It’s been said that the best user experience is one that goes unnoticed. In other words, the more seamless design is to the consumer, the better it is. In almost all cases, the same can be said for the elegant integration of APIs. Typically an application or device user has no idea their experience includes…
Be open to learn in 2013, a work approach inspired by my 5-year-old
A conversation last night with my 5-year-old at bedtime was a revelation. This one happened on New Year’s Eve and should likely set the tone for how I approach my year professionally. Me: I hope you’ve had a great vacation. One more day until you go back to school. 5yo: And one more day until…
No.2 Model F
To date (June 2012 thru November 2012), all of my 120 rollfilm exposures have been shot with this restored Kodak Brownie No.2 Model F. This model was produced August, 1925. I purchased it at Oldie’s Antique Market in Newburyport, MA. The No.2 Brownie was one of the first to support 120 film, a film format…
Adapting the Sony NEX
I’ve been an avid Canon DSLR user for 8 years. After lugging around my 60D and a selection of 3 EF lenses (Fisheye, Zoom and tilt-shift) through Europe last year, I decided to invest in a lighter, high quality camera for my wife and I to use for more everyday use like park visits, birthday…
I Spy an Ecosystem
With the upcoming election, I’m hearing “platform” mentioned a lot when describing candidates and their political parties. Of course, that’s more about soapbox – the stage candidates and their supporters speak from – than sandbox – the space where developers code from. The irony is that politicians, historically referred to as public servants, were intended…
Emerging platforms from the overcast: The value of Strategy at Mashery
Somewhere there could be a group of people sitting in a room coming up with a new definition for “platform”. It appears to be overused. Any online content or service provider, device, website or application — open or closed — that offers its data, functionality or even its users to itself or external partners and…
Building on my love of platforms as I join Mashery
There’s something I’ve always loved about working with platforms; It’s a special thing being able to add value and unlock so much potential for a company and a possible infinite number of apps — at the same time. While I’ve had to explain ‘what I do’ dozens of times to so many people, family and…
Breakfast Parameters
It’s an amazing thing to watch your child learn — especially as they start figuring out how to spell and write. I captured this photo on a recent weekend morning, when it was just me and my 5 year old in the kitchen cooking up some pancakes. As I was mixing up the eggs, water…
APIs in Life, Music and Wiffleball
This talk expresses my love and intrigue of APIs, demonstrating where I’ve found platforms and APIs in real life, music and things like wiffleball. I have a lot of fun with this one. At one point during this talk, I walk across the stage (or room) and throw various wiffleball pitches at my laptop, with…
New approach to platform evangelism
Back in 2005 when the “mashup” craze was really taking off, we were getting reports at Yahoo! about how many developers were using our Maps API. The report was broken down into technologies, web sites, and how many API calls were made from each. Sites like programmableweb.com were busy cataloging platforms and counting how many…