ui designers at large

From Membranophonist: a good fix for the iTunes CDDB dialog he then points out a vestigial modal dialog indicating something was succesfull. Lots of other good stuff there too. Next, ThinkMac rethinks the spotlight window. Their design is lacking a few things, like an “all” button. I’m not convinced. In a satire of iTunes 5, …

great mac os x software

Over the past couple of years, many of my friends have started using a Mac. I often find I’m recommending software to them. Sometimes it’s because they ask; sometimes it’s because I’m so enthusiastic about a program I just have to tell them. The single most indispensible utility for me is LaunchBar. I use it …

copyright infringement vs shoplifting

I wrote this as response to a comment on Lindi’s blog about “copywrite infringement” and thought I would share it. First, a pet peeve. It’s copyright infringement. It refers to the right — a bunch of rights, really — the rights to translate, reproduce, publicly perform, adapt (create a derivative work), be identified as the …

iTunes 5 from the perspective of anthropomorphized brushed metal

Daring Fireball: The iTunes 5 Announcement From the Perspective of an Anthropomorphized Brushed Metal User Interface Theme: Brushed Metal: I’m the bad-ass theme. I’m the one who flouts the Human Interface Guidelines. Mike: This guy trashes the HIG the way Johnny Depp trashes a hotel room. He even sports a custom radius on his window …

gladwell: health care is broken

Malcolm Gladwell, writing in The New Yorker: The Moral-Hazard Myth: The bad idea behind our failed health-care system: The U. S. health-care system, according to “Uninsured in America,” has created a group of people who increasingly look different from others and suffer in ways that others do not. The leading cause of personal bankruptcy in …