Good article on api design.

My bro. forwarded this and it was a great read: API Design Matters .

From within, without trailer...

Dr Luc and Co are coming up with a movie on autism and homeopathy. Though I know of no one in my circle who has an autistic child, this made quite an impression on me.

Watch the trailer here.

Climate change

Pavlina has a great analysis on Climate Change that is worth reading.

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A 2006 United Nations report found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all the SUVs, cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined. If we’re going to combat global warming, doesn’t it make sense to work on the #1 source of greenhouse gas emissions? Shouldn’t we strike at the root of the problem instead of just hacking at the branches?
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What's your name?

One thing I have observed as my daughter grows up is the number of times kids are subjected to the same questions like
"what is your name?", "what color is this?" "what is your father's name?"

I always thought that kids are a patient lot till my daughter flipped the bozo bit and started answering such questions with meaningless words like kumme, gumme (accompanied by laughter :) )!!

Another side effect is that she repeats whatever question she has tens of times thinking that its the way things work :)!

Unschooling

Got this through a forward, found it interesting (a little ra ra):

http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/2009/04/25.html

A good paper on design

It is not unusual for us to keep relearning the same thing over and over again in our industry. A friend pointed me to this "old paper" which documents design learnings across many projects. I found it to be a great (but slow) read.

Hints for Computer System Design

Story of stuff

An interesting video that got forwarded to me. Definitely worth 20 minutes of your time:

http://www.storyofstuff.com

Shortly after the World War 2, these guys were figuring out how to ramp up the [U.S.] economy. Retailing analyst Victor Lebow articulated the solution that has become the norm for the whole system. He said: “Our enormously productive economy . . . demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption . . . we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.”
And President Eisenhower’s Council of Economic Advisors Chairman said that “The American economy’s ultimate purpose is to produce more consumer goods.”

MORE CONSUMER GOODS??? Our [economy’s] ultimate purpose? Not provide health care, or education, or safe transportation, or sustainability or justice? Consumer goods?
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