FriendsWithManagers

QUOTES: Information Designers Should Not Assume Their Readers Are Stupid (Tufte)

2009-03-30T18:22:00Z

Lurking behind chartjunk is contempt both for information and for audience. Chartjunk promoters imagine that numbers and details are boring, dull, and tedious, requiring ornament to enliven. Cosmetic decoration, which frequently distorts the data, will never salvage an underlying lack of content. If the numbers are boring, then you’ve got the wrong numbers. Credibility vanishes in clouds of chartjunk; who would trust a chart that looks like a video game?

Worse is the contempt for our audience, designing as if readers were obtuse and uncaring. In fact, consumers of graphic are often more intelligent about the information at hand than those who fabricate the data decoration. And, no matter what, the operating moral premise of information design should be that our readers are alert and caring; they may be busy, eager to get on with it, but they are not stupid. Clarity and simplicity are completely opposite simple-mindedness. Disrespect for the audience will leak through, damaging communication. What E.B. White said of writing is equally true for information design: “No one can write decently who is distrustful of the reader’s intelligence, or whose attitude is patronizing.”
Edward Tufte
Envisioning Information (1990, pgs. 34-35)

ASIDE: The Deep Font Challenge

2009-03-27T13:18:00Z

Caution: Type Nerd Alert! Check out the Deep Font Challenge for a fun typeface guessing game. Bonus: You finally get to shoot that damn Comic Sans.

Obama, Socialism and Charitable Reductions

2009-03-25T12:32:00Z

In the interest of full disclosure, I did not watch President Obama’s 2010 Budget Press Conference last night. So my reactions are based off of the few comments I’ve heard on the radio and read online this morning. From what I can gather in summary news stories, it appears that Obama has laid out basically what he said he would within his State of the Union address a few weeks ago. Yet one item in particular seems to setting off people on both sides of the aisle though: reducing the amount of charitable deductions for couples making $250,000 annually (or $200,000 for singles annually) from 35% to 28%.

Much of the rhetoric I’ve read or heard this morning from more staunch “right-wingers” are starting to use the dreaded “S” word: socialism. That’s right people! We’re apparently not only on its path but our current President paving a superhighway to the glorious promised land with his left-wing friends. Apparently people believe that one President can undo in 4 years what has been built in the past 222 years since our Constitution was adopted. Within this subtly sly move from the administration, Obama has single-handedly started the first pebble in concerted government-controlled landslide to render all non-profit and private charities pointless. Not only is such an idea reckless, but seems to feed off the harbored fears many within the Republican Party were told about our now “evil” President: namely, he’s a true-blue socialist that would make William Clinton blush. People who buy into such conspiratorial theories will see what they want to see inevitably, but for those you who are interested in separating fact from fiction, know this: That’s not quite what the President is proposing.

According to the Wall Street Journal today, Obama’s proposed tax-cuts merely reduces the charitable deductions to the Clinton years deduction limits. Alan Binder at the Journal explains this a bit better:

As the law now stands, when a family that does not itemize deductions on its tax return donates $100 to its favorite charity, the donation costs the family $100. But when an itemizing family in the 25% bracket donates $100, it costs them only $75 after tax. And when an itemizer in the 35% bracket donates $100, the after-tax cost is only $65. Thus the richer you are, the less it costs. Is it socialistic to say that seems a little backwards?
If that tax treatment strikes you as fair, try another example. Suppose those same three families each pay $10,000 a year in interest on their home mortgages. The cost to the non-itemizer is the full $10,000. For the family in the 25% bracket that itemizes, the net cost after taxes is only $7,500. And for the upper-income family in the 35% bracket that itemizes, the net cost is a mere $6,500. Just imagine a member of Congress proposing a homeownership subsidy like that directly, rather than through the tax code: 35% to the rich, 25% to the middle class, and nothing to the poor. Would anyone support it?

If Obama is doing anything, it appears he’s trying to undo the last eight years from George W. Bush, which for many people wouldn’t be that horrible of an idea. Now if he could just start bringing home our troops.

Drawing In Flash

2009-02-24T14:04:00Z

boy from Merdanchik on Vimeo.

WWF “Our Life At The Cost of Theirs?” Poster Series

2009-02-06T19:37:00Z

Here’s an amazing poster series from Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai, India. Check out all the posters.

“I Can Read Movies” Book Cover Series

2009-02-06T19:11:00Z

I’m in love with “I Can Read Movies” Book Cover Series. Brilliant!

ASIDE: The Keene Act & You

2009-02-06T13:51:00Z

I must say I've been very impressed with the viral marketing efforts of the upcoming film The Watchmen, helping introduce people to the back-story further for the alternative reality world coming to theatres March 6, 2009.

ASIDE: Facebook Memes: Dumber Than Twitter

2009-02-05T21:04:00Z

TIME Magazine: "I've finally found something more stupid than Twitter. — Claire Suddath (25 Things I Didn't Want to Know About You; Thursday, Feb. 05, 2009)

ASIDE: Hotel Photo

2009-02-05T14:52:00Z

Found via Dropular

QUOTES: The Limits of Science

2009-02-04T04:34:00Z

Scientific theories cannot be said to “explain the world"—they only explain the phenomena that are observed within the world. Furthermore ... scientific theories do not and are not intended to describe and explain “everything about the world"—such as its purpose. Law, economics and sociology can be cited as examples of disciplines which engage with domain-specific phenomena without in any way having to regard themselves as somehow being inferior to or dependent on the natural sciences.

Yet most important, there are many questions that by their very nature must be recognized to lie beyond the legitimate scope of the scientific method, as this is normally understood. For example, is there purpose within nature? [Richard] Dawkins regards this as a spurious nonquestion. Yet this is hardly an illegitimate question for human beings to ask or to hope to have answered. ... The question simply cannot be dismissed as illegitimate or nonsensical; it is simply being declared to lie beyond the scope of the scientific method. If it can be answered, it must be answered on other grounds.
Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath
The Dawkins Delusion: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine (2007, pg. 38)

ASIDE: The Geometry of Design

2009-02-03T21:12:00Z

I've found Doug Avery's article and review of The Geometry of Design to be a fascinating read today.

ASIDE: Kid Couture Mixtape

2009-01-30T14:07:00Z

Check out this pretty amazing mixtape from Kid Couture.

ASIDE: New Kelly Clarkson Single, “My Life Would Suck Without You”

2009-01-30T13:32:00Z

There are certain things I have soft spots for in my life: puppies, dark chocolate and Kelly Clarkson singles. And with a three-day weekend staring me in the face (what, you don't get Superbowl Monday off as well?), here's the new fun and pop-infectious Kelly Clarkson single, "My Life Would Suck Without You", to get your weekend started. Apparently the single jumped 96 spots on Billboard's Top 100 this past week, moving from 97th to 1st. If this was 1984 and I still listened to the radio, I might actually be impressed by that record-breaking accomplishment.

ASIDE: Doves Release New Single “Jetstream”

2009-01-29T13:55:00Z

Brit-rock group Doves has made a new track from their forthcoming album Kingdom of Rust available for download on their website. The track, entitled "Jetstream", is a pretty good and is free... well free with an email address.

Mixtape: Summer’s Gone: My Personal Favorites From 2008

2009-01-28T16:48:00Z

It took longer than I wanted, but here’s my end-of-year mix in lieu of the typical “Top 10” albums post. Not every track I enjoyed from the year made it on, as I either ran out of room (trying to keep the mix within 80 minutes) or it didn’t stylistically fit with everything else. Still this mix is a pretty good picture of what I’ve enjoyed over the last year and hopefully you’ll enjoy it as well.

DOWNLOAD: VA - Summer’s Gone: My Personal Favorites From 2008 (zip)

Augustana “Hey Now”
Snow Patrol “Crack The Shutters”
The Stills “Snakecharming The Masses”
The Raconteurs “Many Shades of Black”
The Notwist “Good Lies”
Coldplay “Viva La Vida”
Relient K “Curl Up & Die”
The Emerson Letters “Everest (See This Through)”
Dr. Dog “The Rabbit, The Bat and The Reindeer”
Alexander “Trust Me On This One”
Fleet Foxes “White Winter Hymnal”
Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken “When The Summer’s Gone”
Ray LaMontagne “Let It Be Me”
Bon Iver “Skinny Love”
Radiohead “Nude (Son Lux Remix)”
Copeland “On The Safest Ledge”
Shearwater “The Snow Leopard”
Underoath “Too Bright To See Too Loud To Hear”
Underoath “Desolate Earth :: The End Is Here”

Fleet Foxes on SNL In 1080p Glory

2009-01-22T18:29:00Z

Fleet Foxes self-titled debut was easily one of my top 5 albums from 2008 and this clip from their performance on Saturday Night Live recently shows why. Tight harmonies, great song and look at that amazing HD quality on YouTube of all places!

View in HD Quality.

Weight Watchers’ Momentum Ad Campaign

2009-01-20T15:55:01Z

I saw a few commercials last night for Weight Watchers’ new Momentum campaign while watching some Alton Brown on Good Eats. The whole concept of a “hunger monster” seems like a great, intuitive idea for Weight Watchers.

iPhone Wallpapers

2009-01-14T14:27:00Z

I recently got a iPod Touch for Christmas, and I’ve really enjoyed finding various wallpapers for this amazing device. Here are just a few of my favorite wallpapers found so far:

i love typography

i love typography :: iPhone Alphabet Wallpapers

Bird Collage

Blue Birds

AB :: TJR iPhone Wallpapers

Typopgraphy :: TJR iPhone Wallpapers

Poolga

Poolga

These Times, They Are A Changin’

2009-01-14T13:39:00Z

When Brad and I first started this blog almost 5 years ago, it really didn’t have much purpose beyond we both wanted to have a place we could post thoughts and items we came across in our lives, share them with each other and with friends and do so on a semi-daily (if not daily) basis. Over time the situations Brad and I found ourselves within changed. Through a number of personal events, I found myself changing how I wrote and what I wrote about. I forewent regularly sharing about very personal things, instead keeping people more and more at an arm’s length. Some people find write about deep, personal things as an almost cathartic experience, but I found it leaving me vulnerable to people in ways I really don’t like exposing myself. Most of that has to deal with the type of person I am. I feel secure in giving certain information once a level of trust has been established by a certain level of similar information about yourself being shared with me. It’s a give-and-take process that’s fundamental to building healthy friendships. Right or wrong, that personal decision fundamentally changed the way and what I wrote about, and, subsequently, how people responded to me.

Shying away from writing about more personal content, I tried my hand at reviews. Yet I found I lacked the discipline or ability to write consistent, well thought out reviews on a regularly scheduled timetable. So I threw myself into turning the blog into a link area, highlighting any item which might tickle my fancy. After a while, though, the relentless pace and constant drive of needing to get so many links together every day or couple of days drained me. I fatigued of this eventually and the only relief I found was offline, interacting with friends, recreational activities, reading or any other of the various activities I might engage in.

In the end, I found I am unable to consistently blog about anything. I’m inconsistent and completely selfish in my subject matter. I also find that I have less and less energy to do this every year. I still would like a venue to post items that that don’t fit within Twitter posts but those items are less and less. I’ve been telling myself for a couple of years that I want to get my personal website together, and I think, finally, this year I’m going to get that done. Unfortunately in order for me to accomplish that, I have to cut time out from somewhere else. And that means that this year, sometime, I’ll be shuttering FWM. Brad, Kory and I all will still have our own personal blogs, but this site will no longer be a group-blog experiment. I’ll still post here until I’m able to get a new website up, but countdown has begun.

I find the whole decision very relieving. We all do. It removes a burden to maintain a blog we really weren’t maintaining very well. There will be more information in the future, but that’s where we’re going. Thanks for joining us so far.

A Red Sox Christmas Wishlist

2008-12-18T13:44:00Z

With the Christmas just a week away, I thought I’d pull together my wishlist of things I’d like to see from the Red Sox this coming season.

Start locking up your good, young players. The front office has already started this process by locking up 2008 AL MVP Dustin Pedroia and are reportedly starting discussions with Gold Glover Kevin Youkilis, but the Sox need to do more. Pitchers like Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon should be locked up as well. And while we’re looking at locking up talent, shouldn’t they consider contract extensions for Josh Beckett sooner than later? If C.C. Sabathia can command $161 million over 7 years, what will Beckett be worth in 2 years on an open market?
A new shortstop. Jed Lowrie showed he’s capable of filling in at shortstop through the end of last year, but you could see he went through the typical rookie swoon in September and October, having never played as long of a season before. Will Jed bounce back this year? Will he be able to wrestle this job away from “supposed” incumbent Julio Lugo in Spring Training? And if the Sox are unable to move Lugo, will they ask him to play a bench role of shortstop and second base and then not bring back Alex Cora? I wouldn’t put it past the Sox, though I also don’t think the front office would like their back-up shortstop making ten times as much as their starting shortstop. Personally I say look for Lugo to get a shot at taking the job back, as the team tries to showcase him through the first few months of the season and he’ll be dealt some time closer to the trade deadline.
A catching plan. Whatever happens with Jason Varitek, the Sox know they need a plan moving forward concerning the catching position. It’s true they have a few prospects in the farm system that they think could fill the role admirably, but that’s at least two to three years away. So what to do in the intervening years? Despite the hesitation to commit large dollars and playing time to a declining catcher, I have to agree with some voices that the Sox now have to almost bring Varitek back. I’m not saying they have to overpay on years and dollars as the Yankees did for Jorge Posada, but they have to give a fair contract and not low-ball him. This is the man the team trotted out after a World Series win in 2004 when all their major stars were walking away for larger dollars. While Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe and Nomar Garciaparra were moving onto other teams, Varitek was being sold as the team’s captain. In the end, I have to admit that my dad is right in asking the question: how do you not re-sign your captain? I think the Sox will probably lock him into a 2 year deal, maybe with appearances and certain offensive contribution numbers vesting the second or third years. In an ideal world, Varitek would take this contract now and retire at 39 or 40 as a Red Sox, riding off into the sunset as one of the most loved catchers in team history along with Carlton Fisk.
Strengthen the heart of the order. With Manny Rameríz gone, David Ortiz coming off of knee and wrist injuries and Mike Lowell coming off of hip surgery; it would be advisable for the Sox to find a new middle-of-the-order bat. Currently the Sox have been tied to Mark Teixeira, who represents one of the best power bats on the market for the next two or three free-agent classes. The problem that arises with a signing like Teixeira is where to place him in the field. As a two-time Gold Glover first-baseman, Tex would most likely slide in at first-base, moving Youkilis over to his natural position of third-base. The problem is that this leaves Mike Lowell as the odd man out. Only in the second year of a three-year contract, moving Lowell is regrettable as you would love to play Tex, Youk and Lowell all in the same line-up everyday. Yet unless Lowell is able to magically able to start playing shortstop, it’s unlikely to happen. While there’s some short-term pain with the signing of Tex, by the end of 2010 this team will be without Lowell, maybe Ortiz, Varitek, Lugo and possibly Tim Wakefield. Ever in a state of needing to look ahead, this team can’t just sit still. The Yankees are reloading and the Tampa Bay Rays are a good, young team that’ll be difficult for the next half-decade. Signing Tex is the first step in not only solving a short-term power loss of a Rameriz-type-bat, but also lock-up a solid defensive infield for next 5-6 years with Pedroia, Tex, Youkilis (given that he does sign a long-term contract) and Lowrie. In the long-run it’s a smart move and one I hope they make it.

That’s what I’m hoping the Red Sox accomplish this off-season.

LunchBagArt

2008-12-04T13:42:00Z

I ran across this amazing website yesterday and just never got around to posting about it. LunchBagArt is just the daily postings of a father’s drawn artwork for his kid’s lunch bags. He states he does them on his lunch break, but I have to wonder if he starts and completes them because these seem pretty involved at times. Either way they’re awesome and you should check them out.

“The Kingdom” Opening Credits

2008-12-03T16:49:00Z

I finally got around to watching Peter Berg‘s The Kingdom last night and I was blown away by opening credits to the film. So much so that I restarted the movie just to watch them again. How often does that happen? I thought the movie was a great action, culturally-relevant movie and the opening credits just enhanced the experience. It’s out on DVD now. PIC Agency put together these amazing credits.

QUOTES: Imitation Has To Be Effective For People To Keep Doing It (Surowiecki)

2008-12-02T21:41:00Z

In a sense, imitation is a kind of rational response to our own cognitive limits. Each person can’t know everything. With imitation, people can specialize and the benefits of their investment in uncovering information can be spread widely when others mimic them. Imitation also requires little top-down direction. The relevant information percolates quickly through the system, even in the absence of any central authority. And people’s willingness to imitate is not, of course, unconditional. If I get a couple of tickets because of bad information, I’ll soon make sure I know when I have to move my car. And although I don’t think [Stanley] Milgram and his colleagues ever followed up with the people in their experiment who had stopped to look at [an empty] sky, one suspects that the next time they walked by a guy with his head craned upward, they didn’t stop to see what he was looking at. In the long run, imitation has to be effective for people to keep doing it.
James Surowiecki
The Wisdom of Crowds (2003, pgs. 58-59)

ASIDE: Building A Better Pizza Box

2008-12-02T16:03:00Z

The always amazing Kevin Cornell hilariously illustrates how to build a better pizza box top. Accompanying illustrations for the win.

ASIDE: Happy Greenville

2008-12-02T14:01:00Z

An amazing little website from St. Francis Health System promoting the benefits of Greenville, SC. (via)