What God really said to Adam & Eve

Brilliant :)

Countdown to me unleashing hell on New York... again

HCI quote of the day

That means "Human Computer Interaction" tech-noobs :)

"The prevailing computer-human interaction (CHI) model of interface design has been partly responsible for the current state of the desktop computer. The breakthrough on which the field emerged was the admission of psychological principles. The resulting graphical user interface has been the focus of the field of computer-human interaction for nearly 20 years. This interface is a virtual control panel whose design has remained quite technology-centered."

-- Malcolm McCullough, Digital Ground, 2004

Couldn't agree more. Was discussing last night how Microsoft Windows is based on real-world principles of filing systems (files, folders, the desktop itself). But - considering the quotation above - that's where it ends.

Thanks interaction-design.org

Web 2.0 venture deals on the rise

Can you say "return of the dot bomb"?

I was made redundant from 3 jobs in a row between 2000 and 2003, so I'm naturally nervous about this. Venture capitalists jumped on the web in the 90s as it promised new and exciting things. Which it delivered. But few of them make real money. I really, really, really, really (really) hope that VCs aren't being led stupidly down an amazingly similar garden path, next door to the one they went down not 10 years ago. Web 2.0, social networks, mash-ups, open source, yadda-yadda does not = money. In fact, at the moment, it's even harder to make money out of things like social networks.

Whereas in the 90s era (web 1.0), web was storefront; people expected to see "product X - you'll love it - it's £19.99" I do not believe for a second that web 2.0 offers the same prospects. If you consider networks such as Facebook and MySpace et al as social arenas, then think of them as groups of people at a party. The conversation ebbs and flows as they move from topic to topic, interweaving inside jokes and winks. Then you come along with a fuck off great big placard, wriggle your way in yelling "buy our shampoo - it's only £19.99". Seem weird? Well, that's exactly how it feels to me when I see people trying to do it in these arenas.



Dooooom!!!!!



End of the woooooooooorld!!!!!

Thanks TechCrunch

Proposal on Twitter

So, after my previous post musing on the sociological need that Twitter might be fulfilling, there now seems to have been a mariage proposal via the site.

Crappy way to do it in my opinion, but you can't deny the numerous ways that even young, budding digital systems/networks are hijacking centuries old traditions. Then again, plenty of people in the (80's?) wrote proposals in the sky using aeroplanes & smoke so maybe I'm not seeing the bigger picture. Maybe it's just more expansive ways of doing the same thing.

Thanks Mashable

Pseudo-psychobabble

I saw Twitter described as a "presence app" today; a pretty good description in my view. I've been struggling to pigeon-hole this phenomenon for a while now, performing the classic 'I don't do it so I don't get it' ritual so many people (that I rip the piss out of) are fond of. Damn.

And yet, there's more to it than that. I think what baffles me is the sociological/psychological need that things such as Twitter fulfil. Ego? Unlikely - it's not very narcissistic either, describing one's life in single sentences. So maybe "presence app" is a good description because that's what it gives people. Presence. A tangible realisation that they exist, that the mundane aspects of their lives they hate to do actually, at least, mean they exist.

Chuck Norris action jeans

Gonna get me a pair of these bad boys and get some karate action going. Hiyaa. Etc.