October 26th through November 1st.

• Information Architecture: Synthesis Techniques for the Muddy Middle of the Design Process by Jon Kolko
  I love this. Not only do I like that Jon admits that yes, the design process has this synthesis piece to it, something that all designers everywhere hate to talk about. But Jon actually gives up some techniques and ways in which you can synthesize and think about your design data. Good stuff for designers and even non-designers to read.
• We’re Governed by Callous Children by Peggy Noonan
  Peggy Noonan is a conservative columnist, and it shows here. I’m not saying it’s good or bad, per se, but I’m just pointing out. That aside, it’s a great article. I highly recommend you read it. She makes what is simply a good point, a point that’s sort of everywhere around us, but no one has really pointed out.
• A Molecule of Motivation, Dopamine Excels at Its Task by Natalie Angier
  A great article about the actual role that dopamine plays within your body and your rewards system. It’s not just a feel-good drug. Jonah Lehrer comments, “Many dopamine researchers, for instance, refer to the chemical as our “neural currency,” since it allows us to quickly assign a value to the multitudes of things and ideas in the outside world.”
• Identity Play by Suzanne Gibbs Howard
  Here’s an interesting article that tries to grasp the different ways in which people push their identities, and what we can learn from that as we develop new services and ideas for people. My only qualm is a sort of feeling that this lacks some of the richness of the area.
• He Prizes More Than Answers: Tim Brown interviewed by Adam Bryant
  Interesting. My favorite part is when he talks about questions, and I wish he would have spoken more about it.
  “I do think that’s something that we forget — as leaders, probably the most important role we can play is asking the right questions. But the bit we forget is that it is in itself a creative process. Those right questions aren’t just kind of lying around on the ground to be picked up and asked.”
  There was also an interview with Mark Zuckerberg, also talking about the kind of organization he wants to run. I’m sort of naturally suspicious of Facebook, I don’t like them much, but it’s certainly interesting to see his viewpoint about how he believes he is running the company.
• Annnnd, Shorts: The Rise & Fall of The Nintendo Wii by Richard Ziade (this makes me sad because I was so excited about the alternative approach to video games that Nintendo explores. But as I thought about this, a couple things struck me: most wii owners stop at the mini-games, and I’m not sure that these are really the kinds of things that can hold our attention for long periods of time. I also think they may not have established a “cue” for the machine’s use among casual gamers. So, for example, when I travel, I always pack my Nintendo DS, because traveling is a cue for playing my DS - all that empty time waiting on planes. Similarly, bed time is “cue” to pick up my kindle or book and read to get myself to sleep. How would one perpetuate a “cue” for when the Wii should be used?). Doing Your Good Dead for the Day by Yvain (really interesting stuff. I’ve been thinking about charity as a service, and this seems to support that idea in a weird way). Lemons, Lemonade, & Lululemon by Colin Raney (good for Lulu Lemon for finding ways to engage their core user group. I’d love to learn more about this).