The Never-Ending Battle for Online Mental Health
I’m an old-timer online. I got my start in the 1980s with BBSs and internet access through my university as an undergraduate. When I hit grad school in 1990, I spent a lot more time …
Category: General
When Your Dad Dies
There are so many conflicting feelings running through my brain right now, it’s hard to express them. When a parent is dying, it’s hard to know exactly how you’re supposed to feel. When it’s your …
Boing Boing: There’s More than One Way to Start & Run a Company
Of course there’s more than one way to start a company, or run it. But when you’re in the startup echo chamber that tends to be full of venture capitalists (VCs), you might start to …
Touchscreens: Decreasing Usability of Automobile Controls
I have to write about this horrible trend in automobile design of interior controls — touchscreens. Touchscreens in automobiles are one of the worst ideas in the world of usability design. Period. The reason is …
Lifehack: Easy Chair Mat Fix for Desk Chair on Carpet
I’ve bought my share of those crappy chair mats they sell in Office Depot. They never really work well, and they are a bear to move around. I thought there had to be something better …
Google’s SSL Signal Penalizes Ordinary People, Small Businesses
With Google’s short-sighted stand that SSL will now be used as a ranking signal in its algorithm, the giant technology and marketing company has finally shown its hand — it doesn’t care about the ordinary …
What iPhone 6 Needs to Fix
I’ve enjoyed using my iPhone for years, since its second incarnation. But there remain a few vexing problems that are amplified whenever you try and use the device for many of the tasks it was …
Auto-Play Video: Worst Idea Ever
As a matter of principle, I try to avoid any website in the future that’s shoved an auto-play video (usually with audio enabled!) into my face while trying to access their content. Whether it’s an …
More Government Cameras Are Not the Answer
I find it a little odd that the answer to the question of how to prevent future bombers like the Boston Marathon bombers is more government intrusion into our lives. These are one-off events that, …
The Sad State of Web Design Today
My monitor — like yours — is capable of displaying over 16 million colors (I bet you didn’t even know there were 16 million colors!). So why is it that when I visit website after …