Remote Desktop in WinXP

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Since I am recovering after two hospital visits in less than two weeks, I’m spending most of my time in bed with my laptop. However, my desktop has most of my emails and other things on it that aren’t reachable even when file sharing. The solution. Using Windows XP’s built-in Remote Desktop. Now I am … Read more

Hospital Usability Lessons

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Usability isn’t only for Web design. It’s also applicable in the real world as things aren’t always well-designed. Paying attention to real world design can help you think through usability for Web design. For instance, there is an elevator in New York where the numbers are in three columns. The numbers go across, but in this elevator they go from right to left instead of left to right. It’s in English not Hebrew.
Elevator in NY:
10 9 8
7 6 5
Most elevators:
8 9 10
5 6 7
This concept can be applied to a Web page by assuring numbers, letters, and other meaningful groups of information are sorted in a logical order.
I also saw a school speed zone sign where it said to slow down during the following times:
7:30 AM – 8:15 AM
2:45 AM – 3:30 PM
Hmm… figure out what’s wrong with this sign? This one can also teach a lesson for Web design usability. What lessons come to mind?
Donald Norman talks about such design in The Design of Everyday Things. While I was in the hospital twice in a little over a one week period, I discovered a few usability problems.

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Just a Geek

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If you wish you could be a famous actor like Wil Wheaton, after reading this book you might understand that being a famous actor is not all cracked up to be. This is a guy who has had a hit movie and a hit TV show. Not many actors can claim one of each, and … Read more

PowerPro

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PowerPro v3.8 http://powerpro.webeddie.com/ Win 95/98/NT/2000/XP Free [Command launcher] Run commands, programs, and system configuration all from a button bar. This is a tough program to describe because it can be customized many ways to suit your needs. Karen Carter, who recommended this program, finds this program is indispensable. She says, “It will replace many separate … Read more

Follow the Long Yellow Copy

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At the end of the copy isn’t Oz or anyone singing about rainbows and bluebirds. I’ve been studying long copy and what makes it successful. Read Follow the Long Yellow Copy. Having blogged for over four years, I’ve watched blogging grow and change. Blogging tools can do a lot for a business. Like everything in … Read more

Crisis Management

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The Internet may have opened worlds for businesses and consumers, but it has also created a public relations nightmare for businesses. Forums, opinion Web sites, blogs, and anything that is publishable can smear a company’s name in moments. Remember, “Yours Is a Very Bad Hotel” presentation that described one customer’s bad experience with a hotel … Read more

Forget Passwords, Check the Body

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For years, we’ve seen characters in science fiction movies using a hand, an eye, or voice to gain access to highly secure areas in a building. The hero always manages to find a way to around these barriers and save the day. It’s not quite so simple, but it’s more challenging for the hotshot spy … Read more

The Spam Letters

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The book is based on Land’s Web site of the same name, spamletters.com, which I discovered a few years ago and submitted a letter. The spam letter in question is about hydrogen peroxide and it’s included in the book (p. 112). The original letter is presented along with Land’s creative and hilarious reply to the … Read more