I recently watched the pilot of Aaron Sorkin’s 2012 behind-the-scenes cable news program The Newsroom. As pilots go, it ranks among the best I’ve seen. (Granted, it’s a Sorkin drama, so there may be a bit of bias there.) Regardless, the show opens with one of the most hit-you-in-the-face rants I’ve ever seen on television:

But the takeaway for me was not the “America isn’t the greatest country in the world” thing. It was about intelligence, and its denigration. If you missed it, the line I’m referring to is:

"We aspired to intelligence. We didn't belittle it. It didn't make us feel inferior."

It goes farther down, though. It goes to everyday life. I see it in my daughter’s relationship with school and her school work. She would belittle her responsibilities and/or her intelligence about a particular subject because she thought she wasn’t supposed to be smart. She wanted to “fit in”, and she believed that fitting in was to be less intelligent and less caring.

She cares about her grades and getting her assignments finished and turned in. Yet, she jokes with her friends “I didn’t feel like doing that thing, I didn’t care”. She absolutely cares. And when the friends go home, and the social pressures go away, she toils in her room to get everything done.

AND THAT’S OKAY. It’s actually better than okay. It’s good. It’s called being responsible.

I would routinely hear her talk amongst her friends and describe herself as not understanding something in class and laughing it off as if it were no big deal, when she absolutely understood it. She knew the subject matter, but didn’t want to show it because she thought it would make her look “uncool” or “nerdy”.

And that makes me sad and angry and confused all at the same time. Why does one person’s intelligence make others feel inferior? Because that’s what this boils down to. The reaction of the “other” is to belittle. And it works. It’s powerful and it works. My daughter is lucky in that she has parents like Jayme and I to fight that viewpoint. But others may not be as lucky. Kids are especially vulnerable to this. They may not have that support system in their lives.

Encourage your kids. Encourage your friends. Encourage your co-workers. Encourage your fellow man, for goodness sake. Intelligence is a virtue. Treat it as such.

I read Ethan Marcotte’s article about Google’s recently announced service / product called Duplex. In it, he lays out the following argument:

Frankly, this technology was designed to deceive humans. That’s not a value judgment, mind: the aim of the product is to act as human-sounding as possible. What’s more, the demos above are impressive because Duplex specifically withholds the fact that it’s not human. The net effect is, for better and for worse, a form of deception. Duplex was elegantly, intentionally designed to deceive. (And given that reality’s on shaky ground as it is, I don’t think this is the most responsible goal.)

I’m of two completely separate minds on this. One the one hand, I completely agree with the doubters thinking. Let’s not mince words here, Google, given its history, stands to be viewed upon with a hefty bit of skepticism when it comes to doing what’s “right”. But let’s say that’s not it. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say Google has every good intention in this particular space. What about others? What about the malicious folk out there? What about the people who are out there to scheme and cheat and rip people off? Isn’t Google giving them, right out of the gate, a tool to aid in their shenanigans?

This ultimately comes back to the old adage of “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”. I don’t know that we’ve held technology to that standard enough recently. A perfect example of this is the creation and, more importantly, the use of self-driving cars when the tech is not absolutely rock-solid.

Having said all of that, I was reading a tweet last night from someone whose name I have known for a while, but didn’t know a particular fact about. This gentleman stutters. Like me. He viewed this in a completely different light. His idea was that the Duplex “product” could be used in a very nice and productive way by people who have speech disabilities. Like he and I do. It was eye-opening. I think I even re-tweeted it with “Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, etc.”

Because I can completely see his point. I HATE talking on the phone. It makes me anxious, nervous, and scared. I get over it, and conquer it, but it’s an every-single-situation kind of thing. What if I didn’t have to do that but 40% of the time I do it now? That would help me. Would I like to be 60% less anxious? You’re damn right I would be.

The well-being of global society is still winning in my head, and I will go on record as thinking this might not be the best thing. But it’s not as much of a slam dunk as I would have originally thought.

Educated

Earlier this week, someone left a comment on an article I’d written to shame me over a word they considered “not a word”. A few years ago this would have stung and left me feeling like an imposter. At age 42 I have very few fucks left to give about such pedantry.

Formal education gives you words and technical understanding, it helps you interact with other people on a level where you can all assume you have the same starting point. It isn’t everything, and perhaps my hard-won knowledge, learned from trying and failing and figuring things out alone is my greatest strength.

While I am a firm believer in higher education, and have spent a tremendous amount of time teaching and guiding my kids toward a successful future in college, I love the “fuck you” attitude from Rachel here. It’s unapologetically defiant. And coming from an unbelievably intelligent person that is shaping the world of web design as we speak, I applaud her so much.

Bravo, Rachel. Bravo.

How the ACA changed American incomes

The bottom line: At least as far as this analysis goes, the ACA helped more people than it hurt. Whether you want to call it “redistributing wealth” or "reducing income inequality," the ACA achieved it. Or, in CBO’s words, the law "made household income more evenly distributed."

But “reducing income inequality” is bad, right? Right?

On Episode 278 of “Roderick on the Line”, Merlin (Mann) encapsulates exactly something that a friend of mine said about 2 years ago, well ahead of the 2016 election. Merlin said:

There's so much reckoning going on about strangers. There's so much reckoning going on about millions of people who are disadvantaged culturally in a way that so many of that 32%-36% are not. And yet they have found some way to find agrievement in every cultural improvement in the last 50 years, Every time somebody who's not them gets something, it's a zero sum game. Everything that somebody who has always been treated like shit for their entire life gets is necessarily one less thing that they get, in their mind.

I can’t tell you how right he is, how right my friend was back then, and how wrong I was to write it off as something of an ignorant opinion. On a car trip to/from Seattle, we were having a discussion on the phenomenon that was candidate Trump at the time. Speaking for myself, I just didn’t understand how he was still in the race, much less leading it. During the course of that discussion, it was pointed out that there was a certain group of people that felt disenfranchised because of the cultural changes that had been happening (especially in the past 7 years of the Obama presidency). And that this group of people felt left behind, or left out, of the benefits that were now coming to the historically disenfranchised. And that was pissing them off. So much so, that they would absolutely invite into their house this loud-mouth, boastful, pussy-grabbing-and-proud-of-it shitbag for a possible president.

At the time, I thought that was ridiculous. I thought that people would surely be smart enough, informed enough, to see him for what he was. And the danger he imposed to a civilized notion of government, norms, and order. I believed in the basis of a morality, and believed that these people would ultimately end up siding on the basis of that morality and not on the idea of “anything but (her/establishment)”.

I have to say that I didn’t believe my friend then. Didn’t want to believe that narrative. But I believe it now. And I realize that, even now, I still have some thinking outside the box to do.

Programmers who only code at work

What's your opinion on programmers who are not passionate about programming, have no side projects and only program at their jobs. Not senior devs either, just programmers, who are not juniors anymore. Can they ever improve, write better code? Or do they stagnate. Asking because my coworker said he doesn't enjoy programming at home.

I have to say something. This mentality drives me crazy. Even the question is so galling that it infuriates me. As if you MUST leave work and go straight home and continue to code so you can be viewed as a worthy developer. It’s ridiculous and wrong-headed.

You’re reading the blog of someone who is passionate about programming. I have been passionate about programming since I wrote my first C program in college. My 12-year anniversary at work was this past week. And guess what? I’ve never gone home to code “for fun”. Why? Because I have a life outside of my work, and I enjoy it. My kids are 11 and 13 now. I’ve watched them grow up, and am very proud of the fact that I have been present in their lives from day one.

I am a worthy father the same way that I am a worthy developer. One does not preclude the other.

I don’t understand this way of thinking. And I don’t understand why this idea would be so prevalent in the software development industry. I’ve heard stories of hiring procedures that depend on candidates having side projects on GitHb or BitBucket. Why is that a requirement? Because it shows you will bust your ass at work and bust it even more at home to prove…what exactly? That you are “committed”? That you’ll do whatever it takes? That you’ll sacrifice everything to “prove” yourself?

Yeah, no thanks.

All I’ve ever wanted to do in my career is matter. I want my work to matter. And it does. It fulfills me. And it’s enough for me.

The good news is there are voices starting to push back on this idea. I ran across this tweet this past weekend:

And a responder to the linked article above said the following:

Having said that, no-one's trying to stifle anyones passion here. If you love to code, do it at every opportunity you get. But be careful when passing judgement on the skill, growth and development of folks who don't share that same level of passion.

When it comes to my personal life, and the personal lives of my employees, work is work. And your time is your time. Enjoy both.

#youdoyou

A Series of Questions for Those That Advocate Arming Teachers In Order to Prevent Innocent Children from Being Slaughtered

• Where does the money come from to train these teachers?
• How much training is required?
• Who is doing the training?

This is such a detail-oriented list of questions for these political fuckwads that are proposing this lunacy. It’s so pedantic that I would have thought I wrote it. So many kudos, Casey. So many.

River (with Ed Sheeran) Performed by: Eminem Written by: Marshall Mathers / Edward Christopher Sheeran / Emile Haynie

I can't keep my lies straight, what I made you Terminate my baby This love triangle, left us in a rectangle What else can I say? It was fun for a while That I really woulda' loved your smile Didn't really want to abort But fuck it, what's one more lie to tell an unborn child?

I mean…wow

The search for Jackie Wallace by Ted Jackson

Only a half-mile more and it would all be over. One hundred and 50 feet below, the powerful currents of the Mississippi River would swallow his soul and his wretched life. He dodged another car. But why did it matter? Getting hit by a car would serve his purposes just as well as jumping.

Read this. It is a roller coaster ride of hope and sorrow, redemption and desperation. This is what happens in a society of living in (and caring about) only the now. We so often forget what happens after the spotlight is turned off.

(PDF) The search for Jackie Wallace - NOLA.com

Flight Performed by: Lifehouse Written by: Jason Wade

It’s no secret that music means a great deal to me. It’s soothing when nothing else will soothe me. On the flip slide, it can also tear at me like nothing else can. When I come across “new” music, I usually grab hold of it and just let it wash over me by playing it again and again and again. The band Lifehouse is particularly special to me. They encompass almost the entirety of my relationship with Jayme. One of their earliest songs “Everything” is our wedding song. (Granted, a very long wedding song.)

So when I came across this song while listening to a varied mix of Lifehouse, I realized it was new to me. It was on an album from several years ago that I will admit I hadn’t listed to a lot. But I was in a particularly Lifehouse kind of mood, and I let them all play. The song that caught my ear was called “Flight”.

It is a gorgeous song. A heart-wrenching song. One that is filled with so much emotion. And what I love about it is that you can hear it in the way Jason (Wade) sings it. The music swells. It builds. The feeling is building to something. Building to a resolution. Building to freedom.

These lyrics just slay me:

No more running, no more hiding No more hurting, no more crying No more trouble, no more sighing No more falling, no more striving No more heartache, no more fighting No more fears, only flying

Listen to Jason sing them. If that doesn’t engender resolve and purpose in your own soul, I’m not sure what will.

Do yourself a favor, listen in the video below:

youtu.be/polHMqkLJ…

Apple CEO Tim Cook Learned to Code in College

In October of 2017, Cook shared additional details on his coding experience in an interview with The Sun. Back when he was attending Auburn University, Cook built a system to improve the traffic lights near the university. He aimed to optimize traffic to reduce wait times while maintaining the safety of the lights. His work was a success and it was implemented by the local police force.

So there’s one way Tim Cook and I are alike. I, too, took my first programming course at Auburn University. Granted, mine was almost 20 yers later in the fall of 1998. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my career. I happened to register for a C class and realized I had a knack for it. Even better than that, I really enjoyed it. That class led to a second class, which led to a co-op opportunity with Georgia Tech Research Institute, which led to a transfer to Georgia Tech, which led to my first job at GTRI, which led to my current job of 12 years at Romanoff.

You could say that that one programming class at Auburn almost 20 years has led to who I am today.

I may not have programmed traffic lights, or (you know) have been promoted to CEO of the most profitable company in the world, but it’s paid off for me pretty well.

Why this Houston Astros player has an inspiring mission beyond baseball

"I totally embrace my stutter — it makes me who I am," Springer said in a statement when he first took on the role with SAY.

“Some people have blue eyes, some have blonde hair, and some people stutter. I’ve never let it hold me back and with SAY, I want to help kids who stutter build the confidence they need to pursue their own dreams,” he said.

Bravo, Mr. Springer. Bravo.

I'm not negotiating a common reality with someone who can hear the words "President Trump" and not experience an oxymoron. Who can look at the Flynn situation and say the problem is the media leaked this. I'm done negotiating that common reality. I don't care if I'm above or below the person I'm not negotiating with anymore. In my estimation, that person is an enemy of the American Republic. I am no longer in dialogue with them.

FINALLY, someone is starting to say this out loud. Some of us have been saying this for months and months. (If you click on the picture above, you can listen to the entire rant. I do encourage you to do so.)

It’s time to stop fucking accepting that all of this is normal. This is not normal. This doesn’t happen with every president. This doesn’t happen with every administration. Stop fucking saying it is. It’s not.

And if you say it is, you are lying. As Stephen addresses in the quote above, I’m done even approaching a common, intellectual conversation with you. Because your reality is a purely fictional one.

It’s that simple.

Our Articles on the Attacks Trump Says the Media Didn’t Cover

• New York Times

The White House has issued a list of 78 terrorist attacks, saying most were underreported. The Trump administration, under fire for immigration restrictions and other policies it says are designed to curb terrorism, has portrayed the news media and other institutions as playing down the threat.

But the list, which was released on Monday night and details episodes from September 2014 to December 2016, includes dozens of attacks that were covered heavily in the news media, including by The New York Times.

These are obviously alternative facts…

Work/Life Balance is bullshit

But work and life are not separate. They are the same, there is only one thing, it’s called LIFE. Work is part of my life, it’s not competing against it.

Causes Of Stuttering 2017: Speech Disorder May Be Triggered By Reduced Blood Flow In Brain Region Linked To Language, Scientists Find

Nervousness and anxiety can get the best of us when we're talking on the phone or speaking in front of a crowd. Words start to come out in fragments as we falter, halt, and hesitate to repeat ourselves to sound more clear. This may be triggered by a bad case of the nerves for some of us, but for over 3 million Americans in the United States, stuttering interferes with daily life.

It’s an everyday struggle, even without the nervousness and anxiety…

The American President (1995)

Tomorrow morning the White House is sending a bill to Congress for it's consideration. It's White House Resolution 455, an energy bill requiring a twenty percent reduction of the emission of fossil fuels over the next ten years. It is by far the most aggressive stride ever taken in the fight to reverse the effects of global warming. The other piece of legislation is the crime bill. As of today, it no longer exists. I'm throwing it out. I'm throwing it out and writing a law that makes sense. You cannot address crime prevention without getting rid of assault weapons and hand guns. I consider them a threat to national security, and I will go door to door if I have to, but I'm gonna convince Americans that I'm right, and I'm gonna get the guns.

I can’t even imagine a president being able to say something like this now. This movie was released in 1995, made in 1994, and probably written years earlier. Our country has (fundamentally) changed. We don’t believe in common sense anymore. We don’t even believe in facts anymore. Everything is so unbelievably partisan.

The last scene in the movie shows President Shepherd walking into the House of Representatives chamber prepared to deliver the State of the Union. I can’t imagine Donald Trump walking into that chamber. I can’t imagine him standing in front of Congress, and giving us (the American people) an update on the state of our country. Not from someone who views his presidency as a gameshow.

We (collectively) are lost.

‘We’re the Only Plane in the Sky’ by Garrett M. Graff September 09, 2016

A wonderful recounting of one of the worst days in our nation’s history, told from a variety of perspectives. A true must-read…

A few thoughts I had while reading:

• This is President George W. Bush's chief of staff Andy Card:

  "I really think President Bush—I know President Bush took office on January 20, 2001—but the responsibility of being president became a reality when I whispered in his ear. I honestly believe as he contemplated what I said, I took an oath. Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. It’s not cutting taxes, it’s not No Child Left Behind, it’s not immigration, it’s the oath. When you pick a president, you want to pick a president who can handle the unexpected. This was the unexpected. That’s what the president was wrestling with that day. He recognized the cold reality of his responsibilities."

  I can't imagine Trump being a serious person. Not in the way that is needed to be the president. I just cannot. Believe me, my views of W. are easily noted as not being favorable, but I can absolutely see him as a serious man. I will miss that come late January. I am truly fearful of this.
• As someone who loves (and prefers) wearing jeans, I do love this rule that Bush had for the White House:

  "Karen Hughes, communications director, White House: September 10th was my anniversary, so I had stayed back in Washington. I was scheduled to do a Habitat for Humanity event with [Secretary of Housing and Urban Development] Mel Martinez that required us to wear blue jeans. President Bush didn’t allow blue jeans in the West Wing, so I’d just planned to spend the morning at home."

• This is presidential:

  "[In 2011], the very first telephone call that President [Barack] Obama made after we were sure we’d killed Osama bin Laden was to President [George W.] Bush. President Obama knew that I’d been with him on 9/11, and so he asked me to fly down to Dallas after the raid to brief President Bush personally. I went down about two weeks later and walked President Bush through every aspect of the raid. I thought I could see in his face some sense of closure."

Why We Need to Listen to Racists: How To Do Politics Without Preaching

There are kernels of truth in this article. I certainly see that. I believe we should absolutely listen to the “other side” in whatever we are discussing, from whichever side. It’s the basis of coming to a mutual understanding, and ultimately, compromise.

But… I’ll let one of my favorite Twitter-ers sum it up for me (from a series of tweets):

This is called trying and failing. I get that the author is encouraging us to be open and magnanimous in this time, but some positions (IMO) are binary: racism is one. I simply do not understand why I (or anyone) needs to recalibrate my politics to acknowledge racists. Fuck all that.

Part of what’s so bothersome with these conciliatory POVs is that the views the other side literally debase the HUMANITY of others, disavow that their ability, intelligence, morals, character simply by virtue of skin color. Without that basic acknowledgement, no dialog is possible.

Woman Sues After Police Destroy Her Home During 10-Hour Standoff With The Family Dog

So, when given a key and consent from the occupant, officers instead chose to grab an armored vehicle and go through several windows and the attic. Even if they believed the suspect might be dangerous, there has to be some middle ground between full-scale assault and simply unlocking the door and stepping inside.

This happened back in 2014 but there’s been no coverage of the Caldwell cops' 10-hour, one-dog standoff until now. Thomas Johnson of Fault Lines suggests that might have something to do with the local paper of record.

Teenage girl struck and killed in SE Portland: driver arrested

Witnesses say one car stopped to let the girl cross and then the gold Lexus went around the car that was yielding to the teenager.

“A lot of people will stop and let people go but other people won’t notice that’s what they’re doing,” Dunagan said. 

The girl was pronounced dead at the scene.

Judge’s order: Elliot Williams' jail cell became ‘burial cell’

The jail’s medical staff began to wonder if Williams might actually be paralyzed from a broken neck, as he claimed. But those in charge did nothing to find out whether his claims were true.

Instead, they watched him slowly dying on a video camera.

Apple doesn’t understand photography

Apart from that Apple still thinks we use photography as we did it 30 years ago: we go on a trip, take a bunch of photo’s then struggle with how to show our friends these photos when we get back from our trip.

Well, I’ve got news for you Apple; that’s maybe 1% of photography, and not really an issue most of us deal with.

What is the problem that needs fixing? It is that photography is changing. I showed my girlfriend some tiny text on the back of a credit card. Without hesitating she pulled out her camera, took a photo, and then zoomed in on the photo to read the text.

I can’t say that I disagree with van Santen on this point. All of my pictures are not of trips or specific people alone. If you look at my Camera Roll, you will certainly see a collection of photos I’ve taken of my kids, my family, and my friends. But you will also find pictures of work whiteboards, screenshots of clever tweets from Twitter, UI example screenshots, pictures of receipts, and so on, and so on.

[caption id=“attachment_1769” align=“alignnone” width=“576”] Not just photos…[/caption]

I love the idea of classification at the image level. Apple does it with selfies (a recent addition), but that’s a bit of a cheat because it’s based on the camera being used. I’m interested to see how (or if) their new AI processing can help auto-classify some of these pictures (think receipts for a start).

I was bicycling along the canals with my teenage daughter when she spotted a ‘missing cat’ poster. She pulled out her phone, took a photo of the poster without looking twice, and put the phone back into her pocket. I said ‘That’s pretty smart’ and she replied; ‘Well how else are we going to remember all that information if we ever find that cat?’

What if the system could know that the image was an informational poster? And take that information and convert that image into a note and create an entry in the built-in Notes app? That’s intelligence. That’s allowing the data and the image to work together to implement the intent of the original picture.

Looking forward to see what happens in this space…

Trump Attaks Federal Judge in Trump U Case

Mr. Trump also told the audience, which had previously chanted the Republican standard-bearer’s signature “build that wall” mantra in reference to Mr. Trump’s proposed wall along the Mexican border, that Judge Curiel is “Mexican.”

“What happens is the judge, who happens to be, we believe, Mexican, which is great. I think that’s fine,” Mr. Trump said.

Judge Curiel was born in Indiana.

I was perusing Twitter the other day and came across a wonderful witticism from Kent Beck, founder of Extreme Programming:

The craft of programming begins with empathy, not formatting or languages or tools or algorithms or data structures.

Three Years in San Francisco

Former Twitter employee Mike Davidson, articulating some lessons learned about product management, people management, and even how his surroundings have led to a better sense of himself. Well worth a read.

One of the things Mike soeaks to in the article that touched a nerve in me is emotional intelligence:

The definition of emotional intelligence I use may be a little more liberal than most. To me, emotional intelligence means that someone not only picks up on how teammates are feeling, but they also care deeply about running a team in which people are emotionally fulfilled and inspired.

Some people are almost born with emotional intelligence. They have it by the time they get to high school. Others need to spend a bunch of time in the workplace getting experience with all sorts of conflicts and original situations before they have it. And still others will simply never have it, or at least they won’t have it at a level which qualifies them to be what I consider a great manager. You’ve probably met all three of these sorts of people and can pick out the last group pretty easily.

I believe that every organization should make emotional intelligence a requirement of being a manager or executive leader. It should be no less a requirement than ability to recruit, inspire, multitask, prioritize or any other thing we typically require in our leaders. We should interview specifically for it and we should categorically reject as candidates those who show no aptitude for it. Some amount of “learning on the job” is of course ok, but where I struggled the most during my time in San Francisco was dealing with people who showed no ability or desire to balance happiness of people with visible output. False dichotomies like “we can’t optimize for happiness” make the problem even worse. That sort of thinking pre-supposes that somehow happiness is in conflict with execution. It also implies that the whole world is a math problem, which I strongly disagree with.

In the end, it’s about the people who are needed now to make the corporation successful. As layers are added to accommodate multiple levels of multiple departments, people become more and more important. Which means you need people managers. Good people managers. Managers that support, motivate, and strive to make their teams better each and every day.

Too many times, the “old guard” are promoted into management because that’s seen as the logical next step. I think Twitter’s organization of product vs people management is very interesting. One that I think all businesses should at least consider.

Our first date was perfect, and then she died

“When can I see you again?” This was what I liked about Beth. Most people were too busy protecting themselves to be direct. Beth made unflinching eye contact when she spoke to you. I envied the congruence she conveyed between her internal and external worlds.

Trump supporters, protesters clash after Chicago rally postponed

This sums it up pretty well:

Mayor Rahm Emanuel praised officers' effort under difficult circumstances.

“For all of us who cherish the ideals upon which our country was founded, the hateful, divisive rhetoric that pits Americans against each other demeans our democratic values and diminishes our democratic process,” he said in a statement.

One of my favorite new podcasts is Top Scallops with Merlin Mann (“Hi! Can I axe you a question?") and Max Temkin (one of the creators of Cards Against Humanity). Ostensibly, it’s about the reality show Top Chef. As with any podcast that Merlin is on, however, it’s not necessarily just about the titular topic at hand. To say it can go a bit tangent-y at times is being rather generous. But hey, that’s why I like the show so much!

In their most recent episode (It Snogged Out), they came around to talking about expertise. It was based on a scene in the most recent episode where this week’s celebrity chef Hubert Keller was describing his process for formulating a new idea for a new dish. According to Max’s notes from the show (I’ve never seen it, so I have no firsthand knowledge), Keller sits down once the restaurant is closed and empty with glass of wine and considers the current menu. He thinks about which dish he would like to change, as well as what dish he would like to replace it with. He then draws the dish he wants to create. On paper. Where the bone goes, where the sauce goes, and even the texture of the plated dish for the consumer.

To be honest, I had never thought of a chef drawing a dish he was trying to conceive. I do this all the time with screen design, but had never considered it for a chef.

Building off of this story, Merlin and Max delve into a discussion that, to me, really gets to the heart of what makes an expert an expert. I found this very interesting because I’ve been thinking a lot about it myself. As I’ve grown in my role at my job, I’ve noticed that there are now others who look to me for expertise. Even when I don’t consider myself one in my own mind (see a future post about Imposter Syndrome coming soon).

The idea of expertise really boils down to details. The details that only an expert in their field will appreciate. Because only the expert knows which questions to ask. They know how to lay it out in their own mind; how exactly this piece fits with that piece or this piece of information will fit into the larger puzzle to create the solution that is sought from all parties involved. This exactly explains Keller sitting down and planning his dish. Down to the very specific detail of where to place the bone on the plate itself. He knows the details of how to get this dish from idea to reality.

In recent years, Max attended an Edward Tufte course. Something Tufte said (in almost a throw-away comment), Max can still quote today:

A question you can ask in almost every situation to bring clarity to what you're doing is to ask someone, and to ask yourself, 'how do you know that?'

That struck me. Take that with Merlin’s earlier discussion on “And then what?” and you arrive at the starting point of how to look at a problem with expert eyes. And from an expert frame of mind.

Everyone likes to be an idea guy. It’s a quick win in a meeting, a high five from the group, and possible serious credit down the line when the idea is implemented into a successful, tangible thing. I get it. I’ve even been the idea guy from time to time. I know how tempting it can be to brush off the details with a quick “It can’t be that hard. We’ll figure it out later.” But what we (all seemingly) miss is that the expert’s job is to come in and take the idea (presumably from the idea guy) and create something real from it. The expert’s job is to “figure it out”. That’s where the questions start. The “And then what?” questions. Followed by “How do you know that?”.

While it can certainly come across as confrontational, most of the time, the expert is simply trying to suss out where the idea needs to go and (even more) how to get it there. How much it is perceived as confrontational really depends on the expert’s personality/people skills and the nature of the relationship between the idea guy and the expert. It can be a very rewarding and thought-provoking experience if done and approached correctly.

I’ve been told that I frustrate people when they bring ideas to me and ask me to implement them. I do exactly what I’ve described above. I ask them “and then what?” or “how do you know that?”. Or even “what happens when it doesn’t happen?”. These are the questions nobody wants to think about because it’s too granular. Too “in the weeds”. Too “time consuming” for the discussion at hand. What they don’t understand is that’s the world I live in, and the world my team and I have to live in to be successful in implementing these ideas. It’s also a pretty good metric to judge if we are (collectively) good at our jobs.

We ask these questions, and maybe even spoil the serotonin high of a great idea, because we want to see the idea succeed. And we care enough to help the idea, and whoever came up with the idea, to see it through.

No one ever said being an expert was going to be easy!

The more I listen to singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson, the more I like him. I don’t mean just his music, which I like very much already. Twitter has opened the door for artists like Matt to share their personal thoughts as well as their music with fans and followers alike.

This past February 18th, Matt was up late (California time) and tweeting. Here are his series of tweets (unedited in all its Twitter shorthand glory):

I'm not sure how people turn off the world. lately, for me, it just feels like a faucet that's been left on.

we get so much information. so many voices. screaming their opinion. being an actual expert on something has so little currency.

it’s so hard to get humans to focus on real problems. because no one feels empowered. why is it so hard to love ourselves?

we are capable of so much greatness. but we spend so much of our time squandering our energy on fear-based, useless hate.

90% of people know just enough about things like race and government. and the environment. to be paralyzed. and no one listens.

i mean… we have a presidential candidate who posted a photo of a fucking gun on his socials and wrote ‘america’

the only way to get your message heard through the din is blunt force trauma.

and we are so polarized and hopeless as a country, that NO ONE HEARS ANYONE.

garbage in / garbage out. this is just a fact. where is the nutrition coming from in this culture? we need voices of fucking kindness.

and empathy. on REAL issues. not just photos of fucking cats.

we have to see the bigoted, racist, sexist parts of ourselves. and be honest about them. in order to evolve past them. we have to LISTEN

to other people’s experiences. and shut our fucking mouths. (this coming from the king of privilege over here.. straight, white, and male.)

it is our job to be optimists. it is our job to be kind. it is our job to live our life without hurting ourselves or others.

it is our job to clear space for the voices of those without voices. it is our job to listen to those we don’t understand.

it is our job to treat these fundamental problems at their roots. not beat them over the head with a sledgehammer and think they will die.

most of the stuff we fear and guard against, as individuals, NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENS TO US. what a colossal waste of energy.

“I’m a tearless clown. If I were to get a tattoo, it would be the Two Masks, and they would both be smiling.” - Andy Samberg

Not in the funny way. Not in the playful, whimsical, joyous way we all grew up believing clowns to be. And not in the murderous, kidnapping way we sometimes see on television and in movies (I’m looking at you, Mr. King).

No, I’m talking about the very nature of what is means to be a clown. I’m talking about the real human being that is hidden beneath while the character of the clown is presented to the world. Hidden by makeup. Hidden by an act. Hidden by a role that was designed to make everyone on the outside happy. To portray and project a sense of serenity.

Let me ask you something. Are you the same person at work that you are when you’re at home? What about family gatherings? Out with friends? At church? Are you playing a part, becoming a character? Do you hide what is “real” underneath a facade of your own making?

There’s no suspense here in you answering that question for yourself. We all know the answer is yes, and we don’t even pretend to that it’s not. I know I play a character. One that’s based on me, but is not exactly the me that I know inside.

The truth of the matter is that if we didn’t hide, if we didn’t adopt that facade, we’d expose ourselves for who we really are. The person we know inside. We’d expose the complications. The ugliness and the beauty. The ways and thoughts and feelings that make us tick.

Those things that make us laugh hysterically. Those things that make us cry uncontrollably. Those things that make us rage with fury. Those things that make us unbelievably happy. Those things that make us nervous. And confident. And stressed. And relaxed. And on. And on. And on.

These are the feelings and ways with which we cope with everyday life. And we only let them out to roam inside our own mind. We keep them bottled up to avoid hurting others, or pushing them away. We try to keep ourselves safe. To maintain the peace. We have whole conversations in our heads to make sure we can think through difficult scenarios. We attempt to prepare ourselves for those inevitable real-life discussions. Those conflicts you dread having with another person. Or just the opposite. Those joyous moments you want to make sure you’re ready for. So you can say just the right words or do just the right thing.

So why do we (collectively) do this?

I believe we have an inherent human desire to be “ok”. We want to be okay with ourselves and okay with the outside world. And we want the outside world to be okay with us. We need normalcy. An even keel. We crave it. Why do you think the most oft-asked question from one human being to another is “Are you ok?”

We are also scared. Scared if we ever let others see the real human being beneath that we’d scare them off. Scared that we’d anger them, or even worse that we’d hurt them. We are terrified that we are not, in fact, “ok”.

Thus, we hide what is beneath. We suit up as best we can to deal with that scary, unpredictable, complicated place known as the outside world. We put on our makeup.

As I said, we are all clowns.

Jonathan Ive and the Future of Apple

There were times, during the past two decades, when he considered leaving Apple, but he stayed, becoming an intimate friend of Steve Jobs and establishing the build and the finish of the iMac, the MacBook, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. He is now one of the two most powerful people in the world’s most valuable company.

Fascinating article on Apple's lead designer and de facto direction maker. A long read, but a very good one.

A couple of things that stand out to me:

• I've commented before on the old MacBook "sleep" light. The one where it blinks as if a sleeping heartbeat. There's an anecdote in the piece that says people complained about it keeping them up while it sat on their nightstand. I always liked that little touch in he older laptops.
  
• The designers who work under Ive are said to work 12 hour days. 12 hours. Do these people have families? Significant others? Lives outside of the office? Those kinds of working hours seem unsustainable. And borderline unhealthy. Just my initial, gut reaction.
  

A well-written piece am definitely worth checking out.

Source: The New Yorker

I quickly whipped together an update and got it submitted, promising the users it would be fixed in around a weeks time. This update was literally a 2 line fix in the code, so I thought I had nothing to worry about.

Fast forward a week and Apple has binary rejected the update on copyright grounds as you are able to find Disney images (amongst other names) using the app. I use Tumblr’s API and Imgur’s API to retrieve the the GIFs, the same GIFs that are available in the Tumblr app and through the Safari browser.

I have been identified as an Apple fan for years (and rightly so). I have also been accused of being an Apple apologist. If you believe that, let me break that thought process right now. What happened to Matt is utterly ridiculous and Apple should be ashamed that they are treating their customers (yes, not retail customer, but still a valid customer) like this. It’s ok to have a rule, but make sure that rule, and the upholding of that rule, makes sense. Don’t be afraid to make an exception. And don’t hide behind a corporate “because I said so”.

Source: http://blog.mattcheetham.co.uk

An Oklahoma legislative committee overwhelmingly voted to ban Advanced Placement U.S. History class, persuaded by the argument that it only teaches students “what is bad about America.” Other lawmakers are seeking a court ruling that would effectively prohibit the teaching of all AP courses in public schools.

I don’t even know what to say…

Source: thinkprogress.org

A Long Decline

Have young people too lazy to learn to write been with us since the very beginning? A collection of proverbs in Sumerian—the world’s first written language—suggests that they have. “A junior scribe is too concerned with feeding his hunger,” contends one. “He does not pay attention to the scribal art.” It seems that the slovenly teenager, not to mention the purse-lipped schoolmaster, is at least 4,000 years old.

Source: The Econimist

If only Hitchcock knew about these signs back in the day…

The infamous barred owl known for swooping down on runners and sometimes clawing scalps at Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem, has not only instilled fear in the hearts of many a jogger, but has also inspired the installation of at least 10 bright orange “angry owl” warning signs at the park on Thursday morning.

Source: Stateman Journal

It hits you when you least expect it. This particular Friday morning, it was while I was driving to the office. Tons of things on my mind:

• What do I need to get done today from my project list?
• What are the tasks from yesterday I didn’t get to finish? Are there any meetings I have?
• Mom asked us to mail the mail to her, need to make sure to text Jayme and ask her to mail them.
• Brian has chess this afternoon, do I need to pick him up or did Jayme say she would? I’ll ask her while I text her about the mail.
• What’s up with this traffic? Why is 285 East closed? Did something happen?
• I need to make sure I don’t have anything on Saturday morning so I can sleep in. So tired.
• I took my medicine this morning, right? Yeah, I think I did.
• Wow, too much coffee this morning.

And so on and so on.

But then, my phone shuffles to a particular song. I know it by heart. I buffer it into my brain as the song begins. I soon feel those other things fall away. That cloud of stress is lifted (even if for only a little bit). I know the experience I’m about to have with this song. I know what it does to me. I know how it makes me feel. And it makes me feel good. And, oh my goodness, do I need that this morning. It may be Friday, but I am tired and stressed about so many things. Until this song starts playing…

Carrie Underwood’s “Something In the Water” sets the tone from the first couple of bars. The driving beat is light (this is not Bon Jovi, after all), but it is light enough that it has somewhere to go. It has something to build to. And as the song progresses, it becomes relentless. Carrie’s tone is spot on, too. And by that, I mean the tone of the message it is meant to convey. You can feel it pulsing through her voice. And the music just validates that passion. The chorus joins in. And it is on.

This song is pure inspiration. It makes my heart grow a little larger just by listening to it. It gives me those wonderful, jubilant butterflies. It makes my soul richer. There is a smile that starts deep inside of me that finds its escape through my lips. It makes me feel good. It is the power of music in action.

Seeing the Light

“Hold on a minute, Lee”, you might be saying. “This is a religious song. A Christian song. You’re not exactly the religious kind of guy.” And you’d be right. I’m not. But there are certain things that transcend religious beliefs. And one of those things is music. Music is universal. It is not tied to one thing vs. another. It is not contentious. It is beloved throughout the world from every race, gender, religion, lifestyle, and any other classification you can think of. It’s the one thing we can all get behind.

It’s not a wonder that most every religious service has some kind of musical component. After all, what better delivery mechanism than music to pass along the message (the Word, if you will)?

Believe it or not, I grew up in a religious household. Definitely not fanatical, mind you, but we went to church pretty much every Sunday. The sermons and the hollow rituals I could do without, but I always enjoyed the hymns. They were traditional hymns, nothing too “out there” (we were Methodists after all). But I remember how “Amazing Grace” grabbed me. It was emotional. It was moving. When well-sung, it could do exactly what I described above. I remember visiting a church that was predominantly African American when our youth group was invited to a Sunday service by their youth group. Unlike our (shall we say) “quiet” congregation, these churchgoers got up for hymns. There was excitement. There was energy. There was passion. I loved it.

Music can be a wonderful delivery mechanism for religious beliefs. Absolutely. But the beauty part here is that music, even music written for a religious purpose, doesn’t have to be limited to that intended purpose. Music is a very personal thing. You interpret it however you want. You take from it whatever you need. It is yours to discover and yours to decipher.

Anybody remember the television show “Greatest American Hero”? Yeah, didn’t think many of you would. But the theme song for that show was called “Believe It or Not” by Joey Scarbury. This song was a highlight of mine from the church camp I went to as a kid in St. Simons Island.

Look at what's happened to me, I can't believe it myself; Suddenly I'm up on top of the world, Should've been somebody else.

Believe it or not, I’m walkin' on air, I never thought I could feel so free; Flyin' away on a wing and a pray’r, Who could it be? Believe it or not, it’s just me.

Just like the light of new day, It hit me from out of the blue; Breakin' me out of the spell I was in, Makin' all of my wishes come true.

Believe it or not, I’m walkin' on air, I never thought I could feel so free; Flyin' away on a wing and a pray’r, Who could it be? Believe it or not, it’s just me.

I believe the camp organizers meant to imply that God, the Holy Spirit, and/or our fellowship were the reason we were “walking on air”. (Let’s put aside the next couple of lines that say “Look at me, Falling for you”. We’ll just let that go for now). I realize now, though, that the feeling I got (the reason it sticks out even now) was not from the Holy Spirit or faith in God or anything like that. It was about the feeling I got from the song itself. The way it made me feel at the time (and even now).

Planting Flags

Who remembers the song playing when you got your first kiss? What about the first drive by yourself, free of parents? What was playing when you danced your first dance at your wedding? What were you singing as you rocked your baby to sleep?

Ever realized how music is interwoven so tightly with the impact points in your life? Ever thought about the fact that you could listen to your iTunes library and replay your life story? All through music.

“Believe It or Not” is now representative of my youth church camp. So many other things went into that experience at Epworth By the Sea, but that song serves as the gateway to all of those other wonderful memories. When I think back over my life (yes, it sounds like I’m writing as an 80-year old man, and let’s face it, sometimes I feel like one), I am struck by how many songs can transport me back to that point in my life.

6:00am. Friday. Summertime. Late 80’s. Hardee’s sausage biscuit, Coke, and Motown. That was my experience when I went to “work” with dad on Fridays. Every time I hear this song, I think of my dad and the fun we had driving to and from all of his product drops. The Four Tops - “Same Old Song”

Coming into middle school, I was a shy child. Didn’t really know where I fit in with school groupings. I found a home at Richards Middle School in chorus. I remember a very specific concert in which Rob Wilson, Trey Wells, and Josh Becker sang a song that I remember to this day. And it even sparked my interest in a brand new artist (at least to me) as well as a new genre of music (again, for me) called country. Garth Brooks - “The River”

I remember vividly a school dance in the fall of 1994. I want to say it was even a Magnet Social (for all you CHS’ers out there). I was wearing a sweater vest (lord help me), and hoped against hope that a certain girl, one Lauren Johnson, would dance with me. She didn’t, but I remember the song that played when she danced with someone else. Boyz II Men - “I’ll Make Love To You”

From 1996 on, this song has served as the song from the early stages of Jayme and I’s relationship and later marriage. It was even the song I woke up to every morning, when we had a CD player-based alarm clock. Ty Herndon - “Living In A Moment”

A television show that Jayme, her mom, and I watched (Roswell) brought Jayme and I our wedding song. It started a relationship with this band that still exists today. Lifehouse - “Everything”

Jayme and I watched this movie 17 times in the theater. Yes, 17 times. We were young. And in love. And had no other bills to pay. :) James Horner - “The Portrait” (from Titanic)

My sister gave me a gift, a CD, for my newborn baby girl, Miss Caroline Rose Feagin. Will Hoge - “Baby Girl”

Early one morning, I am sitting in the nursery rocking my littlest man back to sleep after a bottle (finally giving Jayme a break from feedings). And I am singing this softly to Brian, as he drifts off to sleep. Jeff Buckley - “Hallelujah”

I was in San Francisco for the first time on my own in the summer of 2011. I was attending WWDC for (what turned out to be) Steve Jobs' last keynote. I was surrounded by nerds and geeks and was having a blast. Brandon Fowler - “Crossfire”

I am singing on stage in my first ever karaoke appearance. Jayme, along with a lot of my co-workers, cheer me on while we sail to the Bahamas aboard a Disney Cruise ship. Billy Joel - “Piano Man”

In the fall of 2012, I am watching a total guilty pleasure of a television show (Nashville) and a song comes on that stands up and punches me in the gut. Because in it, a real story of want, desire, and togetherness is transmitted through a beautiful and sublime duet. And it hits me hard. Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen - “Fade Into You”

I could go on and on for days. All of these songs signify points, people, and events in my life that have made a significant impact. They will be with me forever. They should (and will) be cherished and celebrated forever. Because they have made me the man I am today. And will serve as the cornerstone of who I will be for years to come.

It is music that allows those memories, those people, and those events to live on. In our past. In our present. And even in our future.

Music, a very powerful thing indeed.

I saw this on Twitter and thought it was just, well, brilliant.

You might be cool, but you'll never be "include your dogs in your official astronaut photo" cool.

If you hadn’t heard by now, Stuart Scott, 49, passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer. If you know who Stuart Scott is, you already know everything I’m about to say. If you do not, you have missed seeing a joyous, beautiful soul in action.

This morning, ESPN had some very moving tributes to Stuart. Second only to Jim Valvano’s original speech in 1993, Stuart reminds us at the 2014 ESPYS acceptance speech for the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance that life is precious and up to us to make the most of it. In his words, “you beat cancer by how you LIVE, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”

Tears were falling in my coffee this morning as I watched them. I can’t believe they won’t be flowing from your eyes when you watch them as well.

Stuart Scott’s Legacy 2014 ESPY Speech Rich Eisen Says Goodbye

Robin Roberts, a very good friend of Stuart’s and a fellow cancer fighter, shared her thoughts on FB this evening:

As we were about to board our long flight home Amber checked her phone one last time. She pulled us out of the line and all she had to say to me was...Stu. The news we were dreading and not at all prepared to hear. Stuart Scott has died.

This picture was taken shortly after Stu was presented the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at last year’s ESPYS. He gave a speech that still had me in tears as we chatted backstage. Tears of admiration and profound gratitude. Grateful that this beautiful, strong man was a dear friend. Grateful that he had the strength that night to deliver such a powerful, meaningful message. Admiration for how he valiantly faced cancer..again and again.

As I stared out the window on the flight home tears again streamed down my face. By the time we landed so many had posted wonderful tributes to Stu. President Obama, LeBron James, Tiger Woods…and our ESPN family. I’m still struggling to find the words to express my feelings. But then I think of Stu’s own words at the ESPYS. He was right. “You beat cancer by how you LIVE, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”

He closed his speech, with his sweet daughter Sydni by his side on stage, by saying “have a great night and a great rest of your life.” That was Stu, always thinking of others.

Bless you, my friend, for showing us how to live and how to love. Tonight after I say my prayers and thank the good Lord for Stuart Scott…I’m going to climb into bed…and flip my pillow over to the other side. XO

After reading this tweet, I went to the completely verified wealth of all human knowledge, Wikipedia, to find out what this was all about. Here’s what I found out:

The Christmas truce was a series of widespread, unofficial ceasefires that took place along the Western Front around Christmas 1914, during World War I. Through the week leading up to Christmas, parties of German and British soldiers began to exchange seasonal greetings and songs between their trenches; on occasion, the tension was reduced to the point that individuals would walk across to talk to their opposite numbers bearing gifts.

I can’t understand something. These guys spend months trying to kill each other day and night. Then, take a week off and sing Christmas carols, exchange presents, and generally be nice to each other. And then, go right back to killing each other. Dead. As in dead. No more life. All done.

Just don’t understand.

What would you say? What would you say to the person you loved the most in the world in the last 10 minutes of your life? If you could say anything, anything in the world, what would it be?

This question always reminds me of one of the final scenes in Shakespeare’s famed Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is in the tomb of his beloved, gazing over her, believing that she is dead. He says,

Eyes, look your last! Arms, take your last embrace! and, lips, O you The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss A dateless bargain to engrossing death!

But wait one second there, Romeo. What would have happened if the poison wasn’t instantaneous? What if the good Friar had mixed it just a little too light and it took a bit of time to kick in? Say, 10 min? What would they have said to each other in that final 10 minutes?

How do you tell someone, someone you love so much that you would sacrifice your life to lay beside them forever in death, what is on your mind? What do you tell them?

Lifelong secrets?

The depth of your love for them?

Quote lyrics from your favorite love song?

This is a thought exercise, I understand that. I can’t sit here and say exactly what I would do, because I don’t know. I don’t know that anyone ever really knows until that situation is thrust upon them. But, I can guess. And my guess is that I would say…

Nothing.

Wait, wait, wait…hold on. I asked the question about what I would say, right?

I did. But, here’s the truth. I would say nothing at all. Do you know what I would do? I would look them in the eye and hold their gaze. Until the poison finally overtook me, my eyes ceased to function, and I could not see anymore.

Why?

There is a famous saying: “The eyes are a but a window to the soul.”

I believe that. Very much. The eyes speak volumes the mouth would never utter. I trust the eyes. They give away so many things. Sadness. Joy. Love. Vulnerability. Anger. Hurt. Despair. Happiness. All without needing to say anything or do anything. They are the window to which we can understand someone. Fully. Deeply.

Especially someone special.

The last 10 minutes of my life, I would look into my loved one’s eyes and imprint their soul onto mine. And take that with me.

Toshiba shows off 13.3-inch Android 4.0 tablet with TV tuner

Toshiba is showing off a new tablet in Germany that has a 13.3-inch display and runs Android 4.0. The tablet, dubbed AT330, is on display at Toshiba World 2012 in Bonn, and Techfokus managed to get a close look and gather a few details. In addition to its massive size, which is nearly double that of the AT270, the AT330 also features a Tegra 3 quad-core CPU and a TV tuner — complete with an antennae that can be pulled out of the body.

A TV tuner? Really?! What is this, 1998?

I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that these manufacturers will try anything to get their foothold established in the tablet market. But, I certainly would not have expected a freaking TV tuner to be one of those “specs” that they pulled out of the trash heap from a decade (or more) ago.

What sells me on it though is the extendable antenna. Yeah, that’s…modern. I believe my parents just called from the late 80’s. They said they want their portable television back.

Just weird.

from The Verge

Lighten Up!

Sometimes, even the unsubtle jabs are hard to combat. What do you say to the guy who sits across from you when you dress up and makes a comment to everyone about it? "Oop, Katie's got the low cut dress on today! I know where I'm sitting!" Say something, and derail the meeting? Go to HR and get stuck with his work when they move or can him? Get transferred off the best team and languish somewhere else? Start wearing sweaters, even though my breasts feel like they're boiling in there (yup, that's one reason women like low tops, guys)? Which label do I want to be stuck with today? Ice Queen or Slut?

What is wrong with you? It was one comment! I bet you’d sue him if he complimented your shoes.

Lighten up.

Maybe I’m just naive, but I was taken aback by some of the things Katie mentions here. Even in the jokey, sometimes raucous place that I work, there is a line. And to my knowledge (at least), no one has crossed it. Especially in the blatant manner as described in the excerpt above. If you dare, read some of the comments. They’re (how shall I say) enlightening.

from The Real Katie

From a Mantelpiece Fern to the Front Page

[caption id=“attachment_1313” align=“aligncenter” width=“529” caption=“Photo from Doug Mills/The New York Times”][/caption]

Doug Mills didn’t have to concern himself with a crowd of jostling photographers when he shot the photograph that appeared on Thursday’s front page. He knew he had a good angle.

The only thing he had to contend with was a rogue fern.

I love geeky photography stuff like this.

Walter Isaacson’s ‘Steve Jobs’

Talk of a “product’s essence” (Isaacson’s words) or “the fundamental soul of a man-made creation” (Jobs’s) only serves to separate, conceptually, the art of design from the cold hard science of engineering. With just five words, “Design is how it works” expresses succinctly and accurately that engineering should and can be part of the art of design.

Design and engineering are, indeed, often in opposition — engineering constraints affect design; design goals affect engineering tradeoffs. But they are not separate endeavors. The philosophical question is which one is a subset of the other. What Schiller is telling Isaacson is that prior to Jobs’s return to Apple, design was what happened at the end of the engineering process. Post-Jobs, engineering became a component of the design process. This shift made all the difference in the world.

Once again, I’m reminded that I not only love his writing, but John does analysis so damn well. I think he even analyzes his own analysis.

from Daring Fireball

The Star Wars Saga: Introducing Machete Order

Episode I is a failure on every possible level. The acting, writing, directing, and special effects are all atrocious, and the movie is just plain boring. Luckily, George Lucas has done everyone a favor by making the content of Episode I completely irrelevant to the rest of the series. Seriously, think about it for a minute. Name as many things as you can that happen in Episode I and actually help flesh out the story in any subsequent episode. I can only think of one thing, which I'll mention later.

You know, I didn’t mind Episode as much as apparently other people do. But, this guy makes a VERY compelling argument for skipping Episode I altogether. Instead of watching the movies in episode order (I-VI) or release order (IV-VI, I-III), he suggests Machete Order. That is, IV, V, II, III, and then VI. Interesting.

It would be really neat if there was a way to un-experience Star Wars and start fresh knowing nothing. What would that be like?

Wall Street Bonus Withdrawal Means Trading Aspen for Coupons

Schiff, 46, is facing another kind of jam this year: Paid a lower bonus, he said the $350,000 he earns, enough to put him in the country’s top 1 percent by income, doesn’t cover his family’s private-school tuition, a Kent, Connecticut, summer rental and the upgrade they would like from their 1,200-square- foot Brooklyn duplex.

“I feel stuck,” Schiff said. “The New York that I wanted to have is still just beyond my reach.”

and…

“People who don’t have money don’t understand the stress,” said Alan Dlugash, a partner at accounting firm Marks Paneth & Shron LLP in New York who specializes in financial planning for the wealthy. “Could you imagine what it’s like to say I got three kids in private school, I have to think about pulling them out? How do you do that?”

Un-fucking-believable.

via Bloomberg

Maryland Republican: Meeting gay couples left me ‘changed person’

A small bit of hope in this bigoted struggle:

"I saw with so many of the gay couples, they were so devoted to another. I saw so much love," he said. "When this hearing was over, I was a changed person in regard to this issue. I felt that I understood what same sex couples were looking for."

I think this gets to the heart of the issue. It seems like it’s very easy to sit far away from real people and keep your head in the sand on the issue of gay marriage. But, when you actually meet and get to know real people leading their lives, you realize the differences are few and far between. They have normal jobs. They have normal hopes. Normal dreams. Normal petty fights with their partner over who was supposed to take the trash out. They lead normal lives.

Just. Like. You.

A friend of mine (thanks Aaron!) sent this to me this morning. Oh so perfect!!

Porsche stuck in wet cement proves karma exists | Motoramic

Porsche 911 stuck in wet cement on Marina Blvd., San Francisco.On Thursday, the driver of a Porsche 911 decided he'd take a shortcut around some construction cones and drove straight into wet asphalt near Marina Green on Marina Blvd. in San Francisco.

from Yahoo News

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“600” caption=“Photo © Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minneapolis Star Tribune/ZUMApress.com”][/caption]

Sabrina Rubin Erdely, writing for Rolling Stone:

Six weeks after her son's death, Aaberg became the first to publicly confront the Anoka-Hennepin school board about the link between the policy, anti-gay bullying and suicide. She demanded the policy be revoked. "What about my parental rights to have my gay son go to school and learn without being bullied?" Aaberg asked, weeping, as the board stared back impassively from behind a raised dais.

Anti-gay backlash was instant. Minnesota Family Council president Tom Prichard blogged that Justin’s suicide could only be blamed upon one thing: his gayness. “Youth who embrace homosexuality are at greater risk [of suicide], because they’ve embraced an unhealthy sexual identity and lifestyle,” Prichard wrote. Anoka-Hennepin conservatives formally organized into the Parents Action League, declaring opposition to the “radical homosexual” agenda in schools.

There is nothing about the situation described in this article that isn’t disgusting. The board, the teachers, the outside influences. All played a role in this. And who are the victims?

Kids. 13-17 year-old kids.

How could these people (collectively) allow this to happen? If you read the article, even the students asked this question. How can we, as a society, allow this to happen to our children?

I think the most heart-breaking part of the article was the story of the 9 year-old brother of one of the suicide victims. His mother, obviously having been through a living hell I don’t wish on anyone, found him in a bath tub, trying to drown himself. The reason?

He wanted to see his big brother again.

via Rolling Stone

In my Twitter feed today, I found this little nugget:

The best part of CES is waiting on the bus to go .2 miles to get to the convention center. It is 2012, where is my tele porter?!

Small, cute quip? Probably. But in order to actually post that, this person had to initially think of the concept and how bad it was that he/she had to wait on the bus to take him/her 0.2 miles. WTF?

Here’s a thought. How about you use those two stubs attached to your hips and walk your ass the 0.2 miles it takes to get to the damn convention center. Where, hello, you walk A LOT more than just 0.2 miles.

Has it really come to this? Are we really headed for a Wall E world?

Windows ultrabooks: What’s Apple response? Gregg Keizer (Computerworld)

With a glut of "ultrabook" announcements slated at this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Apple watchers have one question: How will the Cupertino, Calif. company respond?

I wonder what kind of product Apple will come up with to tackle this conundrum. What an idiotic piece.

It Feels Like Trust—The Apple Store App And Self Checkout

Randy Murray’s experience in the Apple Store:

And it felt, oddly, like the staff at the Apple Store trusted me.

That’s an odd feeling. A retail store trusts its customers. It’s not worried about shoplifting and theft.

So Apple.

Bankers Join Billionaires to Debunk ‘Imbecile’ Attack on Top 1%

Max Abelson writes:

The top 1 percent of taxpayers in the U.S. made at least $343,927 in 2009, the last year data is available, according to the Internal Revenue Service. While average household income increased 62 percent from 1979 through 2007, the top 1 percent’s more than tripled, an October Congressional Budget Office report showed. As a result, the U.S. had greater income inequality in 2007 than China or Iran, according to the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook.

Wow. Just wow.

Dear Congress, It’s No Longer OK To Not Know How The Internet Works

Marco Arment writes regarding a post by Joshua Kopstein:

Widespread anti-intellectualism scares the shit out of me.

Don’t think I could have said it better myself!

Whatever works for you by Marco Arment

I choose to fit myself into most of Apple’s intended-use constraints because their products tend to work better that way, which makes my life easier. But that requires trade-offs that many people can’t or won’t make.

Previous-me tried to persuade everyone to switch to my setup, but I now know that it’s not worth the effort. I’ll never know someone else’s requirements, environment, or priorities as well as they do.

This topic has actually been on my topic list for a while. Just hadn’t quite figured out how to put it. Looks like Marco beat me to it. As I was reading it, my thought over and over again was “Exactly!”

Microsoft Office and the iPad

I had breakfast this morning with a CPA who does all of his work in Google docs. There is an entire generation of future workers going through high school and college now who don’t even have Office installed on their computers.

Wow. As anyone who follows Microsoft’s revenue stream, Office is a large part of its top line. I recognize that Windows itself is not going anywhere anytime soon, so let’s not go down the “Microsoft is losing” road. I don’t buy that. But, with Office, it’s becoming increasingly not needed by everyone and their brother.

Santorum: No One Has Ever Died Because They Didn’t Have Health Care

“The answer is not what can we do to prevent deaths because of a lack of health insurance. There’s — I reject that number completely, that people die in America because of lack of health insurance,” Santorum said to a crowd of 100.

“People die in America because people die in America. And people make poor decisions with respect to their health and their healthcare. And they don’t go to the emergency room or they don’t go to the doctor when they need to,” he said. “And it’s not the fault of the government for not providing some sort of universal benefit."

About the actual statements from Santorum, words fail me.

As to the notion that this fuck is even newsworthy at all is mind-numbing. The tweet that brought this to my attention actually said something to effect of “Holy crap…what an idiot!” You know what, he’s not an idiot. He knows exactly what he’s saying. He knows how ridiculous it is. He’s saying it because he’s a pandering douchebag. Plain and simple.

What a dick…

A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs

None of us knows for certain how long we’ll be here. On Steve’s better days, even in the last year, he embarked upon projects and elicited promises from his friends at Apple to finish them. Some boat builders in the Netherlands have a gorgeous stainless steel hull ready to be covered with the finishing wood. His three daughters remain unmarried, his two youngest still girls, and he’d wanted to walk them down the aisle as he’d walked me the day of my wedding.

We all — in the end — die in medias res. In the middle of a story. Of many stories.

Moving. Heartbreaking. Beautiful. Inspirational.

In addition to the subject matter, the writing in this piece is simply superb. I don’t know Mona Simpson’s work, but I intend to seek some of it out now. If it’s anything like this piece, I ’m not sure I’ll care what the subject is. It’s that good. Something to aspire to.

Unbelievably awesome quote…

The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.

-Kurt Vonnegut A Man Without a Country

Open Letter to that 53% Guy

And what happens if you get sick? You say you don’t have health insurance, but since you’re a veteran I assume you have some government-provided health care through the VA system. I know my father, a Vietnam-era veteran of the Air Force, still gets most of his medical needs met through the VA, but I don’t know what your situation is. But even if you have access to health care, it doesn’t mean disease or injury might not interfere with your ability to put in those 60- to 70-hour work weeks.

Do you plan to get married, have kids? Do you think your wife is going to be happy with you working those long hours year after year without a vacation? Is it going to be fair to her? Is it going to be fair to your kids? Is it going to be fair to you?

Great response…

the last time I saw Steve Jobs by Christopher Hynes

Steve was heading towards a car parked next to the curb with its door open, waiting for him. The car was idling. A family was standing near the Apple sign outside the building, a common site for people to take photos on their pilgrimages to Apple.

The father turned to Steve as he passed close by and asked, “Excuse me, sir, would you mind taking our photo?”

Steve paused for a moment as an iPhone was extended to him, realizing that they didn’t seem to know who he was. With a hint of enthusiasm, he said “Sure!” as he took the iPhone into his hands.

Steve took a great deal of care composing the photo, backing up a few steps several times, tapping the iPhone screen to lock focus, then said “Smile!” as he snapped the photo, grinning a little bit himself to encourage the family to follow suit.

Such a great story!

Insanely Great

Dave Wiskus (Better Elevation) talks about his mom:

A few minutes ago, she called to tell me that she saw a news report that people on Twitter were posting the Apple logo. She asked me why so many people would be tweeting the logo if they didn’t work there. I offered the best answer I could come up with.

“Even if we’re not a part of Apple, Apple is a part of us.”

[caption id=“attachment_758” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024” caption=“Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)"][/caption]

President Barak Obama:

Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world. The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.

[caption id=“attachment_754” align=“aligncenter” width=“523” caption=“Steve (August 2011)"][/caption]

New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg:

Steve Jobs saw the future and brought it to life long before most people could even see the horizon.

[caption id=“attachment_757” align=“aligncenter” width=“600” caption=“Steve Jobs - Macworld Issue #1”][/caption]

Bill Gates:

The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.

Twitter Reactions:

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Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Other Links: “He opened doors for people” My neighbor, Steve Jobs ‘Birdfeed’ Letter A Genius Talks Steve Jobs Remembering Steve Jobs Steve Franks on Steve Jobs The Steve Jobs I Knew (by Walt Mossberg) Goodbye to an Icon The inevitable… The Reserved Seat Steve Jobs Reflection Steve Jobs (by Elliot Jay Stocks) Steve Jobs is gone, but his impact will live on (Dan Moren - Macworld) Behind the Cover: Steve Jobs (Time) Steve Jobs: Making a dent in the universe (Jason Snell - Macworld) How Steve Jobs saw the future (Nancy F. Koehn - CNN) Remembering Steve Jobs: New Market Innovator (Michael Miller - formerly PCMag) 10 Things I Loved About Steve Jobs (Terry O’Reilly) He Noticed, and That Mattered (David Sleight) SJ (Matt Drance - Apple Outsider) The Career of Apple and Steve Jobs (Time Magazine Photos) In a Private Light: Diana Walker’s Photos of Steve Jobs (Time Lightbox) He Was Too Young To Die (Kevin Hoctor) I Don’t Get Why You’re Crying About Steve Jobs(Kristina Halverson) ‘One more thing’: The spirit of Steve Jobs lives on (Serenity Caldwell - Macworld) Steve Jobs Was a Kind Man: My Regrets About Burning Him (Brian Lam) Jobs humanized technology, made the magical common (Dan Frakes - Macworld) Eric Schmidt on Steve Jobs Steve Jobs (Stephen Fry) Steve Jurvetson on Steve Jobs (Steve Jurvetson) two minutes with steve (Michael Sippey) Insanely Great (Dave Wiskus) You Are Underestimating the Future SPJ (Gus Mueller) Steve Jobs and the idea of letting go (Hank Stuever - Washington Post) The Rundown Steve and I (Gautam Godse) Key Notes (Daniel Steinberg - Dim Sum Thinking) Here’s To The Crazy One (MG Siegler - TechCrunch) Steve Jobs (John Lilly) A Studio Chief Pens Revealing First-Person Steve Jobs Remembrance (Jim Gianopulos in Hollywood Reporter)

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Why A Heterosexual, Married, North Carolinian Father Of Three Cares About LGBT Equality by Eric L Shepherd

People have historically married for many different reasons: legal, social, economic, spiritual, libidinal, and religious. So stop it with your 'sacred institution' argument and open up some history books. When you say that the Bible is clear about homosexuality, you must also admit that it was also very clear about how to treat your slaves, and the uncleanliness of women during their menstrual period. Listen. Society evolves. Sometimes we leave behind the Bronze Age mentality of the men who wrote the Bible. You want your marriage to be a religious, strictly bible-based marriage? That's fine. Nobody is stopping you from having one.

A very compelling read from a self-professed normal guy. I, a heterosexual, married, Georgia father of two, would like to think I could have written such a plain-spoken argument. The point Shepard is trying to make is it’s time for us to stop this nonsense of denying “other” couples that don’t meet our outdated, Puritanical notion of what a marriage should be the same rights, rewards, and responsibilities that heterosexual couples possess. As he states in his post, we are going to look back on this with the same shame we hold now when discussing civil rights and women’s suffrage. It’s ridiculous and it’s discriminatory. Plain and simple. I’m so sick of the “one man/one woman” argument, I could vomit. Stop it. Put your petty “the Bible says it’s a sin” argument to the side and get over it. Get over yourself, for that matter. Just because you don’t agree (or don’t even like it) doesn’t mean other people’s rights should be trampled on. It’s not a political issue. And it shouldn’t be a religious issue, either. It’s a human one. It’s time to start treating it that way.

My favorite graphic from the post:

UPDATE: As we were sitting at lunch on Sunday, Jayme pointed me to the following article, from which I learned a little something:

Puritans valued the family as the basic and permanent human institution. They permitted no divorce except for abandonment although they would allow an annulment because of infertility. They saw marriage as a civil rather than religious custom. Puritans arranged marriages for their children and no one could marry outside the church. A girl could veto a choice but no one expected her to use the right. Love meant physically caring for someone so romance was unnecessary for marriage. In spite of popular mythology, the Puritans respected a healthy sexuality and saw human sexual relationships as normal unless they became obsessive. They punished illegitimacy albeit gently. When a girl conceived out of wedlock, Puritans generally tried to establish a family. Pregnancies often resulted from the Puritans' curious custom of "bundling." Bundling allowed a courting couple to sleep together in the girl's home provided they were individually bundled. While the Puritans appeared to take a loose position on fornication they severely punished adultery and they executed homosexuals.

Never too old to learn something new! Thanks, Jay!

There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.

• Elizabeth Warren’s recent answer to critics of Obama’s plans to slightly raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans

via Washington Monthly

‘Mad Men’ and the end of the American Dream: A great show spells the decline of a great nation

'Mad Men' - with yet another Emmy the other night - is not about the nostalgic past and such lost pleasures as smoking. It's about the unattainable future. Betty Draper is old now. She shops at Costco, buys the cheap beer and passes up Ivory for - what's this? - Gain. A Mad Man would put it this way: Her Gain is our loss.

[caption id=“attachment_709” align=“alignright” width=“300” caption=“Mad Men”][/caption]

An unbelievably well-written by piece by columnist Richard Cohen of the New York Daily News. Besides the maudlin mood of the piece itself, it is very poignant and disheartening. For what it’s worth, dad and I sometimes discuss the state of the country at our weekly dinners. The economic struggles. The constant political infighting. The ever-growing divide of the haves and have nots. It’s scary. I don’t know what to make of it. Dad doesn’t know what to make of it. It seems every time the very notion of true hope is presented, we (and I mean the collective we here) seem to squander it. I certainly felt it in 2008 when we turned our eyes to President Obama. Now, I don’t know where it’s gone. This is probably what is so disappointing to me about Obama’s presidency. It’s not him as an individual and it’s not the actions he’s taken as President. It’s the utter void where hope used to stand. For someone whose whole campaign revolved around hope, we sure have a dismal supply of it at the moment.

As I listen to and/or read the “reviews” of Cam Newton’s first two games as a Carolina Panther, I just have to sigh and shake my head.

“Awesome!”

“He’s unbelievable!”

“This guy may be the real deal.”

“This kid is good”

That last one there is from an article posted on ESPN Sunday afternoon. I have to laugh and question all of these guys' credentials. Did you not see any of last year when Cam was leading Auburn to a perfect 14-0 record en route to a National Championship. Did you not see the way he could take over a game by himself and literally carry his team (along with a couple of the other team’s defenders) on his broad back? If you didn’t, you weren’t paying attention.

Bo Jackson knew it. Here are his statements to Jim Rome before the season even started:

He has the arm strength and power of Dan Marino and John Elway combined. He is quicker than Michael Vick, faster than Michael Vick. And he will run over you with the power of a Jerome Bettis, Bo Jackson, Earl Campbell. That is the type of guy that he is. There isn’t another quarterback in the NFL that has all of those tangibles.

One reason hopes were not as high may be the mess that got stirred up about midway through the season. There were allegations of a “pay for play” situation between Newton’s father and Mississippi State. Allegations that were never actually proven (to the best of my knowledge). But those allegations followed Newton through the rest of the season and not only gained his reputation, but the reputation of Auburn itself. And I’m quite no one was ever able to prove that Auburn participated in any sort of scandal. And, by the way, don’t you think it’s interesting that these allegations all of a sudden popped up when Auburn started the season 6-0 and Cam’s start was starting to rise? Hmmm.

Anyway, the NFL is starting to see the talents that Cam Newton can bring to a football team. Yes, in the first two games in which he threw for over 400 yards, the Panthers also lost. Can’t deny that. But I’m almost positive that every Panther fan may be seeing their team’s future success every time that ball is snapped to number 1. They see it. I can’t believe not many others did.

By the way, War Eagle!

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day.

By the time I feed my family, I have maybe $400,000 left over.

via Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire

Let me take you back in time about 5 years. It’s late 2006. There are lots and lots of rumors that Apple is in the process of making a phone. Nobody knew what it looked like and nobody knew how it worked. Obviously, this led to a multitude of theories and mockups that (mostly) proved to be completely wrong.

At the time, I carried around my 5th generation white iPod (20GB) and a Motorola smartphone that ran Windows CE or Windows PocketPC or Windows Mobile or whatever the hell Windows naming scheme Microsoft was sporting back then for their mobile phones. An Apple fanboy even back then, I had my own speculation on Apple’s phone. I was intrigued from the very notion because it would mean that I would have the opportunity to only carry one device (phone + iPod) instead of the two distinct devices.

At work one day, Mike and I were discussing future possibilities of mobile computing. I remember sharing with him my want for a single device that would run my phone/iPod when in my hand and “on the go”, but also serve as my full desktop system when plugged into some sort of dock. Imagine this scenario:

• Leave for work with device in hand. On the way to work, I can listen to my music and use it as my phone.
• I get to work and dock my device and it turns into my main system.
• After work, drive home (again, it serving as my iPod and phone).
• At home (once the kids are in bed), I plug it into my home dock and I have my main system again.

All the while, my entire system/phone/iPod with me all the time. Keep in mind, this was also around the time people first started speculating about a tablet from Apple as well. (Wow, did those rumors take a long time to materialize!) There was even speculation that this tablet would slide into a dock and become your normal OS X system.

I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if I didn’t have to carry around three devices (iPod, phone, and laptop) and only had to carry one device. One device to rule them all. (Sorry, had to do it.) Granted, I understood the technological hurdles at the time. No processor and memory combination was powerful enough and power efficient enough to warrant any discussion on that front. And the same thing could be said today. While the industry has come a long way since then, the power required to run (even) a mobile Intel processor is significant and not efficient enough to use for a truly mobile device.

So, here we are 5 years later and what I am carrying around? 1 iPhone, 1 iPad, and 1 MacBook Air. Wow, we’re back to three devices. Of the three, my iPhone is, by far, the most important. It is always with me and serves so many different purposes. (I still have a blog post coming on this aspect, just haven’t gotten around to writing it yet). I use my iPad primarily as a reading/entertainment device (and kid pleaser) and my MacBook Air is used for all computing tasks not taken up by either of the other two. Now, we’re back to the same question. Wouldn’t it be nice if all of these functions could be done with just one device?

I’ve come to face the fact that this may never happen. At least not any time soon. Phones are just too small to put any kind of power/battery combination that satisfies the efficiency demands of modern-day mobile needs. So, what about replacing the larger two? Apple’s answer to that question has been a firm “no”. Their fundamental philosophy is that each of these devices serve a specific and separate purpose. Period. No merging. No cross-pollinating. Nothing. They are separate and that’s how it is. Understandable. In practice, the use case of a laptop for “real” computing is very different than the use case for a mobile device (specifically referring to a tablet here). The main differentiator is touch. Touch, combined with the traditional desktop metaphor, has proven to be a sub-standard interaction technique. That’s why Apple decided to abandon the desktop metaphor in its tablet offering.

Microsoft, with their recently announced Windows 8 platform, believes differently. They have proposed to make one OS that will run not only on both hardware platforms, but (supposedly) at the same time. Want to use a tablet? Here’s the Metro UI for touch-y, feel-y use. Want to use the traditional Windows UI? No problem, here’s your desktop. Want to use the traditional Windows UI on a hardware tablet? We can do that ,too. Want to run Metro UI apps while you’re sitting at your desk? Wait for it…we can do that, too! Sounds a little pie-in-the-sky, doesn’t it?

Since the announcement, there have been many things written about Windows 8 and Microsoft’s bold move into the tablet space. Some of them ridiculous. Some of them fanboy-ish. And some of them even thoughtful (perish the thought!). But, they all agree that it’s a bold and refreshing move from a company that has, for so long, relied on its two main products to carry the company (Windows and Office). As I always do, I Instapaper-ed (is that a verb yet?) all of these articles to gain some perspective from around the web.

This morning, I was reading an article by Jason Snell over at Macworld. His overall take is cautiously optimistic. He loves the nature of the Metro UI, but is hesitant because he’s not sure if Microsoft can pull it off properly. Fair enough. But something he said stood out to me specifically:

In this future world, you can use your device in many different ways. If you want to travel with a tablet but also need to run a Windows app, Microsoft will oblige: plug in a keyboard and mouse and your touchscreen tablet interface vanishes, replaced by old-school Windows. Carry a tablet with you for reading a book on the bus in the morning, then plug it in to a stand at the office and it becomes your PC. Maybe even something as small as your smartphone is actually your entire computer, docking to a tablet screen, TV set, or traditional desktop setup as needed. Microsoft is also counting on millions of PC users running Windows 8 on their desktop PCs and then demanding that same familiar interface on a tablet device.

Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so, too. What if they can do it? I mean, I’ll be as surprised as the next guy. I am cautious only because for the most part, Microsoft only sells software to businesses. I know, they make Windows, which comes on most (if not all) PCs you buy off the shelf. But let’s face it, consumers don’t buy PCs because they’re from Microsoft. They don’t actively go out and say, “Ooh, I’ve got to get a PC because it’s got Windows!”. They get PCs because they need a computer and they need it cheap. Hell, Apple doesn’t even make a Mac for under $600. Microsoft sells software to businesses (Exchange, Office, Server, Team Foundation Server, etc.). They know business. They get it. They cater to businesses with roadmaps, expectations, and notions of backwards compatibility going all the way back to the original (stone) tablet. Have you ever seen Apple lay out a roadmap for their products? Um, no. I’m cautious because I don’t know if Microsoft gets the consumer market the way Apple obviously seems to.

But, let’s not sell them short for their idea. Windows 8 sounds a lot like what I say I want. Granted, they didn’t tie in the phone aspect, but I think that’s an engineering problem that can’t be solved right now. So, they didn’t get my full dream in there, but that’s not their fault. They have promised this mythical beast that can be your tablet when you want it to be a tablet and a PC when you want it be a PC. Can they do it?

Jeremy Toeman at LIVEdigitially is not hopeful yet. He begins his article:

Microsoft introduced Windows 8 for developers today, with a specific focus on their take on the tablet. Now some are fawning over this, but they clearly don’t recall a summer day in 2005 when Microsoft showed off Vista for the first time. I was there. It was, in a word awesome. The early demos of Vista blew us all away, it was as if we were at the Windows 95 launch all over again. Then Windows Vista came out, it was *nothing* like the demos, the train blew through the station, and the company’s been in a bit of a quagmire ever since, losing market share as well as credibility and prestige in virtually every category (other than Xbox).

He’s got a good point. This mythical beast is not due out for another year. What will happen in the industry between now and then? One person on Twitter commented that by the time this thing comes out, we will (collectively) be talking about the notions of an iPad 4! Will Windows 8 and its feature set still be relevant by that time? Will Apple or even the Android tablet makers keep evolving to the point that makes Microsoft look like they’re chasing the tails of everyone else (again)?

I don’t know what to make of it right this very minute. Too many things are up in the air. Too many questions and not enough physical hardware to see. Let’s face it, if it can’t run the traditional Windows UI on a mobile device, aren’t we just talking about the Metro UI as their mobile platform and Windows UI on laptops and desktops? if that’s the case, what’s the difference between that and what we have now with Windows (desktop version) and Windows Phone 7 devices? Nothing. Where’s the revolution? Where’s the sexiness in that?

My overall point is I hope they do succeed in what they’ve proposed. It certainly is ambitious. And it’s the closest thing to device downsizing that I’ve seen. I’m always for carrying one less device. After all, that’s the main reason I bought the first iPhone!

Aaron Hillegass (from the Big Nerd Ranch):

What you tolerate becomes your job. If you put up with people who are not doing their job, then your job becomes compensating for their shortcomings.

via The Pipeline Episode #57 (featuring Aaron Hillegass)

Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult | Truthout

A long read, but a good read. My favorite passage:

I am not a supporter of Obama and object to a number of his foreign and domestic policies. But when he took office amid the greatest financial collapse in 80 years, I wanted him to succeed, so that the country I served did not fail. But already in 2009, Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, declared that his greatest legislative priority was - jobs for Americans? Rescuing the financial system? Solving the housing collapse? - no, none of those things. His top priority was to ensure that Obama should be a one-term president. Evidently Senator McConnell hates Obama more than he loves his country. Note that the mainstream media have lately been hailing McConnell as "the adult in the room," presumably because he is less visibly unstable than the Tea Party freshmen.

Vic Gundotra - Google+ - Icon Ambulance One Sunday morning, January 6th, 2008 I was….

Before I even reached my car, I called Steve Jobs back. I was responsible for all mobile applications at Google, and in that role, had regular dealings with Steve. It was one of the perks of the job.

“Hey Steve - this is Vic”, I said. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your call earlier. I was in religious services, and the caller ID said unknown, so I didn’t pick up”.

Steve laughed. He said, “Vic, unless the Caller ID said ‘GOD’, you should never pick up during services”.

I laughed nervously. After all, while it was customary for Steve to call during the week upset about something, it was unusual for him to call me on Sunday and ask me to call his home. I wondered what was so important?

“So Vic, we have an urgent issue, one that I need addressed right away. I’ve already assigned someone from my team to help you, and I hope you can fix this tomorrow” said Steve.

Amazon App Store: Rotten To The Core | Shifty Jelly’s blog of mystery.

That’s right, Amazon gave away 101,491 copies of our app! At this point, we had a few seconds of excitement as well, had we mis-read the email and really earned $54,800 in one day? We would have done if our public agreement was in place, but we can now confirm that thanks to Amazon’s secret back-door deals, we made $0 on that day. That’s right, over 100,000 apps given away, $0 made.

Afghans Rage at Young Lovers - a Father Says Kill Them Both - NYTimes.com

It was the beginning of an Afghan love story that flouted dominant traditions of arranged marriages and close family scrutiny, a romance between two teenagers of different ethnicities that tested a village’s tolerance for more modern whims of the heart. The results were delivered with brutal speed.

This month, a group of men spotted the couple riding together in a car, yanked them into the road and began to interrogate the boy and girl. Why were they together? What right had they? An angry crowd of 300 surged around them, calling them adulterers and demanding that they be stoned to death or hanged.

“I think of it as bling for the yard,” said Ms. Schiller, 40.

AYFKM?!?!

Playhouses - Child’s Play, Grown-Up Cash - NYTimes.com.

Not to get into this yet again, but I’m not way off on this one. Again, not saying you shouldn’t use it, but please be careful!

Victoria Barret writing for Forbes: What Google+ Means For Google And You

"This is where I see a very different future of search. For most of us who aren’t public figures, Google searches reveal a smattering of relevant information mixed with a lot of seemingly random stuff. Image search, for example, turns up lots of photos of people with your first or last name, several scantily clad. Not relevant. That is due for a massive change if Google+ catches on. If a friend tags a photo of you in Google+, and makes that photo public (and you leave the privacy settings and tagging unchanged), that photo will turn up in a general Google search. If you post often publicly inside Google+, it’s treated like news. It’s search-able, suddenly. You are a publisher to the world."

Devin Coldewey writing for TechCrunch: Google+: One Hell Of A Trojan Horse

"Whatever the case, I feel confident in saying that Google’s long haul plan for + is subtle, sinister, and far-reaching. Not evil, exactly, but cunning and ruthless. Sure, right now it seems like it’s aimed at Facebook and to a lesser extent Twitter, but when the stakes are this high, you better believe they’ve got guns pointed at everyone in the room."

(Hat tip to Mike for both of these)

[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“10 Years of Apple Retail”][/caption]

In celebration of Apple’s 10 year anniversary of their (very) popular retail stores, Apple created a poster of things they have learned in those 10 years. Just a few tidbits (all of this brought to my attention by a MacRumors article):

Speaking of T-shirts, we've learned more than you can imagine about our own. We've found that when we wear black T-shirts, we blend in. And when we wear too many colors it's confusing. But blue shirts are just right. We've also learned that it takes precisely 4,253 stitches to embroider the Apple logo on those blue shirts. And we even figured out which direction the stitches should go in.

We also understand that finding the right design for our stores is critical. We even built a full-scale facade of the Regent Street store in a Cupertino parking lot to be sure the design was right. Which taught us the value of seeing things full size.

Over the past 10 years, we've learned that our stores are the embodiment of the Apple brand for our customers. Now, our customers just happen to be the entire reason we're here, so let's dedicate a few words to them. Around the time we opened the store in Tysons Corner, in 2001, everyone else was trying to talk to their customers less. Which made us think that maybe we should talk to them more. Face-to-face if possible. So we've found ways to strike up a conversation at every possible opportunity.

It’s all about the details…

You know, I'm so sick of Congress I could vomit.

• Josh Lyman The West Wing, “Five Votes Down”

With the clothes on their back, they came through a storm. And the ones that didn't die...want a better life. And they want it here. Talk about impressive. My point is this: break's over. What's next?

• President Josiah Bartlet The West Wing, Pilot

Every time I hear about how the lottery is up to so and so millions of dollars, my mind starts to wander. It starts mapping out scenarios of what I would do with all of that money. There are even nights where that thought starts running around in my head right before I go to sleep. It’s so embedded in my thoughts for the night that the resulting dreams are unbelievably realistic. I wake up, and am brought right back down to earth. Bummer.

Anyway…

Winning the lottery also makes me think about what would I do with myself if I did not have to worry about money anymore. What would I do with my days? How would I handle the fact that I tend to find and seek out things to do when I honestly have nothing else to do? How would I satisfy my insatiable need to matter? I get restless. As much as I’d like to, I would be unable to sit around doing nothing. I’d go crazy.

5by5

5by5 is an internet radio network that produces some of the podcasts that l listen to almost every single day. In fact, I currently listen to 11 of the 15 active shows. From the About page:

"5by5 is an Internet broadcasting network, home to broadcasts like The Talk Show, Back to Work, The Big Web Show, The Pipeline, and more, with hosts including Dan Benjamin, John Gruber, Merlin Mann, and Jeffrey Zeldman."

Now, those names may not mean anything to you, but those names are luminaries in the realm of the Apple universe and the web design community. These are the people I listen to, learn from, and admire. These are the people that make 5by5 like NPR for geeks.

Recently, Dan Benjamin, founder and chief operator of 5by5, announced that he was moving to Austin, Texas from his current home in Orlando, Florida. With this move, he’ll be leaving his current producer/assistant/right-hand man (actually a woman), Candy. Unfortunately, with the current landscape of internet radio network, there’s not much profit to go around. It makes only enough money to employ a few people to run and manage the operation. Hence, money for relocating the entire 5by5 staff (and by entire, I mean Candy) was not possible.

That leaves Dan with the task of finding a new Candy when he arrives in Austin. Announced on several of his recent shows, he’s formally looking for an “executive assistant”. What he’s been stressing, though, is he’s not looking for a web designer, a veteran programmer, or any other established professional who’s looking to change careers. What he’s looking for is a person who’s got only a few years experience under their belt, a person who’s into geek news and production, and someone who’s looking to be a producer/assistant in the realm of internet radio broadcasting. Sounds okay enough, right? But, ultimately, all of that is code for someone who’s not looking to make a lot of money, because there’s just not much to go around. Plain and simple.

Beuller? Beuller?

Now, as you may have guessed by now, this is exactly the kind of thing I would LOVE to do. Everything about this job appeals to me. I would get to meet with, interact with, and socialize with some of the most fascinating people in my industry. I would get to hang out and (most likely) become friends with Dan, which sounds like a blast in and of itself. But most of all, I would get to essentially geek out on an everyday basis and just enjoy it. It would be learning for curiosity’s sake. Not learning because you had to, or needed to. Just taking it all in, for fun. Because I can.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and where I am in my life. I look forward to work unlike some people I know. I don’t wake up every morning with a sense of dread. I enjoy being with my co-workers, debating the business and how our creations can help the business grow and flourish. It’s fun. It’s enriching. But, it’s also a job. A job that I need to be paid for. A source of income to pay for our house, the kids' schools, the cars we have, the activities we participate in, the fun we have. Ultimately, it’s money. When you strip everything else away, you’re left with the cold fact that money keeps me on the career path that I am currently on.

If money were no object, I think I’d go work with Dan. For me.