I've always been an hopeful pessimist. I can see that the glass is half empty, but I cannot stop looking for ways to add just a little bit more water (or wine). I am always restless and seeking, because deep inside myself I know that I can be happier, that the world can be a much better place, that we can build much more usable interfaces, and that we can create better and more compassionate user experiences.
From When shopping online becomes a personal experience:
People add value to things. The sushi candle kit looks and smells better because a person made it, put it in a box, and wrote a personal note to me. I feel as I know Nikola. A picture of her and her two children, B.B. and Ritzy, is posted on the Sticky Wicket Crafts website. I know that she lives in Seattle and if I happen to go there, I can find her at the Pike Place Market.
Suddenly, shopping online is not anonymous anymore. It's about real people living in real places. Forget the mysterious vendors hiding behind E-bay nicknames. Forget electronic devices shipped directly from Shanghai to your home and made by some unknown worker in white clean suits.
I am still reading Necessary Dreams (and yes, you should read it too. You should read it if you are a woman; you should read it if you are a teacher; you should read it if you are a manager; you should read it if you still believe that women are "less ambitious" and care less about their careers than men do; you should read it if you feel overwhelmed and ready to give up.). Anna Fels unveils the many subtle and less subtle biases that have the net effect of providing less social recognition to women, which translate in a greater fragility of women's ambition. She tells me that if I feel overwhelmed and inadequate it's probably because I don't have enough support and recognition in my work environment, not necessarily because I am bad and faulty; and that this is true of everybody, not just of me.
Read Antonella!
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