Can describe what you are now seeing. Just relax, take a deep breath and download a copy for yourself.
Monthly Archive for May, 2009
In case you hadn’t already seen this…not a bad song either. It might be better if I understood more than two words of French though.
Or at least mine because although I can no longer drink enough to inspire such an effort that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it. Via Justin at TrashAudio
I recently read an article posted on Core77 about Product Development and Process, the whole time thinking that the primary issue is much more central than the author proposed. To me it wasn’t the dynamic between Designers and Engineers or Product Managers and Program Managers disagreeing. This is going to happen regardless of process/project/product and is an inevitable byproduct of bringing different people of varying backgrounds to the table whenever something needs to be built; hardware or software. The issue is the diagram above and how everyone is seen as having an equal role, and subsequently, an equal voice.
In my opinion if everyone stayed in their lane and decided to leave business decisions to the business team, design to the designers, etc. then things would run a bit smoother and PMs would only have to manage schedule slips instead of setting up endless meetings which is something I have seen happen everywhere I have worked at one time or another. I would assume most of us have too. But in the end if this wasn’t manageable then nothing would get out the door anywhere (and I didn’t mention mid-stream feature creep either).
This is where the Steve Jobs model comes into play where a Director or VP level individual seems to think they should weigh in on every little detail they aren’t qualified to. This micromanagement is contagious, and since it has yielded some quality results people tend to abuse their power in this manner. Let’s face it, there is and will only ever be one Steve Jobs (plus you aren’t him) and the sooner people admit and acknowledge that the better off all of us related to Product Development will be. If you want, read the entire article I reference here.
So, I’m a fan of both limited edition vinyl toys and the iphone…what stroke of genius could combine the two other than overprices KidRobot skins that don’t actually protect the phone? Behold: B-BOT, a new iPhone App brought to you by New York based creative agency Thunderdog Studios. It features artwork from world-renowned artist Tristan Eaton, designer of various vinyl toys (including Kidrobot’s Dunny and Munny). Check it out because I am loving it as a distraction from phone meetings and my commutes on public transportation. Via ToysAreEvil.
sony phones make us feel self-conscious of fat fingers, bordering on discrimination
Sony Ericsson’s Aino phone has some compelling features when it comes to multimedia, allowing you to use your PS3 as a remote server for content. Add 3G speed and a camera that geotags and keeps current with the competition by porting directly to various social networking vehicles this phone does everything but, uhm, play Sony games. Yup, still ignoring that smallish market–their bread and butter.
Really, not even first generation playstation game support? I guess it doesn’t matter all that much since you have to have less than or equal to 15th percentile hand size to use the navigation keys anyways. Still, to me that is some seriously low hanging fruit/money left on the table/opportunity to lock people into a profitable subscription model. Do I need to map out the business plan via .ppt file for you people? Well, at least they aren’t as bad as the slumbering, stumbling giant Microsoft is when it comes to both Mobile Services and Multimedia.
Man do I love a good fifteen minutes on Failblog.org to put things into perspective once every few weeks. I remember when I dropped out of Rocket Surgeon school a couple years ago. My parents may never forgive me, but the stress was too much to bear.
And this hits keep coming! And there is nothing any of us can say or do about it…. Kind of like the Onion News Network cranking out the hits.
Looks like today’s forecast calls for extended nerdiness, although the more I see this photo the more I want this strange Jedi cereal.
Don’t you hate it when…your mousing hand goes cold? Just when you think that the most useless USB products have been released to the market someone comes along and just shatters your preconceived notions about what useless really can be. I define the height of uselessness as a104°F computer mouse. Yes this is real. Get it for 29.95 here.
(the real bonus is the theme song you can hear on the bottom of the webpage)