Keep It Simple: Simplicity versus Innovation

Grok Headline matches for Keep It Simple: Simplicity versus Innovation

Bush versus Reagan (Iraqi versus
American)

Bush versus Reagan (Iraqi versus
American) 07/17/2004 11:22 AM

A friend was complaining about Ronald Reagan yesterday, not completely mollified by his death.  What had Reagan done to bother her, I asked?  She was upset by Reagan's appointments to the Supreme Court, by his inaction on AIDS, and a variety of other domestic issues.  How could she hate Reagan more than Bush? "Bush is out there messing up foreign countries instead of our own."

Despite not having voted for either man, I discovered a strong personal preference for Reagan over Bush II.  Reagan was an American working on American problems.  Maybe he didn't do as good a job as we would have liked, but at least he was trying.  Bush, on the other hand, projects an image of spending all of his time and energy thinking about Iraq and Iraqis.  The only explanation that makes sense is that Bush is actually an Iraqi.  Who other than an Iraqi would be so interested in Iraq?  When W. is not talking about Iraq he is often talking about Jesus so probably he is an Assyrian Christian, one of the groups that lived in Iraq before the Arab invasion (background< /A>).

Perhaps Kerry and Edwards have a chance after all because they are running against a foreigner.

[Note:  there is some chance that Bush is Kuwaiti or Saudi rather than Iraqi.  The owners of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were badly inconvenienced by Saddam.  There was a New York Times article right after the 1991 Gulf War where they talked about how the Emir of Kuwait would marry a 13- or 14-year-old girl every Friday night and then divorce her on Saturday and that this was the kind of lifestyle that American troops were supporting by giving Kuwait back to the Emir--you could understand why the Emir, even with $billions in foreign bank accounts, was so anxious to have his country back.  Still, there were never too many Christians in Kuwait or Saudi Arabia so evidence points back to W. being an Iraqi]

eMac Versus iMac Versus PowerBook

eMac Versus iMac Versus PowerBook 04/21/2004 06:37 PM
By Rob-ART Morgan, Bare Feats (via MyAppleMenu)

Google versus Yahoo versus MSN

Google versus Yahoo versus MSN 03/31/2005 09:13 AM
Hindustantimes.com - Thu Mar 31, 12:56 pm GMT

Simplicity

Simplicity 12/05/2003 07:52 PM
Simplicity Sharp up and running

Maeda's SIMPLICITY

Maeda's SIMPLICITY 12/27/2004 03:32 PM
John Maeda's got himself a weblog called, what else, Simplicity .. simplicity .. blog

weblogs.media.mit.edu/SIMPLICITY
track this site | 2 links

Better design through simplicity...

Better design through simplicity... 05/23/2004 07:29 PM

From a relative ly old article (at least in terms of webloggia's attention-span) comes some pointers on improving design through simplicity:

• Heed cultural patterns. The iPod, for instance, succeeded not just because of its sleek form, but because, in conjunction with iTunes, it solved so many of the problems of buying and storing music.
• Be transparent. People like to have a mental model of how things work.
• Edit. Simplicity hinges as much on cutting nonessential features as on adding helpful ones, the Newton MessagePad and the Palm Pilot being prime examples.
• Prototype. Push beyond proof-of-technology demos and build prototypes that people can interact with.

This is a good set of assumptions for trying out new ideas and building new products and pretty close to the way we've been working in R&Mi when we do our rapid prototyping sprints. I should really write that stuff up sometime...

Read the comments

B&N's Complex Simplicity

B&N's Complex Simplicity 06/04/2004 12:37 PM
Recent filings for Barnes & Noble contain an array of related-party transactions, each of which deserves scrutiny.

SAP CEO stumps for simplicity

SAP CEO stumps for simplicity 05/12/2004 04:04 PM
ZDNet May 12 2004 7:48PM GMT

new mantra at MIT - Simplicity

new mantra at MIT - Simplicity 05/21/2004 07:08 AM
hails the age of simplicity .. simplicity

nytimes.com/2004/05/20/technology/circuits/20simp.html?8c ir=&pagewanted=all&position=
track this site | 5 links

Backup Simplicity released

Backup Simplicity released 12/02/2003 12:32 AM
Synchronize! Pro X developer Qdea has released Backup Simplicity, a simple backup utility aimed at Jaguar and Panther users.

Simplicity to Reign Among Offerings at
SNW

Simplicity to Reign Among Offerings at
SNW 04/08/2005 06:38 PM
Storage vendors are rolling out a host of tools targeting areas such as lagging response and recovery times, protected data backup and iSCSI accessibility.

Adding Simplicity (TechWeb)

Adding Simplicity (TechWeb) 08/08/2004 04:03 AM
TechWeb - Automated, model-driven architecture could be your ticket to simpler, less painful enterprise development.

Simplicity Not Standard for New Gadgets
(AP)

Simplicity Not Standard for New Gadgets
(AP) 01/25/2004 12:53 PM
AP - Not only are the latest high-tech gadgets packed with more features than ever, they're also harder than ever to figure out.

Simplicity Not Standard for New Gadgets

Simplicity Not Standard for New Gadgets 01/25/2004 03:05 PM
AP via Los Angeles Times Jan 25 2004 6:09PM GMT

Simplicity not standard for new gadgets

Simplicity not standard for new gadgets 01/25/2004 05:16 PM
Boston Globe Jan 25 2004 9:01PM GMT

Simplicity. Is it Google's success
secret?

Simplicity. Is it Google's success
secret? 06/05/2004 04:35 AM
Hindustantimes.com - Sat Jun 5, 06:56 am GMT

Bloglines aims for simplicity
(SiliconValley.com)

Bloglines aims for simplicity
(SiliconValley.com) 09/22/2004 06:44 AM
SiliconValley.com - There's been a lot of innovation in online publishing lately, but regular Internet users might be scratching their heads at some of the lingo. Social software, blogs and RSS technology? What does it all mean?

Viebrock.ca: Simplicity in Fetching -
HTTP_URL

Viebrock.ca: Simplicity in Fetching -
HTTP_URL 04/09/2004 04:06 PM
Just a quick not ethis morning about a nifty little class that Colin Viebrock (part of the "PHP Webstite Team" for PHP.net) has posted on his weblog this morning - definitely something that I could have used a long time ago.

Briggs & Stratton Buys Simplicity

Briggs & Stratton Buys Simplicity 06/03/2004 12:15 PM
The engine maker is using cash, not its hot stock, to fund a key acquisition.

High-Tech Industry Plugs Into Simplicity

High-Tech Industry Plugs Into Simplicity 05/30/2004 03:22 AM
Los Angeles Times May 30 2004 7:12AM GMT

Desktop Linux: choices for simplicity
and useability

Desktop Linux: choices for simplicity
and useability 09/11/2004 09:33 PM
In putting together a Linux system for Small Office / Home Office users, a number of thing need to be covered slightly differently from the way that Linux has evolved. The choices aren't always made for technical reasons...

SoftAP Brings Mac's Simplicity to
Windows

SoftAP Brings Mac's Simplicity to
Windows 06/04/2004 01:46 PM
Apple has offered a software base station feature in its client software for nearly five years; PCTel now brings the same ease to Windows with Segue SoftAP: Under Windows XP, you can set up an ad hoc Wi-Fi network and then link that via Internet sharing to bridge an Ethernet, modem, or other connection to users connecting over Wi-Fi. But it's multiple steps and not really the same thing as creating a full software base station. Segue SoftAP from PCTel will cost $19.95 when it goes on sale to individuals this month, and offers all of the security and networking features needed for a robust, computer client-based offering. Of course, contrast this offering versus a $30 to $80 dedicated access point, and it might seem like a less desirable offering unless you're a mobile or portable computer user who needs to set up Wi-Fi hotspots on an ad hoc basis. [link via Steve Stroh]...

The Art Of Software Development (part
2): Designing For Simplicity

The Art Of Software Development (part
2): Designing For Simplicity 09/25/2002 05:10 PM
In the first part of this article, you got a crash course in requirements analysis. Now that you've figured out what your customer needs, it's time to design it - easily the most challenging and creative phase of the project cycle. Find out more, inside.

Simplicity Rules: DevShed on Software
Design

Simplicity Rules: DevShed on Software
Design 09/05/2002 10:28 AM

Phones Need Simplicity Before Cool
Stuff, CEOs Say (Reuters)

Phones Need Simplicity Before Cool
Stuff, CEOs Say (Reuters) 03/17/2005 04:07 AM
Reuters - Mobile telephone services need to be far less confusing to consumers, the heads of top U.S. wireless operators said on Wednesday, even as they talked up complex features such as Web surfing or video on phones.

Google's Simplicity Earns Brand of the
Year Honors

Google's Simplicity Earns Brand of the
Year Honors 02/11/2003 05:51 PM
LONDON -- Minimalist Internet search engine Google was voted "brand of the year" by branding junkies Tuesday, proving once again that less is more as it pipped ...

Integrify iApprove 3.5 Extends
Simplicity to Corporate Compliance Needs

Integrify iApprove 3.5 Extends
Simplicity to Corporate Compliance Needs 06/17/2005 04:44 PM
iApprove 3.5 delivers the most complete request and approval process solution available [PRWEB Jun 17, 2005]

Simple and Secure isn't so Simple

Simple and Secure isn't so Simple 09/02/2004 09:24 PM

RADICAL
SIMPLICITY: A SECOND LOOK, AND LESSONS
LEARNED

RADICAL
SIMPLICITY: A SECOND LOOK, AND LESSONS
LEARNED 01/07/2004 01:32 PM

I've now finished Jim Merkel's book Radical Simplicity, which I described in an earlier post. Some of Merkel's ideas for living simpler were incorporated in my personal How to Save the World scorecard. I was mindful of the comments of several readers who complained that such books are only useful for salving the guilt of rich people who have lived extravagant lifestyles, and offer nothing to 'average' people who live a frugal existence struggling just to make ends meet. I'll leave it up to readers to consider what I've learned from this book, and decide whether these lessons have any applicability to them: Our ecological footprint (EF) is modestly higher than the North American average. This is due primarily to the fact we live in a larger-than-average house (the average North American home size is 1700 s.f., up from about 1300 s.f. a generation ago), and, as Canadians, we use a lot more BTUs for heating than the average North American. We actually buy less 'stuff' than the average North American, by a considerable margin. This is because we tend to save until we can afford better, more expensive, more durable products, so we 'turn over' what we own only half as often as the average North American, who disposes of clothing on average every 4 years, computers and small appliances every 3 years, major appliances every 8 years, and furniture every 10 years. This is a staggering amount of waste, and shows the false economy that our consumer culture and the Wal-Mart Dilemma push many people into. Thanks to our progressive community, that recycles paper, plastic, glass, cardboard, aluminum, and organics ('green box' program), we produce much less unrecycled garbage than the average North American (who adds 3/4 of a ton per year into landfills). I am aghast at the lack of progress in both municipal and business recycling in many parts of the continent. As Merkel's book progresses, it moves from very simple, logical, sensible steps that can lower your EF, to steps that only a die-hard and exceptionally devoted environmentalist would take. I'm not interested in growing most of my own food, living in a 100 s.f./person home and making my own clothes -- that's way beyond responsible living, even beyond austerity. Even I'm not that idealistic. After going through the workbook sections, I've concluded that our EF is less than I thought it would be, and a reasonable 'zero sacrifice' target for reducing our EF is more than I thought it would be. So while at first blush I'd pledged to reduce our EF by 80%, I'm lowering that pledge to 50%. That's still a worthwhile, and not terribly difficult, goal, which will reduce our EF to about 60% of the North American average. But it still leaves our EF at three times the current global sustainable per-capita level. In other words, if everyone in the world lived at our proposed lower EF level, it would take three Earths, and zero population growth starting immediately, to sustain us all, and that would leave no room for all the rest of the life species in the world. Merkel, like McKibben, urges us to pursue an average one-child family strategy to reduce and sustain human population at a billion people, which would allow us all to live at my target EF level (i.e. very comfortably) and still allow half the planet to be left in natural state for other life species. The methods I propose to use to halve our EF are not rocket science: Make our home much more energy efficient. Either build a new, exceptionally energy- and space-efficient home on a lot that would be left 90% in its natural state. Or alternatively, as some readers have suggested, do a radical energy retrofit and functional redesign of our existing home, and close off or lease out half of it. Our existing lot is only 50% in natural state, so much of our lawn would have to be returned to forest. Change jobs to substantially home-based businesses, and sell one of our two cars -- an end to wage slavery. Learn to cook (though probably not as well as my wife) so we can become more vegetarian, and eat less processed and packaged foods. Learn to be more self-sufficient and self-efficient (fixing things instead of tossing them out). Not only would these changes halve our EF, they would have a comparable impact on our utilities, maintenance, household, transportation, and other costs, allowing us to retire in seven years (if we want to) instead of the projected twenty. The book also talks a lot about overcoming fears -- of striking out on your own, of being viewed as 'weird', of wilderness, of doing without the possessions that sometimes come to own us, of not having 'enough'. This is important because Radical Simplicity is about culture change, and while I'm convinced our lower-EF end-state will be idyllic, it's the journey, the 'letting go' that's difficult, and ultimately, in some ways, a leap of faith. I still recommend the book, but you'll need to look past some of the more over-the-top rhetoric and the more extreme and impractical reductions in EF, and adapt the ideas to your own circumstances and standards. Postscript December 29 -- please read Kevin Cameron's comments in the thread to this post. He addresses, much better than either I or Merkel have, the issues that make many people skeptical about the concept and practicality of Radical Simplicity. Kevin also makes some important points that Merkel and I both missed.

PC versus PC

PC versus PC 09/17/2004 04:34 AM
Once upon a time, the PC was pitted against the mainframe in the tussle between freedom and control. Now it's PC versus PC. In this sound clip (1 min 15 secs, mp3) from yesterday's conversatio n with Ray Ozzie, we hear about an employee with two side-by-side laptops. He does all his work on the home PC, because it has the productivity tools he needs. Then he transfers the results to his locked-down work PC by way of a USB thumbdrive. ...

Spy Versus Spy

Spy Versus Spy 06/15/2004 01:39 PM

Bruce Schneier: Breaking Iranian Codes. If the Iranians knew that the U.S. knew, why didn't they pretend not to know and feed the U.S. false information? Or maybe they've been doing that for years, and the U.S. finally figured out that the Iranians knew. Maybe the U.S. knew that the Iranians knew, and are using the fact to discredit Chalabi.

P versus NP

P versus NP 04/11/2005 12:05 AM
On Friday night, we were watching Numb3rs, and the math geek character made a big deal out of the "P versus NP" question. Sean wanted to know more about what he was talking about, so here's a couple of links...

World’s First Service Based Computing
Model is Launched - SBC Revolutionizes
Service Delivery, End-user Device
Management, and Offers Simplicity for
Everyone

World’s First Service Based Computing
Model is Launched - SBC Revolutionizes
Service Delivery, End-user Device
Management, and Offers Simplicity for
Everyone 06/05/2005 11:18 PM
With ever increasing IT costs Boards are demanding a greater return on technology investment. SBC eliminates the PC with a simple end-device. SBC does not require end-user repair or maintenance; it is scalable, flexible and centralizes control and administration to enable audit and automation; it reduces bandwidth and risk – as simple as a telephone. [PRWEB May 25, 2005]

AOL versus some guy on the Internet

AOL versus some guy on the Internet 03/17/2005 02:53 AM
Is AOL watching you through AIM, and can they steal your soul? The blogosphere says yes and AOL says no.

CBC versus Ann Coulter

CBC versus Ann Coulter 02/01/2005 09:59 PM
Ann Coulter and the facts on Vietnam
Its nice seeing Ann Coulter squirm. While being interviewed by the CBC's Bob McKeown, Coulter displayed her lack of historical knowledge on Canada's involvement (or lack of) in Vietnam. What's even more telling is her inability or refusal to back down even when she is dead wrong. Here is the video.

Red versus Blue

Red versus Blue 02/10/2004 02:53 AM
The Election Projection Website. A semi-scientific website that attempts to forecast the 2004 presidential election. Via Newmark's Door.

Intel 865/875 Versus 915/925

Intel 865/875 Versus 915/925 07/12/2004 09:04 AM

Gays versus God?

Gays versus God? 04/12/2004 08:39 AM
MillionForChrist.com? Gays versus God? Looks like there's a race between people who support Christ and people who support same-sex marriages. They're both looking for a million signatures. Conincidence? Any bets on who's gonna win?

XML Versus the Infoset

XML Versus the Infoset 11/20/2002 07:48 PM
In his latest Endpoints column Rich Salz opines about the differences between XML specifications based on XML and those based on the XML infoset.
Grok Description matches for Keep It Simple: Simplicity versus Innovation
GrokA matches for Keep It Simple: Simplicity versus Innovation

Keep It Simple: Simplicity versus Innovation

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