Friday, December 26, 2003
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
After they lost, I rooted for the Bosox..and another case of heartburn! Definitely exciting baseball, but, I mean, why!? Why can't these two teams win at least once? Oh well, wait'll next year, right?
Monday, September 29, 2003
Thursday, September 25, 2003
I'd love to hear a CD of just her on guitar. Too, after I returned to Richmond and hadn't seen her for seven years, I was amazed at her slide guitar thing. She'd learned slide as well as a Delta bluesman selling his soul at the crossroads.
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Though thankful we all (our neighbors and friends and families) came through safe, being without power since September 18 is getting old...real old...real fast. I'm not saying Virginia Dominion Power is intentionally ignoring heavily populated urban areas in favor of white-dominated suburbs and rural areas, but it does appear as if they're doing the easy stuff first.
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
But, best to wait till Friday.
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Enjoyed the German-American Fest in Lincoln Square. Although it was small and the only German beer was Beck's, the festival did capture the German fests we experienced in Hamburg. In fact, nostgalgia reigned supreme this weekend...almost like visiting two former homes at once!
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Friday, August 29, 2003
Certainly not in Central Virginia. Having decided to leave IconMedialab at the end of 2001, I thought somehow that my years of experience would stand me in good stead and propel me to bring the gospel to Richmond.
Alas, it was not meant to be. Instead of bringing the fledgling Sokohl & Associates to renown, I've retreated in my career to my humble beginningsI've returned to technical writing.
It's a bit sad, really. I moved away from tech writing in the late '90s during my stint with mpct Software. Writing HTML-based help for a NeXT-based banking software system, I began applying stuff like Don Norman's affordances and Ginny Redish's user and task analysis. It was a great inspiration for me. Because of my move toward human-computer interaction, I got the job with IML.
More than two years later and with a bunch of experience such as SOS Children's Village, Siemens Medical, and other projects...plus pitches and usability tests and heuristic reviews and such.
It was a great time, an inspiring time, and a fun time. When I returned, I thought my experience plus willingness to live out of a suitcase would raise my star in the contractors' heavens.
Doesn't seem to be working out that way, though. I grow old, I grow old....
Friday, August 22, 2003
My question, though, is this: on what basis do souls have mass?
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
The Richmond Times-Dispatch article
50-Plus had a great bio on Rick last year
A memorial service is tentatively planned for Monday, August 18 occurred Wednesday, August 19, at the Arthur Ashe Center on North Boulevard next to the Diamond. When I know more, I'll certainly let you know.
It was a great service, opening with a New Orleans-style band composed of members of the Richmond Jazz Society. Opening with "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" and closing with "When the Saints Go Marching In," the service was a celebration of Rick's life and impact. Nicely done.
Also, you might like Andy Garrigue's tribute.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Indeed. Just what this field needsmore fragmentation of our job description.
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Not your fault, but I'm still totally torqued. I spend hours researching something as detailed as whether a menu list should be alphabetical, geographic, or ordinal. I conclude that alphabetical is best, based on such sources as Stuart Card, Ben Schneiderman, and Karen Schriver, among others. I specify it so. My PM receives the info, though he doesn't concur (he feels it should be geographic, based on current practice and politics...organizing interaction around organizational charts, not usage models). He goes into our bosses office, He discusses with him. They agree on a result. They never ask me, they never inform me. They just do it.
Then, in a meeting today with the developers (a different internal org), I discover their decision. "Joe, you won't like this, but...."
So, bottom line, I'm pissed. Guess my irrelevance should work to my advantageperhaps a policy of coming in late, leaving early, and taking long lunches will at least improve my quality of life.
Monday, July 28, 2003
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Hi Molly,
we've never met but have mutual friends/acquaintances in Peter Merholz, Christina Wodtke, and some other IA/UX folks. I've been reading your blog with delight most days.
One question, though: how are you able to do all the travel that you do? That is, in this economy vis-a-vis our profession, how are you able to attend so many conferences and also do so much flying around? My curiosity is primarily professional. Having left Germany in December 01 and returned to the States, I've seen a marked downturn in corporate support of conference attending. In addition, despite what airlines would like us to believe, travel (especially internationally) continues to be expensive.
I miss it, actually. I miss the flying from Hamburg to Chicago to San Francisco to Seattle to Newark in order to test an information architecture. I miss the frequent travel from Hamburg to Munich and Innsbruck for projects. I miss the travel to Gotheburg and Stockholm....and I miss the international give and take with folks at the IA summits, STC (yes, even STC), CSCW, and other conferences.
So what's yer secret?
Anyone else have the same question?
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Thursday, May 22, 2003
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
They started with a killer version of "Cadillac Hotel," with Shaun Murphy belting out the vocal gymnastics the song requires. They then proceeded to play for 90 minutes straight. Tunes such as "Time Loves a Hero" and "Day or Night" sounded timeless and clear and poignant. Pulling out the Band's "Rag Mama Rag" (which the Feat covered on Chinese Work Songs) delighted the audience of largely 40+ listeners. And the acoustic trio of songs included one they'd just written and recorded for their next album.
If you wanna hear the music again, go see the Feat on their current tour!
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Man, it don't get no better than that!