January 2012
1 post
A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Design →
Pictures Under Glass is an interaction paradigm of permanent numbness. It’s a Novocaine drip to the wrist. It denies our hands what they do best. And yet, it’s the star player in every Vision Of The Future.
To me, claiming that Pictures Under Glass is the future of interaction is like claiming that black-and-white is the future of photography. It’s obviously a...
August 2010
2 posts
2 tags
Russia in colour, a century ago →
April 2010
6 posts
The World's Greatest Con Man →
Seducing, swindling, and blackmailing European matrons, Helg Sgarbi perfected a scam that made him a fortune. Then one day he met the billionaire BMW heiress.
Why scepticism is still ‘the highest of duties’ →
When Socrates explained that he was the wisest man in Athens because he knew he was ignorant, he pointed to the need to understand that one’s ignorance is the point of departure for a rigorous search for the truth. The defining attitude of the sceptic is the suspension of judgment. A sceptic is someone who has not decided or is not in a position to decide.
The Wrong Man →
In the fall of 2001, a nation reeling from the horror of 9/11 was rocked by a series of deadly anthrax attacks. As the pressure to find a culprit mounted, the FBI, abetted by the media, found one. The wrong one. This is the story of how federal authorities blew the biggest anti-terror investigation of the past decade.
The Thrill of Flying the SR-71 Blackbird →
After several agonizingly long seconds, we made the turn and blasted toward the Mediterranean. ‘You might want to pull it back,’ Walter suggested. It was then that I noticed I still had the throttles full forward. The plane was flying a mile every 1.6 seconds, well above our Mach 3.2 limit. It was the fastest we would ever fly. I pulled the throttles to idle just south of Sicily,...
Nicky Campbell introduces the master of the West...
March 2010
2 posts
Dead Man Driving →
Car crashes happen to other guys, right? Maybe they don’t have your quick reaction time or uncanny ability to multitask behind the wheel. Or maybe they’re simply lesser drivers. If you believe that, let us introduce you to Adam LaBar, 1970-2008. We suspect you’ll recognize him. We hope you’ll learn from him.