Weekly Download 15.13

Here’s a recap of news and notes from around the Web that caught my attention over the past week or so.

Who doesn’t love a good list? 30 business books every professional should read before turning 30 does a great job of reflecting my tastes. The few books that aren’t on my shelf already probably won’t make it there—I  have a hard time agreeing with their inclusion.  Perhaps I should compile my own list!

Innovation Isn’t Dead, it just becomes more obvious only in hindsight. This is so true: “The typical path of how people respond to life-changing inventions is something like this:

1. I’ve never heard of it.
2. I’ve heard of it but don’t understand it.
3. I understand it, but I don’t see how it’s useful.
4. I see how it could be fun for rich people, but not me.
5. I use it, but it’s just a toy.
6. It’s becoming more useful for me.
7. I use it all the time.
8. I could not imagine life without it.
9. Seriously, people lived without it?”

Addicted to Your Phone? There’s Help for That highlights a new industry that has arisen to provide solutions for this affliction. There are apps that limit usage, a “Light Phone” that only lets you make and receive calls and the option that really takes the cake for me: the NoPhone. This piece of plastic ($12)  makes it so the sensory feelign of having a phone in your hand isn’t lost. Can’t we just go back to chewing on swizzle sticks? It’s worth a visit to their website to see their schema that shows no camera, no music, no screen and no phone.

Weekly Download 15.12

Here’s a recap of news and notes from around the Web that caught my attention over the past week or so.

If you have $20,000 to spare, how about a new stereo console? What is old is new again, albeit with a much higher price tag.

Remember Clippy? I didn’t think people were still talking about this annoying little thing that cluttered up our screen. But alas, they are.

Paper isn’t dead yet. I like paper (and pens, of course). I even worked in the paper business for a short time. Despite all our technology, we still consume lots of paper, thanks to niche markets that are keeping the industry afloat.

Weekly Download 15.11

Here’s a recap of news and notes from around the Web that caught my attention over the past week or so.

The Science of Why We Talk Too Much (and How to Shut Up) provides a helpful framework to recognize when you’ve gone on too long. Following the green, yellow, red rule is a good place to start monitoring yourself.

I always felt that my education was somewhat lacking in soft skill, people-related coursework.  7 truths about the mind you missed in psychology class was really good and helped catch me up.

No burying the lead in Fast Company’s How email became the most reviled communication experience ever. Don Norman, the interaction design expert and author of The Design of Everyday Things, explains, “The problem is in trying to make email do everything when it’s not particularly good at anything.” I’m sensing that I’ll be writing more about the downside of email in the near future.