Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips The user interface and the user experience seem to be based on two, quite simple things. I love to look at the photos on the Analog Dreams posts in tumblr. Those big, beautiful round knobs. I owned a lot of the things shown in the photos, and there was something magical about […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Mankind is searching for that self-applying information so we can life the good life. Perhaps this is a silly fantasy, perhaps it is a dystopian future. Is this the singularity? Is this beyond the singularity? Consider this future. The computer mines information and doesn’t present it to a person, but uses it […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Contrary to management theory, meetings are not about (1) information or (2) decision. They are about nice people in a nice setting. I had always been taught that there are two types of meetings: ones in which the group decided something ones in which information was provided to the group Hearing those […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Many projects make no sense. They are driven by two unspoken yet paramount requirements. I have seen many projects that were driven by two unspoken but paramount requirements: The project must cost a certain amount of money—no more and no less You have to look like you are trying to do something […]

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by Dwayne Phillips As much as we might wish otherwise, reality applies to us, too. I was recently speaking with a group of people age 13 to 60. My question was: How far back can you remember? The near-unanimous answer was, “age three.” Some people could vaguely remember some things that happened when they were […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Frenzied paralysis – so many things in my mind that I cannot do any of them. I make a list to clear my mind and move from paralysis to action. I can’t think. Well, that’s not true. I guess the problem is that I am thinking too much. Well, that is not […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Our works need not be final; we need not be finished with anything. Using a couple of magic words, we can give ourselves a choice of coming back to our work. Consider the statement: I am finished with this. Writers often say this. (I’ll use the example of writers and their writing. […]

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by Dwayne Phillips In a common usage, the word “but” erases all that has been said previously. This is a writing nicety. It is also a bad way to confuse conversation in the workplace. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but you need to check with me on things like this. Quick, without looking back, […]

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by Dwayne Phillips There are words we can say that change situations and sometimes even our lives. “Up until now” are a few words that can erase reputations from our past. I have learned a few magic words through the years. Say these words aloud, and the situation changes. A few magic words are “up […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Most organizations have “magic words.” Utter these words and things happen. If you don’t know the words, work slows and frustration rises. None of this makes any sense, but nonsense continues to exist and often thrives. Years ago, a colleague who lived in a nearby rural area wanted to construct a building […]

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