Archive for December, 2004

Tsunami Relief

Tuesday, December 28th, 2004

Not that I get a lot of readers, but if you’re reading this I urge you to donate some money and help out the Asian relief effort. The Canadian Red Cross has an information site and you can donate online. Amazon.com has an American Red Cross donation page.

Coffee Maker Field Modification

Monday, December 27th, 2004

CoffeeMod
Originally uploaded by JZip.

Someone at work clearly grew frustrated with having to position the coffee pot under the drip. They attached a ruler to the coffee maker with rubber bands so the pot is positioned properly if you just place the pot against it.

If only it were so easy to adapt poorly designed software to your needs.

Face Drops

Thursday, December 23rd, 2004

FaceDrops
Originally uploaded by JZip.

When I look at this face, I wonder why we waited so long to have her.

Awesome Online Service

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004

I lost my paper bill for this month’s gas utility invoice and wasn’t sure when payment was due or how much was owed. We had just signed up with Terasen (our last place was electric only) and I hadn’t tried their web site yet. I had a pleasant surprise when I got to their login page. First time users don’t have to call customer support, request a PIN, or any other such nonsense. You can login with your account number and phone number! After the initial login, you choose a “proper” login ID and password. Very nice.

New House

Sunday, December 19th, 2004

New House
Originally uploaded by JZip.

Here’s a shot of our new-ish home. It’s a beautiful character house built about 100 years ago.

Blogger’s Interface

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

I really like the new(ish) Blogger redesign, but a few things still bug me. They have some design elements that look like buttons (like the Sign In button), but they aren’t buttons at all — just links. You need to click on the hyperlink itself, not the “button” area. Affordance, anyone?