Sarah Allen's reflections on internet software and other topics
May 17, 2008
Gender Diversity in Web Conferences
I was doing a little research for a friend and found some nice resources for women speakers. Jason Kottle collected some great stats about representation of women at web conferences. Every year or so, someone asks me a question like this, so I thought I would post a few pointers.
It's pretty awesome that people are collecting and publishing resources for conference organizers. I find the focused lists most effective:
- Flash Goddess has the a great women speaker list , with topics and details about each speakers area of expertise
- LinuxChix offers Chix who Speak
- BlogHer, of course, has great women who talk about blogging 2007, 2006
Other lists are very broad, and it is hard to see what exactly people are expert at.
Know any lists I missed? Please comment and I will pass them on.
May 11, 2008
May 10, 2008
sketching in air
Front design has developed sketch furniture, a method to "materialize free hand sketches". This unique process combines two techniques: pen strokes in the air are recorded with motion capture as 3D digital files; then through rapid prototyping are turned into real pieces of furniture.
via greatdance.com
One YouTube commenter points out that the artists probably can't actually see what they are sketching, which likely makes this problematic; however, I could see their adding heads-up display technology to improve the process in the future.
In any case, I would love to try out this system and sketch myself some new deck chairs!
May 9, 2008
simplicity in software design
(via cannel.org)
Simplicity is a tough sell. I can't tell you how many times I have argued against "just one checkbox" or "why can't you just move it to the top?" If all of the options are at the top level, then none of them are.
May 6, 2008
introducing Laszlo Calendar...
Last night we posted a preview of the new Laszlo Calendar application.
You can sign up for an account on goWebtop or just read more about it on the blog.
This is a huge milestone for Laszlo. For years Laszlo has had a demo app that has been widely referenced for its innovative cinematic user experience. It was one of the very first applications built in Laszlo, and a key influencer in the creation of the LZX language. For years customers would ask us about whether they could buy that application, but it was less than half an application and there were some usability issues with the UI of that demo. Late last year, we finally decided to kick off a project to build a full calendar app as part of Laszlo Webtop. I'm pleased to be offering this initial sneak peek...
