“We keep bringing more magic into the world, but rising expectations mean that there’s more disappointment as well.

That’s part of the deal of being in the world.

The alternative, I’m afraid, isn’t to choose a path where we make everyone happy and always exceed their expectations. Nope. The alternative is to hide, to fail to engage and to produce nothing.

A pretty easy choice.”

Seth Godin – “You will be disappointed”

(via Koreen)

“Dealing with business challenges all starts with connecting the right people.”
- Oscar Berg: “Boosting productivity with workforce collaboration“

This is like new computers going to executives. The people that need it the least, but are higher up in the org chart, are the ones who receive new technology and the attention of consultants and vendors brought in to improve the organization. Instead, it should be the top performers at every level below the executives.

Get the right people in the room.

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.”

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

(via Seth)

“Give yourself some time to write, to record, to photograph, to think.”

David Tate: “The Dangerous Effects of Reading”

If you do any kind of design or development, you’re constantly needing to match colors (or you should be).

Nattyware’s Pixie and Apple’s Digital Color Meter (if you’re using OS X Lion, which you should be, be sure to see the new way to get Hex values) are what I rely on. Both free. Both easy to use. Launch, roll over the color you want to match, and you get your RGB, Hex and other values.

I use these almost daily for web design and elearning development.

Enjoy!

We recorded our tenth episode before the end of 2011. The previous show had been about usability. This one was on accessibility, wish special guest Diane Elkins of Artisan E-Learning.

Ten episodes in six months – not too shabby. We’ll be picking it back up at the end of January after Judy returns from ASTD TechKnowledge.

Enjoy!

The most remarkable of these articles comes from Seth Godin. It’s remarkable because it was written nine years ago, but could have been written today and been just as relevant and inspiring.

The thing is, we still live in a world that’s filled with opportunity. In fact, we have more than an opportunity — we have an obligation. An obligation to spend our time doing great things. To find ideas that matter and to share them. To push ourselves and the people around us to demonstrate gratitude, insight, and inspiration. To take risks and to make the world better by being amazing.

Seth Godin – “The Chance of a Lifetime”

I may or may not post a “year-in-review” article, but I do know this: I’m in a  good place. I am lucky to be alive. I can’t wait to see what’s next. These are extraordinary times, marvelous times even.

Wherever you ride, whatever your name
This raw cold life is a beautiful thing
And we are alive in amazing times
Delicate hearts, diabolical minds

Revelations, hatred, love and war
And more and more and more and more
And more of less than ever before
It’s just too much more for your mind to absorb

It’s scary like hell but there’s no doubt
We can’t be alive in no time but now

Mos Def – “Life in Marvelous Times”

Sure, uncertainty and craziness persists, but that will never change. That’s life. It’s how you respond to the challenges that matters, right?

I’m choosing to do, rather than watch. I encourage you to do the same.

It was a fun show. We talked about DevLearn. I drank the lovely Saint Arnold Santo.

I’m really looking forward to recording this week with special guest, Julie Dirksen, Instructional Designer, usability guru and author of Design for How People Learn. I wonder what she’ll be drinking?

Congratulations Typekit

Please Don’t Call Them Avatars… Unless They Are Avatars – Word.

Can I Use – Great resource. Thanks Judy!

Learning 2011 Conference Backchannel – David Kelly does a great job with these collections

Omnifocus and Siri

Human Centered Design Toolkit – For years, businesses have used human-centered design to develop innovative solutions. Why not apply the same approach to overcome challenges in the nonprofit world? (via Jason)

Designing the Invisible

How To Think And Communicate Visually

Team Treehouse – What do you want to learn today?

Now Entering the Decade of Learning – Great link from Chad

Kurt Hanks – Paradigm mapping. Awesomness (via The Beard)

First up is the Kingston Wi-Drive, a portable wireless hard drive for iOS devices.

Leading Off

I’ve been using Kingston’s Wi-Drive for the last month. It’s a small, lightweight wireless hard drive for use with iOS devices. The model I’ve been using is 16GB. To connect, you use the Wi-Drive app (free in the App Store). Estimated battery life is 4 hours, which I found to be accurate. It comes nicely packaged, with a nod to Cupertino.

Three Up

1. Everything about it is fast. Using the app, setting up the connection, and accessing content on the Wi-Drive is fast. After about five minutes to set up the app and connect to the drive, I was streaming Batman Begins. Once I selected the movie in the app, it was playing in less than three seconds. And scrubbing forward and back in the movie was instant. Zero delays. Very fast. It also remembered where I left off in the movie I was watching.
2. It’s light and small. It’s slightly thinner than an iPhone 4s and can easily fit in any pocket, purse or backpack for easy portability (thought I don’t recommend it for reasons outlined below).
3. You can share the connection. Up to three users can connect simultaneously, allowing up to three people to access the media on the drive wirelessly. I experienced no issues accessing the same content on multiple devices at the same time.

Three Down

1. You can only connect via WiFi. This is limiting, because you have to disconnect from your regular WiFi network to use the device. You can use the app’s wireless network function to connect the Wi-Drive to a wireless network, but it’s not perfect. For instance, I couldn’t type in a network that wasn’t broadcasting its SSID. Also, if you leave the car or hotel room, your device may not reconnect to the Wi-Drive automatically. Having to connect to its WiFi network, then open the app, then find your media every time can become rather annoying. I’d rather just have the media on my device. Finally, you can’t use iPhone tethering while you’re using the Wi-Drive.
2. It’s expensive. When I received the drive, it was priced at $129 and $179 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. Currently prices have dropped to $69 and $99 on Amazon, which is much better.
3. It gets hot when it’s being used. Really hot. Scorching hot. Not good. While it’s built for portability, you can’t keep this in a pocket, a laptop bag or even resting near a piece of paper, for fear it might catch on fire or burn up the drive.

The Final Score

I can see this device being useful for someone with an 8GB iOS device, families on a road trip or a long plane ride, or possibly small teams during a business meeting. Outside of those scenarios, it’s doubtful that you’ll get much use out of a Wi-Drive, and the heat is a major concern. For the money, you’d be better off upgrading to a larger capacity device or upgrading your Dropbox account.

If we’re going to make our neighborhoods and communities better, if we’re going to improve the places we dwell… we need to be the heroes we’re seeking. You only become a hero by doing something brave, which requires you to have fear.

My advice to everyone: steer into the fear… and grow.

- Aaron Silvers: “Steer Into the Fear“

• The Little Red Writing Book
• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
• Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Nest does use Time to Temperature – which is based on your home’s thermal profile — to approximate how long it’ll take to warm or cool your home. So, yes, if Nest knows, for example, that you want it to be 72 at 6PM and that it’ll take 40 minutes to get to that temperature, it’ll start heating up the house earlier.

I’m in for two sometime in 2012.

Why Good Writers Avoid Adverbs and Adjectives “You need not be as sparse as Hemingway but in that general direction you ought sway.” (via Jason)

Apples Does it Again – AssistiveTouch

Plagiarism Explained by Common Craft

The Inklings and Where Good Ideas Come From

Michael Winslow gets the Led out – You’ll remember him from Police Academy. Incredible.

Back to School Special from American Drink – These are great. Share with the moms you know.

Procrastination – Most excellent. Book ordered.

When are you going to learn that HTML5 is not the technology you want to use for authoring content! It may be how you want to deliver it, but those two things aren’t necessarily attached to one another.

- Reuben Tozman – “DevLearn“

This is always a great conference. The Guild does a great job getting excellent keynotes in. I also get to attend Kevin Thorn’s precon session today, How to Put the Story in Storyboarding for eLearning. I’m really looking forward to learning from him.

Between Kevin (@learnnuggets) and Aaron Silvers (@aaronesilvers), I should drastically improve my ability to communicate visually by the end of the week. This is most excellent.

Things I’m looking forward to:

• Learning from brilliant people
• Presenting my session (Remember The User) and helping push up the industry
• Ignite
• DemoFest is always a great time. We’ll be doing onsite #lrnchat, too!

I brought my iPad, iPhone, and a Snowflake microphone for recording snippets, and, maybe, a full show with Judy. Judy and I plan to interview vendors and some other learning celebrities for our elearning podcast, The ToolBar. If you have a request for questions we should ask vendors, let us know.

This is my fourth or fifth DevLearn. I always learn something new and grow my personal learning network (PLN). If you’re going to be here, look me up! Ping me via the conference app, Twitter or my contact form. I look forward to meeting more folks I’ve only interacted with online.

I’ll be posting a lot of photos and session reviews. I also recommend the following resources whether you’re attending or not.

• Official Backchannel (curated by David Kelly)
• Judy Unrein
• Cammy Bean
• Tracy Parish
• Conference Hashcast

…we are a community. Let’s continue to fight for each other, encourage each other, and work together to make amazing things.

We are the 3rd-party family of Apple nerds. Let’s make a dent.

- Shawn Blanc: “3rd-Party Family”

So, it must be because they didn’t update the form factor to a really crappy teardrop concept that would be a pain in the ass to game on. Or, maybe it’s because they didn’t call it an iPhone 5? What a crime! It’s horrendous! Except it’s RIGHT IN LINE with what they’ve done for years. iPhone 3G → iPhone 3GS → iPhone 4 → iPhone 4S.

So, I ask, how can you be disappointed?

More on this from smarter people than me:

If you judge Apple’s products by the reaction of analysts and the press, you’re an idiot. Pure and simple. Apple doesn’t make products for analysts and the press. They make products for everyone.

- MG Siegler: “Apple’s ‘Fall From Grace’”

(via Judy)

That’s what people want to see when they go to Apple events: Steve Jobs holding up a rainbow-hued unicorn that you can purchase for your very own…

… this interconnected web of products is the thing that makes the continued development of the new and magical products possible.

- Kottke: “Unicorns and wheels: Apple’s two types of products”

Would as many people be disappointed if Apple had released the same device but called it the iPhone 5?

- Marco: “By any other name”

(via DF)

She had an identification card for the implants that is used to prove that the implants are an actual medical device, but the TSA agent would not let Lori show her the card. The TSA agent was extremely rude, humiliating her in front of other travelers and showing zero compassion for her situation.

Laughing Squid: TSA Requires Breast Cancer Patient To Submit To Pat Down After Scan

When will it stop?

“It means we can stop being the construction worker and we can be the designer — the way it was meant to be. Stop worrying about the delivery, focus more on structure.”

- Reuben Tozman: “What’s coming down the pipe”

If you’re not willing to face the abyss of choice, you will almost certainly not spend enough time dancing with opportunity.

- Seth Godin: What to do next

Top 10 Misused English Words – Please stop using these the wrong way. (via Judy)

Your idea sucks, now go and do it anyway (via MBN)

Unitasking — absolutely gorgeous site, as well

Glider Pro coming to iOS – SWEET! (and, yes, I’ve spent too much time playing the original this week)

Instagram 2.0 – Massive update. Instant filters. Instant tilt-shift. High-res photos.

iTunes Skip Feature – Exactly the solution I was looking for. I’m creating a smart list for these so I can remove them from my library entirely. (via DF)

“While some people might find it distasteful to pay taxes. I don’t. I find it Patriotic.”

The Yoda Pie Chart – There is no try.

Hip-Checked — “For the past year HP has looked like a dog being tempted on opposite sides of the room by two treats. Constantly rushing back and forth so as to not lose either of the treats, but never actually getting either of the treats.”

Welcome to Macintosh

Charge money for your work. Don’t be a jerk to people. Repeat. (via Ben Brooks)