Three Bookmarklets That Simplify My Life
My first exposure to bookmarklets was through Google Bookmarks. I started using Google Bookmarks because I was trying to back-up the bookmarks I use in Chrome, as well as keep track of some things I wanted to check out later but weren’t worth a (seemingly) more permanent bookmark in my browser. Things that I intend to read, or things that require actions, like a job posting.
Shortly after I started using the site, I found the bookmarklet, which was great. The bookmarklet lets you name, tag, and capture notes without ever leaving the page in question. I tag things with topics ..read more
Why I Had Zero Visitors and My Identity Stolen
I have encountered two human factors issues lately that have left me confused — some for far too long.
The first of these is with Google Analytics. I used Analytics to find out if there are actually people viewing my site and where these people are from. However, I recently updated the theme for my website, and forgot to include the Analytics tracking code.
It should have been obvious, when right around the same time I rolled out the changes, Analytics kept telling me no one at all was visiting my site, but I also hadn’t posted a new entry ..read more
National Ergonomics Month 2009
National Ergonomics Month has officially begun. I’d like to celebrate the month with a few more posts about human factors issues, but for now I’ll just include this little plug to advertise. After all, that’s what NEM is all about.
According to the website, NEM serves to promote human factors to the public “by providing information and services.” As part of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society at school, it seems like a lot of what HFES groups do is try to raise awareness about the field as a whole.
It’s a tough road. Most people I encounter have never heard of ..read more
Evolutionize or Revolutionize?
Last week President Obama gave a speech on health care. One of my favorite things about watching speeches such as this is seeing who applauds and who stands at each pause in the speech. One particular line had an interesting response:
“I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesn’t, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch.”
Approximately half of the viewing body clapped.
Before I go any further, I should admit that I know little about health care reform, but my gut reaction to that statement was disappointment. Something that I think ..read more
Hello, Mr. Secretary
The other day, the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, came to the office where I have been an intern for the last 15 months. All of us, even the lowly interns, spent at least an hour or two preparing for the visit last week. We all gathered in the human factors lab. We discussed what to wear, what to say, how to stand, and who would demonstrate the simulators. I was selected for my “bright eyes, no glasses” to be the subject of a demonstration that detected eyes on the road. Everyone was told to arrive early. It began to ..read more
