I found Lessons from the London Undeground in my inbox this a.m. and read it with some doubt: yet another metaphor for IA? When do IA's find time to do IA when they apparently spend so much of it explaining what it is.

Then I was sucked in. And utterly charmed and intrigued by the metaphor of the London Underground for the web.

If you've ever emerged from the underground (or the metro, or the subway) dazed and perplexed and disoriented, you know what I mean when I say that is much like coming up from a long stint of surfing to stagger to the kitchen for a soda (and accidently walk into the closet. or maybe that's just me). We learn a new set of navigation rules to the point of almost unlearning our native ones.

It's a whole different world underground, with all our usual wayfinding devices (sky, wind, square walls, windows) removed; to be replaced only by signs. Signs get to be very important.

It's an apt and intriguing metaphor, complete with solutions we have hardly begun to tap into.

Thought-provoking article. Check it out.

Finally got around to finishing Sorting Things Out (thanks Caltrain!) and I have mixed feelings. It is desperately boring for long stretches. And then it is seat-fixing in others. The chapter on apartheid alone deserves a double latte in borders to accompany a long peaceful read. The chapter on tuberculosis requires a double latte also-- to stay awake to read it. But overall I highly recommend it to anyone who classifies for a living. We easily forget that every act of sorting also reflects a value system that is then codified in our designs and propagated. It's a lot of responsibility.

See sample chapters

so you don't have to. Thank goodness Samantha Baily has the smart answers.

Boxes and Arrows: Unraveling the mysteries of metadata and taxonomies

Elan contemplates sleep, and how it effects not only our ability to work, but also our ability to act human (and humane).

Maybe we can start a pro-sleep movement.