Day: June 7, 2004

I know Jakob is both a respected figure and a lightning rod of controversy in the Web design community. I’ve continued to read his Alertbox columns every two weeks, although they don’t feel quite so insightful anymore (which probably says good things about the state of the web, however far we still have to go).

His latest, Remote Control Anarchy, immediately earns a place among his best ever. Just the picture of the six remotes says it all. I’m almost tempted to take a picture of our four current remotes (TiVo, DVD, receiver, VCR) and two abandoned (cable TV, TV) just to compare. The TiVo remote has justly earned a fair bit of praise, although I feel it, too, could go on a button diet.

And people wonder why Apple spends its time trying to use the computer as a gateway to the living room… when the computer is the more usable device, the living room isn’t even putting up a fight!

Combining Coursework and Views of Emus is a June 2 profile from the NYTimes of Millbrook School, where my stepmother teaches. She gets in the last words:

Dr. Sylvia D. Roberts, a biology teacher, said that there “is a niceness
that permeates the school, which is unreal in terms of today’s young
people and values.”

“I’m convinced that the zoo and the caring for the animals” is
transmitted throughout the school, she said. “It’s part of our lives.”