Focusing and the odor
My desk, where I spend all this time1, is becoming a bit more cluttered as the semester goes on. One stack for Fundamentals of Human Behavior2 the other for Evaluation of Interactive/Information Systems3. Very interesting classes.
Friday lecture was particularly interesting. The Professor (TP) doing a great job with a casual control over the class. We turned in a printed network diagram showing a birds-eye of the web application we’re4 evaluating. TP spent the first hour of class going from diagram to diagram discussing it’s creators.
We took a break then he lectured briefly. During the lecture part some of the class started smelling something like burnt wire or hot tar. We took another quick break which is when we noticed this smell in the hallway. School administration moved us to another lecture room while the situation was investigated. The new room was fine and we had us a focus group. They told us later by email that OSHA showed up and that the situation was handled with due process.
The Prof picked five of us from the class, yours truly included, to be part of a focus group. We went into the hall while TP explained what he was doing to the class. He was going to lead a focus group to learn how we use the web for cooking and finding recipes. We didn’t know this until we sat at a little table and he explained then started asking questions. We chatted while the rest of the class observed. Afterward there was discussion among TP and the observers categorizing what they could ascertain from the focus group discussion. Good stuff.
Going with a morning post, I’m focusing my mind on what I need to accomplish today. I have a group meeting in the early afternoon to talk about our personas, scenarios, and interviews.
Before then I suspect I’ll dance with my vacuum. Maybe have another cup of coffee. My double life as a student, filling in the weekends.
It’s cool though, I’m forming a theory of Quantum Information Architecture5.
Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine. – Shunryu Suzuki
Image: This is clearly Cat Supervision. A lucky break for me, having such wise counsel around.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ tucked away down here in my basement niche [↩]
- Three fresh articles for this week are fanned out, beckoning me. [↩]
- This stack is mostly books, a few articles, lecture slides. [↩]
- The “we” in this instance refers to my TASK group. [↩]
- Yeah, I made it up. I’ll explain later. [↩]
Sazerac and pondering the Quantum Approach
Every time I sit here to serialize my thoughts what goes through my head is usually, “what happened since my last post.”
But this time its pretty easy. Some chat with The Normalizer (TN) and a visit from Those Of Quality (TOA) and there is a lot to think about.
It was mentioned to me that I’m not always like the person that posts here1. I thought about this and the factors associated with authoring posts. I’m not like Rands, I don’t start a draft and revise it a number of times before I post2 I’m not like the Communicatrix in that my words should be prosaic3. I tend to reflect on my day as the day comes to an end and this is when I typically post. Reflective, sometimes somber, but not necessarily bad, considering what is.
I picked up some Sazerac yesterday to try something new. An interesting treat.
As I pulled up to my house on Friday there was a vehicle I didn’t immediately recognize. After a few moments I suspected it might belong to TOQ and relaxed. Its always nice to see them. We hung out trying to catch up on all that we’ve missed and I got a few minutes to chat with the one that raised me from a pup. Watching him work this little remote control helicopter I have, I was amazed at his fine motor skills. He spends hours a day making very small, precise movements4. Watching him control the helicopter and later work with the plugs for recharging etc., I totally noticed that he moved with a slow steadiness that had this weird practiced power. Hard to describe but obvious when you see it. His physiological skills manifest in a practical way.
So this is another Saturday, but one tied up with work related shix. I could have worked on school stuff but didn’t. Tomorrow I’ll narrow the beam. Tonight I chill with some cold rye.
We must always exert the full strength of our imagination. – Norbert Wiener
Image: This is the sweet remote control chopper W. got me as a gift. It is an amazing piece of electronics and a blast to pilot. Ask about it next time you’re in the grotto.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ TN, you know who you are. [↩]
- Though I’m wondering if I should. [↩]
- And hers are. Such roll and rhythm, you rock C’atrix. [↩]
- He is an endodontist. [↩]
A moonlighter for sure.
We are what we think. We do things, sure, and in a way these things contribute to who we are. But what you think is what makes you who you are.
Funny thing is, what you think you don’t always mean to think. Crazier still, what you think you sometimes don’t even know you’re thinking it. Argh, what is the point in thinking thus. Nothing but a dead end to crash into, through.
Am I an accidental Buddhist? I wonder. Is Baldrick still out there? And what the hell is he doing, I wonder.
Am I rambling? Very much so. I’m tired, I’ve been reading interesting but boring shix all night. Interesting because the guy has good points, boring because I find it tough to equate what he is saying to situations I face. In time maybe it’ll make sense.
Stupid late night ramblings. I wonder whether to post at all. But then, I say to myself, “Self! It doesn’t matter what you post. It might mean something to you later. Post anyway.” So here I is, posting anyway.
Image: A couple nights ago there was a full moon. So amazing to see it rise over the trees. Rarely does a camera do it justice. The moonlight is arising. Silvery light in the darkness.
Chasing the ZZzzzs
I told myself this semester that I wouldn’t stay up past 11:00 PM1. Here it is, pushing 11:30 Pm and I haven’t even brushed me teeth yet. A quick blog entry then I’m off…
My psychology class was interesting today. It has me thinking about behavior and its predictability. I’m becoming more aware of how there psychological reasons for many of the things we do that we don’t intend to do. This idea fascinates me and has this plate spinning in my head, “what motivates us to do something?” Lucky for me, the next lecture in this class is on motivation.
The other class I’m in has an assignment due on Friday that has forced me to spend nameless hours working with Visio. I swear, that program will be the death of me. But alas, it is coming along and I don’t hate it like I did just one night ago.
Work is…well…interesting to say the least. I know I always say that but talk about a dynamic environment filled with intrigue and challenge. It sure keeps me wondering. Mostly wondering “what-in-the-hell”…but things always seem to work themselves out. Really, what are gonna do?
Picked up a book today called, “The Accidental Buddhist” by an American guy that chronicled his immersion into buddhist practice. A fun read yet eerily familiar in a lot of ways.
Dang its late. Must hit the sack.
“The map is not the territory.” – Alfred Korzbyski
Image: It was cold. The cube had snow on it. I pulled the camera like a pistol and fired off this shot.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is because I’m forcing myself to get up at 4:30 AM so I can get to work at a decent hour. [↩]
Emotion, personas, and Reverend King
Even though I didn’t buckle down and focus on school this weekend, I am today. Thanks to the noble efforts of Martin Luther King and President Johnson’s recognition thereof, today is a national holiday and I don’t have to go to work. I reviewed Reverend King’s life on Wikipedia to remind myself why today is a national holiday1.
Class last Friday focused on using personas and scenarios to drive design and development of an information system. This subject has come up before so I was a little concerned that this would be a boring rehash of the same stuff as before, but it wasn’t. Not entirely at least. The professor put his own spin on the subject with concrete and useful guidance for developing a persona. As an exercise in class we all developed our own persona of a person who would use Microsoft Sync2. This was followed by discussion. The professor did a good job wringing out things to consider and ways to improve the persona itself. He didn’t just cover the subject superficially but tackled it like he believes in persona development and use. This professor is sharp as hell and I consider myself lucky to be sitting in his class.
All this got me thinking about designing things for people versus designing something for someone. The difference is one of attention. Designing something for “people” often means designing in a state of confusion, noise, and chaos. The focus is all wrong because there is no focus. There is only a cacophony of interests pushing and pulling design into a mishmash of functionality. Designing something for a particular person is a different matter altogether. The focus of attention is now on the needs of that one person. The difference may seem small but it’s considerable. Designing for a particular person allows you to look at what you’re building through that one perspective instead of all perspectives. Which seems more realistic and practical? Yeah, I thought so too.
This brings me to some thoughts from my class on psychology. The subject this coming week is “emotion” and how it factors into the design and use of information systems. Our first paper is due at the start of class and the focus is “questions about behavior.” We are instructed to think about our personal experiences with information systems and to pick one we are familiar with then describe it by considering how it relates to human behavior.
I’ve been pondering this since it was assigned and am thinking about focusing on blogging and blog systems. The way people blog, what they write about, why they write, who they write for. There are many facets of blogging and that have to do with human behavior. I’m not talking about business blogs, or marketing blogs, I’m talking about blogs where someone pours their heart out. Where someone reveals the inner workings of their mind for no other reason than their own. I’m talking about those blog entries that make you laugh, make you think about your own life and things you’ve done, I’m talking about those blog entries that leave you stunned with tears rolling down your face. They are out there and were written for no other reason than a personal one.
Like Martin Luther King Jr. knew and understood, words have the power to move. Whether spoken, written, or sung…words, when arranged “just so”, can have a significant impact on human behavior.
“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.” – Basho
Image: To illustrate one approach to cultivating the utilization and understanding of a persona, a company created these small cardboard stands with each persona described in detail. Each persona was done up as a G.I. Joe type doll and used as part of the cardboard stand to be more life-like and significant. An example of this was passed around during class. When it got to me I couldn’t help but see this photo opportunity.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ I encourage others to do the same. [↩]
- This is computer that is integrated into the dashboard of a car and provides a phone and digital music interface that responds to voice commands. It is an option on a number of Ford models [↩]
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