In Flanders Fields

The Human Family Can Do Better

Data visualization is a 21st-century core competency

Ignorant spammers - pathetic

Say what?

Today I received this email (note the grammatical lapses):

As a result of unusual congestion in our email servers system, there would be removal of all unused Gmail Accounts. You will have to confirm your login details below for proper verification and for us to confirm your account activeness. Please feed us back with your login information below after clicking the reply button.

Account Name:
Password: 

Present Country:

Note: Failure to give Google Account Team your login information above will leads to suspension and elimination of your Account permanently. Your response with the required details is mandatory for your Account security.

Google Account Management.

Riight.

Feeding Time

Two Weeks With an iPad

I ordered my 64GB 3G iPad on May 10, and although it was scheduled for delivery on May 28, a flight delay meant I got it on May 31. No biggie. It was good to have a (relatively) distraction-free weekend. So now I've had it for almost two weeks. First impressions: iPad is heavier than I thought it would be; its screen smudges more easily than it probably should; the onscreen virtual keyboard is not really suitable for extended typing.

It sounds like I'm dissing it altogether. Perish the thought. Although I'm still getting used to it, I'm enjoying the different interaction mode it encourages: anytime-anywhere access to information in the cloud or on the device–my 64GB is nearly full, with over 130 high-def TEDtalks. The inertial scrolling, with its subtle and refined acceleration and deceleration, is sheer joy to use. Yes, it seems like a cliché, but Apple hit one out of the park with the user experience on the iPad. Going back to a conventional mouse-windows-icons-keyboard interface on my Mac feels so...20th century.

What Motivates Us?

Most businesses get it wrong, according to Dan Pink. Watch, listen, and learn.

TEDxCalgary

The first TEDx conference I attended was an eye-opener. Two months later, my second TEDx event confirms that these gatherings are well worth attending. The notion of "ideas worth spreading" is too tame. Some of the ideas presented are life-altering — in a good way. So why does it seem that so many people still don't know about TED and its philosophy? How else can I explain the knowledge silos that persist in so many places, such as — and it pains me to say this — the organization I work for? I've worked at other large companies, and they all suffer internal gaps in communication. The key point I took away from today is the foundational role that storytelling plays in culture, for any organization or society that wants to develop some form of robust self-understanding. Data + analysis + presentation = actionable insight. I intend to apply this to my work. I've feasted at a brain banquet. Now, to digest.

22 Mar 2010 New Yorker cover painted on the iPhone

Awesome iPad digital magazine demo

Behind the scenes: how it was done


VIV Mag Featurette: A Digital Magazine Motion Cover and Feature for the iPad from Alexx Henry on Vimeo.

A New Fuel Cell That Might Actually Be Practical?

Watch CBS News Videos Online

A Future Where Usability is the Prime Virtue

(iPad image © Apple)

After months of speculation, rumour-mongering, and hype, the iPad was announced last week. A lot has been written elsewhere about it, much of it utterly wrongheaded, so I won't rehash any of that. However, some folks do seem to grok what the iPad is about — click on the links at the end of this post if you're curious to read what they say. In the meantime, imagine a near-future where computers are different — much more accessible and useful to non-geeks. First, a brief tour of where we came from, and how little progress we've made as computer
victims
users, really — until now.

Jan 2003, self-explanatory:

From: Bill Gates
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 10:05 AM
To: Jim Allchin
Subject: Windows Usability Systematic degradation flame

I am quite disappointed at how Windows Usability has been going backwards and the program management groups don't drive usability issues

Jan 2004 - Allchin (who led the Vista team) wrote:

From: Jim Allchin
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 8:38 AM
To: Bill Gates; Steve Ballmer
Subject: losing our way...

I am not sure how the company lost sight of what matters to our customers (both business and home) the most, but in my view we lost our way. I think our teams lost sight of what bug-free means, what resilience means, what full scenarios mean, what security means, what performance means, how important current applications are, and really understanding what the most important problems [our] customers face are. I see lots of random features and some great vision, but that doesn't translate onto great products.

I would buy a Mac today if I was not working at Microsoft...my point is about the philosophy that Apple uses. They think scenario. They think simple.

FAST FORWARD SIX YEARS

Feb 2, 2010 - developer David Alison looks back on his switch in 2008:

In relatively short order I went from having a MacBook to purchasing a Mac Pro, which replaced my primary Windows desktop. Whereas the MacBook was quick, the Mac Pro was-and still is-remarkably fast. With dual 2.8Ghz quad core Xeons and 12GB of RAM, I was suddenly able to run a huge number of applications seamlessly.

The bottom line is I'm really happy I decided to "try out" that MacBook two years ago. Computing-as a software developer the place I spent a huge number of my waking hours-became fun and exciting again.

Former MS Business Development Director Don Dodge tries out Apple stuff:

The most obvious distinction between Microsoft and Apple is design. Apple is quite simply the best hardware / software design company in the world...You see the design ethic in everything Apple does. The Mac, iPod, iTouch, iPhone and iPad are just beautiful, elegant, and imaginative designs that provide a delightful user experience.

Feb 4, 2010 - Former MS VP **** Brass recounts Microsoft's self-inflicted woes:

When we were building the tablet PC in 2001, the vice president in charge of Office at the time decided he didn't like the concept. The tablet required a stylus, and he much preferred keyboards to pens and thought our efforts doomed. To guarantee they were, he refused to modify the popular Office applications to work properly with the tablet. So if you wanted to enter a number into a spreadsheet or correct a word in an e-mail message, you had to write it in a special pop-up box, which then transferred the information to Office. Annoying, clumsy and slow.

Which, when you think about it, describes most Microsoft products.

Contrast this with what's coming soon for the iPad:

People should have confidence that their work is always preserved unless they explicitly cancel or delete it. If your application helps people create and edit documents, make sure they do not have to take an explicit save action.

Bring it on!

Additional reading

Joe Hewitt: iPad

Fraser Speirs: Future Shock

Lucien Dupont: My Dad and the iPad

Mike Monteiro: The Failure of Empathy

Post-holiday mall crowd

Posted via web from victorpanlilio's posterous

Earlier and earlier...

• Symantec is reporting that porn is among the top four search terms for children under the age of seven. Before we all get bent out of shape wringing our hands about this, know that there are easy steps we can take if we have young children at home and we want to reduce the likelihood of their stumbling upon porn: (1) sign up for a free OpenDNS account and set the appropriate level of filtering for our home network at the router and as a backup also on all the computers our children use, including handheld devices such as the iPhone and iPod Touch; (2) turn on and lock SafeSearch in Google or set the default search engine to one that uses SafeSearch restrictions; (3) set and lock the Parental Controls in the operating system; (4) give our children only non-administrator user accounts so they cannot easily override our settings. OpenDNS can generate reports of which website and domains are being blocked, and we can monitor online activity using the OpenDNS web dashboard from any internet-connected computer or smartphone.

After taekwondo class

Sent from my iPhone 3G

Posted via email from victorpanlilio's posterous

Gaming on the 24-inch LED Apple Display

via Pixelpipe

Posted via web from victorpanlilio's posterous

Check out BlockChalk

I'm on BlockChalk. It's the voice of your neighborhood. Use it to talk to anyone, about anything. It's anonymous, there's no sign-up and nothing to install.

 Go to http://blockchalk.com with your iPhone and check it out!

 Sent from my iPhone 3G

Posted via email from victorpanlilio's posterous

Deanna's Freaking Awesome Pancakes

Sent from my iPhone 3G

Posted via email from victorpanlilio's posterous

The truth is not always pleasant

Did I mention that I like cheese?

Sent from my iPhone 3G

Posted via email from victorpanlilio's posterous