Good Experience: Halloween story: the ghost of Boo! But the truth isn't anything nearly as cinematic. Boo.com simply forgot the key truth about users online, at least those wanting to conduct a transaction (like, say, buying hip shoes): The only reason users use the Web to do *anything* is because it's a better experience than… Continue reading Halloween story: the ghost of Boo!
Author: Vince Kimball
The art of usability benchmarking
uiweb: The art of usability benchmarking. By capturing the current level of ease of use of the current product or website, a reference point is created that can be measured against in the future. It doesn't answer the question of how usable is enough, but if the benchmark is done properly, it does enable someone… Continue reading The art of usability benchmarking
Electronic voting done right
Electronic voting done right. In Australia, as open source. Read all about it in Wired. The lead engineer on the project has this to say about the Diebold system: “The only possible motive I can see for disabling some of the security mechanisms and features in their system is to be able to rig elections,”… Continue reading Electronic voting done right
analysis piece
NYTimes. Long analysis piece on the war in Iraq. Blueprint for a Mess. On the streets of Baghdad today, Americans do not feel welcome. United States military personnel in the city are hunkered down behind acres of fencing and razor wire inside what was once Saddam Hussein's Republican Palace. When L. Paul Bremer III, head of… Continue reading analysis piece
Brent
Brent has some great insights on the concept of shareware vs. commercial software. [John Robb's Weblog]
WiFi repeater
Here is a small WiFi repeater from D-Link. Unfortunately, it only works with D-Link hubs right now. Very close to what I need. All they need to do now is make it look like a nightlight that plugs into a wall socket. Drop the ethernet port, keep the USB port for firmware upgrades, and put a… Continue reading WiFi repeater
Boston Globe
Boston Globe. A good review of a neo-con patriarch: Richard Pipes. He was one of the intellectual architects of the Reagan administration's strategy of confrontation with the Soviet Union. He had some choice bits to say: He bluntly dismisses the promise of a democratic Iraq — “impossible, a fantasy” — citing obstacles similar to Russia's. “Democracy… Continue reading Boston Globe
Worries grow over new voting machines' reliability, security
CNN.com – Worries grow over new voting machines' reliability, security. Touchscreen machines not the cure-all some expected Doubts about the trustworthiness of electronic voting machines are growing among election officials and computer scientists, complicating efforts to safeguard elections after the presidential stalemate of 2000. With just over a year to go before the next presidential… Continue reading Worries grow over new voting machines' reliability, security
An Oasis of Fire Safety Planning Stands Out
An Oasis of Fire Safety Planning Stands Out. A planned community at the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains in California is being viewed as a primer in fire survival. By Dean E. Murphy. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]
Interesting Thoughts on Microsoft and Security
Interesting Thoughts on Microsoft and Security The Microsoft PDC is over. The entire day was spent on security, and I'll have a lot to say about it in the column. Brian Livingston's comment was “I always thought Windows was insecure, but after this morning I am terrified.” I came away with a somewhat different view,… Continue reading Interesting Thoughts on Microsoft and Security