from now on - tim reader's blog

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 [...]

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.

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.

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 [...]

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 [...]

I am the proud owner of an iPhone — inspiring at least 3 green-eyed early adopters to join me since Saturday! — and every moment I’ve spent using it since then has been an unfettered joy.
Purchase
There were amusing scenes at the Carphone Whorehouse in Bristol (triangle branch) where they weren’t able to sell a single [...]

I’m not sold on many Apple products so I didn’t expect to be sold on the iPhone. However, the more I hear the more I am drawn to it — and this this glowing review from bbc.co.uk together with Apple’s own demo has won me over.
And this morning we learn that O2 have won the [...]

As stated only recently, I really love StumbleUpon (if I actually had a Second Life I’d probably spend it stumbling) but nearly every time I fire up Firefox there’s an update for my toolbar.
It’s a minor inconvenience, but more to the point is does the incessant updating of their software instil confidence in the performance [...]

I would describe Like.com as a widget-tastic visual search engine for online shoppers who like their bling! You begin by, for example, clicking a picture of a leather-clad Madonna which presents you with an array of similar looking items (FMBs and so on) from various vendors. Thereafter you refine your results with a “likeness” search. [...]