DISQUS

You would never actually get all of the MAh out of the Ds and into the AAs. Large amounts would be dissipated by heat. Also, rechargable batteries need more wattage than that to charge efficiently. Ultimately, I suspect 4 D cells would be able to charge 2 AA cells about 1/2 times, but it could be used as a pocket warmer in the mean time.

Is she making bacons?

Nothign really hidden about it.. I saw a lot of coverage about it when they were working on the software

Customizable / personalized news: an obvious (if late) step in the right direction for newspapers.

Custom hardware: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_cat

It's hard to have much pity for newspapers when they continuously make ridiculous decisions.

blablabla concept

Wtf? a boat? maybe a 30 year old lambo..

Seems pretty obvious how you -should- do this: bury/hide access to the command line, and make it possible for advanced users to create a shortcut. A "don't show this again" alert box like Jeff suggests would be perfect.

Linux without a command line is something to experiment with, but it's just laziness on the part of HP to cut it out entirely. Pretty obvious that they're just trying to cut down on support calls. Based on my experience with an HP PC I bought last fall, this is par for the course: setup the computer nonsensically and provide crappy support. (How naive of me to think that pre-built consumer-grade computers had progressed since 1998.)

6 angles.. with a door.. the door is on one corner?

I was under the impression that the learning curve usually refers to what the situation necessitates for success, not the rate at which learning is actually achieved. That is, by default when you say "learning curve", most people assume you are referring to the task, not the subject.

So it sounds possible that the game's learning curve is steeper than it was thought to be.

I suppose that, if you enjoy being misinterpreted because you use non-standard although correct on a technicality usage of the term, you could say that the learning curve of the players was long and flat, but to just say "It’s a long flat learning curve" is ambiguous. Most people would think that you're applying that sentence to the requirement of the task and would be misled or would assume you're misusing the term.

My two cents. Whether you agree with my understanding or not, I'm not sure how I feel about a usability expert intentionally writing in a way that they know will be misunderstood. ;)

I'm teaching myself guitar...slowly. I don't complain that it's hard, or that it takes lots of study and practice. That's the cost of being able to wield an axe. In the same way, taking some time to learn Wikicode and the rules of Wikipedia is the cost of being a contributor to the best information source in existence.

Usability convention may say we should fight for the easiest way, and that's true, but eventually a corollary will be added: some barriers to entry are important to keep features strong and quality high.

In this case, the complaint has nothing to do with the 'usability' of Wikipedia's editing interface, and everything to do with people who:
- don't understand why they should have to learn wikicode or why there are conventions to Wikipedia article editing
- don't want to learn the code/conventions

The example is appealing not because of the technology but because Daresh is a good teacher: he's planning ahead, he's thinking about improving his class while he's not there, he gives students strong and fun homework opportunities, he changes the classes structure/location to keep it interesting, etc.

I love all of our new online technology tools, but the key is still having good teachers. Good teachers will always seek out good strategies and tools and use them in innovative ways.

If you force any tool (including web, social networking, etc) on teachers, you'll spend all of your time supporting the teachers who aren't interested enough in it to explore on their own. If you offer the tool and provide strong optional training and support, then the teachers who want to incorporate it in the classroom will do so in amazing ways, and the other teachers' classrooms won't be disrupted.

Not a single comment wondering if the original video was a plant by EA's marketers?

Really?

Really?

I think we're ready to buy whatever you want again, marketers. Better get pet rocks back on the shelf before we wise up.

I work in school technology, and this point really struck home to me. There are education technology people here and there who go beyond the minimum and use technology by choice, but I haven't met anyone yet who showed any contemplation for the usability of the tools they provide to teachers. Of course, that continues at higher levels - principals, superintendents, etc. The education technology world is full of products so usability-poor as to be almost fraudulent because the educators don't know technology well enough to create demand for high-quality products.

Yes, but what do you know about brevity?

tl;dr

Mine, because sometimes I don't want it to. The JS here makes your comment system pretty...but all that means is that you've got a good opportunity for graceful degradation.

Two down, 70%+ of the population of Lawrence to go.

I'm not paying for the elderly and poor. I already pay enough in taxes that the Democrats blow on these people year after year. If you cannot afford to own your own home then rent -- don't expect the rest of us to make up the difference.