About time. And product. And being more deliberate.
Being lost is sometimes not all bad. Sometimes, well, it is. This week’s triple play is for all those times when it’s somewhere in the middle.
Back in ’97 I spent some time at a Shockwave game boutique (didn’t we all). One day, a technology vendor sent over a prototype game – highlighting a new interaction model.
The game was obviously a prototype but we weren’t sure of what. All the elements on-screen very simple shapes and a random color (is that what we’re looking at?). The controller worked a little differently than we expected – is that the prototype? Unsure and unimpressed, we put the game aside and went back to work. Later that day, the vendor came by and explained the magic. Just like how an explanation deflates the funniest joke. The moment had past.
Fast forward a couple years and I’m working on the information architecture for a very large site redesign. We were hashing through hundreds of wireframes (paper prototypes) a month, each time a section of the page was signed-off on, it was removed from the wireframes and replaced with a box and a ‘see page ## for details’. The page header, footer, side nav, and many other sections were all treated this way. Unlike the game I described earlier, this removal of detail allowed us to focus the conversation and the prototype on the unknowns, while setting context and telling a story.
Otherwise, Seth Godin is right – the smart people, won’t get it. They won’t get it because they won’t know what they’re looking at. Black & white can tell a very good story without being close to the finish of the final product.
From my perspective, a protoype is rarely about the thing. It’s about having a focal point for a conversation, and the conversation should always change the prototype.
Kris Smith and Todd Andrlik launched ID3 – Podcast Magazine website yesterday. Yes, that’s right – they’re working on a bimonthly print publication covering podcasting.
It’s an interesting project, one I’ll be tracking and talking about more. Especially considering I’m on the ID3 Podcast Magazine Editorial Board.
To me, the most interesting bit is to answer the following question; In this age of weblogs, Google, and immediate answers – what value does a print publication have? Especially one on a fast-moving, technical, internet-native topic like podcasting.
Before I bought my current place, Jen and I talked with a handful of real estate agents. We didn’t purchase from any of them. In general, they didn’t feel authentic, connected, credible. Felt like the stereotypical used car salesman. With a housing boom like this – I don’t blame them. Problem is, demand won’t always be this strong, interest rates this low, and the need for agents will only diminish.
At some point in the next year or so, there’s a very good chance I’ll need their services. This is what I’m looking for in the next real estate agent I work with:
These 3 items help me build a relationship with an agent, on my terms and without the risk of spam and unwanted phone calls. While at the same time, building the agent’s reputation, credibility, and network. This is very much the agent equivelant of Alex Stenback’s Behind the Mortgage.
Historically, real estate agents have operated in a world where market information is difficult and inconvenient to consolidate. Google Maps mash-ups like DC Homeprices, HousingMaps.com, and ChicagoCrime.org bring buyers, sellers, and agents closer to the same level. Not to mention neighbors with blogs.
Anyone out there doing this today?
Elsewhere: 20 Aug 2008:
I grabbed a few moments with Keri, Jodene, & Ken – the owners of PBLoco and they share the history of their company and some peanut butter sandwich recipes you probably haven’t tried.
On the business side, they went into the rationale behind launching in Minnesota, rather than either coast.
Oddest thing. I pulled the PowerBook out the laptop bag and a handful of keys stopped responding.
I’ve opened up the Keyboard Viewer to confirm. Here’s the list thus far:
I plugged in the USB keyboard from the eMac and that brought everything back. Weird.
Update 14 January 2006
Problem came back today – lost ‘Q’ through ‘P’. Seems to happen when waking from sleep. This time plugging in the external keyboard didn’t fix it, nor did restarting. Waiting did. Maybe 10 minutes and all the keys came back.
Update 15 January 2006
‘Q’ through ‘P’ is gone again. I’m typing this from the keyboard viewer. Annoying. Apple says I need to replace the keyboard. Blah.
Ok. After a couple hours sleeping. The top row is back, but and all those other keys are gone. Oddly, this is less annoying. Let’s see what happens on restart.
Everything was going great until I plugged the PowerBook in after running down the battery for 2 hours. Then, I lost the keys again. Not all at once. First delete and the arrows, then a couple minutes later – the top row.
Top row is back. Space, delete, and arrows are still gone.
Update 16 January 2006
Stopped by the Apple Store – Roseville this afternoon, got the keyboard diagnosis confirmed and put one on order. Thankfully, they can handle the repair locally.
Update 21 January 2006
Took in the PowerBook for the repair this afternoon. I got a call as soon as I left the Apple Store saying the keyboard’s connecting cable was loose. They firmly plugged it in and everything’s back to normal. No repair necessary. Definitely a downside of locking the PowerBook down so tightly – not even the Geniuses could correctly diagnose the problem.
A conversation at last night’s PodcastMN meet-up got me thinking about the difference between audio and video.
As I see it, the goal of writing is to use the fewest words possible to illustrate the most to the reader. Density. In fact, I’m pretty sure the job of an editor is just that. In the end, chances are, the voice in your head reading this is different than the one in my head. That’s just the start. The specifics of the tiny, upstairs room I’m writing this in, with its plastic-coverd north-facing window, wall-long bookshelf, and boxes of unwanted cables is probably more comfortable in your head than in reality.
That’s the cool part.
The funniest sketch I’ve heard on Teknikal Diffikulties was a visual gag. Cayenne Chris gave just enough – then let us listeners build out the rest.
Unlike audio and text, video is a finished, self-contained product. Leaving little to the imagination. As such, it’s more expensive on all counts. From production, delivery, and most importantly – audience attention. Video demands 100% of the audience’s attention. Like a car crash on the freeway.
We all stare.
So, Camp Snoopy is leaving Mall of America. I think the Mall has a huge opportunity to develop their own cheesy mascots – like the Olympics does. Problem is, they need a new name as well.
Hmmmmm. Here’s an easy fix:
Turn the ‘n’ into an ‘h’ and the second ‘o’ into a ‘p’.
As part of my work with Joe Urban, I was invited to the Minnesota Chapter of the Urban Land Institute Young Leaders Group’s panel discussion on attracting and retaining young, creative people in Minnesota.
On the panel:
My notes from the conversation:
As of tonight, my TiVo can receive Yahoo Weather, Yahoo Traffic, Live365 radio stations, and podcasts. I wasn’t able to successfully load up Minnesota Stories or PodcastMN by hand (text entry by remote not that annoying) right out of the gate. More to come.
Update 14 January 2006: First Crack Podcast works on Tivo.
Listen to Peanut Butter Goes Nuts at PBLoco