https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/10/business/location-data-privacy-apps.html
"Dozens of companies use smartphone locations to help advertisers and even hedge funds. They say it's anonymous, but the data shows how personal it is."
December 30, 2018
Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night, and They’re Not Keeping It Secret
December 27, 2018
The year we lost faith in technology
https://theweek.com/articles/812478/year-lost-faith-technology
“That there is value in digital tech is inarguable. But to live in the 21st century is to be inevitably bound up in things much bigger than yourself. You might oppose the oil industry but out of necessity have to use plastics or drive a car. Big tech's usefulness doesn't negate its increasingly worrying behaviors.”
December 26, 2018
December 24, 2018
Non-destructive reinstall of Windows 8, 8.1 and 10
https://www.winhelp.us/non-destructive-reinstall-of-windows-8-and-8-1.html
“How to reinstall Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 without losing any data, installed programs or settings”
December 22, 2018
The Cost of Living in Mark Zuckerberg’s Internet Empire
https://www.theringer.com/tech/2018/12/19/18148701/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-year-in-review
"A year of staggering revelations is a reminder of how much Facebook has corrupted life online, with the effect of making the internet seem a little less bearable and a little less human"
December 18, 2018
December 15, 2018
December 08, 2018
December 04, 2018
November 24, 2018
When does it make sense to cut the cord?
https://www.engadget.com/2018/11/23/should-you-cancel-cable/
“What do you do when your cable box is more useful for telling the time than delivering movies and TV? ”
November 18, 2018
November 12, 2018
Why UX Designers Should Consider the Role of Sound Design
https://www.wired.com/story/why-do-ux-designers-neglect-sound/
I *loathe# the “you are bad” sound many card readers make the very *second* you should remove your card.
Next on the list: car horn honks to let the owner know they’ve locked their car (and that let everyone within a quarter mile know you’re inconsiderate).
November 11, 2018
November 10, 2018
November 07, 2018
November 04, 2018
Things Alexa can do (updated as I find stuff)
News and weather:
- Alexa, Tell me some good news
- Alexa, Tell me the news
- Alexa, Play flash briefing
- Alexa, Will it rain this weekend?
- Alexa, Fast weather
- Alexa, Play latest news from (NPR|CNN|Associated Press|BBC)
- Alexa, Ask the daily show for news
Cool stuff:
- Alexa, Why are you named Alexa? [cool!]
- Alexa, Open three questions
- Alexa, Away mode
- Alexa, Play Jeopardy
- Alexa, Play guided meditation
- Alexa, Open the magic door
- Alexa, Sing me a song
- Alexa, Tell me a joke
- Alexa, Start 7-minute workout
- Alexa, Start 5-minute plan workout
- Alexa, Enable meow
- Alexa, Launch this date in history
- Alexa, Inspire me
- Alexa, Ask magic 8-ball if (question)
- Alexa, Open the wayne investigation
- Alexa, ask Wikipedia about [whatever]
- Alexa, lower volume, raise volume, or volume 1 - 10
Cool sounds: (and enable continuous play by saying “loop it” after it starts)
- Alexa, Play rain sounds
- Alexa, Play distant thunderstorm
- Alexa, Play ocean waves
- Alexa, Play beach sounds
- Alexa, Play gentle thunder sounds
- Alexa, Open future sounds
- Alexa, Play thunderstorm sounds
- Alexa, Play sleep sounds wind chimes
- Alexa, Play space deck
Music:
- Alexa, Play new music
- Alexa, Play Gregorian chants
- Alexa, Play SomaFM (and one of the below) – (see somafm.com for descriptions and more channels, and donate if you can)
- Groove salad
- Boot Liquor
- Drone zone
- Beat Blender
- Illinois Street Lounge
- Space station soma
- Secret agent
- Lush
- Beat blender
- Bagel radio
- Sonic universe
- Suburbs
- Poptron
- Fluid
- Covers
- Also you can “ask soma fm what song this is” (and you can also find the most recently-played list online)
- Also you can “ask soma fm what song this is” (and you can also find the most recently-played list online)
- Groove salad
Skills (must be enabled via Alexa app before use):
- Alexa, Open curiosity (choose/learn about a topic)
- Alexa, tell Skill Finder to give me the skill of the day.
- Alexa, Question of the day
- Alexa, Short bedtime story (must register, but it will use a name you give it in the story)
October 23, 2018
October 22, 2018
October 17, 2018
October 04, 2018
October 01, 2018
September 30, 2018
It's not 'distracted driving,' it's selfish driving
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-op-0930-selfish-driving-20180927-story.html
September 29, 2018
September 28, 2018
Thanks To Streaming Fragmentation, Bittorrent Traffic Is Suddenly Rising In Traffic Share
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180926/10321340720/thanks-to-streaming-fragmentation-bittorrent-traffic-is-suddenly-rising-traffic-share.shtml
"Unfortunately, the past few years have seen a drastic fragmentation of the streaming market. Where there was once the need to essentially have one or two streaming services to get most of the content you want, exclusivity deals and homegrown content created by the streaming companies themselves has carved out more borders in the streaming services industry, often times requiring many streaming services to get the content people now want. And, because every action has an equal and opposite reaction, Canadian broadband management company Sandvine is reporting that bittorrent traffic is suddenly on the rise."
"Unfortunately, the past few years have seen a drastic fragmentation of the streaming market. Where there was once the need to essentially have one or two streaming services to get most of the content you want, exclusivity deals and homegrown content created by the streaming companies themselves has carved out more borders in the streaming services industry, often times requiring many streaming services to get the content people now want. And, because every action has an equal and opposite reaction, Canadian broadband management company Sandvine is reporting that bittorrent traffic is suddenly on the rise."
September 24, 2018
September 23, 2018
SomaFM
If you like music and dislike commercials, check out https://somafm.com/. I’ve been a listener (and financial contributor) for years. So many great genre options.
If you use the Chrome web browser, there’s an extension available that will let you play it easily from the toolbar, see song history, etc. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/somaplayer/dpcghdgbhjkihgnnbojldhjmcbieofgo
September 22, 2018
How to freeze your credit for free
https://www.techsupportalert.com/content/how-freeze-your-credit-free.htm
We need a phone app or web service that lets you do this for all sources from one interface. Get to it, internets.
September 20, 2018
September 19, 2018
September 09, 2018
Designing Effective Infographics
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/designing-effective-infographics
But before you even start one: what are you giving up when you choose an infographic?
- Readability on all screen sizes (due to fixed width and scaling issues)
- Searchability (because the “text” is actually part of the image)
- Simple, linear flow (multiple columns reduce readability)
- Respect for those with visual issues that use screen readers
GeoGuessr, a free mystery game that will show you the world
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/david-pogue-on-geoguessr-174916226.html
Use Google Street View to figure out where you’ve been dropped on Earth.
- You don’t have to sing up to try it.
- Singing up is free.
- Use mouse scroll wheel, all arrow keys, and clicks to move around and zoom.
- You can set your own rules, but the one I found that made the most sense: you could only use Google in another tab to search for things once you identified the city you are in.
- To warm up, try the US map.
The Very Near Future [video]
https://vimeo.com/236746650
"In the very near future Joey would like to order a XXL Triple Cheese Pizza online. To his great surprise this does not only appear to be difficult but causes serious trouble...."
"In the very near future Joey would like to order a XXL Triple Cheese Pizza online. To his great surprise this does not only appear to be difficult but causes serious trouble...."
September 06, 2018
September 05, 2018
September 03, 2018
September 02, 2018
(Dis)trust in Science
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/dis-trust-in-science/
"This crumbling of trust in science and academia forms part of a broader pattern... Growing numbers of people claim their personal opinions hold equal weight to the opinions of experts."
"This crumbling of trust in science and academia forms part of a broader pattern... Growing numbers of people claim their personal opinions hold equal weight to the opinions of experts."
We Can't Fix The Internet
https://kotaku.com/we-cant-fix-the-internet-1828463761
“Some of this is a problem of social-network design, where everything is public, permanent, and free of context, a perfect storm of hyperbolic overreaction. But it wouldn’t have arisen like this if the audience for it didn’t exist. The audience was always there. Those old LJers and Goons were the architects of these faulty methods of communication. The saddest part is that, when you get swept up in it, it’s fun. Social media is a form of theater, where we are all simultaneously an audience and participants. We made this bed, and we’re lying in it.”
August 26, 2018
August 25, 2018
August 22, 2018
August 21, 2018
August 14, 2018
Amazon Answers: a tweak, please
As a frequent purchaser of things on Amazon, I find much value in reviews and questions & answers, but I often see questions asked by potential customers answered with “I don’t know” or “It was a gift, I’m not sure”.
While you think people would be aware enough of the situation to not answer questions for which they don’t have an answer, Amazon could make one change to help with this.
Here’s an example message we product purchaser/reviewers receive when someone asks a question:
All Amazon would have to do is add another button: “I don’t know the answer”. Or have that be an option once they click that “Respond to question” button.
August 12, 2018
Moral Code: The Ethics of AI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=196&v=GboOXAjGevA
“Advances in computing and the existence of entirely new data sets are ushering in AI capable of realizing milestones that have long eluded us: curing cancer, exploring deep space, understanding climate change. That promise is what fuels our culture’s unrelenting excitement and investment in AI. It also raises the need for real, honest dialogue about how we build and adopt these technologies responsibly.”
August 05, 2018
August 04, 2018
August 03, 2018
July 22, 2018
July 21, 2018
July 15, 2018
App developers: a favor, please
App developers, thank you for writing the cool things you do, but when it comes to installers, may I ask a favor? Please do not complicate the app path, or the Start menu, by using your company name for a folder name.
I have never once been looking for an app folder and thought to myself “Hey, even though I’m looking for the Luxafor folder, here’s a folder called Greynut, I bet that company is cool and I should immediately Google it”.
What I have said, is:
“Argh! Why is the path \program files\greynut\luxafor?!
Likewise for organization in the Start menu… keep it simple, please, with a recognizable name: that of the software.
Thank you.
July 14, 2018
Brutalist Web Design
This, this, so much this:
“A website's materials aren't HTML tags, CSS, or JavaScript code. Rather, they are its content and the context in which it's consumed. A website is for a visitor, using a browser, running on a computer to read, watch, listen, or perhaps to interact. A website that embraces Brutalist Web Design is raw in its focus on content, and prioritization of the website visitor.”
July 13, 2018
July 09, 2018
Software/website design articles
Hick's Law: Designing Long Menu Lists
Hick's Law (or the Hick–Hyman Law) says that the more choices you present to your users, the longer it takes them to reach a decision. However, combining Hick's Law with other design techniques can make long menus easy to use. (3 min. video)
The Availability Heuristic
People make decisions based on the information that is most readily available to them. Understanding how the availability heuristic works will help you design for the way people think. (2 min. video)
July 07, 2018
The quiet destruction of the American teenager
http://theweek.com/articles/783097/quiet-destruction-american-teenager
“Few periods in American history have been as revolutionary as the last decade or so. Between 2009 and the present the use of smartphones has become ubiquitous among children. It is not uncommon for many young people to spend six or even nine hours a day in front of these screens, getting less sleep, spending less time engaged in other meaningful activities, engrossing themselves in a set of priorities and commitments that are utterly divorced from the real world in which they should be learning to live.”
Please scroll responsibly
http://theweek.com/articles/782718/please-scroll-responsibly
“In giving up the Google Reader model in favor of Facebook's or Twitter's curated feeds, we've ceded control of our online experiences. And despite whatever new features the tech giants are implementing, with their bottom lines so dependent on gaming our attention, it's unlikely they'll be willing to give it back.”
July 06, 2018
July 03, 2018
June 29, 2018
VirusTotal Monitor, a service to mitigate false positives (to be used by software developers)
http://blog.virustotal.com/2018/06/vtmonitor-to-mitigate-false-positives.html?m=1
“One of VirusTotal’s core missions is to empower our antivirus partners. By building better tools to detect and study malware, VirusTotal gets to make a dent in the security of billions of users (all those that use the products of our partners). Until now we have focused on helping the antivirus industry flag malicious files, and now we also want to help it fix mistaken detections of legit files, i.e. false positives.”
June 26, 2018
June 21, 2018
June 17, 2018
The Most Honest Out-of-Office Message
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/06/out-of-office-message-email/562394/
“What if you deleted all your emails during vacation and never looked back?”
June 10, 2018
Debunking the 6 biggest myths about “technology addiction"
https://www.salon.com/2018/05/26/debunking-the-6-biggest-myths-about-technology-addiction_partner/
"I am a psychologist who has worked with teens and families and conducted research on technology use, video games and addiction. I believe most of these fear-mongering claims about technology are rubbish. There are several common myths of technology addiction that deserve to be debunked by actual research."
June 09, 2018
Rise of the deepfakes
http://theweek.com/articles/777592/rise-deepfakes
"New technology makes it alarmingly easy to make realistic videos of people saying and doing things they've never done. Here's everything you need to know."
"New technology makes it alarmingly easy to make realistic videos of people saying and doing things they've never done. Here's everything you need to know."
June 02, 2018
May 22, 2018
May 05, 2018
April 22, 2018
April 14, 2018
Tube: minimalist YouTube search
"Madeline Cameron's Tube is a minimalist YouTube search engine: no recommendations, no nonsense, just a search bar, a list of results with thumbnails, and clean chromeless full-screen video embeds."
April 03, 2018
March 30, 2018
March 29, 2018
What Is Phubbing? Why It's Bad for Relationships and Mental Health
“Phubbing” — snubbing someone you’re talking to to look at a cell phone — may not be part of your everyday vocabulary, but it’s almost certainly part of your everyday life. Just think about how often a conversation stalls because your friends (or you) have pulled out a phone and descended into an Instagram black hole.
March 20, 2018
February 20, 2018
February 17, 2018
January 31, 2018
January 18, 2018
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