sans comic sans » Education

Two perspectives

Matt — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:15:34 +0000

Via bkerr, two links about the plight of Shaman Drum, a small but long-lived bookstore in Ann Arbor:

Open letter from a Distressed Bookseller

Jim Carty, Destroyer of Local Businesses?

I find the debate fascinating. I only have two things to add to the discussion: 1) my textbook buying experience at Shaman Drum was miserable, but not exceptionally so; 2) I wonder whether this is less a case of capitalism’s “creative destruction” than it is a case of a small business that relied too heavily on a single revenue stream.

Brand Tags reminds me that I am not a typical internet user

Matt — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:47:08 +0000

Brand Tags asks people to describe a brand with a single word. The results are aggregated, painting a picture of how various brands are perceived.

I was struck by how unaware most people are of some of the most popular internet sites and services. Look for the giant ? symbol:

It’s a great reminder to any web designer that you are not the user, meaning the patterns, conventions, and brands we’re most familiar with online are still foreign to many people, your users included.

(Thanks to Scott for the tip.)

Ethnography at MIT, play at home version

Matt — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:07:19 +0000

Co-taught by Grant McCracken, author of one of my favorite blogs. The course outline will probably be enough to get me thinking, even if the course readings won’t be online.

We have chosen to set this methodology course in the demanding context of a real world study. Students will be asked to master the ethnographic method even as they use it for a practical purpose. Our topic is whether and how the Public Broadcasting System may embrace new media. Specifically, can PBS use the new technologies for production, communication, interaction and networking to change what it is and how it connects with its audiences?

http://www.cultureby.com/trilogy/2008/01/so-youd-like-to.html