Back in the early 90s, Greco’s marketing team asked the age-old question: “If you’re not eating square pizza, who’s eating your corners!?“

A variation on the same question came to mind this morning when looking at the Google.com search home page:

First, your version of the Google home page you see is likely different from what I see. I’m logged in to a Google account. I’m also in Canada. Who knows what else determines what Google shows me.

Notice the four corners of that screenshot. Year over year, they seem to be filling with a creeping set of links and features. There’s an inscrutable grid of nine squares, a circle with a bell in it, a links – more and more links.

To be fair, it’s still a relatively simple and clear page. The search is the obvious focus – something that’s not as easy to maintain as it may sound. The secondary focus seems to be showing how Google’s artificial intelligence efforts are helping people. OK.

Even with this relative austerity of interface elements, I can’t help but see these creeping links and features as metaphor for a muddying of focus with which any company operating at the scope and scale of Google must contend.

It’s also worth noting that almost every link on that page (About, Store, Images, Privacy, Advertising, etc.) all take you to different websites with completely different navigation and interface structures.

Oh, and at risk of being “that person”, I mostly use DuckDuckGo for search these days.

The Web agency I have been helping to build for the past nineteen years is looking to hire a Quality Assurance Analyst:

[…] Over the nineteen years of growing silverorange we’ve focused as much on quality of life, openness, empathy, and a wonderful work environment, as we have on our dedication to building great user-focused systems.

Our team benefits from those with over a decade of shared experience and has only become stronger with the eight amazing people who’ve joined in the last four years.

We’re looking for a junior-to-intermediate Quality Assurance Analyst to join our team in order to help us improve our testing and QA infrastructure.

As an applicant, if you have either a programming background and a real passion for testing, or you are an experienced QA tester looking to build your technical skills, this position is for you. We will provide mentoring, support, and learning opportunities to help you expand your skills.

Your first task will be writing end-to-end test cases for a fantastic long-term client.

Applications close January 7th, 2019, at which point we’ll be in touch with only those people we shortlist for interviews. This position is available immediately and we will work with you to get you started as soon as possible. […]

silverorange Quality Assurance Analyst job listing

The full job listing explains the position and the company well. If you know someone who might be interested, please let them know. We’re particularly interested in getting the word out to those in under-represented communities.

It is a truly great team to work with.

When looking for a brief distraction, I still have web-muscle-memory that takes me to Digg.com. Though the site has changed completely from its time as the post-Slashdot/pre-Reddit community-powered news site, it’s still kind of fun.

The best part of the site, by far, is the tiny little taglines posted above each story headline. Somewhere, there is a person or group of people working away tirelessly to tag each story with a little quip that I always enjoy.

Here are a few examples from today’s Digg.com front page:

On the story, The Quest To Beat ‘Super Mario Bros. 3’ As Fast As Possible… Without Warping“, the tagline reads, TANOOKI SUIT UP.

On the story, We’re Losing Our Marbles Over This 11,000-Marble-Deep Marble Run, the tagline reads, THE ONLY THING TO SPHERE IS SPHERE ITSELF.

On the story, Huge Dog And Mini Horse Are The Cutest Best Friend Pair You’ll See All Week, the tagline reads simple, GIDDY UP.

Sometimes they editorialize, as on the story Why It’s Time We All Became Climate Change Optimists, where the tagline reads, WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE ANYWAY.

Sometimes they go terribly punny, as on the story Chinese Scientist Claims He’s Created World’s First Gene-Edited Babies, where the tagline reads, GATTACA-N YOU BELIEVE IT?

There are times when you can almost see them throwing up their hands in defeat, as on the story Here’s How Long It’d Take You To Poop A Lego, where the tagline reads only OKAY.

Thanks, digg.com-tagline-writer-people. We see you.

Beware of software that includes the name of its programming language in its name. This belies a focus on implementation details over the experience of using the software. Of course, exceptions abound.

This video tour of the history of mouse cursors by Michiel de Boer is oddly delightful. Apple or Microsoft should give Michiel a bucket of money to make their cursors better.

First few pages of parenting advice book: “Don’t invalidate your child’s feelings.”

My child: “I don’t like this casserole.”

Me: “Yes you do!”

There are relatively few great little improvements to desktop computing interfaces in recent years. One that I’ve particularly enjoyed is the searchable menus in macOS.

On any macOS app, open the Help menu and start typing. For example if you want the Connect to Server… feature in the Finder app, hit Help, start typing “conn…” and use the arrow keys and Enter key to choose the menu item.

This is particularly useful in complex applications, like Photoshop, that can have hundreds of nested menu items.

Update: As Antonio points out in the comments, there’s a keyboard shortcut for this (Shift–Command–?). I never knew! Thanks, Antonio.

As always, the latest episode of Heavyweight made me laugh out loud and feel feelings. My favorite detail is host Jonathan Goldsteins’ pretentious pluralisation of the “Hot Tub Time Machine” movies as Hot Tubs Time Machine.

Yes Jonathan, we noticed.

Recommended particularly for those who remember and miss the great CBC Radio show, Wiretap.

Here’s a stupid product idea for you.

It’s a case for the iPhone XS Max that is compatible with two Apple Watch wristbands, so you can wear your phone strapped to your forearm.

I figure it could be at least $299, since you’ve already had to spent at least $1,197 and as much as $2,577 (with options maxed) on your phone and two wristbands.

I’d call it the Armband Exxess [sic] Max for iPhone XS Max. If it existed.

Here’s an artist’s rendering:

What makes the testimony of a survivor of sexual assault so heroic is that they shouldn’t have had to be a hero. As a society, we owe a great debt.