Fish Piper

Get the Glass is a really neat little online board game. It won a prestigious Black Pencil design award from D&AD in the category of ‘Animation and Motion Graphics’, which is apparently some serious kudos.

D&AD don’t award the black pencil award, their top category, unless they’ve got something that is worth giving it to. If not… no award that year.

This game, though, is great. It’s basically a big advertisement aimed at getting people to drink milk because of its benefits (which you will learn of as you play). It’s fun, and looks great.

I scored about 4700. See if you can beat it. 

[UPDATE: Played again: First I got caught, then scored 5300.]

More info on the glowing cats:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/science/scientists-clone-cats-that-glow-in-the-dark/2007/12/12/1197135563190.html

My microwave is a case study in awful user interfaces.

Here it is, in all its matching stainless-steel glory.

For starters, it isn’t always in “I’m-ready-to-cook” mode, which is clearly what one uses a microwave for most often. To set the time you need to push the ‘Time’ button, then put in the time. Awkward, but perhaps forgivable.

Setting the clock, however, is a different kettle of fish. This is the process:

1. press ‘Clock‘
2. press ‘Cancel‘ (this, inexplicably, clears the current time from the display)
3. key in the current time
4. press ‘Clock‘ again

That sucks.

Pressing ‘Cancel’ after starting an action should cancel that action, not be an integral part of it.

This is what happens when electrical engineers design user interfaces.

Yes, I am aware of the irony.