Check out isolatr. Currently in public beta. Everything you need to know can be found here.

Posted in Web 2.0 / social software, humor | 2 Comments »

Amy Tieneman at CNET wrote about a school project, where kids design, and play with, their own paper based laptops. Some of their UI designs are hilarious, if not fascinating. One of my favorites has separate buttons for weird games and really weird games.

Here’s an interview with Amy, the kids, and a slideshow of various kid’s designs.

(via metafilter)

Posted in Design, Innovation, creative thinking, humor | No Comments »

Wired magazine recently held a contest to see who had the most pathetic looking cubicle workspace. The winner, photo at right, works in the IT department and the University of Alabama, behind a rack of file cabinets.

Check out the other winners, with photos, on the bottom right of the page.

(From metafilter)

Posted in Management, humor | 1 Comment »

Seen in Pike Place Market last weekend, during the Cheese festival.

Posted in humor | No Comments »

What was it like when the world upgraded from sheets of paper to books? Well here’s one humorous version of what that must have been like.

(Link from author Douglas Smith )

btw: I’m looking to compile some innovation humor. If this made you think of other skits, cartoons or jokes, please leave a comment.

Posted in Innovation, humor | 8 Comments »

I’m on day 8 without power - I’ve become a local geek refugee, fluttering from coffeeshop to coffeshop in search of quiet places to work.

I’ve discovered the neurotic edges of my writing habits: I can’t write a word if I people are talking nearby, fiddling with newspapers within eyeshot, or if there is bad music playing overhead - escpecially the sonic evil that is bad christmas music.

There is nothing festive about the relentless attack of dull, trite, treekly trash that passes for Christmas music in most stores and cafes. Who thinks this is fun? And do we really need to play it continually, on repeat, unless the goal is to get people to leave (or confess their sins). Can’t we mix it in? Like 1 holiday tune for 2 regular ones?

Or perhaps in the infinity of alternative and world music, there’s something more authentic than cheezy retreads of retreads of christmas standards?  (Why cover a song in exactly the same tempo, style and sound of the original? I’ll never know).

So dear readers: do you have alternative holiday tunes or playlist of actually good holiday music? Perhaps world music? Columbian quartets doing the twelve nights? Punk rockers doing silent night? Anyone have a creative playlist for this time of year? 

Help me out - you can save me and my book deadlines :)

Posted in humor, music | 23 Comments »

To my delight, every now and then the fine folks at slashdot or lifehacker mention an essay of mine, and waves of people swing by, read something, and send feedback mail through the contact form.

I respond to as much of the interesting and thoughtful as I can - but it’s the internet, and some of it’s creepy, incomprehensible or just plain bizarre. I don’t fully know how to respond to many of these little notes I receive.
So for fun, here’s some highlights from the mailbag for the popular essay Why smart people defend bad ideas:

“You sir, are clearly a case of bad person defending a bad idea. You should practice what you preach before preaching to the choir.”

“THIS IS AMAZING. So MANY CLEVEr Things. SO NOW CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH MY PARENTS?”

“I liked the essay but smart people are just better, right? So why shouldn’t they just defend whatever they think is best?”

“…loved this. Really loved it. Made me want to get a shotgun and shoot all the asshats.”

“Hey. If you’re so smart why don’t you know that spark plugs can’t cause fires? eh? Tell me that tough guy. You suck rat ass. I want the 5 minutes it took to read your turd back.”

“I printed this in big font and slid it under the doors of the executive floor. But it had no effect. What do I do now you think? Bigger fonts?”

“Perhaps you can help with this. I’m dating two girls at the same time, and keep thinking I want one, but then the other… well I don’t know how to LOGICALLY choose. Write an essay on this! yes!”

“How much can I pay you to stand in my boss’s office with a megaphone and read this essay every time he opens his mouth?”

Posted in Essays, humor | 3 Comments »

Last week in the creative thinking course I’m teaching at UW, we spent time listing idea killers. Statements we’ve heard, or used, that stop ideas in their tracks. Have any to add?

Mostly these are used as thought inhibitors: they don’t require any thought to say. They’re used as flinch negative responses, dismissing without explanation. Unlike real critical thinking, which offers a path (e.g if you can overcome x, y and z we’ll consider it) idea killers are lazy dead ends.

Idea Killers

• We tried that already
• That never works
• Would you like a pony?
• Looks like ass
• You’re fired
• We will actively work against you
• (Laughter)
• Not in our budget
• Not an interesting problem
• We don’t have time
• Execs will never go for it
• Out of scope
• But its the law
• Too blue sky / Holy grail
• This train is on fire
• Wont make enough $$
• Not in our business
• Its Non performant (engineering)
• What are you on?
• Can we get someone with a brain in here?
• That isn’t what people want
• No response at all

What are others you’ve heard?

Posted in Innovation, humor | 93 Comments »

I’ve seen my share of office pranks: filling an office floor to ceiling with packing peanuts, cover over the doorway to someone’s office, moving an entire office, fully functional, into the building lobby… the list goes on.

But some of these I’ve never seen before. Good fodder if you’ve got a co-worker about to go on vacation.

(Hint: its always easier to get a group of people to pull things like this off. Order a pizza, bring some beer, and you’ll be surprised what you can do in an afternoon).

With some careful searching you can find even more photos of creative pranks.

Posted in humor | No Comments »

Posted in Seattle, humor | 2 Comments »