The ZX Spectrum in a time of revolution:
Gaming the Iron Curtain offers the first book-length social history of gaming and game design in 1980s Czechoslovakia, or anywhere in the Soviet bloc. It describes how Czechoslovak hobbyists imported their computers, built DIY peripherals, and discovered games as a medium, using them not only for entertainment but also as a means of self-expression.
Checked in at Fox On the Downs. A pint of plain in the sun — with Jessica
Checked in at Queen’s Park. Spring is springing — with Jessica
Checked in at Bison Beach Bar. Beer on the beach — with Jessica
Checked in at Casa Azul Taqueria. Taco time! — with Jessica
I’ve lately been trying an exercise where, when reading anything by or about tech companies, I replace uses of the word “infrastructure” with “means of production.”
Brilliant!
Checked in at The Hartington. Having a pint and a read. 🍺 📖
Checked in at Queen’s Park. with Jessica
Checked in at Queen’s Park. Watching the dogtectives. — with Jessica
This responds to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which was received by this office on 5 February 2016 for “A digital/electronic copy of the NSA old security posters from the 1950s and 1960s.”
The graphic design is …um, mixed.
Checked in at Racehill. Out for a stroll — with Jessica
Checked in at Queen’s Park. with Jessica
Checked in at Queen’s Park. The pond in the park — with Jessica
The second episode of the second season of the Clearleft podcast is out. It’s all about employee experience design.
This topic came out of conversations with Katie. She really enjoys getting stuck into to the design challenges of the “backstage” tools that are often neglected. This is an area that Chris has been working in recently too, so I quized him on this topic.
They’re both super smart people which makes for a thoroughly enjoyable podcast episode. I usually have more guests on a single episode but it was fun to do a two-hander for once.
The whole thing comes in at just under seventeen minutes and there are some great stories and ideas in there. Have a listen.
And if you’re enjoying listening to the Clearleft podcast as much as I’m enjoying making it, be sure to spread the word wherever you share your recommnedations: Twitter, LinkedIn, Slack, your own website, the rooftop.
League tables for the game of probe-throwing currently underway in our solar system.
The league covers expensive hardware lob matches held between planets in the Solar System. Two dwarf planets have recently been admitted to the league and lost their first matches against league champions Team Earth.
The right coding language, system architecture, or interface design will vary wildly from project to project. But there are characteristics particular to software that consistently cause traditional management practices to fail, while allowing small startups to succeed with a shoestring budget:
- Reusing good software is easy; it is what allows you to build good things quickly;
- Software is limited not by the amount of resources put into building it, but by how complex it can get before it breaks down; and
- The main value in software is not the code produced, but the knowledge accumulated by the people who produced it.
Understanding these characteristics may not guarantee good outcomes, but it does help clarify why so many projects produce bad outcomes. Furthermore, these lead to some core operating principles that can dramatically improve the chances of success:
- Start as simple as possible;
- Seek out problems and iterate; and
- Hire the best engineers you can.
I love the story that Terence relates here. It reminds me of all the fantastic work that Anna did documenting game console browsers.
Are you developing public services? Or a system that people might access when they’re in desperate need of help? Plain HTML works. A small bit of simple CSS will make look decent. JavaScript is probably unnecessary – but can be used to progressively enhance stuff.
Checked in at Queen’s Park. Parklife! — with Jessica
Checked in at Baker Street Coffee. with Jessica