I see from Techmeme that today people are discussing the latest “innovation” in Windows Mobile 6.5 - the honeycomb touchscreen.  I can’t get to the original article - the site appears to be down right now; however I looked at the discussion.   It seems that I’m not quite s...

Ever scratch your head and wonder why you can use your favorite application for free?  How can a business actually make money (and stay in business) when they offer their product for free?  This article looks at the freemium business model, to see when it makes sense for a company to offer it.  ...

I have been working with the Amazon AWS Console for the past couple of days and there are two things about it, actually three things, which are really irritating… First it seems to be really hard to find it on the AWS web site, why? Second it always forgets my login name, why ?? Third it keeps...

Switching tools isn’t a panacea, but it can inspire new ideas, by changing the way you structure your music. Elysium is a powerful new sequencer in development for the Mac the creates generative patterns on a beehive-shaped hexagonal grid. For the hardcore, you can even extend the tool with Ruby a...

“Visual metaphors are a powerful aid to human thinking.” That is the very first sentence of the foreword to a gorgeous new book on information visualization Data Flow: Visualising Information in Graphic Design . In just nine words it captures both the boundless possibilities in making da...

Your users are never stupid. Sure, there are many users who may not be experts in using your application (or web site, or remote control, or door knob) - in fact, most users of your interface won’t be experts at using your interface. Even if your product is Photoshop and your users spend half thei...

Photoshop — the image app that does all the things the free alternatives do, plus those extra few things we just need — is scheduled for a fall update dubbed CS4. Judging by the above screenshot by John Nack, the entire suite is getting a massive UI overhaul. I have comments on that. Fir...

One of the most difficult things to get right as a designer is the User Interface of a product or service. Getting the UI right is a key success factor in any development. To me the UI isn’t just the look, feel or the interaction. To me the UI defines the identity of the product or service. It...

Ever designed or developed a beautiful interface only to find your hard work ruined months later by gaudy graphics or invalid markup? With proper documentation you'll have a better chance at seeing your interface stay beautiful. Jina Bolton guides us through the process of developing an interface st...

This list might be a little different than the typical great business ideas you see talked about in major publications (like Facebook, the iPhone, etc). Those are great ideas, but I prefer to look at business ideas which are a little closer to home. Ideas that anyone with some hard work could get of...