Design: September 2002 Archive Page

"Playing IF is the first thing I remember doing on a computer actually, on my Commodore 64 (with cassette drive!). I suspect that I called it something other than 'interactive fiction' at the time, but I'm not sure what that was." Steve Himmer --I was trying to familiarize myself with the current state of Interactive FictionOnePotMealzilla)

"Florida found itself in another voting debacle during last week's primary election: Tens of millions of dollars spent to abolish hanging chads and they still can't get it right." Lauren Weinstein --A Vote for Touch and Go Away [Florida Ballots]Wired)

Whiteboards vs. Blackboard: "So, on the one hand, we've got a classroom board that can be written on only with special pens. You can never tell when the pens will run out before they actually do so, and there's no good way to extend the life of a pen once it finally expires. On the other hand, we've got little sticks of calcium carbonate. Sticks that are so cheap that even starving teachers can afford to spring for a box..." Jared Kendall --Chalk's Demise Greatly ExaggeratedThe Advocate)

Who remembers the smell of ditto machine ink? I mentioned it just now while waiting around the office printer, and five or six faculty/staff members all went "Mmmm!" but the student worker shook his head blankly.

"The planetarium show sped forward, and ticket holders' seats literally shook as subwoofers installed under each chair created a rumbling lift-off effect. Tom Hanks' voice filled the dome-shaped hall, and an image of the Orion Nebula burst into view overhead.... What are astronomers trying to do when they design planetariums?" Diana Michele Yap --Costs, F/X Multiply at Star ShowsWired)

"Skyscrapers in general, and the twin towers of the World Trade Center in particular, symbolize, for many writers, either prideful arrogance, or a new technological beauty. This site attempts to survey what has already been written on this topic." --World Trade Center: Literary and Cultural ReflectionsDennis G. Jerz)

"From the comfort of their desktop or laptop, co-eds can add soap and fabric softener that is dispensed by the washing machine. Finally when the wash is done, kids can get an e-mail telling them to come and get it." --IBM Hooks up Dorm Washers, Dryers to WebForbes)

"While IKEA's instruction sheets lead to a safely constructed unit, Antifakos thinks that the order in which parts should be assembled often seems arbitrary to the buyer. 'People find this annoying so they don't follow them,' he says. " --Foolproof Flat-pack Warns of Assembly ErrorsNew Scientist)

Do people hate reading instructions so much that furniture makers need to embed computerized sensors in "ready to assemble" kits?

"If all you have is a hammer then everything is a nail. How else can you explain why web sites are so incredibly painful to use? If I were paranoid I'd assume there was a conspiracy to assure that the Internet is kept lame. But perhaps it is a combination of ignorance and laziness." Bob Frankston --Trapped by the Websatn.org)

Well now, isn't that SPECIAL. Now who could be behind this weblog... could it be... SATN? (Thanks, Church Lady.)

"When a game is done well, the motion picture industry can't compete. Last year, people spent $14 billion worldwide on films, but Americans alone spent $8 billion on games for their homes and another $7 billion in arcade playing." Brad King --They Weren't Meant to be Games (Wired)