South Side Fence The house came with an old, rickety fence on the south side of the property. Our neighbors suddenly got a lot more light once it came down. Unfortunately for them, we do plan to put a new fence up though not as big. If you can actually make out a little black …
Author Archives: Mike Rivera
North Side Yard
On the north side of our house sits our kitchen with its many windows and skylights as well as two bedrooms and a bath. Just outside is 13-21 feet of yard between us and our neighbors. These photos show what the area looked like when we bought the house. We inherited a patch of grass, …
East Side Yard
I’ve been on an extended, appreciated break from corporate life. In its place, I’ve invested mind, muscle, and the health of my back into our shambolic yard. Big and small improvements have come and gone and more are planned. My enthusiasm pulled me straight into the work before I realized I ought to document the …
Design Systems: Rules vs. Norms
Atomic Design “…introduces a methodology for thinking of our UIs as thoughtful hierarchies…” writes Brad Frost. His system begins with atoms, the smallest documented units — think buttons, typographical styles, and the like. Combining atoms together creates a molecule. Multiple molecules and/or atoms in combination form an organism, and so on up the hierarchy. Any atom will …
Why Snowflakes Are Counterintuitively Integral to Design Systems
The problem Design systems (e.g. style guides, pattern libraries, etc.) are all the rage. They speed product design through consistency of patterns, components and behaviors which, in turn, drives out random, one-off elements (let’s call them ‘snowflakes’). It’s a noble goal, except that design systems also slow down product teams. The drive for consistency and …
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The State of Bread in This Country
Here’s a typical bread display at any mass market grocer. And here’s a typical list of ingredients (this one from Dave’s Killer Bread’s 100% whole wheat loaf): Organic whole wheat (organic whole wheat flour, organic cracked whole wheat) Water Organic dried cane syrup (sugar) Organic expeller pressed canola oil Organic wheat gluten Organic molasses Organic cultured …
Trump
One of Trump’s latest tweets… Kellyanne Conway went to @MeetThePress this morning for an interview with @chucktodd. Dishonest media cut out 9 of her 10 minutes. Terrible! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2017 His conclusion is hypocritical, of course. As a public figure who uses Twitter to communicate with the public, he is …
New Food
As the primary cook in the family, food is always on my mind. Every weekend, the inevitable question ‘what do you want to eat this week?’ is spoken and, not uncommonly, followed by grunts, sighs, or just plain silence when the usual meals grow old and no new ideas exist. Lately, this has been the case for us …
Building Team Rapport
Promote better interpersonal relationships and understanding while at work You’ve all been there and done that: the company “team bonding” extravaganza. The ones that might be held off site and include facilitated exercises, games and the like. You’ve had a front row seat to the awkwardness that can ensue — “forced fun” as I’ve heard it described …
What NASA Knows About Great UX Management
In the 1970s, NASA undertook an assessment of airline pilot performance. They needed to understand why pilot error had become the leading cause of airline accidents. What they learned helped make commercial air travel one of the safest modes of transport in the U.S. today. Their research shed light on the importance of workload, leadership …
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