Digital Culture Studies

Or, how green is mine? In the process of moving, the ugly truth - 2 people do not need 5 computers, plus one that is just itching for an overhaul, maybe a new open source OS, and …. then the rechargers, for phones, for iPods, for the backup hard drive. It gets ridiculous, and wasteful. Over on Rough Type, a post on how much energy avatars consume. Which is, apparently, the equivelant of your average Brazilian citizen. There is some discussion in the comments about how the math is misleading, but linking out from the comments, an interesting idea: how many energy-slaves do Americans use in a day? It led me to Ecoiron, a blog dedicated to green computing. Now my guilt is forcing me to power down, unplug, and read a book. Maybe a book about the environment. By candlelight. Soy candlelight.

I told myself that I was going to buy an ultraportable notebook if the paper I submitted to a national conference was accepted. After all, i was going to NEED an ultraportable, right? Justification is a great pastime, when it comes to upgrades :) Alas, the paper was not accepted, and now I have to find another reason to buy one of these beautiful laptops. If nothing else, this is motivation enough to keep submitting! But once you have the portable computer of your dreams, how do you carry it? Squidoo has a few suggestions.
Updates sporadic in the next few weeks, as I rewrite this proposal and throw it at a few more conferences to see if it sticks.

Information Architecture: Yahoo’s network diagram. one word summary: wow.

Some people write novels in November; others participate in Movember.

How to avoid having someone sit next to you when flying. via [lifehacker]

Speaking of flying, knee defenders - I wonder if other people would catch on if I started using these?

I just got a new computer, an early birthday present, to replace my old desktop, itself a birthday present, albeit seven years ago. Seven years! But it was a Hewlett Packard, and they aren’t known for being particularly upgradeable, and it was time. My new box is a big monster, with an nicely integrated media centre, a DVD burner, and enough memory to make my own movies, should I want to. Which I might, given how small and portable digital cameras have become.

I am not particularly brand consistent when it comes to electronics - I buy what works for me, which is why I am a PC user with an Ipod, and why my monitor is made by a different company than my computer. What I do know, though, is that I don’t think I will buy another HP product. And here is why - HP’s new cameras, with a ’slimming’ feature. (found via Bitch, PhD)

First of all, hello - isn’t that what Photoshop is for? :)

But more seriously, I have some issues with this, starting with the fact that the female model used to demonstrate the product is already a slim and healthy size. When I see gadgets, I always wonder who they are being designed for. This past week, I was fortunate to be able to hear Brenda Laurel speak about design (off topic, but do read her rant, Saving It For Good, which is inspiring me to one day work up the courage to serve a meal on my grandmother’s china, which I inherited and that I am too afraid to use). Something that really jumped out at me was what she had to say about getting to know who you were designing for - not what you think you know, not the stereotype about soccer moms and skater bois, but about who the people who are going to use your design really are, what they need, and what they want.

I had started writing this post before I saw Ms. Laurel speak, and was already less than impressed with HP’s new product, but now - now, I am nearly speechless. And I wonder … who, exactly, did HP design this camera for? This camera, that screws up the perspective of one’s photos for the opportunity to stretch subjects vertically in a vain attempt to make them thinner. Who did they think the target market was?
As for Photoshop, if you, like me, spend a lot of time watching it load, you probably know who Seetharaman Narayanan is - his is one of the names credited on the openin screen. But did you know there is a Flickr fan club devoted to him? (Link via Unbeige). I love the internet.

In September, I am working with a colleague to do some training regarding resonsibly managing one’s digital presence, and it has me thinking about the practical aspects of this.

How do other people manage their business online?

As a former tech worker, I can tell you that the most boring part of my job was being called to help the office staff when they had lost their new computer log ins and passwords. We were all required to change all of our passwords weekly, a security measure against …. nothing, as it turned out. When companies force employees to change their passwords so often, employees get frustrated, and security goes down, because one of two things happen - either they recycle the same two or three passwords, or, most likely, they write down their new passwords on Post-It notes, and stick those notes under their keyboard or their mousepad.

75% of the time, my awesome password recovery skills involved me flipping over the mousepad.

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