Kurt Vonnegut on the shapes of stories (a VHS rip of an old lecture). "People love that story. They never get sick of it." Excellent stuff. (Grokked from Cat Rambo)
Nick Mamatas does a screed on "professionalism." Yes that. (Pointed to by Steven Gould)
Some infographics on the evils of sitting. I know a few people who have gone to standing desks. My one doctor even told me about a colleague who developed a "walking desk" (a standing desk integrated with a treed mill). And that's really great for someone who has 1) an office and 2) control over their workspace. For the gleaming hordes of us who don't have either (hey, at least my cubicle has 3 walls, sometimes I haven't even had that), we're boned. Although I do have my chair set to an incline, I also feel a little lazy using it that way. I might have to try what Tobias did and get an exercise ball to use as a chair.
A quick primer on learning styles. I point this out because one, it's good to know. And two, just in case you continue to think that designers just make pretty pictures, most of us also think about these things and how they relate to metacognition. We are, after all, attempting to educate our audience. Even if it is a false lesson (the worse of advertising).
Comparing typefaces. Somewhat design napery, but a good example of all the things a professional designer does for you (including the adjustments we make that you never notice). One of the things they don't talk about (at least as far as I've gotten) is that faces change in response to cultural preferences. Many of the faces we use are very different than the "classic cuts." Part of that is that we aren't in the same time frame/cultural literacy period of the original design. Our aesthetics are different. As an FYI, I immediately spotted at least eight differences in the first paring (besides the adjustment to the x-height). It's not hard as they're comparing different type families, let alone "classic" versus "digital" renderings.
Jay Lake shares some of the weirdness inherent in the medical insurance system. First hand knowledge. I wish I could say that I haven't experienced similar problems, including finding transcription errors between the office billing and the insurance accounts payable. Over the phone. Why should the patient be bothered with this stuff?
In case you've forgotten about Fukushima. Nope, that ride is still on going. We're bottoming out on the first hill though. Now we get the twist and turns. Maybe a loop-d-loop or two. Good thing we're all distracted by other news. (Pointed to by Catherine Shaffer
Looks like I'm not the only one to see through some of the electoral bullshit going around. Yes, not only are conservative trying to ram their social agenda down your throat, they are actively trying to deny you your constitutional rights. Think I'm kidding? See what they're doing in Michigan? That's right, the MI Gov. can appoint an "Emergency Fiscal Manager" that can pretty much run roughshod over your local elected officials. While they've had that power for a while, the new legislation passed under Rick Snyder dramatically expanded their powers.
3 comments:
Thanks for the link to the infographic. I had read about the dangers of sitting, but seeing that really got me off my butt.
I saw a photo the other day of someone who had put the monitor and keyboards on shelves, essentially converting a regular desk to a "standing desk."
I'll have to ask the hubby to make some of those shelves for me for the desk at the house.
A standing desk would be cool. Just remember to move your feet and shift balance.
Oh, yes, moving my feet. I'll have to remember to boot up iTunes every morning and play something good to dance to.
Why just work, when you can dance and work at the same time?
:-D
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