iPad and Education

In his presentation, Apple’s Phil Schiller heavily criticized the static, text-heavy format of the traditional texbook. Far better to present information dynamically with graphics, supporting illustrations, movies, interactive components and all the rest of it. Sure, why not? But—-consider how many of the most sophisticated computer users consume “content” online, perhaps especially the ones who use iPads. Do they seek out material that looks like this? Do they want multi-modal, multimedia formats? Do they love jazzy Infographics? No. They use Instapaper or some equivalent tool to create reading lists for themselves, and to read those articles in a format that deliberately strips out a lot of the original presentation and replaces it with simple, clean, easy-to-read, blocks of text that look a lot like a well-designed piece of outmoded 1950s technology.

From Crooked Timber.

Tools of todays trade

Speed

Within GE, she says, “our traditional teams are too slow. We’re not innovating fast enough. We need to systematize change.” Comstock connected me with Susan Peters, who oversees GE’s executive-development effort. “The pace of change is pretty amazing,” Peters says. “There’s a need to be less hierarchical and to rely more on teams. This has all increased dramatically in the last couple of years.

From This Is Generation Flux: Meet The Pioneers Of The New (And Chaotic) Frontier Of Business | Fast Company

2012 Resolutions

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables.

If I could live a life free of heartburn, fat and clogged arteries without any extra effort I’d live off of pizza. Alas, I’d like to grow old and a pizza diet is no bueno.

2. Draw, again.

It’s fun flow.

3. Write, more.

There is a blog out there that needs my attention again. Another creative outlet. Same goes for this blog.

4. Learn a computer language.

Something, anything. Python. MySQL. Ruby on rails.

5. Bike to work at least twice a week.

Be kind to cyclists. Oh and even during the Texas summer.

6. Work/life balance

Always.

7. Take more photos

Here.

8. Read Infinite Jest

SEO is science and…

…marketing. Let’s stop calling it art. Whether it’s link building or content creation, it’s marketing. I think the art classification keeps people in the “SEO is magic” camp which does nothing to support its position as a mature and necessary function within a business. Words are important. You know they are, Mr. SEO.

Good Ole Honesty

There’s 1 trillion websites competing against each other. The most honest website of all? Google. Google can’t help you with your problems. If you suspect you might have herpes after a particularly courageous night out on the town, going to Google will not help you (although you may feel a vague feeling of remorse when you see the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button).

Google has no content on it at all. But Google is honest about that. You just walked into their store and said, “Please, help me – do you have anything to prevent a potential outbreak of herpes” and Google will say, quite honestly, “i’m sorry, I can’t help you, but here are ten of my competitors who can potentially help you. And, by the way, here are three more of my competitors who MIGHT be able to help you but, in full disclosure, they are paying me to tell you this.” And then Google shrugs its shoulders. That’s all they can do for you.

But that’s honesty. That’s not branding. So you’ll come back to them…

- from 7 Things Happen to You When You Are Completely Honest

Facebook vs Google Hyperbole

Although Larry Page, Google’s co-founder and its CEO since April, was born just 11 years before Mark Zuckerberg, his counterpart at Facebook, the two belong to different Internet generations with different worldviews. In Page’s web, everything starts with a search. You search for news or for a pair of shoes or to keep up with your favorite celebrity. If you want to learn about a medical condition or decide which television to buy, you search. In that world, Google’s algorithms, honed over more than a decade, respond almost perfectly. But in recent years the web has tilted gradually, and perhaps inexorably, toward Zuckerberg’s world. There, rather than search for a news article, you wait for your friends to tell you what to read. They tell you what movies they enjoyed, what brands they like, and where to eat sushi.

from CNN

I read that much of the article and stopped.

Then scrolled to the bottom of the page to see this graphic:

My response:

• This article is hyperbole (TMZ)
• How about both sites can co-exist peacefully?
• Each site serves its own purpose: Google = search and Facebook = social
• I don’t go to Google to “hang out” – I go to find an answer (quickly…as in 0.18 seconds)
• I go to Facebook to go on a random walk; to peruse pictures; to stalk stewardesses (not really); to find answers not-quickly
• I actively search for answers (Google) and also passively search for answers (Facebook) – they’re not mutually exclusive

US Soccer Milestone

 

This is true.  If I were using Google Analytics right now, I’d add an annotation signifying the importance of this event.  Yeah.

Certainly, the status of Egypt as a soccer-playing nation is right up there,” said Peter Wilt, who, as general manager of the Chicago Fire, hired Bradley to his first professional head-coaching job in 1998. “Yet I think it’s more important to recognize that an America-born coach can have the ability to lead a major country. I think it’s an important step in gaining credibility for American soccer, not just American coaches, not just Bob Bradley, but the entire American soccer community. It’s an important milestone, but it’s one of many in the last decade.

From an article on ESPN.

Passeig del Born

Currently in Barcelona, Spain with my girlfriend enjoying all this great city has to offer.  We ran into a trio on our way back from the beach.  Staying in an apartment in the middle of the Born neighborhood has been phenomenal- nothing like joining the rhythm of a city by hopping into the middle of the flow!

Addressing users directly

I’ve noticed more sites addressing visitors directly with language that likely comes out of their analytics package.  I like what KBB has done with their most recent redesign in asking users questions that help them drill down to what they’d like to accomplish.  Direct, simple, clear. Something similar occurs on the Convio website with the My Organization Needs to.. section.  KBB’s previous design had a lot going on – see Google’s cached version of the site.

Update: Cached version of this page is outdated, but…it did work at one point.  I promise.  And, another thought(s) to add on:

• It’s like they decided to turn their page into one of those chat pop-ups – “Hi. We’re here.  Yes, we’re talking to you.  How can we help?”
• Not only is it useful, but personal