Reid
hey wysz Michael Wyszomierski hey reid Reid
since you know so much about the office Reid
i wanted to find the episode Reid [timestamp: 12:07:46]
where dwight and jim have poor employee review scores Michael Wyszomierski [timestamp: 12:07:55] customer survey Reid
that’s the name? Michael Wyszomierski is the name of the episode Michael Wyszomierski yes Reid
WOW Reid
you’re good Michael Wyszomierski thanks Michael Wyszomierski http://www.hulu.com/watch/43180/the-office-customer-survey Reid
wow that was amazing Reid
good job
Yes, the title of this entry makes an unfairly general assumption.
I’m not an expert on user interfaces but I was just thinking about this and wanted to write it down. I think that people who didn’t grow up with computers were used to being able to see and access the controls for every discrete function of a device at once—nothing hidden behind menus, multi-function buttons, etc. A lamp had a switch that lets you turn it on or off. A car had a steering wheel, a shifter, and a couple of pedals. An oven had a dial to set the temperature. A TV had a dial for the channels, a dial for the volume, and a power switch. A typewriter had a button for each letter. Of course as more functions were added to devices, having a dedicated button for each function became less practical. I always thought it would be funny to see a keyboard for a logographic language with a dedicated key for each word. The keyboard would fill a room and typing would involve a lot of sliding back and forth on a wheeled chair.
The confusion began when interface elements (such as a button) got more than a single function. The old joke used to be that nobody could program a VCR, or even set the clock on it. This is probably because the VCR mainly had buttons primarily dedicated to functions like “PLAY” and “STOP,” and were labeled as such. However, the less common functions, like setting the time, often required complicated actions like holding two buttons as once, and neither of them were labeled “SET TIME TO 8:35 PM.”
As these buttons gained more functions, they received less descriptive labels. “FAST FORWARD” became “FF,” and later letters were removed altogether as “PLAY” turned into “►.” For those of us who grew up with these universal symbols, it’s pretty obvious what each button does, and it’s nice that the symbols are consistent across devices. To the less technically versed, it can be like learning hieroglyphics.
Over time, the interface elements became even more generic. Again focusing on home audio/video equipment, remotes started to receive a joystick-like component (up, down, left, right, and enter). Some were replaced with a single touchscreen, with perhaps a couple of hard buttons for volume. And, as the manufacturers received complaints from users (or the people who were in charge of selling to and/or teaching the users), a few more hard buttons were added that could be programmed with various other single functions or macros.
But while video equipment may have always had some confusion associated with it, even traditionally familiar devices were no longer immune to these changes. Digital clocks became cheap, and were slapped on almost any electronic device imaginable from to bump up the feature list. Just think of how many places you can check the time in your kitchen. Many of these clocks read 12:00 for their entire operating lifetimes.*
Cars were affected as well. First, changes were limited secondary functions like the radio, which saw its traditional hard buttons replaced with confusing interfaces like BMW’s iDrive wheel. It made some sense to people used to computers (navigate, select/execute), but it is the perfect example of how simplifying an interface is not just a matter of removing as many interface elements as possible. Now, even functions like changing from “DRIVE” to “PARK” in a BMW with automatic transmission is accomplished with the push of a button, instead of the familiar and perhaps more satisfying “clunk” of a traditional shifter.
Which brings me to portals. A site that is a portal (and I’m not even talking about the modern versions, which are more like customized dashboards), can be easier for someone unfamiliar with its functions to understand. Everything is right there, whether you asked for or are interested in it or not. The same portal which may be appealing to the less-savvy user may appear cluttered and busy to the user who knows that they can have an interface where they just get exactly what they want, when they want it. To use an offline example, a beginner computer user simplifies things by putting a shortcut/alias to every single application (or document or website) on the desktop. A power user uses an application launcher. Something else that I’ve noticed while blogging recently: I use fewer links now. Before, I would link to something if I thought some of my readers might not know what it is. Now, I assume they know to highlight it and search.
And that typewriter that had a button for each letter? Well, how many of you remember explaining how to type names of people in pre-smartphone cell phones with three letters per key? Think that was tough? Soon, you’ll only have one button to choose from.
* The cool thing about that sentence is it makes sense for either tense of the word “read.”
Well, if this is the last Apple keynote at Macworld, I certainly can’t skip my obligatory commentary.
iMovie
I’ll likely be buying the new version of iLife so I can get going on my project to archive my home video library. I will use it primarily for organizing my library since I do editing with Final Cut, but the new editing features should be great for people editing simple home videos.
iPhoto
Face recognition and geotagging are useful features. I’m using Picasa for now because it syncs with the web interface. I used to be a primarily iPhoto/Flickr user but things got out of sync quickly as I reorganized my photos. It looks like this new version is a little better: if you make a change on your published album it will be updated online, but it doesn’t look like a two-way street (I may be wrong), and I’d really not have everything centered on my single hard drive. I trust the cloud more. So I’ll probably use Picasa for my primary photo management, but I can see myself hopping into iPhoto for stuff like photo books or maybe some slideshows for the fam.
GarageBand
I wasn’t paying too much attention at this point, but I think the artist lessons is a cool feature that I won’t use, but many people will. It’s always been a fun app.
iTunes Plus I haven’t clicked BUY as of this writing, but I’ll probably just go for it soon.
I’m glad they’re about to bring the entire catalog to iTunes Plus. Apple gets a lot of flak for DRM, but I remember the launch of the iTunes Music Store when I was in college and everyone else considered online music as something that must be stolen, so I understand why it may have been a necessary evil to get the major labels to participate in the first place. Now, however, I see absolutely no reason for it (if they labels don’t see the value in online music by now forget them), so I’m glad I’ll be able to play my music on any device of my choosing. Now that DRM (on music, anyway) is about to die and never be missed, can I start asking again for iTunes Pro?
iWork
I don’t currently use iWork, but the updates look nice for those who do. I won’t be buying it since Google Docs does what I need for free. If I did a lot of presentations, however, I would totally get a kick out of controlling them with my iPhone. Keynote is still rare enough in the business world that it can really make your presentations stand out.
MacBook Pro
The new battery life sounds awesome, although I do understand the concern about it not being removable. The unfortunate part about this is that those who really do need longer-lasting batteries probably need to be able to swap them out, since plane journeys can last longer than eight hours. I’m not in the market for a new laptop yet, but if I were, this one would be at the top of my list.
Michael Wyszomierski thnaks Michael Wyszomierski taknks Michael Wyszomierski thanks Michael Wyszomierski will do Mike Leotta drunk? Michael Wyszomierski no, just sitting in a weird position Michael Wyszomierski and still getting used to my macbook wheel Mike Leotta hahah Mike Leotta that got like 1500 diggs in about 20 minutes today Michael Wyszomierski wow Michael Wyszomierski it was really well done Michael Wyszomierski i liked the attention to detail Michael Wyszomierski everything looked like real apple marketing material Michael Wyszomierski they got the font and look and everything just right Michael Wyszomierski even made those little signs you see in apple stores Michael Wyszomierski very well done Michael Wyszomierski better than the “real” news i heard on the radio this morning Michael Wyszomierski that said “apple’s mac expo” was in town Michael Wyszomierski which is totally wrong Michael Wyszomierski it’s called Macworld, and it’s not apple’s conference Michael Wyszomierski i yelled at my radio but they didn’t hear me Mike Leotta hahah Michael Wyszomierski and then i started yelling that california forgot how to drive while i was gone Michael Wyszomierski it was a lovely morning Mike Leotta i got stuck in traffic during the 2 mile drive from the dentist to work Mike Leotta i wasn’t happy either Michael Wyszomierski that always fascinates me Michael Wyszomierski how there is traffic in the late morning Michael Wyszomierski i mean who are all these people? Michael Wyszomierski are they all late for work every day? Mike Leotta you’re one of them
Do you use a Mac? Do you want a photo management application that syncs to a web interface and has cool features like face recognition? It’s here, it’s free, and it’s from Google. Picasa for Mac.
When I saw my cousin at Thanksgiving, shortly after the new version of the Google Mobile App with Voice Search had been released, he said “I don’t even need Safari,” thanks to the app. Well, I agreed that this was true for some queries, but you often need to go beyond the search results and visit one of the pages. By default, the application opens links in Safari. Some people may prefer this, since with the full mobile browser you have access to tabs, bookmarks, etc. However, if you want to simply view a page, wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to leave the app?
Fortunately, there’s a way to view pages right within the Google Mobile App. First, you’ll need to access the super-secret “Bells and Whistles” options in Settings. Within the Google Mobile App, tap “Settings” and then scroll down… and keep scrolling until “Bells and Whistles” appears. Then, access “Bells and Whistles” and turn the “Open Links in App” option on.
Now, if you do a search and tap a result, the webpage will open in the Google Mobile App instead of Safari.
After departing the Golden State on December 20th of last year, I’m finally back in California a day later than scheduled after what I believe has been my longest absence since moving out here. Here’s a taste of what I did on my vacation:
Family
As one should during the Christmas season, I spent time with my immediate and extended family. I enjoy being with them, even if they do think I’m a little strange.
Food
I had plenty of home-cooked meals and homemade cookies, and learned how to do a solid. On-the-go and in between meals, I got my Wawa fix with an Italian hoagie. And, for the first time I can remember, I tried my family’s popular sweet potato dish. This comes after last year’s pumpkin pie revelation. For years, I listened as my family mmmmed while eating this dish, but didn’t try it myself, even with the tempting marshmallow topping, because I heard the word “potatoes,” saw mushy stuff, and assumed it tasted like mashed potatoes, which I don’t even like the smell of. This Christmas, I took a small scoop and put it on my plate. When my family noted the tiny portion, I explained my fear that it would taste like regular potatoes. They assured me that sweet potatoes and regular potatoes are totally different things. I gave it a try. I wish I could go back in time to all of the family dinners where I’ve passed it up and take a heaping spoonful or two or three.
I didn’t get a specific shot of the sweet potatoes, but here’s a cropped spy-style shot that I was able to pull out of one of the pictures:
What will I try next? Gravy?
Felines
Even though they spent a lot of time hiding due to the many visitors, I still got to spend some quality time with our cats, Potter and Harry. They like Christmas trees and turkey.
Fabergé
Like Stan Brakhage to an ashtray, I was drawn to photographing these candle holders:
Friends
I had my annual night out with friends from home. It’s sad that I’m only able to do this at Christmas. Ted, Meghan, Christine, Elise, Matt, and I had dinner at Chili’s. I had the “Quesadilla Explosion.” Based on the name and my skimming of the description, I was expecting a plate full of chicken quesadillas. Don’t let the same thing happen to you. You want to know what a “Quesadilla Explosion” is at Chili’s? It’s a freakin’ chicken salad with four tiny cheese quesadillas on the side. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I thought I had ordered. After dinner, a few of us headed to the Drafting Room for a few drinks. And by “a few drinks,” I mean one drink for each of us, because as soon as we sat down karaoke night started… ending our night early. It was fun catching up with everyone. Nobody was in prison or married or had kids or anything, but everyone seemed happy.
Festivities
My family spent an evening in New York City to see the Christmas show. As of this writing, their website’s favicon is the Netscape logo, but fortunately the show itself was more impressive, and not a disappointment as I had feared could be the case. They have updated the show, with an awesome LED screen as a backdrop that really helped to enhance the sets. And just as I remembered, they made great use of the stage’s hydraulic system, making huge set pieces silently appear and disappear on cue. There was also the addition of a brief 3D video segment, but that was pretty corny and even had awkwardly-placed sponsor logos. Oh well. The rest of the show was great, and I thought the orchestra was awesome, especially in the opening and closing scenes when you could see it. Before the show, we had dinner at Del Frisco’s. The food was good; I enjoyed some crab cakes (I’m not a big steak person) and even ate (and liked) the broccoli after I inexplicably accepted it from the waitress. After the show (actually, my dad and I checked it out before the show as well), we walked by the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. We ended the visit with a trip to my sister’s new apartment, which was pretty cool. It’s like knowing someone on Friends.
Fun
After the Christmas festivities at home, my family headed out to Telluride, Colorado for a week of skiing. Why is Telluride awesome? Because this is what you see when you look outside:
We arrived just after a big snowfall, and had five full sunny days of downhill fun. It wasn’t quite spring skiing (my favorite) with gloveless hands and just a pair of sunglasses on my head, but it was in the mid thirties in the mornings and crawled into the forties in the afternoons, so it was far from uncomfortable.
Revelation Bowl, a new addition this season, was open so we tried it out. It wasn’t too special (I can’t remember which place, but I think it was Beaver Creek that has my favorite bowl), but it was fun to have a new area to play in. On the first day I got tripped up by the moguls and rolled down part of it, but that’s all part of the fun. Here are a couple of pictures, first of the bowl itself, and then of the view from the top:
I skipped the sixth day of skiing, which was colder and snowy. Why did I miss out on the fresh powder? Well, I was sitting in the Telluride airport, waiting to hear that my flight was cancelled. Instead of complaining about a bad travel experience (being “stuck” in Telluride for an extra night was pretty awesome), let me tell you how cool this airport is. Yes, I’m excited about an airport. The Telluride Regional Airport is the highest commercial airport in the US. It is so fun to fly in an out of. It’s located on a small plateau, and the runway isn’t even level. You land going downhill, and take off going uphill. If you’re in a prop plane, they’ll run the props up to high speed with the brakes on before takeoff… not risking running out of runway. Here’s a shot I took from the resort area which shows the runway:
And as a special treat, here’s a video of a landing at Telluride. Note how the plateau appears just seconds before landing:
I’d show you the even more dramatic takeoff, where the land drops out just after the wheels leave the pavement, but I didn’t get to fly out of Telluride this time around. It looks like the grade will be reduced in the future, but it should still be a fun place to fly in and out of.
To end this post, here’s how Telluride ends the year, with a New Year’s Eve event where skiers holding torches travel down the mountain with fireworks in the background. Here’s a handheld long exposure of the celebration:
This is my personal blog. The views expressed on this blog are mine alone and not those of my employer. Comments left on this blog are only representative of those who left them.
