heyblog

What burning questions are are you asking right now?

• Who’s the Jane Jacobs of interaction design?
• How can I incorporate the really interesting and relevant ideas around situated software into the products I work on?
• What techniques or ideas will let me work better with programmers, product managers, and writers?

What’s the most exciting thing you’ve learned about this year?
Well, in terms of technology, it has to be server virtualization (yes, that’s a link to the company I work for). To be able to whip up a virtual computer, or a set of them, on demand, sometimes feels almost like magic to me.

Also: Audiopad, the Drive-by Truckers, McSweeney’s 13, the comics issue, and Malcolm McCullough’s Digital Ground

What would you work right now on if you could pick anything? (Maybe you’re lucky enough to be working on it already?)
If I could leap right over the learning curve, I’d like to know more about Rails, the web application framework written by David Heinemeier Hansson that powers Basecamp and Instiki, the first Wiki that appealed to me (and which I’m using to write this). Why Rails? Because as a design project, it is amazingly successful with its users and is a lovely example of machine elegance. Watch the “Getting Started with Rails” video linked on the Rails homepage for the quick overview.