Blogs
Jonathan Grudin
The rise of incompetence
Posted: Thu, December 11, 2014 - 10:08:26
“To become more than a sergeant? I don't consider it. I am a good sergeant; I might easily make a bad captain, and certainly an even worse general. One knows from experience.” — from Minna von Barnhelm, by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729–1781) “There is nothing more common than to hear of men losing their energy on being raised to…
Debatable
Posted: Fri, November 21, 2014 - 3:18:54
Issues that elicit passionate and unpredictable views arrive, fast and furious: The right to be forgotten Facebook emotion manipulation Online bullying and cyber hate Institutional Review Boards Open publishing The impact of technology on jobs Is consensus eroding? Has HCI broadened its scope to encompass polarizing topics? Are social and mainstream media surfacing differences that once were hidden? After briefly…
Uses of ink
Posted: Fri, October 17, 2014 - 10:06:47
Many species communicate, but we alone write. Drawing, which remains just below the surface of text, is also uniquely ours. Writing and sketching inform and reveal, record, and sometimes conceal. We write to prescribe and proscribe, to inspire and conspire. My childhood colorblindness—an inability to see shades of gray—was partly overcome when I read Gabriel Garcia Marquez. But for nonfiction…
Lasting impact
Posted: Wed, September 24, 2014 - 10:35:29
An enduring contribution can take different forms. It can be a brick, soon covered by others yet a lasting part of a field’s foundation. Alternatively, it can be a feature that remains a visible inspiration. Eminent scientists and engineers have offered insights into making an impact. Inspiration “If you want to predict the future, invent it,” said Alan Kay. In…
Diversity and survival
Posted: Tue, August 05, 2014 - 12:40:21
In a “buddy movie,” two people confront a problem. One is often calm and analytic, the other impulsive and intuitive. Initially distrustful, they eventually bond and succeed by drawing on their different talents.This captures the core elements of a case for diversity: When people with different approaches overcome a natural distrust, their combined skills can solve difficult problems. They must…
Visual design’s trajectory
Posted: Thu, July 17, 2014 - 4:50:11
Some graphic artists and designers who spent years on the edges of software development describe with bemusement their decades of waiting for appreciation and adequate computational resources. Eventually, visual design soared. It has impressed us. Today, design faces complexities that come with maturity. Cherished aesthetic principles deserve reconsideration. An enthusiastic consumer People differ in their ability to create mental imagery.…
Organizational behavior
Posted: Mon, June 23, 2014 - 11:36:18
Two books strongly affected my view of organizations—those I worked in, studied, and developed products for. One I read 35 years ago; the other I just finished, although it came out 17 years ago. Encountering Henry Mintzberg’s typology of organizational structure In 1987, an “Organizational Science Discussion Group” was formed by psychologists and computer scientists at MCC. We had no…
Philosophical robbery
Posted: Wed, May 28, 2014 - 10:19:20
In 1868 I read Dr. Holmes's poems, in the Sandwich Islands. A year and a half later I stole his dedication, without knowing it, and used it to dedicate my "Innocents Abroad" with. Ten years afterward I was talking with Dr. Holmes about it. He was not an ignorant ass—no, not he; and so when I said, "I know now…
True digital natives
Posted: Tue, April 22, 2014 - 12:49:32
They’re coming. They may not yet be recognizable, but some are walking—or crawling—among us. The term digital native was coined in 2001 to describe technology-using youths, some of whom are now approaching middle age. At an early age they used family computers at home. They took computer skills classes in school. They met for other classes in computer labs or…
Swarms and tribes
Posted: Mon, March 31, 2014 - 11:03:23
A crack team led by Deputy Marshall Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) race about in hot pursuit of Harrison Ford’s fugitive Dr. Richard Kimble. Gerard finds one of his men standing motionless. Gerard: “Newman, what are you doing?!” Newman: “I'm thinking.” Gerard stares. “Well, think me up a cup of coffee and a chocolate doughnut with some of those little…
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