http://inputsoutputs.com how technology makes sense of users (and other stories) Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:20:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I went to one of those bookswapping sites today to find a Thomas Frank book.  I searched for stuff that I'd have to trade in order to get it.  I figured with the amount of books I have, there's bound to be someone who wanted to trade with me. How many ... http://inputsoutputs.com/2008/10/07/bookswap/ As a follow up to my post on LinkedIn, I have an idea for a cool Facebook Application.  You select two or more of your friends that don't know each other and dump them into a shopping cart of some sort.  You'll write info about how they will be relevant/useful ... http://inputsoutputs.com/2008/09/29/idea-facebook-introductions/ One of my recent LinkedIn adds, Tom, wrote me a message when we connected: We are SO LinkedIn.  I think we should start a new site called NowWhat? I wish I could say that I've used this site to connect with relevant professionals around the globe, but unfortuantely, I haven't gotten ... http://inputsoutputs.com/2008/09/29/linkedin/ The traffic directors use whistles.  Blowing hard could mean "walk."  It could mean "stop."  It could mean "drive."  It could mean "brake." What's the point?  It grabs my attention so much that I become completely unattentive. http://inputsoutputs.com/2008/09/27/sounds/ Today, I bought my first physical CD in two years.  The record that made me break my streak of only buying digital music is Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile's new album of original compositions.  It's as lovely as I expected.  I forgot how it feels to buy a physical CD; ... http://inputsoutputs.com/2008/09/26/i-remember/ Here's my proposal: For all production support which involves an interaction between consultant and user, excluding a classroom setting, there should be a 20 minute rule between the question and the answer.  Basically, the user should have: 20 minutes to figure out a solution on their own The ability to close their own ... http://inputsoutputs.com/2008/09/25/the-20-minute-rule/ I was probably five or six years old, scanning the book shelves of the junior kids section at Crown Books (a store which doesn't exist anymore).  I came across a book titled Megaman 2 in what seemed to be a series called Worlds of Power.  It wasn't just a book ... http://inputsoutputs.com/2008/09/23/fx-nine/ What causes procrastination when it comes to computer based work? Sure, you've got all your typical reasons for procrastination, but I think that there's most likely a correlation between the more functional tools and the amount of work that is produced by the people who use those tools.  Call me crazy. For ... http://inputsoutputs.com/2008/09/23/procrastination/ Twitter, the concept, works.  Twitter, when used via a third-party application, does not.  I probably wouldn't use Twitter as much if they didn't have a Jabber screen name that I can send updates to.  That functionality broke down a little while ago, with no resolution, so I stopped using Twitter ... http://inputsoutputs.com/2008/09/19/twitter-doesnt-work/ When the iPhone came out, I wonder if the mobile phone industry had a giant "I-could've-thought've that" moment.  Same with songwriters when they hear any Timbaland song.  Same with IBM when Outlook appeared. If the task looks too simple or too complex, then it loses credibility or it gets shrugged off.  ... http://inputsoutputs.com/2008/09/19/sound-of-heads-scratching/