joshuago’s Bookmarks

Building useful, utilitarian applications is embedded deep in Google's DNA, and this is why they haven't succeeded at building social applications. They're not out to set up frivolous gimmicks because their core values dictate that they do good by their users, not make it easier for them to whittle away their time.

A good conversation thread about how programmers can produce great visual design, inspired by the results of Rails Rumble 2010.

People are not really stupid, it is just that you know a lot more. Don’t let knowledge blind you.

The social value of tags on Del.icio.us is only a happy side-effect. Even though most of the ink spilled about Del.icio.us is about the social value, it’s really not the reason why people use it.

I bet there are some high-income taxpayers whose services you enjoy.

Business is about creating something of value to other people, and selling this thing to the people. Do not get sidetracked by the dream of fast money and fast fame.

There is no one thing to blame. There is no one fix we can make. It really is multifactorial.

A really great introduction to awk for anyone who only uses sed and grep.

News can no longer be (only) about the mass update. Stories need to be targeted to those who might be able to improve the situation. And journalism’s products — which are more than its stories — must be designed to facilitate this.

We find ourselves in a moment at which the freedoms our forefathers intended for us are endangered by the very government meant to secure those freedoms.