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July 26, 2006


phishfood
Posted in :: Apropos of Nothing ::

Some phishing is more charming than others
"At the last reviewing at your amazon account we discovered that your information is inaccurate. We apologize for this but because most frauds are possible because we don't have enough information about our clients, we require this verification. Please login and reenter your personal information."

I try not to open scammail, but I can't say I regret reading this one.

Posted at 07:10 PM, July 26, 2006
permalink | 0 Comments


July 12, 2006


Equality is like gravity
Posted in :: Personal ::

... we need it to stand on this earth.

A friend wrote to me recently, asking if I wanted to do a panel at SXSW. She said, I was going to do it on good interfaces for participatory media, but if you want to join, maybe women and entrepreneurship? I replied that I'd rather not do a panel on women and anything.

I'm going to Blogher because it looks like it has a great lineup. But I dislike the proposition.

The percentage of men and woman online is roughly equal. But, like so many parts of our lives, power tends to lie with the less-fair sex. And so we respond: I'm gonna take my ball and bat and play with someone nice. I remember very well working hard on the first SFWow's Top 25 Women on the Web site, and dreaming maybe someday I might be among them. It was inspirational and it made me determined to not let anyone stand in my way of growing into the person I wanted to be.

But now events that run on "separate but equal" no long have the same appeal. Before, they felt like they showcased women who were just as capable. Now they feel to me as if it's noise about something I just want to be over, and it must not be over since we're still throwing the damn things.

So I said to my friend, let's not. What if we have a panel with four women and not have it be one on "women and..." but just be on a web topic. Perhaps that will make a stronger statement.

Or better yet, perhaps no one will even notice.

Posted at 04:12 PM, July 12, 2006
permalink | 2 Comments


July 11, 2006


Notes from Baychi
Posted in :: Community :: Design ::

Christopher Allen rocked the house tonight with many vital insights on group size. But don't beleive me, do MORE...

Posted at 09:44 PM, July 11, 2006
permalink | 1 Comments


email from my father
Posted in :: Usability ::

I don't know why, but my dad does love stupid interfaces. Perhaps it is the human in the machine, revealing itself...

In Lotus Notes email, if you have an email message open and click on the "delete" button, you get this error message: "Cannot remove NotesDocument [sic] when instantiated [sic] by NotesUIDocument [sic]." I just LOVE that one! It really reads like parody. (And doesn't explain why there IS a delete button if it won't work in that view.) I suppose it shows I have a geek sense of humor, but I find it very funny.
Posted at 03:22 PM, July 11, 2006
permalink | 3 Comments


Beautiful; mind changing
Posted in :: Information Design ::

When several smart people email you and say "watch this" you watch that: Hans Rosling on TED Talks

Two reasons: meta and content. The content is facinating, changing the way you see the world. For folks in our "biz" the medium is equally facinating; a compelling visualization of breaking down generalizations.

Posted at 07:23 AM, July 11, 2006
permalink | 0 Comments


July 07, 2006


friday's got nothing to do with nothing
Posted in :: Apropos of Nothing ::

Q: How many Bush administration officials does it take to change a light bulb?

A: None. There is nothing wrong with the light bulb; its conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are a delusional spin from the liberal media. There is no shortage of filament. That light bulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?

thanks Alyssa!

Posted at 10:02 AM, July 07, 2006
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July 06, 2006


Elements of <insert style here>
Posted in :: Books ::

In honor of this week's essay in B&A on Strunk and White, I offer up this proof of influence:







And take it from me, there are Elements of Style for spreadsheets, chemistry, calculation, Fortran and preaching...

Posted at 05:49 PM, July 06, 2006
permalink | 1 Comments


July 04, 2006


Now this looks fun!
Posted in :: Information Architecture ::

July 01, 2006


write real good
Posted in :: Writing ::

I've been writng and editing a bit lately, and I have recalled three key concepts from my book days. I share them here with you, in case you find them useful:


  1. WAYTS
    What Are You Trying to Say? What is the core concept you want people to take away with them after reading this article
  2. Brevity, clarity and concreteness.
    Can you use fewer works, shorter sentences, less jargon, more examples?
  3. So what?
    Every time you finish a paragraph, reread it and ask, so what? If there is no answer, you aren't done.

    Posted at 09:21 AM, July 01, 2006
    permalink | 0 Comments

 

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