Bringing science to the world, and the world to science
April 27, 2009 at 10:12 pm Filed in:Design | Science No Comments
A note to those developing websites based on databases of scientific information aimed at engaging the public: enough with the acronyms.
Unless the acronym spells out something easily recalled AND directly related to the topic at hand – even if the acronym spells a commonly-used (but unrelated) word – it will likely be viewed as jargon.
Me Do My Myself: renegade baking, creativity, and Fashioning Technology
February 6, 2009 at 9:31 am Filed in:Craft | Design | Technology | food&drink 1 Comment
I had my first renegade baking experience was when I was 4. My mom was outside working in the garden, and my friend and I decided that we wanted to ‘bake’ for the first time. Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach the recipes, so we just threw everything in our reach that looked like ingredients in the bowl. But (luckily) we couldn’t reach the stove or the oven, and when she came back inside, she found us with a big bowl full of a green mess.
About 45 minutes after enquiring as to what we had put in the bowl, our green monster cake came out of the oven. She had magically turned it into a verdant, yet quite tasty spice cake (a miracle, quite possibly, as the two items I recall within reaching distance from our fridge in those days were anchovy paste and Aquavit).
Why is that memorable? It taught me creativity and ingenuity in the kitchen can sometimes lead to fantastic, although slightly bizzare results. Thanks to that fantastic experience, to this day I’m hard pressed to follow a recipe to the letter. I have an appreciation for all types of cuisine, and I’m open to the bizzare.
And I really like green food.
But now I have a problem. I’m addicted to books full of fantastic diy projects – various forms of knitting, electronics, sewing, glasswork, cookbooks… but I never seem to actually MAKE anything from those shelves full of books, taking up so much valuable space and collecting dust in my tiny San Francisco apartment. Continue Reading
Powered by Microsoft? Ford must really be in trouble.
October 23, 2008 at 6:57 am Filed in:Design | Technology 1 Comment
Yup, there are all of the old jokes:
If Microsoft built your car, your car would crash randomly three times a day while you were driving down the road… and every time you made a left turn.
or
If Microsoft built your car, every few months you’d have to reinstall a new transmission, but you wouldn’t be able to figure out why.
or
If Microsoft built your car, all the warning lights are replaced with a single dashboard indicator which lights up to read ‘Your car has experienced an unexpected error” - but it is only after the engine is ‘unable to recover.’
Microsoft doesn’t immediately bring to mind stability, reliability, or even functionality. If Ford’s main marketing pitch for the Focus is letting people know that they’re integrating Microsoft technology, they must really be in trouble. Continue Reading