I like some of Don Norman‘s (now slightly older) theses about complexity and emotion in design. In an online essay entitled Emotional Design: People and Things he writes, Products differ in their appeal on the three design dimensions, but … [read more]
Sometimes, the prevailing discourse on the Internet makes one want to despair. Blog post after blog post of the same drivel. It often feels as though the ‘blogosphere’ is a little like The Island, a 2005 movie where Ewan McGregor … [read more]
Richard Sennett is a sociologist at New York University and the London School of Economics. In the January/February 2010 issue of Utne Reader, an interview with him is reprinted from American Craft. I found these passages particularly resonant: The most … [read more]
It’s been more than a month since I last blogged here. I took some well-deserved time off during December. Since last time, I’ve bought an Apple iPhone (more hipster stuff) and Google launched its Nexus One phone. Coincidentally, both happened … [read more]
A review of Madagascar Slim’s Good Life Good Living (2009) Sometime in September or October 2009, I woke up – as I always do – to the sounds of CBC Radio 1. I’m not always sure why I listen to … [read more]
A review of The Neville Brothers’ Yellow Moon Sometime in the late 80s or early 90s, I became interested in Daniel Lanois‘ music. Here was an enigmatic producer who had worked with Brian Eno, U2, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Jon … [read more]
A review of Diane Birch’s Bible Belt It almost didn’t happen, my finding out about Diane Birch. My friend and coworker P. and I decided to visit our local Sunrise Records yesterday, on our way back from lunch. You know, … [read more]
Robert Clayton Miller has done an excellent thing: he’s re-imagined the personal computer GUI and associated input devices in a practical, achievable, realistic way. It’s no small achievement, this: we’ve essentially been using the same lineage of human-computer interface metaphors … [read more]