Andrew Wirtanen is a usability specialist in Cary, NC More »

Products with multiple uses–selling them in stores is a challenge.

Designing a product with multiple uses is always a delicate balance between overwhelming the customer and providing bang for their buck. As one of my colleagues noted on our blog at HumanCentric, you need to make sure the feature fits the product, take time to design, and don’t forget about the main use cases.
But what [...]

Can you wear Bose noise canceling headphones during takeoff and landing?

Yes.
But you’ll occasionally be told to turn them off anyway. That’s because of a 10-year-old FAA regulation that’s not really doing anything but causing delays. Gizmodo published a great opinion piece this week on the issue.
Bose QuietComfort 2’s take one AAA battery that takes about 36 hours to drain. But. because of the switch, flight [...]

SmartScreen: Time to jailbreak my iPhone?

I haven’t found a compelling reason to jailbreak my iPhone, but SmartScreen for iPhone just might be one. The application allows for widgets on the iPhone lock screen. Of course, there are all sorts of privacy concerns here, but for simple useful applications like weather or a calendar, this is great. Check out the demo [...]

Ze Frank on Labor Day and Socialism

Ze Frank is probably my favorite Internet celebrity, and you should check out his weekly show “That Makes Me Think Of” on Time Magazine’s website. The show is kind of like a modern Andy Rooney, but Frank’s segues make a lot more sense. In his latest episode, he ties together Labor Day, socialism and the [...]

Free music roundup… what you do when you can’t afford The Beatles box set

While we all save up for The Beatles box set, here are some of my latest free music discoveries:

The Beach Boys – rehearsals from 1967
There’s nothing quite like listening to The Beach Boys while summer comes to an end. These precious recordings are only available for download until September 16th, so grab them now.
Noise [...]