September 2008 Archives

I bought this lead on a whim from a local store that was going out of business. It turns out to have been a great purchase, even at full price.

I've had my share of Flexi-leads over the years. The concept is great, but they are always too big and heavy, and they require you to actively grip it by the handle. The Zip Lead, in contrast, is small, light, and secures around your wrist like a fixed length lead. It can fit into a coat pocket easily, and it can be locked off and used as a fixed lead if needed.

I got the medium one for my dog, and the 10 foot length is perfect. I had previously had an "extra long" lead which went out 20 feet, and that is just too far. It's too easy for the little bugger to get wrapped around a bush, or to get up a good head of steam thereby yanking it clear out of my hand.

Based on my experiences with this product and their clear support of shelter dog adoption, I'm definitely going to check out the other stuff made by Planet Dog.

Get Zip Lead from Amazon

On February 17, 2009, all over-the-air TV broadcasts will cease transmission in the analog format and switch exclusively to digital. While this doesn't affect those who have cable or satellite TV, it does for everyone else. And as someone who is looking for a way to drop the $60+ monthly bill from DirecTV, it seems like a perfect opportunity to do so.

The US government is helping people out with the switch by providing $40 coupons towards the purchase of a converter box. Granted, these are pretty bare-bones options in this program, but you can't beat the final price of $10-$40. So your first order of business is to request those coupons on their site: https://www.dtv2009.gov

After you wait the 4-6 weeks for the coupon to show up, you're ready to buy your converter box. I consider an S-video output to be an essential feature; Most modern TVs have an S-video input, and it gives a much sharper and richer picture than a coax RF or RCA connection. So that leaves us with just two options: The Apex D250 and the ChannelMaster CM-7000.

From the customer reviews tab on BestBuy.com, it looks like there are serious quality issues with the Apex. The CM-7000 reviews while fewer in number have a more reassuring tenor than Apex. So for me the choice is clear. The cheapest I could find it online is from SolidSignal.com.

Get a CM-7000 from Solid Signal

A colleague is off to his first official job managing people, and this is the one book I recommended. Really all of the books that Marcus Buckinham has written are good. But this is his first and best.

The thing that makes it so great is the underlying methodology. They studied countless people in a variety of companies, organizations, and workgroups. From that they distilled out the  themes that were common among great managers.

At the highest level, it comes down to the people. Spare no expense in finding the right person from the job (or conversely, getting the wrong person out of the job). Once you have them, focus on their talents and strengths, spending as little time as possible mitigating weaknesses. Spend the most time and effort on your best employees. And finally, clearly define the desired outcomes and appropriately reward for achievement. Don't dictate the means by which results are achieved. 

If you read only one book about people management in your life, make it this one.

Get First Break All the Rules from Amazon

I am an interaction designer by trade. I deal mostly with defining the concepts and flows for interacting with a system (like a web site). But the success of my designs are heavily influenced by the visuals of the final implementation. As such, I took it upon myself to learn the basics of graphic design.

I read through a bunch of different books, and found that The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams was the best. It presents the concepts simply and plainly and uses a lot of illustrated examples.

Since typography is a big part of graphic design, I also recommend you read a book on typography. Luckily, Robin Williams has written just such a book, and there is a single volume that contains both the Design and Type books. This is a must-read for any interaction designer or front-end developer. But anyone who puts together a newsletter or resume or party invitation or greeting card would benefit from it.

Get the Non-Designer's Design Book from Amazon