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=================== Good Experience - 19 May 09 =====================
By Mark Hurst
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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
(A good sign: the return of job posts! -mh)
- Good experiences from Gel speakers
- For more reading...
- 3 Job Openings: DC, CA, NYC (the first in awhile!)
- How to post a job
- Fun Stuff
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Good experiences from Gel speakers
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I've had two weeks to decompress and reflect after Gel 2009, our
seventh annual community gathering in New York City - and I have to
say, there's a LOT of positive energy around Gel.
Despite the challenges (economic and otherwise) of this moment,
the community has stepped up to say: good experience is important,
and we want to keep exploring it and creating it. Thanks to everyone
who was there. (I'll be in touch soon about new Gel Videos, the new
Gel Challenge, and a probable Gel Medical event. Drop me a note
if you're interested in sponsoring or attending Gel Medical!)
We've posted a recap - http://gelconference.com/09/recap.php - as
well as photos from our photographer Gene Driskell:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68073433@N00/sets/72157617511542823/
Beyond that, I wanted to share what some Gel *speakers*, past and
present, have been doing and writing, in their own exploration of
good experience recently. The range of these little tidbits should
give a taste of the diversity and richness of this ongoing project:
- - -
Noah Scalin summarizes Gel 2009 speaker talks:
http://www.alrdesign.com/blog/2009/05/gel-conference-2009-recap.html
- - -
A miracle in Harlem: Geoffrey Canada's stunning success with the
Harlem Children's Zone has caused one researcher to write that "the
results changed my life ... because I am no longer interested in
marginal changes." I love that quote. The experience was so
transformative that little goals are no longer good enough!
http://goodexperience.com/2009/05/a-miracle-in-harlem.php
Watch (and share!) Geoffrey Canada's outstanding Gel Video:
http://gelconference.com/videos/2006/geoffrey_canada/
- - -
George Vaillant, Gel 2008 speaker, is featured in The Atlantic
article on the question, "what makes us happy?" His answer comes
from studying 268 lives for *42 years* and compiling the rich
patterns and conclusions from that experience:
http://goodexperience.com/2009/05/george-vaillant-on-wh.php
The page above also shows two videos of George - a Gel Video and one
from The Atlantic.
- - -
Barry Scheck, cofounder of The Innocence Project (whose mission is
to free innocent people from prison with DNA evidence), spoke at
Gel 2009 a few weeks back, alongside Jerry Miller, the 200th
exoneree of the organization.
The effort has always seemed like a no-brainer to me: by funding
these efforts, society pays less for incarceration, and has a better
chance of catching the people who really did commit the crimes, not
to mention the ethical gain (I'd call it an obligation) of freeing
the wrongfully convicted.
Unfortunately, the NYT reports today, "Prosecutors Block Access to
DNA Testing for Inmates":
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/us/18dna.html
Quoting one example from the story:
> Mr. Reed has been seeking a DNA test for three years, saying it
> will prove his innocence. But prosecutors have refused, saying he
> was identified by witnesses, making his identification by DNA
> unnecessary.
More info at TIP's website...
http://www.innocenceproject.org/
...or Twitter feed:
http://twitter.com/innocenceblog
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For more reading...
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10 surprisingly good tips for a good travel experience.
http://tinyurl.com/rax4cj
- - -
A thought on simplicity and complexity. Working for over a decade as
a customer experience consultant, I've had plenty of opportunity to
talk about those two concepts.
Often it's a good-vs-bad setup. Especially in technology, the user
interface should be simple - too many tools are complex and hard to
use!
But complexity can be good, too... an authentic good experience is
often rich and multilayered and hard to describe: in those cases,
complexity is desirable.
The problem is that it can be difficult to pin down what, exactly,
we mean by "simple" and "complex." Thus "The arc of complexity", a
long piece written recently by Kevin Kelly...
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/05/the_arc_of_comp.php
...is especially welcome - taking a scientific look at complexity -
in the universe, in biological evolution - to see if there's a way
to describe it accurately. (Turns out it's harder than it looks.)
Post your comment here:
http://goodexperience.com/2009/05/a-thought-on-simplici.php#comments
- - -
My "broken financial data visualization" from a few weeks back is
still getting good comments from readers. Join the discussion here:
http://goodexperience.com/2009/04/broken-financial-data.php#comments
- - -
Finally, three recent posts from my own Twitter feed:
http://twitter.com/markhurst
.
Thought for the day: If ignorance is bliss, and if knowledge is
power, does that mean that powerful people are all depressed?
.
It's fun to look up at a Manhattan apt building and find two
separate windows flickering in sync... two apts watching the same TV
show.
.
Just saw (female) mail carrier stop woman on Broadway - her dress
wasn't fully buttoned in back - mail carrier knelt & fixed it. Go
USPO!
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Job Opening: AKQA,Inc. (User Experience Architect)
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Company: AKQA,Inc.
Title: User Experience Architect
Location: Washington, DC
AKQA DC is looking for a talented User Experience Architect to work
on a popular e-commerce site. Candidates need 3 years of web
experience, 2+ years of UX/IA work, and understanding of Section 508
and CMS-driven environments. The position is located on-site in
downtown DC, with a high degree of client collaboration.
To apply send your resume and portfolio to dcjobs@akqa.com
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Job Opening: Disney Consumer Products (Analytics Manager, eCommerce)
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Company: Disney Consumer Products
Title: Analytics Manager, eCommerce
Location: Glendale, California
DisneyStore.com is the online destination for innovative Disney
products. We're seeking a Web Analytics Mgr to optimize online sales
performance. You will gather key performance data, digest & present
findings, & drive improvements throughout the business. Experience
with Omniture's Analytics Suite required.
If interested send resumes to: nina.v.provenzano@disney.com
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Job Opening: Bloomberg (User Experience Specialist)
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Company: Bloomberg
Title: User Experience Specialist
Location: New York, NY
This role requires 4+ years of experience in designing and
prototyping.
More info: http://careers.bloomberg.com/hire/jobs/job22304.html
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How to post a job
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Our jobs board posts go out to somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000
readers of Good Experience - via email, Web, and RSS feeds.
How to post a job:
https://www.goodexperience.com/jobpost
See all recent job posts:
http://goodexperience.com/jobs
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Fun Stuff
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Classic film misquotes (thanks, GH):
http://tinyurl.com/ovdh38
Broken signage:
http://tinyurl.com/p5az86
A photo of the sun... with a surprise:
http://tinyurl.com/pvtxgb
"Eye of the Tiger" sung by schoolkids - nicely done:
http://ow.ly/5F8k
My online game picks:
http://goodexperience.com/games
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Until next time,
- Mark Hurst
mark@goodexperience.com
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contact info
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Contact Mark Hurst: mark@goodexperience.com
Bio: http://goodexperience.com/about/mark.php
Book: "Bit Literacy" solves information & email overload:
http://bitliteracy.com
If you want customer experience consulting, contact Creative Good:
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Gel (Good Experience Live) conference:
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Creative Good Councils:
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Uncle Mark 2009 Gift Guide and Almanac:
http://unclemark.org/unclemark2009.pdf
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