-
The Potential of Bathroom Air Dryers
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,…
-
Hello strange little popup friend
Apparently, my battery is dying. As you can see in the photo, my computer is proudly displaying the fact that my battery is “reaching the end of its usable life.” I’m not sure what that means, but boy would I like to know more. Unfortunately, when I click on that little weird box that does…
-
Civil Twilight and User Observation
You know how it feels when a song just sort of hits you? You’ve liked the band for a while, listen to their music frequently, but then all of a sudden you’re completely struck by a particular song? That happened to me tonight. Perhaps I’m just tired from the holidays, work, and life, but I…
-
Aloha Hulu
I’m giving Hulu a shot. So far it’s pretty sweet. Don’t be mistaken, the success of a service like Hulu is greatly dependent on one thing: the programming. And I don’t mean software programming. It’s all about the shows, baby. When it comes to programming, Hulu’s got a great start. There’s a bunch of shows…
-
American Born Canadian
I think I was born in the wrong country. Perhaps beginning life in Chicago isn’t that far off from somewhere like Toronto or Winnipeg. It’s cold here, and people do have a funny accent. 😛 What I’m getting at is that at the age of 25 I randomly find myself addicted to Canadian Media. In…
-
Buying New Technology: Blackberry Pearl Edition
I’ve long held the opinion that it’s important to think long and hard before upgrading to new technologies. Often a single technology purchase causes a daisy-chain of purchases, as illustrated below: Nintendo Wii > Big, giant, flat TV > Cable > Premium Channels (Total upgrade cost = $250 + $1,000 + $60/mo + $10/mo =…
-
The first touch
…I dial the phone… Receptionist: Hi, Dentist’s office. Josh: Hi, I was wondering if it would be possible to make an appointment for next week. R: Sure, let me look at the schedule…yep, it looks like we have some open spots. How will you be paying? J: Um, I have insurance…Allied, I think. R: Is…
-
Seeing fewer choices
Alternatively titled: On Covering Your Ass Check out that picture on the right. That’s from my credit card’s website. My favorite part is the red link on the bottom that proclaims, “See fewer choices.” You know what that option is? That’s a designer or usability person saying to the team, “Hello team, we have heard…
-
Yahoo is sleeeeeping
I hate to be a complainer, but Yahoo Messenger just keeps going to sleep on me. I don’t understand. Google Talk sometimes doesn’t let me connect, but once it does it doesn’t just go and die all the time. I understand that I’m the one with the finicky internet connection, but Yahoo could make this…
-
Our deepest fear
Time for a quote: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are…