• Biz,  Creativity,  Design,  Productivity

    Very well put

    From Zeldman on designing on spec

    Design is only partly decoration. Mainly it is problem solving. Unless the RFP spells out site goals and user needs in phenomenal detail, you can’t create an appropriate design because you don’t yet know what problems need to be solved.

    Comments Off on Very well put
  • Atlanta,  House Hunt,  Ron Paul

    Now I find out…

    After complaining for years about how I have nothing in common with my neighbors, today I find out that one of my neighbor’s loves to talk politics and is a fellow Ron Paul supporter. Pesky lopsided timing…

    Comments Off on Now I find out…
  • Atlanta,  Police State,  Politics

    Scary quote of the day

    From the AJC article Clayton may seek records on all renters

    “This is not to say Big Brother is watching,” he insisted. “It says Big Brother is helping.”

    It’s not the most intrusive thing that could happen, but bear in mind that in the past 10 years we (the Atlanta Metro Area) have had

    • 1 Mayor in jailed on corruption charges
    • 1 political assassination of a sheriff
    • 1 ex-sheriff convicted of said assassination, along with several deputies
    • 1 police shooting of an 87 year old woman based on a perjured warrant
    • The creation of a “Tupac Shakur Arts Center” funded by the taxpayers
    • Cynthia McKinney’s entire political career

    And we should give the government more power?

  • Biz,  Socializer

    I try something new

    In accordance with 37 Signals design methodology, I’m designing a new application by designing the interface first. I’ll keep everyone posted.

    The project is currently called Socializer, it’s based (somehow) on Bill Clinton’s early networking style.

    Comments Off on I try something new
  • Islam,  Media

    Meaningless op-eds masquerading as human interest stories

    From the CNN.com article: Muslim women: My headscarf is not a threat after telling a story about rudeness at Walmart while wearing a hijab (which they put in quotation marks for some reason).

    Such stories are not altogether uncommon for Muslim Americans.

    Wow, not altogether uncommon! I guess it’s not unlike a problem of variable merit. There’s also the annoying use of the term Muslim American (implying ethnicity or nationality) instead of American Muslim.

    The rest of the story is of dubious logic and follows the same pattern as all other CNN.com stories about group identity, which is

    1. An offensive incident
    2. A quote of data after some seemingly arbitrary date
    3. Quote from expert
    4. Further interview with subject, telling everyone that he/she wants to be different while remaining the same.