It was nice of the New York Times to give us an introduction to Mormonism in today’s paper. But I think what this suggests is that we really need a lesson on the U.S. Constitution, specifically Article VI, Clause 3:
[N]o religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
On the Behavior of the iPhone Mute Switch
Yesterday the New York Times reported on an incident where an audience member at a New York Philharmonic performance interrupted a Mahler symphony (literally… the conductor stopped the performance) with an iPhone alarm.
It was understandable, in context. And I think John Gruber gets it exactly right:
You can’t design around every single edge case, and a new iPhone user who makes the reasonable but mistaken assumption that the mute switch silences everything, with an alarm set that he wasn’t aware of, and who is sitting in the front row of the New York Philharmonic when the accidental alarm goes off, is a pretty good example of an edge case.
Climate as Proxy for Capital Within the Minneapolis Skyway System
I spent the better part of the last decade working in downtown Minneapolis, and as such became intimately familiar with its convenience, its obscure corners, and, as this scholarly longread explores, its complex challenges in managing expectations between public and private spaces, and the class- and race-based divisions it engendered.
When walking through the skyway system, it is very difficult not to keep moving. The difficulty of strolling, sitting, standing, or stopping inherently excludes certain groups, particularly the poor and the elderly. Similarly, the ease of skyway access to certain populations (e.g. suburban commuters, office workers) lies in stark contrast to the hidden access points to the street.
(Via kottke.org.)
I just finished (seriously… like, 5 minutes ago) rolling out a new redesign of my business website, room34.com. I think it’s pretty neat, so… check it out!
The Undisciplined Room, Episode 2: How Did We Get Here?
If my 2500 words of blog writing weren’t enough for you today, SLP and I also recorded another 92-minute episode of our podcast, The Undisciplined Room.
This time around we discussed our personal backstories, SOPA, the role of comments on blogs, feeling overwhelmed when everything in the world is cutting edge, social media as introvert heaven, and current exhibits at the Walker Art Center. We also introduce what is sure to become a recurring segment, possibly with its own theme song: We Hate Twitter™.
Check it out at our Undisciplined Room website. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!