Oh, I don't think it is truly loaded at all. As I state, most of the kids I know around 15 do like to write. That's not loaded at all. I'm simply framing the question in a way that makes sense to me. On the other hand, I'm not being 100% objective either. That is boring, dull, and won't lead to a good interview. Let him tell me that I am full of shit or that I am asking a bad question. This question has noting to do with peer pressure or trying to make him fit in.
Most of the the better interviews are loaded, by the way. Watch Larry King or Oprah and you will see that they asked very guided questions, yet they throw people off all of the time too. Those are the best interviews. Now, if I asked when he stopped beating his grandmother, well, that would be a poor question.
Last thought: Most people do write. In fact, almost any intelligent person will disply intelligence by producing something. Perhaps if I asked about how he likes to produce and display himself, you would be more satisfied. Then he could talk about coding and sketching. But again, that is vague and useless. Let the kid answer his own question. Let him shoot it down.
Now let's moderate the original posting up to a 5 so we can find out what he likes to read and write.
The questions are good. Let them stand.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
What do you like to read? What material strikes your fancy? What are your favorite books and magazines? I know many folks your age; some read a ton and others read nothing. I find that I read almost everything online, particularly news. What about you, sir?
Question Two
Most folks your age like to write a lot if they are intelligent, which you probably are. Do you write poetry? Short stories? Do you draw and write comics? Do you write technical manuals? If you don't write now, do you have any plans to write?
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
Well, this is all fine and dandy but I wonder if this will make a difference. Will we start to see more sci-fi now? Will more actors be willing to join the fray? Will we see more books and articles about sci-fi? Will Time and Newsweek and other media drive up budgets?
(Note: I think Dune rocks, especially since it is sci-fi that doesn't have much computer technology. Almost zero! That is damn hard to pull off when you really start to think about it. Thinking of alternate technologies is a tough business... Rock on Dune!)
- John
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
Oh boy, and how well will Gore's approach work for spouses? "Honey, are you visiting the Whitehouse online again? What is this Whitehouse.com site? I'm going to see why you are so interested in politics all of a sudden...click!"
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
Bust Patents -- "Should the Patent and Trademark Office be issuing 20,000+ new software patents every year? Is there that much novel and unobvious, unpublished, innovation in the software industry? Are biotechnology patents really avoiding these problems, especially as biotechnology patents incorporate more and more computer technology? Probably not, and thus your company or law firm will need resources and tools to cope with the growing legal problems associated with tens of thousands of patents of questionable validity being issued every year. If you are a victim of these patents, or want to make sure you don't victimize others with patents of dubious validity, these Web pages will help your efforts."
Bounty Hunter E-Commerce Experiment -- "I'm going to keep this simple. Look at this picture. Now that I have your interest, here is the scoop. I will give $25 to the first person who can correctly identify the object. You don't get any clues and you have to be exactly right."
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
What if we lived in a world where violence was a good thing because it increased survival rates and was seen as the most Darwinian approach? How would we encourage more violence? How would we refine violence?
I suspect that we would have children practice violent acts with video games. We would also probably have them watch violent movies too.
If we think of violence as a transfer of energy, physical and psychological, then things get very interesting. Then it starts to seem that the more we expose people to violence, in meat space or in a virtual space, the better off they would be in this world.
Who would be the violent role models? I'm not talking about mass murder, instead I am talking about strict beat-you-up violence. This is all hypothetical, of course, but I hope it gets you thinking.
REPLACE television WITH coding
REPLACE reading a book WITH writing a book
REPLACE talking WITH consulting
REPLACE playing games WITH writing games
REPLACE listening to music WITH playing music
...
People can leave their day jobs by being active and productive. Absorbing content, such as reading this post, is important. But, it won't get you rich and it won't spread your name around. By posting, for example, you build your reputation and name recognition. The transfer of energy becomes in>>out versus out>>in. There is no magic to this. Produce and build value. Turn value into dollars. Quit your day job. Or, continue to consume, and ultimately feed the producers.
- John
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
We almost all have the ability to choose what we do. Most people reading this posting can go to school or learn new skills. You can change your direction now or in the future.
Any complaints about where you are and what you are doing should be left at the door. Corporations are run by people, like you. At the least, if you are in a company, you are part of the system. You are "they" and you have some control. Really, you do. If you don't like that, or you think the system sucks, leave and start something yourself. Every day, every minute, you can make that decision.
Otherwise, welcome to the Borg. (Would you like Microsoft fries with that?)
- John
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
You are probably going to get mad about this and I expect flames...but who cares about overclocking anymore? I mean, machines are so fast now it just doesn't seem worth the hassle.
I am like you. I do want more speed. But it isn't worth the trouble. If I have a real speed need, I just wait a few months for the next boost in speed. I can play all my games, I can use all of my current software, and I have no real need for more speed at this time.
Caveat: More speed for the sake of more spped is silly, but more speed because it is a challenge is cool. I'm just against overclocking as a way to improve speed. If you do it, it should be for the geek challenge of it. Or because you want to Raise Your Middle Finger to the Man (TM).
Using some simple JavaScript, Dack.com has put together a great tool for generating e-bullshit. The tool combines a verb, adjective and noun, offering up wonderful non-sense. So go ahead, monetize value-added synergies, aggregate wireless initiatives, and synergize world-class channels.
Someone forgot to tell me that my serial number was stolen and put into my glorious Raid E O Shaq scanning device. I woke up this morning and the Mark of the Beast was no longer on my forehead! They took it and actually put it in the device itself. They stole my identity. They own me. What is the world coming to? I mean, this is like we are back in 2053 when pure humans still existed. How am I going to buy food if they can't scan my head!? What's going to happen, the scanner is going to scan itself and then give me food? Help! We must revolt against Raid E O Shaq and get back our souls!!
Right, right, right. But that isn't the point. The point is that they were found guilty. It is minor in terms of money, but that is fine. It makes them look bad, and that is the interesting point. It is bad press, that some folks might be able tweak in the news. To let the world know how Microsoft (sometimes) operates.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability.
So, we've seen that Star Wars information has been mixed up recently. One thing becomes another, all in a blink of an eye. Poof! Pop! Bang! Does anyone else get the impression that somehow Lucas is pulling strings? Is the Lucas machine tweaking the media, like a puppet? (I doubt all this, but it is interesting, no?)
This reminds me of things like Ford covering up problems with the Pinto and their tires. I mean, corporations have such power to manipulate the media. And, the media, Slashdot included, is very willing to help the spindoctors. How many times has a press release turned into "news", eh? Information, disinformation, ahh! What a pain in the arse. Who can we believe? Who should we believe?
Damn, I'm just going to basically ignore any Star Wars news I read. Or any news for that matter. I'm heading back into the cave now...The Future Doesn't Need Us anyway.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability.
This really is not a problem if you examine their user interface. For example, this search on Google for "slashdot" returns 220,000 results. If you look at any one result, they have a "cached" link. For example, this is Google's cached version of Slashdot. It is a nice feature for advanced users. The site has such good usability, it makes me sick!
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
My guess? In 5-10 years, implanted technology will be in the hands (umm, well, heads) of the early adopters.
Does this freak people out? If adults start implanting then they will probably start implanting kids, then new born children. (Or am I freaking out?) I mean, it is all about competitive advantange when you get down to it. And for adults, I bet it'll be like tatoos. It'll be addictive to get more and more implants.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industry Strength Usability
My problem is that/. readers don't say enough good things about the Freedom of Information Act. Or, hold on, other cool and useful legislation. We're always in slam mode. We look for the negative, we look to bitch, we look to complain. Above all, we look to push our individual agendas. It would be nice if there was a bit more positive mojo spread around.
"There is no difference between code and writing. I think I can prove it. Manila, the content management system that I use, supports macros. When you put text in curly braces, as the page is rendered, the macro is evaluated. Such macros can be embedded in protected speech, ie prose. What goes inside the curly braces is program logic. So if I want First Amendment protection for my code all I have to do is embed it in a Web page."
John S. Rhodes WebWord.com -- Usability Vortal and News Hub
Slashdot is a free information and discussion resource, except for the banner ads. When you start paying for content then you have the right to complain. But for now, it is their site and you are visiting.
It is interesting actually. You get a meta-meta-moderation if you look at all the weblogs from 20,000 feet or so. They do steal from each other. But, if you look at the raw numbers of weblogs that post a link to the story, it tells you something about the perceived value of the story. Cool, no?
Slashdot Mirror
Oh, I don't think it is truly loaded at all. As I state, most of the kids I know around 15 do like to write. That's not loaded at all. I'm simply framing the question in a way that makes sense to me. On the other hand, I'm not being 100% objective either. That is boring, dull, and won't lead to a good interview. Let him tell me that I am full of shit or that I am asking a bad question. This question has noting to do with peer pressure or trying to make him fit in.
Most of the the better interviews are loaded, by the way. Watch Larry King or Oprah and you will see that they asked very guided questions, yet they throw people off all of the time too. Those are the best interviews. Now, if I asked when he stopped beating his grandmother, well, that would be a poor question.
Last thought: Most people do write. In fact, almost any intelligent person will disply intelligence by producing something. Perhaps if I asked about how he likes to produce and display himself, you would be more satisfied. Then he could talk about coding and sketching. But again, that is vague and useless. Let the kid answer his own question. Let him shoot it down.
Now let's moderate the original posting up to a 5 so we can find out what he likes to read and write.
The questions are good. Let them stand.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
Question One
What do you like to read? What material strikes your fancy? What are your favorite books and magazines? I know many folks your age; some read a ton and others read nothing. I find that I read almost everything online, particularly news. What about you, sir?
Question Two
Most folks your age like to write a lot if they are intelligent, which you probably are. Do you write poetry? Short stories? Do you draw and write comics? Do you write technical manuals? If you don't write now, do you have any plans to write?
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
Well, this is all fine and dandy but I wonder if this will make a difference. Will we start to see more sci-fi now? Will more actors be willing to join the fray? Will we see more books and articles about sci-fi? Will Time and Newsweek and other media drive up budgets?
(Note: I think Dune rocks, especially since it is sci-fi that doesn't have much computer technology. Almost zero! That is damn hard to pull off when you really start to think about it. Thinking of alternate technologies is a tough business... Rock on Dune!)
- John
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
Are the Tranmeta style chips going to show up in portable devices, such as Palm Pilots? Why or Why not?
John S. Rhodes
Industrial Strength Usability -- WebWord.com
Where is a good place to get election and voting trivia? Or urban legengs?
Oh boy, and how well will Gore's approach work for spouses? "Honey, are you visiting the Whitehouse online again? What is this Whitehouse.com site? I'm going to see why you are so interested in politics all of a sudden...click!"
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
Bust Patents -- "Should the Patent and Trademark Office be issuing 20,000+ new software patents every year? Is there that much novel and unobvious, unpublished, innovation in the software industry? Are biotechnology patents really avoiding these problems, especially as biotechnology patents incorporate more and more computer technology? Probably not, and thus your company or law firm will need resources and tools to cope with the growing legal problems associated with tens of thousands of patents of questionable validity being issued every year. If you are a victim of these patents, or want to make sure you don't victimize others with patents of dubious validity, these Web pages will help your efforts."
Bounty Hunter E-Commerce Experiment -- "I'm going to keep this simple. Look at this picture. Now that I have your interest, here is the scoop. I will give $25 to the first person who can correctly identify the object. You don't get any clues and you have to be exactly right."
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
What if we lived in a world where violence was a good thing because it increased survival rates and was seen as the most Darwinian approach? How would we encourage more violence? How would we refine violence?
I suspect that we would have children practice violent acts with video games. We would also probably have them watch violent movies too.
If we think of violence as a transfer of energy, physical and psychological, then things get very interesting. Then it starts to seem that the more we expose people to violence, in meat space or in a virtual space, the better off they would be in this world.
Who would be the violent role models? I'm not talking about mass murder, instead I am talking about strict beat-you-up violence. This is all hypothetical, of course, but I hope it gets you thinking.
- John
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com
REPLACE television WITH coding
REPLACE reading a book WITH writing a book
REPLACE talking WITH consulting
REPLACE playing games WITH writing games
REPLACE listening to music WITH playing music
...
People can leave their day jobs by being active and productive. Absorbing content, such as reading this post, is important. But, it won't get you rich and it won't spread your name around. By posting, for example, you build your reputation and name recognition. The transfer of energy becomes in>>out versus out>>in. There is no magic to this. Produce and build value. Turn value into dollars. Quit your day job. Or, continue to consume, and ultimately feed the producers.
- John
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
We almost all have the ability to choose what we do. Most people reading this posting can go to school or learn new skills. You can change your direction now or in the future.
Any complaints about where you are and what you are doing should be left at the door. Corporations are run by people, like you. At the least, if you are in a company, you are part of the system. You are "they" and you have some control. Really, you do. If you don't like that, or you think the system sucks, leave and start something yourself. Every day, every minute, you can make that decision.
Otherwise, welcome to the Borg. (Would you like Microsoft fries with that?)
- John
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
True! But my comment was a general comment.
John S. Rhodes
Industrial Strength Usability
You are probably going to get mad about this and I expect flames...but who cares about overclocking anymore? I mean, machines are so fast now it just doesn't seem worth the hassle.
I am like you. I do want more speed. But it isn't worth the trouble. If I have a real speed need, I just wait a few months for the next boost in speed. I can play all my games, I can use all of my current software, and I have no real need for more speed at this time.
Caveat: More speed for the sake of more spped is silly, but more speed because it is a challenge is cool. I'm just against overclocking as a way to improve speed. If you do it, it should be for the geek challenge of it. Or because you want to Raise Your Middle Finger to the Man (TM).
John S. Rhodes
Industrial Strength Usability
Using some simple JavaScript, Dack.com has put together a great tool for generating e-bullshit. The tool combines a verb, adjective and noun, offering up wonderful non-sense. So go ahead, monetize value-added synergies, aggregate wireless initiatives, and synergize world-class channels.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com
Someone forgot to tell me that my serial number was stolen and put into my glorious Raid E O Shaq scanning device. I woke up this morning and the Mark of the Beast was no longer on my forehead! They took it and actually put it in the device itself. They stole my identity. They own me. What is the world coming to? I mean, this is like we are back in 2053 when pure humans still existed. How am I going to buy food if they can't scan my head!? What's going to happen, the scanner is going to scan itself and then give me food? Help! We must revolt against Raid E O Shaq and get back our souls!!
Right, right, right. But that isn't the point. The point is that they were found guilty. It is minor in terms of money, but that is fine. It makes them look bad, and that is the interesting point. It is bad press, that some folks might be able tweak in the news. To let the world know how Microsoft (sometimes) operates.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability.
So, we've seen that Star Wars information has been mixed up recently. One thing becomes another, all in a blink of an eye. Poof! Pop! Bang! Does anyone else get the impression that somehow Lucas is pulling strings? Is the Lucas machine tweaking the media, like a puppet? (I doubt all this, but it is interesting, no?)
This reminds me of things like Ford covering up problems with the Pinto and their tires. I mean, corporations have such power to manipulate the media. And, the media, Slashdot included, is very willing to help the spindoctors. How many times has a press release turned into "news", eh? Information, disinformation, ahh! What a pain in the arse. Who can we believe? Who should we believe?
Damn, I'm just going to basically ignore any Star Wars news I read. Or any news for that matter. I'm heading back into the cave now...The Future Doesn't Need Us anyway.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability.
This really is not a problem if you examine their user interface. For example, this search on Google for "slashdot" returns 220,000 results. If you look at any one result, they have a "cached" link. For example, this is Google's cached version of Slashdot. It is a nice feature for advanced users. The site has such good usability, it makes me sick!
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
Do Patents Still Work?
WebWord.com -- Usability News and Research
Fair comment. I meant no disrespect actually. I was just surprised that a law firm owned the domain, not some crappy dot com company.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Usability News and Research
A law firm (Oppedahl & Larson LLP) owns patents.com. There is actually some good stuff there. And of course, there is always Freepatents.org, IBM's Gallery of Obscure Patents, and O'Reilly's list of Controversial Patents.
My guess? In 5-10 years, implanted technology will be in the hands (umm, well, heads) of the early adopters.
Does this freak people out? If adults start implanting then they will probably start implanting kids, then new born children. (Or am I freaking out?) I mean, it is all about competitive advantange when you get down to it. And for adults, I bet it'll be like tatoos. It'll be addictive to get more and more implants.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industry Strength Usability
My problem is that /. readers don't say enough good things about the Freedom of Information Act. Or, hold on, other cool and useful legislation. We're always in slam mode. We look for the negative, we look to bitch, we look to complain. Above all, we look to push our individual agendas. It would be nice if there was a bit more positive mojo spread around.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Usability Vortal
Sort of a related opinion piece by Dave Winer...
Software and the First Amendment
"There is no difference between code and writing. I think I can prove it. Manila, the content management system that I use, supports macros. When you put text in curly braces, as the page is rendered, the macro is evaluated. Such macros can be embedded in protected speech, ie prose. What goes inside the curly braces is program logic. So if I want First Amendment protection for my code all I have to do is embed it in a Web page."
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Usability Vortal and News Hub
Slashdot is a free information and discussion resource, except for the banner ads. When you start paying for content then you have the right to complain. But for now, it is their site and you are visiting.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Usability Vortal
It is interesting actually. You get a meta-meta-moderation if you look at all the weblogs from 20,000 feet or so. They do steal from each other. But, if you look at the raw numbers of weblogs that post a link to the story, it tells you something about the perceived value of the story. Cool, no?
Interesting weblog stuff:
http://www.linkwatcher.com/
http://beebo.org/metalog/ratings/
http://www.weblogs.com/
WebWord.com -- Usability Weblog and Vortal