It's just wrong

to take a woman's dog and her headphone on the same night.

Benjamin took Maple to his DND game

It is much more obvious that you're alone and have no social life when there isn't a warm, cuddly, and amusing pet who thinks you are the best thing since sliced bread waiting when you get home.

Canada thinks SideShow is in the top 5

The Canadian version of PC World ranked Windows SideShow among the top 5 innovations to look for in 2007. :) Now if they could only get the name right! (There's no Vista in the name. It's just Windows® SideShow^™.) PCWorld.ca: The 20 most innovative products of the year Top 5 innovations to look for in 2007

Good company, good walk

My mom & step-dad with their pug by Corinne S.

Yesterday my mom and step-dad came up for a visit and brought their pug Carol, too. I walked with them and the two puggies at the big dog park near by and we had a good time. We took a few pictures right before the sun set. After that my mom fixed dinner while I fixed up the laptop they handed down to my grandma Doris.

Today it was nice out again so Maple and I went back to the dog park on our own. That was after spending the morning and early afternoon with Benjamin's family in honor of our nephew Wilder's 7th birthday this week.

Another bad user experience

Television interruptus by Corinne S.

I was watching a movie and I had paused for a while. Suddenly this screen comes up and stays up for a while. When it's all done updating, it's discarded my recording cache and shifted me back to real time. I didn't get to see the end of the movie. Rat bastards.

Steph's birthday (belated)

Coy birthday girl by Corinne S.

Last night I posted a few photos from Steph's birthday party, which was the weekend before Christmas. More photos from Steph's birthday party.

Bill Gates will be on The Daily Show

Sometime next week, Bill Gates is going to be on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I expect it will be a fun interview if you have any feelings toward Microsoft or Bill - be they positive or negative. This info came from the Seattle PI article Vista -- It's Microsoft's game to lose.

Digital history

72 04 15 Self Timer Picture by gruhlfamily

I just discovered that my friend Rob's family has a separate Flickr account for all of their old family photos (looks like someone scanned a box of slides). What a great idea.

It's kind of like my Flickr account for my parent's house (which we'll be selling one of these months), but even better.

Flickr gets flicked

Oh no wait, that's phished. Flickr is warning all of their users that there are phishers (can you say that?) posing as Flickr and asking you to enter your password or download bad things. Don't do it. Don't download. Beware phishing.

Book: Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works

Why I gave up consuming this

My typography teacher LOVED this book. Most designers I know (that I’ve asked) think it’s a great book. I think one designer even told me that it helped him understand how to discuss design with non-designers. Whatever people.

I got to page 67 in this book, which is nearly half way, and I did it mostly in one sitting (at least half the book is images). After that I couldn’t motivate myself to go back and finish it. While the book contains good, albeit basic, information about typography, I couldn’t take the unending sweeping statements unsupported by anything other than the author’s high opinion of typography. Here’s an example from page 19: “Given the typographic choices available, there is no excuse for producing bad business forms, illegible invoices, awkward applications, ridiculous receipts, or bewildering ballots.”

That’s some cute alliteration and I agree with the sentiment that the user experience should be a top priority, but give me a freakin’ break. As is typography alone creates a good form, application, and ballot. Never mind the actual text, the layout, or any other usability concern or principle of good user experience design. Erik Spiekermann needs to learn that too much overstatement diminishes your credibility and eventually makes what you have to say meaningless. I have an acquaintance like that: everything is always horrible. Then nothing is really horrible.

...Liberally

I just learned about this interesting sounding thing called Drinking Liberally. It's a collective of gatherings for progressives to talk over drinks. There are "chapters" all around the US. Apparently it's part of the Cosmopolity family, which also includes Laughing Liberally (comedy), Screening Liberally (movies), and Reading Liberally (books). Someone on the liberal email alias at work had this to say about the weekly Seattle Drinking Liberally gatherings.

The crowd is friendly and well-informed, usually around 20-30 people, sometimes a few more. Goldy and Will from Horses Ass go, Stefan Sharkansky from Sound Politics shows up once in a blue moon (there are a couple conservative/libertarians that come), and Joel Connelly from the P-I is usually there. Sandeep Kaushik (formerly of the Stranger, now works for Ron Sims) comes, and some of Cantwell’s old campaign staff sometimes shows up. And then a bunch of local bloggers/Democrats/liberals that just like to hang around, chat, and have a brew. It’s pretty lively, but very informal unless Nick invited an elected to speak; then we’ll take a formal pause for 10 minutes or so while they talk.

TV: Dexter

I'm still unable to post my All Consuming reviews to my blog automagically, so I am copying this one over manually because it's just such an f'ing good show. Excellent, dark, dark, show This is an amazing show – incredibly well done and about as dark as it gets. I don’t think it can possibly maintain the same level of quality and uniqueness in a season season, but I look forward to seeing the attempt nonetheless. Season 2 will be out sometime in 2007. Links to learn more: Showtime, IMDB, All Consuming

I love Flickr

by Soviet

This is a great shot so I thought I would share.

A collective sigh is heard from designers around the world

There is a lot of Apple envy today among user interface designers, and others, around the world. Steve Jobs announced the release of Apple's new iPhone in his keynote this morning at Macworld San Francisco 2007. I'm not rushing out to buy one, but the demo videos on Apple's website are pretty stunning.

Lunch with the babe

Asha Ruby by Corinne S.

Today I had lunch with Leanne and Asha Ruby at Grateful Bread. Asha Ruby was a model baby the whole time and Leanne and I had a nice, long chat. I even got the hold the little munchkin twice. :)

Movie: The Holiday

Yesterday I saw Claire for the first time in forever. We met for lunch downtown and then saw a matinee of The Holiday. It was really good to see her and hang out, though it's never enough time. Here's my review of the flick: Completely entertaining, completely predictable This was a fun, enjoyable movie that entertained me the whole time (despite the fact that it was longer than average). It’s a fluffy, sentimental, unrealistic, chick flick. But if that is what you’re looking for, like me, then you’ll enjoy it.

Happy new year!

Happy new year! by Corinne S.

Benjamin and I were on vacation for the last two weeks of December. Once our holiday celebrations were complete, we started staying up later and later and ultimately we were sleeping on a completely backward schedule (sleep during the day, awake at night). In fact, there were a few days I didn't see the sun at all. Benjamin and I stayed home on New Year's Eve and watched Mission - Impossible III on the couch with the dog. We noted midnight pass by mid-movie, but afterward we celebrated with pretty chocolate-covered strawberries from Whole Foods. YUM!