On Net Neutrality

August 15, 2017 by Gary Schroeder in Technology

In 2015 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the Open Internet Order in which Internet service providers were banned from discriminating against different types of traffic or charging big Internet companies like Netflix and Amazon for the privilege of having their content delivered by higher speed connections. Having been enacted and maintained by popular public support, net neutrality laws are nevertheless under constant attack from corporate service providers and politicians alike.

Knowledge Threatens the Pioneer Spirit

July 24, 2017 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

Hofstadter breaks his analysis of the history of matters of intellect in America by looking at three broad areas: religion, education in relation to labor movements and politics and changing philosophies on how children should be educated. While I found the discussion of historical labor movements to be uncompelling as it relates to the grand topic of the book, his review of religion and approaches to education in this country are as relevant today as they were when the book was written in 1963.

Linus Explains Big Data

July 23, 2017 by Gary Schroeder in Misc., Technology

For a media ethics class I'm taking, I was given an assignment to "persuade the audience to be either for or against big data." What made it fun was that I was told I could select the format I wanted to use to present the argument: a presentation, an essay or any other format I'd like. There's nothing better than to be given free reign with respect to format. Naturally, I chose to present my argument in the form of a Peanuts strip.

Do Not Use FAQs

June 27, 2017 by Gary Schroeder in User Experience, Content Strategy

I can't stress this enough. I'm often asked by customers to do this, mostly because they remember seeing them so frequently in the early days of the web. it's a pernicious memory that refuses to fade.

The Ethical Designer's Dilemma

May 05, 2017 by Gary Schroeder in Technology, User Experience

The modern designer is faced with an ethical dilemma: follow an employer’s demands for a money-making app that turns the user’s smartphone against them...or mindfully develop apps that put the smartphone back into the service of its owner. Turn it back into a tool instead of an invader.

A Moment of Micro-fame

April 29, 2017 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

On April 22, 2017, I gathered with my wife, my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and a few thousand amiable strangers in New York City to draw attention to an issue of concern for all of us: the move away from rationality and fact-based decision making in America and Europe. We gathered to participate in the international March for Science.

The Disappearing User interface

April 12, 2017 by Gary Schroeder in User Experience

How is it that some designers and developers who rely so heavily on the good design of their iPhones, Androids, and other consumer technologies still deliver solutions that aren't easily understood without a manual, special training, or a call to the help desk?

(Yet Another) Agile/Waterfall Comparison

April 03, 2017 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

Does the world need another blog post that attempts to explain the differences between agile and waterfall methods in project management? Maybe not, but I was asked to put one together anyway. So now I share it with you.

Project Management: Famous Film Failures

March 28, 2017 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

Few human projects are more carefully planned than those involving manned spaceflight. We can assume that the flight of the Discovery, the ship dispatched to Jupiter, has been planned to the very last detail...with the exception of the most important aspect of the mission: finding whatever there is to find near Jupiter. That the mission's planners could not have known what would be found there must have been considered a significant unquantifiable risk.