• Tico Turtle in La Fortuna
• The Costa Rican Army (Ants) carrying leaves & whole flowers
• Howler Monkey (butt)
• Pigs
• Holstein Cows
• Jersey Cows
• Quetzal birds
• Yellow Booby birds
• Dogs
• Lots of strange bugs
• Tilapia fish
• Owl
• Costa Rican Air Force (Vultures)

We’re also on the lookout for:

• Sloths
• Capuchin Monkeys
• Squirrel Monkeys
• More Howler Monkeys
• Colorful Frogs

All animals may apply.

No animals have been hurt in the making of this blog post.

It’s a really nice bathroom sign. It really is. But seriously, can we do something about the air dryers in this country?

I appreciate the fact paper towels are a complete and total waste of resources, but the hand dryer situation is…well…out of hand. If those things could blow just 2 or 3 times harder, then they might actually work as intended.

My point is simply that signs on walls are all well and good, but its the design of the experience that determines success of a campaign. A huge proportion of people would indeed use air dryers, if they just did their job as expected.

Who’s with me? And who’s ready to build a new air dryer?

The Story of Stuff video is incredible. So much learning packed in to 20 minutes. You have to see it. Now.

Here’s to all my friends in San Diego coping with the fires. I went to NYTimes.com today and found that Bonita, CA (my friend Jason’s hometown) had made the front page.

We dealt with fires in San Diego four years ago when I was at UCSD, and let me tell you, it is no fun. Smoke and ash everywhere, gray skies…yuck. You feel really cooped up inside with all the windows closed.

Anyway, I hope all you San Diegans are doing alright…let’s hope the damage is minimal.

Current San Diego Area Fire Maps

Josh is officially allergic to the following allergens:

Grasses:

• Rye
• Redtop
• Timothy
• Bahia
• Johnson

Trees:

• Ash
• Birch
• Maple
• Oak
• Walnut
• Cottonwood (Popular in Chicago!)

Cats (Not all, but some)

Weeds:

• L. Quarter
• Ragweed

Thank you, Dr. Rogers, my new allergist for shining a light on the status of my allergies. Let’s hope the new prescription gives the rough Chicago air a run for its money…

Banana = Vision

Love it or hate it, Bruce Nussbaum makes some great points in Are Designers the Enemy of Design? I think I buy most of it.

Is Design a specialist activity? If it’s done well, generally yes. Is that likely to change? For the most part, I don’t think so. Will ‘the everyman’ have the opportunity to design more and more in his lifetime than ever before? Absolutely, so we better start learning how to share Design Strategies.

Also, can Apple move past two major strikes (closed source everything and unsustainable products) and really survive the long haul? I just don’t know anymore.

Anyway, have a read for yourself…

Update: Sorry about the dead links…I think they should be fixed now.

What a brilliant poem. Read it for yourself: StubbornSoft & MammothSoft

…hereby marking a new personal record in coldness. Did I mention that my car’s wheels froze to the axles yesterday evening? Umm…yeah. Lesson learned: Do not get one’s car washed on a below-freezing day.

I was milling about today on my employer’s internal discussion board and stumbled upon this fun little link. TerraPass sells credits to help negate the CO2 released by one’s car, home, and air flights. I’ve been looking for a way to help heal the world for my car and plane usage…what a cool idea.