The key word, I think, is spiritual. Mythological brands make a spiritual connection with the user, delivering something that we can’t find on our own… or, at the very least, giving us a slate we can use to write our own spirituality on.
People use a Dell. They are an Apple.
Seth Godin – Just a myth.
Because Daniel made it seem like a good idea. 
How to set post slugs from within WordPress’ iOS apps. Nifty guide on using a plugin to customize post slugs on a WordPress blog. Just a simple shortcode inside of a post.
Traffic lights are dancing. An argument for why consistent placement of interface elements is key to a cohesive operating system. (via Chris Bowler)
Ben Brooks has written two great posts about Apple’s plan to take 30% of subscription revenues sold through its App Store. In the first one he notes:
Apple is giving you an out from customer service. If someone needs to unsubscribe or has issues with their subscription — it is no longer your problem, Apple needs to fix that.
While that can certainly be seen as a benefit for small iOS development shops or small publications it’s a dangerous risk for a business to take.
When users struggle with your payment gateway or feel that you’re unwilling to provide a refund or cancellation when things go wrong you are dead in the water. No money, no business.
iOS developers already give Apple control over a lot of the financial side of their business. Now Apple will control the downloading, billing, recurring subscription charges, and unsubscription process/support.
App developers will be passing more control over the revenue side of their businesses to Apple, who is probably not focused on crafting the same happy experiences for your paying users.
Frank Chimero saw a horse in an Apple Store. Everybody else was too busy looking at the shiny gadgets to observe something exceptional.
Finding happiness in a world teeming with information and products:
Happiness is easier to find when you don’t fill your life with all that clutter and that is the reason I have been thinking about all of this lately. It feels all too daunting to live a life so crammed full with information and constantly changing standards to keep track of. I search for ways to find a balancing point, a calm among the madness of life spinning around me. Its strange to think that the products we create and consume are becoming as much a part of us as the real world experiences they were built to aid us in.
Quote from Function Vs. Form by John Carey.
Difficult to pull just one quote from the recent Mark Pesce article but this is my favorite:
we need to think of every educator in Australia as a contributor of value. More than that, we need to think of every student in Australia as a contributor of value. That’s the vital gap that must be crossed.
The article is one of the clearer statements of what we can do in education by incrementally changing ourselves.
Yeah, I’m sure everybody want’s this to happen:
AT&T, send some engineers to redesign the iPhone to make better use of the country’s fastest wireless network.
From the New York Times of all places.
Words of wisdom:
Just try to remember that there are plenty of ways to deal with this stuff. You can pledge to get rid of an amount of stuff equal to the amount you receive. You can let those who love you know that you do not want more stuff but want something less tangible instead (breakfast in bed, money for a favorite charity, etc.). Ask for specific stuff you really truly need that will add years of value to your life on a daily basis… and stuff. The point is, control the stuff. Don’t let the stuff control you.
