Month: May 2005

UI 101. For much of web development, the greatest challenge is not the code, but the user interface. What does the user see? How do they use the feature? Where do they click? Is it simple? Is it intuitive? The sad truth for developers is that no matter how good the code and database design… Continue reading UI 101

Rules for cats. Teal Sunglasses: Rules for cats: “Do not allow any closed doors in any room. To get door open, stand on hind legs and hammer with forepaws. Once door is opened, it is not necessary to use it.” [inessential.com]

Backpack brings Ajax into Rails. Backpack is the third application from 37signals that’s now available online. Just like Basecamp came birth to Rails itself, Ta-da drove great features like caching, Backpack has been the main driver for a lot of interesting developments in Rails. Most visibly is the incredibly strong support for Ajax interfaces that… Continue reading Backpack brings Ajax into Rails

News.Com: Court yanks down FCC's broadcast flag. One result of Friday's ruling is that, unless it's eventually overturned by a higher court, the fight over digital TV piracy will return to Capitol Hill. The D.C. appeals court noted that the FCC “has no power to act” until “Congress confers power on it” through enacting a… Continue reading Court yanks down FCC's broadcast flag

Apple: Bonjour for Windows. Apple released Bonjour for Windows (2000/XP), which includes a plug-in for Internet Explorer and a Bonjour Printer Wizard, along with a Bonjour for Windows SDK for developers. [MacInTouch]

Does Microsoft Get KM?. An article in Forbes (How to Be a Pack Rat) describes knowledge management research underway at Microsoft. As described in this article, I wonder if MS really understands KM.  The article describes a research project called MyLifeBits, designed to store everything a user has ever created or viewed. Discussing the challenge… Continue reading Does Microsoft Get KM?

Asking the Wrong Question. I recently asked a lawyer whether his firm was pursuing a relatively new idea and his response was, “how many other large law firms are doing that?” My reply was “why is that a relevant question?” He was taken aback and offered no answer.  The setting was a social event, the… Continue reading Asking the Wrong Question

KM in the library. Libraries IMO would greatly benefit from changing their vision to become knowledge centers. Consider what needs to happen: 1) They pay greater attention to ephemeral exchanges and promote networking. 2) They offer opt-in services based on collaborative filters to point the patrons to interesting works and people 3) They redesign their… Continue reading KM in the library

Weblogs and Income. In a brand-new paper for the upcoming Blogtalk, Trevor Cook suggests that bloggers won't be able to make much money from their weblogs. “Only a few bloggers seem to have any serious prospect of generating enough revenue to be able to provide journalism outside the constraints of corporate media.” This seems plausible.… Continue reading Weblogs and Income

Previewing Firm360. One of the fun things I've been able to do this year, even though I usually can't write about it, is to get the grand tour of some new legal tech programs and services that are still in beta testing. Thanks to Doug Hoover and Kyle Christensen I got a Webex look at… Continue reading Previewing Firm360