The NEW 6-Core AMD Phenom II X6 Delivers Exceptional Value! Integrated Dual-Channel Memory Controller. HyperTransport 3.0 Technology. AMD Balanced Smart Cache. AMD Virtualization (AMD-V).
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—A real nonsensical headline about a product in today’s Fry’s Electronics newspaper ad
He had the reputation for judging a photographer by looking at their contact sheets upside down. He would always say you should look at a picture upside down because you can see the construction. You can see the way the photograph is being composed much better than the right way up.
—Martine Franck discussing her husband and fellow photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson
Time: 25:30 | 04/27/2010 | Download MP3
Responding to negative feedback
Jason and David respond to online criticism of 37signals. Topics covered include picking a firm from Sortfolio to redesign Signal vs. Noise and whether or not VCs are evil.
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Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS. Related links and previous episodes available at 37signals.com/podcast.
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Time: 25:30 | 04/27/2010 | Download MP3
Responding to negative feedback
Jason and David respond to online criticism of 37signals. Topics covered include picking a firm from Sortfolio to redesign Signal vs. Noise and whether or not VCs are evil.
More episodes
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS. Related links and previous episodes available at 37signals.com/podcast.
Spread the word
Like this episode? Please share it with your friends:
Speed is the most important feature. If your application is slow, people won’t use it. I see this more with mainstream users than I do with power users. I think that power users sometimes have a bit of sympathetic eye to the challenges of building really fast web apps, and maybe they’re willing to live with it, but when I look at my wife and kids, they’re my mainstream view of the world. If something is slow, they’re just gone.
—Fred Wilson offers “10 Golden Principles of Successful Web Apps”
Don’t waste too much time on picking a perfect name for your product. It doesn’t matter very much.
One thing we learned early on talking to Basecamp customers: Many of them didn’t even know that the app was called Basecamp. They called it “GroupHub” or “ProjectPath” because that was their project URL. Didn’t stop them from using it (or paying for it) though.
And what about picking a name that’s available as a domain? HighriseHQ.com and Backpackit.com have worked fine for us. Search is the way most people wind up finding us anyhow.
Obsessing over a name is an easy time trap to fall into when you should be focused on more important obstacles (i.e. building something that people truly want to use).
Another great example of selling your byproduct: Danny Meyer has grown Union Square Hospitality Group from a neighborhood bistro into 11 successful New York restaurants and a catering company. For years, the restaurants educated visiting chefs and managers. Then Meyer wrote his memoir and began speaking to employees at airlines, insurance companies, and hedge funds. Now, those lessons are formalized in an education program called Hospitality Quotient, which charges $425 for a four-hour session and $1,500 for a two-day immersion.
I’ve been waiting for a site like Oyster for a long time. I’ve seen a few attempts at the concept, but Oyster really nails it.
Oyster gives you a real look at a hotel. The more hotels you stay at the more you realize that the photography presented on the hotel’s site rarely matches up with the reality available at the hotel location.
For example, here’s The Superior Room at the Lucerene in NYC really looks like. Everything from the what’s on the dresser to the type of phone to the bedside clock to the plastic cups in the bathroom. There are 96 photos in total of a single hotel room. All the details are there.
If you’re still not sold, check out Oyster’s Photo Fakeouts section. This is where they compare marketing shots with actual shots. No models, no perfect lighting, no crops — this is what it really looks like when you’re standing there.
Here’s what the pool at this hotel in Jamaica really looks like. Here’s a more realistic shot of another pool at a hotel in Hawaii. While we’re on the topic of pools, check out this crop out at the Sofitel hotel in LA.
This fakeout at the Hyatt Regency in DC is criminal. Color me sad shows what this room in Vegas really looks like. Details like this matter when you are paying big bucks for a room.
There’s a ton more to explore on Oyster. The site is really well done — one of the best executed sites I’ve seen in a long time. They get all the little things right. It’s fast, clear, and easy to get around. The photos are big and easy to browse, the copywriting is generally excellent too. It’s a model.
I asked him if he would come up with a few options. And he said, “No. I will solve your problem for you. And you will pay me. And you don’t have to use the solution. If you want options, go talk to other people. But I’ll solve your problem for you the best way I know how. And you use it or not. That’s up to you. You’re the client. But you pay me.” And there was a clarity about the relationship that was refreshing.
—Steve Jobs on working with designer Paul Rand on the NeXT logo
I love Wordnik’s stylized description of themselves on their home page. Each reload changes the word sandwich. While we’re at it, I also find their Word of the Day selections to be the most interesting ones on the web.
I’d rather be challenged by somebody, rather than have somebody say, ‘Dude, where are you going to have drinks after the show?’ I love a spirited debate as much as anybody. I even like being wrong, if something can make a good case … on something. In a lot of ways, that’s what I do professionally, traveling. I’m confronted by my own ignorance or misunderstandings all the time.
—Anthony Bourdain, Chicago Tribune interview by Kevin Pang
Corey Waldin of Internet Simplicity, a Silicon Valley web dev firm, wrote in to tell us about the firm’s “no talking time.”
We have our own “no talking time” during the afternoon where every just designs, programs, works. No talking at all (unless there’s a client meeting). We even made a little sign that goes up during this time so when people come into the office they don’t forget.
But in his review of REWORK, software developer Henrik Paul worries about taking the idea that “interruption is the enemy of productivity” too far.
If you abolish all kinds of interruptions, you would effectively seal everyone to their own small little soundproof, locked-door cell, and nobody may talk to each other directly. The piece does mention that passive communication is ok (e.g. email), while active is not (talk, meetings, phone, IM.)
The key to a successful project, in my mind, is good communication. Communication should be open, and there shouldn’t be any protocol to do that. Once you put obstacles in front of communication within your project, people will slowly just stop asking about those little “meaningless” things. It turns out, those meaningless things are often not that meaningless after all, but those nuances that take your product from merely good to excellent.
Sure, nobody likes interruptions. But I like to communicate with my collagues. Consider a good compromise. My suggestion (as if I would have any weight) is to cut unnecessary interruptions. Allow people to opt-out from interruptions, don’t interrupt people with out-of-topic things. But don’t discourage communication. That’s not a workplace I want to work at.
It’s all about striking the right balance. You don’t want to discourage necessary communication – do that and you’ve thrown out the baby with the bathwater. But you do want to move away from a de facto “tap on the shoulder” environment that constantly breaks up the workday.
Every interruption comes with a tax. There’s a slight price you’re paying. And that adds up.
Make sure what you want to discuss is worth that cost. Whatever you’re about to tell a colleague needs to be worth taking them away from what they’re doing. If it’s not, take it to an email or some other way that won’t take that person out of the zone.
Another thing they don’t teach you in design school is what you get paid for…Mostly, designers get paid to negotiate the difficult terrain of individual egos, expectations, tastes, and aspirations of various individuals in an organization or corporation, against business needs, and constraints of the marketplace…Getting a large, diverse group of people to agree on a single new methodology for all of their corporate communications means the designer has to be a strategist, psychiatrist, diplomat, showman, and even a Svengali. The complicated process is worth money. That’s what clients pay for.
—Paula Scher [via TJ]
With the increased screen real estate of the iPad, it’s the perfect device for playing board games. If you haven’t had a chance to browse some of the great titles available on the App Store, here’s some of our favorite board games to get you started.
ScrabbleSuch a classic, Scrabble is awesome on the iPad platform. Enjoy playing against friends (or a computer) on a gorgeous large game board. If you have an iPhone, download the free Scrabble Tile Rack and arrange your letters on your own device. When it’s your turn, simply flick them towards the game board and they’ll appear, ready for you to place and score big. Similar to the iPhone version, you can play against your friends locally or over a local network. Scrabble is $9.99.
Words with FriendsIf there’s one app at the moment that’s popular across social networks and mobile devices, it’s Words with Friends. Similar to Scrabble, this game allows you to play, turn based, against friends who are playing on their iPads, iPhones or Facebook accounts. The app supports push notifications to let you know when it’s your turn, and you can chat in-game with your friends. At $2.99, this is definitely a fun board game for those who enjoy playing against friends and don’t want to take the leap to Scrabble.
Game TableOne of the first game apps on the iPad, Game Table provides a virtual game board for a variety of games, like checkers, chess, poker and other card games. It’s not a traditional game in the sense that you’ll have scoring or rules and stuff. Instead, it’s simply all the pieces to play games without all the fuss so you can play them any way you want. For 99 cents this app is a great value and the developers have promised that additional game pieces for Backgammon, Go and Reversi will be added soon.
UNO HDWhile UNO technically is more of a card game than a board game, I decided to include it because it’s a very fun experience on the iPad. It features all of the traditional UNO rules and actions, like Draw 2, Reverse and Wild cards. It also supports multiplayer (sharing one device or multiple on a Wi-Fi network) and features challenges allowing users to unlock additional themes to give the game a fresher look. UNO HD is $4.99.
StrategeryStrategery is an engaging game originally designed for the iPhone that has been optimized for the iPad as well. This game of world domination features you as leader of a “country” (think Civilization style) and you battle against your neighbors to gain/lose territory. It supports pass-and-play style multiplayer (with up to five players) or online battles with push notifications. The iPad version allows for much larger maps and a much more engaging experience if played like a traditional board game (a group of players gathering around the iPad). At $1.99, this app is a definite must-have.
Theme CheckersOf all board games, Checkers (or Chess) was probably the most expected to debut on the iPad. There are a variety of both available now, but my favorite is Theme Checkers HD. Just like a real game, the movement is very fluid and natural. This game supports one and two player modes and regularly updated themes for unique checkers experience. Users can even create and install their own custom themes as well. Theme Checkers HD is 99 cents, so give it a spin and see what you think.
Board BoxIf you’re looking for a little more than just checkers or chess, you should check out Board Box. Similar to some of the others I’ve mentioned, it includes checkers and chess, but this app goes further by including Reversi, Tic Tac Toe, Go, Draughts and more. Not only does it include the regular version of these games, but it also includes some variants. This app doesn’t support an automated second player, so you’ll either need to suffer from having a split personality or have a friend to play against. If there’s nobody local, you can play against friends through email. The developers of Board Box have promised that there will be no in-app purchases for this app so as they continue to update and add additional game boards and variants, the updates will be free. At $3.99, Board Box is a great investment.
LudoIf you’re a fan of Parcheesi, you should definitely check out Ludo ($3.99). Supporting up to four players (both human or computer), the game plays like real Parcheesi, except with a fresh modern interface and smooth animations and sound effects. Though there are a few other Parcheesi variants on the App Store, this one is definitely the best for the iPad. Additionally, your game state is saved so you can start and stop the game as you please.
Moonlight MahjongIf you’re one who loves playing mahjong, check out Moonlight Mahjong for 99 cents. Putting a literal spin on the traditional idea of mahjong, this version is 3D, allowing you to use touch gestures to tilt and turn and zoom in and out. There’s over 90 built-in board layouts. When you get bored with those, you can create your own and share them with others. Plus, it offers for support of multiple players (even across Wi-Fi or against an automated opponent). If you’ve never given mahjong a shot, this is an excellent game to reduce stress and relax.
Honey, That’s Mine!This is a “sweet” board game where players compete against each other to collect the most honey. If playing on the iPhone or iPod touch, the game supports pass-and-play for multiplayer, but if you’re on the iPad, the larger screen makes it easy to just place your iPad on a table and play against your friends. The idea of the game is rather simple, but the options for computer opponents and difficulty variations give this game additional replay value. Honey, That’s Mine is available on the App Store for $1.99.
This is just a small sampling of some of the apps available for the iPad. If you’ve tried these or found others you like, share your thoughts in the comments below. Personally I’m thrilled to find replacements of my favorite board games on the iPad. Just imagine how many little pieces I don’t have to keep up with anymore!
(Note: The ideal measurement would use profit instead of revenue and payroll instead of employee headcount. But those are tougher numbers to find for obvious reasons.)
After the jump: The story behind this chart.
I really feel like that combination of little, easy motor skills and clicking combined with feeling a little less bored for a minute is completely addictive to people. When the main way we communicate with each other is through all these things — and I’m not saying, “Don’t use Facebook, don’t use Twitter.” What I am saying is, if you’re not mindful about the amount of your attention that goes to thinking about and consuming those things, you’re not going to be making good stuff, either for that medium or elsewhere. That’s what I got kind of hung up on, when I finally realized that all I was doing was eating and producing potato chips all day long.
—Merlin Mann on becoming overwhelmed by useless online information
Sometimes convention is just inertia. Something’s done a certain way just because that’s the way everyone else is doing it. And that’s an opportunity for a business willing to go against the grain.
Example: TBS’ use of “stacks” of programs (mentioned in this article). Running blocks of the same show helps the network stand out among the hundreds of cable channels out there.
On Mondays, for example, TBS fills the three-hour prime-time block from 8 to 11 p.m. with six reruns of “Family Guy.” On Tuesdays, it repeats the pattern with “The Office.” Wednesday is Tyler Perry night, with three hours of original comedies from that producer, who has a large following among black viewers.
“We kind of fly against the convention of traditional television,” Mr. Koonin said. “We don’t program horizontally, looking for shows that flow into one another. We program vertical stacks of programs.”
Clever. Anyone who’s sat down with a DVD of Family Guy, Mad Men, or Lost knows that watching multiple episodes in a row leads to a different type of viewing experience. We’ve all got that one friend who disappears for an entire weekend when a new season of 24 comes out on DVD.
So while every other networks assumes there’s just one “right” way to program, TBS has ignored convention and reached out to a different kind of viewer. Great example of zagging when everyone else is zigging. It’s working too: TBS is the No. 1 cable channel among viewers ages 18 to 34.
Adam DeGraff is back with AC/DC’s “Back in Black”. His rendition of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was quite the hit with over 90,000 views on YouTube. For more, check out The Dueling Fiddlers.
1937 Delage D8-120S.
A portfolio of work is a curated experience. It’s an applicant’s chance to shape the way that I’m viewing his or her approach, methods, process, and best thinking; but oftentimes, a portfolio only contains final pieces, as applicants are overly concerned about presenting perfection. Polish doesn’t communicate process though, and therefore I’m left with only part of the story. Messy problems — and how applicants work through them — can show a great deal more in a portfolio than one finished, airtight solution. It’s then the applicant’s job to curate those into an experience for the portfolio viewer.
—Liz Danzico with great advice for job applicants.