Knowtu

Very interesting article and summary of habits and products. I think delicious is case in point for me, there’s not a day now where I don’t tag something I liked and want to reread.

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Neal Stephenson’s USENIX keynote : Programmer as a writer. Do it right the first time

10 Great Tech Books By Steven Levy, good list of interesting tech books

“Plans are useless but planning is essential” - (Dwight D Eisenhower, US President, general 1890-1969).

Many analytical applications fail for a simple reason: they assume users know precisely what they need before they’ve begun the analysis.

But the big point he makes, and one that I think is really worth focusing on for a minute, is that every group, no matter who they are, wants something that’s a little different.

“The Magic Formula” : “Determine a basic need -> Create a service that satisfies it in the simplest way possible -> Open it up. “

“I had a chance to chat with Andy Budd, of Clearleft, about their new desktop application, Silverback. I believe it can bring usability testing the masses and will be the go-to application for basic usability testing.”

“Can we find ways in programming that would make all programmers happy? I … simply reiterate that there’s a tremendous lack of focus on why we program in most modern programming languages.”

You can’t count on bankers or angels to get your venture off the ground. So maybe you should shoehorn it around a 9-to-5 career

Army of one “Kirill Grouchnikov explores the challenges and pitfalls of being the sole developer on an open source project.”

“Why am I charging you to be a beta tester? Although your input is priceless, we think it just distorts the relationship for you to get it for free. If you’re a paying customer, we’re going to kill ourselves to make you happy.”

“Okay,” you say, “Sounds good. But, how do I convince my clients that there’s more to interface design than just aesthetics and fluffy feelings?” The answer: By using math.