Everyone is tumbling about MGMT today. Let the record show that I was totally ahead of you guys by a month.
I’m such a cool dude.
Not really.
Everyone is tumbling about MGMT today. Let the record show that I was totally ahead of you guys by a month.
I’m such a cool dude.
Not really.
As a last-ditch effort I twittered, “found a $20 bill does it belong to anyone” Within seconds, my phone rang. “Mom?” It was Zoe. “We’ve been talking it over.” “The $20 bill?” I asked. “No,” she said. “We think you need to get out more.” “You mean give up twittering, don’t you?” I asked. “You don’t need to tell us where you are all the time,” she said gently. Then she said I should go out and have a good time. She said I could wear my sweater. And take the car.
Valentine - The Get Up Kids
Funny I’ve been listening to “On A Wire” this morning and it reminded me how much I really like them. Look for more CDs right now.
466 people have listened for 20 minutes or more.
Feedback includes:
“This site is replacing Hype Machine for me.”
“I can’t wait to know who I’m listening to so I know who I’ve just been turned on to.”
“I think the idea of a site that just plays music at random is awesome.”
My conclusion after 24 hours, both obvious and often forgotten, is that people enjoy the reduction of choice, but only if they continue to derive some value from the resulting decision. In otherwords, People don’t need what’s best for them, just what’s good enough.
The bigger lesson for me is that services don’t need to be superlative (ie. most customized, most comprehensive). At least, they need to do one thing well through a flawlessly easy interface.
Think that the last paragraph here is dead on. Too many sites are trying to do mashups of different services that what they are offering either gets lost, or goes unused by the visitor.
I also like the fact that Zach didn’t build this functionality into his own site. He could have just have easily had this happen when you reach his homepage, yet that would have been overwhelming. Now you go to a site who’s only point is to play music. You know what you are getting into way before you even get there.
One bit of feedback:
A button for launch in its own window. Same layout just 50% to 60% smaller so I can leave it open and not have to worry about closing it.
Award-Winning Newspaper Designs | Monday Inspiration | Smashing Magazine ↪
The Hartford Courant got a nice mention in this edition of Smashing Magazine. In their words “The newspaper distinguishes itself with an enduring elegance in design and typography. Though conservative in their approach, designers engage readers with the bold use of visuals. The contrast between their quiet, understated style and the gutsy photography and illustrations create a tension that captures the attention of readers.”