Technology
Why isn’t online banking better?
No this isn’t a rant about the bad usability and user experience of online banking. Or the generally poor design. Or even the stagnating development cycles, the 1999 interfaces, the lack of accessibility or the flagrant disregard for standard-based, best-practice coding. No, I’m wondering why, in 2010, none of the following features are available on my online banking service: Drill …
Read more
JavaScript is *so* versatile
http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/ All handled by javascript – <script type=”text/javascript”> if (!(typeof worldHasEnded == “undefined”)) { document.write(“YUP.”);<br /> } else { document.write(“NOPE.”);<br /> } </script> </code> Thanks Rich.
Technology — just a name for something that doesn't work yet
A few evenings ago in the Highbury, Chris shared with me a Douglas Adams quote (it actually turns out to be Adams quoting Bran Ferren): “technology is the name we have for stuff that doesn’t quite work yet”. A chair for example. We no longer need to think if a chair will work, or crash on us, we just use it.
Read more
Taking a Pepys at the iPhone
Thanks to Richard for sharing this extract from Pepys’ diary round the office this morning, reminding us that there’s not much difference between, say, the iPhone owner of today and the fob watch owner of yesteryear. Saturday 13 May 1665 “But, Lord! to see how much of my old folly and childishnesse hangs upon me still that I cannot forbear …
Read more
My most valuable skill
Back in 2000 when my illustrious time in academia culminated in a degree in music, sending me ignominiously into the world of work with barely a saleable skill to my name, my parents very kindly paid for me to take a summer computing course with Pitman Training. The course was designed to teach me the ropes: Windows 98, Word, Excel …
Read more
