Dec
3rd
Thu
3rd
This is what we do, humans. We tinker, and change, and endlessly imagine a more perfect future. And at the same time, we idealize the past. So we’re trapped. Progress’s constant companion is nostalgia for the way things used to be. … The thing we forget about progress: there is no master plan. It lurches forward, in the dark, accidentally, and you’re never sure where it’s taking you. There’s no going back, whether it wants to or not.
— Ira Glass (speaking about factory farms) from s1e6 of This American Life, the television show. (via spaceminer)
Dec
2nd
Wed
2nd
First of all, These “Like our site? Please take a survey!” modals are a plague. They interrupt users, and usually at the worst possible time (like when I’m trying to find support for my broken HP printer).
You know what site surveys are? They’re a checkbox in a Microsoft.com site manager’s laundry list to be mindlessly checked off, regardless of how they effect the user experience. (via Screenshots of Doom: Microsoft.com Survey — UX Hero)
The average of all these studies suggests that offering lots of extra choices seems to make no important difference either way. There seem to be circumstances where choice is counterproductive but, despite looking hard for them, we don’t yet know much about what they are. Overall, says Scheibehenne: “If you did one of these studies tomorrow, the most probable result would be no effect.” Perhaps choice is not as paradoxical as some psychologists have come to believe. One way or another, we seem to be able to cope with it.
- 18% of teen boys and 22% of teen girls say they have sent/posted nude or seminude pictures or video of themselves
- 71% of teen girls and 67% of teen guys who have sent or posted sexually suggestive content say they have sent/posted this content to a boyfriend/girlfriend.
- 36% of teen girls and 39% of teen boys say it is common for nude or semi-nude photos to get shared with people other than the intended recipient.
- 38% of teen girls and 39% of teen boys say they have had sexually suggestive text messages or emails— originally meant for someone else—shared with them.
- 71% of teen girls and 67% of teen guys who have sent or posted sexually suggestive content say they have sent/posted this content to a boyfriend/girlfriend.
- 36% of teen girls and 39% of teen boys say it is common for nude or semi-nude photos to get shared with people other than the intended recipient.
- 38% of teen girls and 39% of teen boys say they have had sexually suggestive text messages or emails— originally meant for someone else—shared with them.
The pot and the hotplate would work via induction—meaning that the cooking surface remains cool to the touch, and heats only the pot. Meanwhile, all of the outside edges of the pot are heat resistant, and also cool. To adjust the temperature, there are Braille guides on the cooktop, and the settings are adjustable by simply turning the orientation of the pot—basically like a big dial. (via Making Cooking Safe for the Blind | Design & Innovation | Fast Company)
General Manager Shea Grandquest and News Director Wes Finley have been suspended, allegedly because of a “snafu” with one of the electronic billboards in town that showed a picture of anchors Greg Peterson and Kym Thurman and Chief Meteorologist Derek Beasley alongside the headline “3 Accused of Gang Rape in Monroeville.” The headline was under the header “Right Now on Twitter,” and clearly was aimed at promoting the station’s breaking news, but a photo of it has made its way to e-mails all over town and brought plenty of laughs. (via Lagniappe: WPMI GM, ND Suspended Over Billboard)
The recently released study evaluated data on 4,000 hospitals in the U.S over a four-year period and found that the immense cost of installing and running hospital IT systems is greater than any expected cost savings. And much of the software being written for use in clinics is aimed at administrators, not doctors, nurses and lab workers.
The problem “is mainly that computer systems are built for the accountants and managers and not built to help doctors, nurses and patients,” the report’s lead author, Dr. David Himmelstein, said in an interview with Computerworld.
an average of the flags of the 200-plus countries of the Old World (2009), weighted by population, levels-adjusted to improve contrast and reduce the preponderance of red: (via The Flag Of Pure Bliss « Weather Sealed)
The Boston Globe has a slideshow with a few examples from the now-declassified Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception.
via Kottke
Nov
29th
Sun
29th
They’re printed with thermochromic ink that changes color when the temperature of wearer’s breath increases. True, this smart wearable technology could lead to a very lonely corner on the subway for anyone suffering from a fever, but it would certainly help to curb the spread of deadly germs in a simple (and pretty) manner. (via Thermochromic Swine Flu Mask’s Colors are Fever Activated | Inhabitat)
