electronics manufacturing.
“You wait for the good moment—the infamous first thought—but nothing happens....”
– Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, True Perception
Another look at ROI vs IRR →
In the same vein as the VC’s look at investment return, Mind Your Decisions has a nice look at ROI vs IRR, and why Internal Rate of Return is the one you actually want to look at.
January 2010
6 posts
Future Shock →
“The Real Work is not formatting the margins, installing the printer driver, uploading the document, finishing the PowerPoint slides, running the software update or reinstalling the OS.
“The Real Work is teaching the child, healing the patient, selling the house, logging the road defects, fixing the car at the roadside, capturing the table’s order, designing the house and...
How To Calculate A Return On Investment →
Investing $400,000 and getting $100,000 a year back does NOT give you a 25% ROI, at least not right off the bat. Here’s why. Duh.
Police Candidate Informational Booklet.pdf →
(For my own reference: doubtful many other folks will find it interesting)
Ketchup →
Web-based method to take meeting notes. Does one thing, and seems to do it well.
“I don’t make the rules…
I just live comfortably beneath them.”
– John Oliver—Terrifying Times
December 2009
9 posts
Vintage Connections: OEM-Style Japanese Wiring... →
This looks like a great resource for when you can’t (or don’t want to) replace a connector with a better one like a weatherpack style. Restoration heaven.