Accelerating Benchmarks

I tend to come from the view that static benchmarks are extremely dangerous for a company. They create a sense of false security because companies generally hit them in silos without relation to any outside force. Any benchmark that isn’t updated at the very least annually is probably not telling you anything useful.

Side Bar

Maybe I will open a saloon up called Side Bar where everyone lays down on mats and drinks through straws. Decorated with a nod to the Roman era dinner party. The bar would be sunk in the floor in the middle. I don’t know just an idea.

Design Wonderment

How do blind people know where the dryers\hand towels are in a bathroom? There seems to be considerable variation in their general placement relative to the sink (sometimes to the left of the sink sometimes to the right of the sink, sometimes by the door, sometimes on the opposite wall) I think that would be terribly frustrating.

I wonder if office buildings ever blindfold the developers or companies ever do usability testing for this. Walk through the scenario of a blind CEO coming to visit them or a blind potential sale feel the experience of their building from this point of view. I bet they would be surprised.

Super Hero’s?

While I understand the desire of people to wish themselves some extreme form of power such as the ability of flight or super human strength knowing human nature as it is I doubt that an average person suddenly endowed with these powers would use them solely for the benefit of mankind. I would be willing to venture that in a controlled experiment where you were able to grant super powers to certain individuals you would end up with a lot more villains then heroes by some exponential factor.

Retirement

I don’t know if I could ever really retire. I have had the opportunity to have quite a lot of time off and I find myself missing actually working. I should say I find myself missing the feeling of being needed of feeling like I contribute to something. Don’t get me wrong the first two weeks were great. Sleep in, do a few chores read outside, go for a walk, but then something is just missing. Maybe I do seek validation in others more then I would like to believe?

Kindle

I have finally crossed over to the e-book and to be truthful. I am loving the kindle. I thought I would miss the “feel” of books and the pages but really it was less of a factor then I thought it would be.

One thing that I noticed I love about books is that they are kind of mini projects. You can see your status progress as you burn through the pages. The status bar on the kindle covers this feature and I have found it to be just as emotionally rewarding.

The pluses of the Kindle are many great readability, even in sunlight, lower book prices on new releases, low initial start-up price and decent usability.

The one feature I wish they had was a good skip feature that would bring you directly to notes in the back of the book that correspond with a chapter. I never noticed how much I can skip around in a book until I picked this up but overall I am extremely happy convert.

Bags Fly Fee

Just saw an interesting set of commercials Sun Country bag police ad spot followed by Delta American Express where if you sign up for their card you get your luggage on for Free....

One spot checked bags are just free.

The other they are free if you sign up for a high interest rate credit card.

Just kind of highlighted the difference and I wonder how many people noticed?

Starting to Get Ancy

Don't worry just cause I haven't been posting doesn't mean I haven't been writing. Just letting it all pile up until it gets ready to pour out.

APP Vs APP

I remember the days when if you heard someone say they have great apps you would not have to pause and think about the context.

Pink

Random thought: "Pink" the famous slogan of Victoria Secret that adorns the bottoms of a large swath of its apparel might be more literal then one would think.

At least that is the only reason I can come up with for why a blue pair of sweat pants would have pink in blue letters across the bottoms.

On a Roll

As I pulled into the empty parking lot I opened my door and looked back out over the horizon. They sky was grey like it was going to snow but it was the first time it had hit 70 degrees of the spring. I stood outside of my car basking in the return of the heat, finishing a cigarette and going over the list of items I was going purchase at Home Depot. I flicked my cigarette into the empty lot and saw a small explosion of sparks. A mount Vesuvius for the ants. I watched that cigarette caught in the breeze roll almost all the way across the parking lot.

There was something in that moment.

Something about luck and timing.

Something about the grey sky and the heat on my skin.

Maybe some people just happen to get cast into the world when the wind is blowing.

Maybe some don't.