John Siracusa and Merlin Mann try to figure out exactly how they got this way.

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    #158: Wait for the Wave

    June 11th, 2021 · 136 minutes

    As a main topic this week, your hosts discuss Theme Dining Nights. Why can't more experiences be like John's old deli? Differences regarding leftovers are, unfortunately, not reconciled.

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    Stream this episode

    Download: MP3 (125.34 MB)

    Links and Show Notes

    This week kicks off with Merlin offering a heartfelt thank you to John for helping him know where he is. John shouldn't need to wiggle, and Merlin can't imagine ever asking for the return of "contact." Your hosts agree accessibility is good for everybody.

    John has updates on drama in the NES Tetris Scene, and Merlin remembers bringing a pencil to the arcade so he could cheat. John repurposes an excellent graphic by Neven to ask how buttony a button needs to be to look like it's a button. This leads to a surprisingly interesting mini-dive into practical UX and ways that an affordance can let you know that it's an affordance.

    John's worries that his dispose-all may be starving to death.

    (Recorded on Tuesday, June 1, 2021)

    Credits
    Increase Apple TV screen contrast - Apple Support
    Jigsaw puzzle glossary – Cloudberries
    In The Unlikely Event - 99% Invisible
    Trying Everything on the Menu at an Iconic NYC Restaurant - YouTube
    NES Tetris "Rolling" technique
    How "button-y" is your button?
    It Takes Two - PlayStation game
    LG G1 vs. Sony A90J - YouTube
    Pink tint off-axis on LG G1 (starts at 8:21) - YouTube
    HDMI Cables: Types and Specifications Explained
    Putting a Bolder Face on Google - The New York Times

    Her decision was diplomatic, but it also amounted to relying on her gut rather than research. Since then, she said, she has asked her team to test the 41 gradations between the competing blues to see which ones consumers might prefer.

    ATP 432: I Shouldn't Need to Wiggle — Accidental Tech Podcast

    Compacted sugar, Jade theories, TV-remote button feel, and looking — but not reaching! — very far upward.

    What are Affordances? | Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF)

    Affordances are properties of objects which show users the actions they can take. Users should be able to perceive affordances without having to consider how to use the items. For instance, a button can be designed to look as if it needs to be turned or pushed.

    Button-mashing classic Track & Field returns on PS4 and Nintendo Switch – Destructoid

    Track & Field is notorious for its button-mashing ways, and has built many legends around the methods used by ’80s kids to get high scores, from having a third hand help out, to the game’s notorious “pencil trick” which saw players see-saw a pencil between their fingers for knuckle-crushing, high-scoring action… Ahh, the suffering we went through just to become number one.