Worth noting, briefly Elsewhere Contact: // Tumblr (3.0; @bdc)http://briefly.bencohen.net/<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kz1xnvzsCF1qz4vblo1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Imagine this: a developer who not only makes it <i>hard</i> to do the <i>wrong thing</i>, but <i>easy </i>to do the <i>right one<span>.</span></i></p> <p><i><span><a title="Shaun Inman // Compact" target="_blank" href="http://shauninman.com/pact/">Shaun Inman</a> loves his users (and does his own tech support).</span></i></p> <p>In his excellent rss reader, <a title="Fever° Red Hot. Well Read." target="_blank" href="http://feedafever.com">Fever°</a>, he offers users the ability to bulk unsubscribe from all of their feeds. I needed to do this tonight because I decided that the 800+ feeds I’ve subscribed to over the years are not all as important as they used to be (and that was too many feeds). However, in addition to requiring users to check the “Yes, I’m sure I want to do this” box, he offers a quick <i>export</i> link, and suggests that the user might want to take advantage of it.</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/438436166http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/438436166Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:52:43 -0800usability“I’m doing this because I like accountability and transparency, and I believe in public service. And it is the complete opposite of everything else I do. Maybe I’ll learn something. The practical consequence is that I will probably go to Washington several days each month, in addition to whatever homework and phone meetings are necessary.”<br/><br/> - <em><p>Expect sparklines.</p> <p><i>Edward Tufte, who has been </i><a href="http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0003e0&topic_id=1"><i>appointed by President Obama</i></a><i> to “help track and explain $787 billion in recovery stimulus funds” as part of the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel.</i></p> <p><i>Tufe is being nonchalant, but this is great news. Not only for design-nerds but the general public too.</i></p> <p><i>(via </i><a href="http://twitter.com/iA/status/10159481991"><i>iA</i></a><i>)</i></p> <p><i>(via </i><a href="http://notes.caseyagollan.com/"><i>caseyagollan</i></a><i>)</i></p> <p><i> (via </i><a href="http://roomthily.tumblr.com/"><i>roomthily</i></a><i>)</i></p></em>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/434336030http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/434336030Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:47:00 -0800tufte<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kymygsW3hY1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Purple Rug on the Grass (via <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/heliostatic">heliostatic</a>)</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/421242701http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/421242701Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:46:03 -0800<p><a title="Jekyll" href="http://github.com/mojombo/jekyll">Jekyll</a>, the static site generator written in ruby, is awesome. I just converted a site from plain html to generated html in about 30 minutes (ok, <a title="Katherine J Lee" href="http://katherinejlee.com">small site</a>), and look forward to a lot less hassle when making updates.</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/419394587http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/419394587Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:39:30 -0800<p>Katherine’s making a basketball bag for a friend, and it turns out we have no ball. Does anybody out there have one they’d be willing to share?</p> <p>In fact, does anyone want to shoot some hoops this weekend, period?</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/414418887http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/414418887Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:24:20 -0800<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kyh9rogCEB1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Katherine made delicious marshmallows (via <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/heliostatic">heliostatic</a>)</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/414381993http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/414381993Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:04:35 -0800<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ky7kzczQao1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Katherine finished her sheets and I took some pictures. I liked this one — the bridal pattern looks really nice, I think.</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/403248425http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/403248425Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:30:00 -0800<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ky2jgh8OTW1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>We bought a fifty pound bag of flour. These are the consequences.</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/397757157http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/397757157Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:09:48 -0800<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/shellfish-and-andouille-gumbo-with-shrimp-scallops-clams-and-oysters-with-crispy-okra-recipe/index.html">Shellfish and Andouille Gumbo with Shrimp, Scallops, Clams and Oysters with Crispy Okra Recipe : Bobby Flay : Food Network</a>: <p>Valentine’s dinner. Turned out well.</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/389984368http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/389984368Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:48:29 -0800<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxlw6x26rB1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>According to <a title="OMSI" href="http://www.omsi.org">OMSI</a>, this is what Katherine and I have to look forward to in about 40 years. We are not going to OMSI, or Portland, again.</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/381114782http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/381114782Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:25:45 -0800<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxk9quYZID1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>I just finished the v1 of Katherine’s <a title="Katherine J Lee" href="http://katherinejlee.com">new site</a>. I started out using the <a title="#grid" href="http://hashgrid.com/">grid system</a> from the fine gentlemen at <a title="Analog" href="http://analog.coop">analog</a>, but in realizing the client’s design vision… I resorted to a complete mishmash approach. Anyway, the site is up, I’m happy with it, and Katherine is happy I’m finished working on it. Now that it’s up, I’m tearing it apart and rebuilding it using <a title="Jekyll on Github" href="http://github.com/mojombo/jekyll">jekyll</a>. Depending on how that goes, it might be the first micro-ecommerce site built on jekyll. No promises.</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/379519569http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/379519569Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:23:00 -0800<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwzaxcUSRd1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>How uniquely does your browser identify you? For me, completely, among the EFF data set. Interesting demonstration of the ability of standard actors to track visitors. <a href="http://panopticlick.eff.org/">Panopticlick</a></p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/358515327http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/358515327Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:39:11 -0800<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwtmljUj8n1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>The main insight was that the right chair isn’t right for everyone (via <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/chair-designed-moving-and-grooving">A Chair Designed for Moving and Grooving | Design & Innovation | Fast Company</a></p> <p>)</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/353084692http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/353084692Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:05:42 -0800<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kt4fn7wxiQ1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>An amazing rendering of the US Interstate Highway system in the style of the London Tube map.</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/244064542http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/244064542Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:54:42 -0800<p>Apparently <a title="boingboing" href="http://boingboing.net">boing boing</a> has undergone another redesign. A few quick thoughts:</p> <h2>The header.</h2> <p><a href="http://skitch.com/heliostatic/nnn1b/boing-boing"><img alt="Boing Boing" src="http://img.skitch.com/20091006-kpx9fch71c6g7dreyn1cdxbk5y.preview.jpg"/></a></p> <p>The content boxes alternate red and black, which is nice for consistency, but look at the bottom right corner of each thumbnail. Four categories, two colors. Not terrible, but not intuitive.</p> <h2>A post</h2> <p><a href="http://skitch.com/heliostatic/nnn1g/boing-boing-1"><img alt="Boing Boing-1" src="http://img.skitch.com/20091006-nsets9sx3rhutk78u4k3n84t8n.preview.jpg"/></a></p> <p>Individual posts are attractively presented. Note the emphasis on spreading content via twitter, facebook and email. Comments are 4th class citizens?</p> <p>The best part of the redesign is the presentation of old posts: <a href="http://skitch.com/heliostatic/nnn1j/boing-boing-4"><img alt="Boing Boing-4" src="http://img.skitch.com/20091006-xpp7xnpe63qgf7ydpetue7cw8d.preview.jpg"/></a></p> <p>There is a lot of content presented in a compact space. The style distinguishes the content as “older” but leaves enough to entice the reader.</p> <p>I haven’t seen an article on the redesign yet, but it will be interesting to see what prompted the radical shift, only a year and a half after the last redesign.</p> <p><b>Edit: </b>Apparently I am just out of the loop: <a title="boingboing redesign" href="http://www.boingboing.net/2009/10/06/boing-boing-the-worl.html">redesign post</a></p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/206048299http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/206048299Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:12:00 -0700<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kr1xw2CQIX1qz4vblo1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>This is our flatware. It looks gorgeous, and it’s fun to use. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2009/10/04/style/t/index.html#pagewanted=0&pageName=04rawsthorn&">Object Lesson: Alice Rawsthorn - New York Times</a></p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/205188175http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/205188175Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:28:49 -0700<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kqhxx0l8Wv1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>So pretty. <a href="http://www.ducati.com/news/09/news018/news018.jhtml">Ducati.com</a></p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/196103885http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/196103885Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:17:23 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kq2ns0ZR5Z1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>The Sideboard / The Trunk from <a title="http://www.decarus.com" href="http://Decarus">Decarus</a>. To my taste, you can’t have enough desk space.</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/189452536http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/189452536Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:14:23 -0700<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kq10kurQDo1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>There is special genius in taking banal objects and interactions and making them novel and exciting. Plus, I want to be an electronic wizard.</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/188702674http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/188702674Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:55:41 -0700<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpq56bkQbg1qz4vblo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>New Google look?</p>http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/183962753http://briefly.bencohen.net/post/183962753Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:01:23 -0700