The Kitchen Sink by ~rmsk8r05

A user interface (UI) is the set of means by which we interact with a system. I have probably mentioned in the past that I view almost everything as some type of a system or a component within a system. These systems all have UIs. In many cases, the UI is all we get to see from outside. The best systems have exceptional foundations and inner-workings in addition to their simple, clear, and easy-to-learn user interfaces. Let me give you a couple examples.

Every house has a UI. A coat closet in the wrong place, a door swinging the wrong way, or a light switch across the room all contribute to minor annoyances we typically get used to in an older home. Inside the house system, key components of the UI of the plumbing sub-system are faucets and sinks. Does the refrigerator have a user interface? Of course!

Take the system of government. Does that have a UI? Certainly! Move from one state or country to another and you may feel as helpless in dealing with basic tasks as in moving from one computer operating system to another. The frustration grows when the new UI is worse (less intuitive, with more flaws, lacking in features, etc.) than the prior one (even if the inner structures are better). Our frustration also increases when an interface to which we are accustomed changes for the worse over time.

Our impressions of the experience of interaction are hinged upon the interface presented. A beautiful and delicious meal at a nice restaurant with outstanding service creates an impression of an organized and efficient kitchen. Is this always the case or is it an illusion created by the restaurateur?

Here are some questions I cannot seem to be able to answer:

1. What allows one group of people to create a system superior to those created by other similar groups? Why is Apple able to create a computer that’s perceived to be easier to use than that created by Dell/Microsoft? Why are the founding fathers of America able to create a system far superior to that created by Lenin and his friends? Why is one town in Massachusetts able to govern itself better than another?
2. When we perceive the system to be superior to an alternative, do we really know everything about its internal structures, or are we just impressed by the user interface? Does the internal structure and foundation really matter? Example of this is “slapping a coat of paint before putting the house on the market.”
3. Is the user interface at all indicative of the underlying structural excellence? Can a system last the test of time if most effort (and investment) is toward the interface?
4. Why are some people able to create nice interfaces (such as beautiful web sites) while others cannot even maintain a system that’s given to them? Some people and groups seem to exist to run innovations into the ground.
5. Have we come too far? In contrast to our simpler beginnings when we had fewer systems and user interfaces (and fewer points of failure), have we created a monster by creating interdependent systems with complex interfaces in every corner of our life?

I suspect the answers depend on the perspective but it is clear to me that we are riding an interesting long-term wave of systems and interfaces. The transformation is faster than ever and the results more spectacular than ever yet basic humanitarian questions are far from finding their answers. Maybe the interface is getting more attention than it deserves in some departments of our life and not enough in others.

Ball Bearing Gear by ~R-Nader

I have been reading a number of trader blogs recently trying to get a qualitative read on the mood hoping to find traces of capitulation. Unfortunately, the mood seems to be “hopeful.” As S&P500 approaches the November lows, VIX is actually half of where it was then. As usual, all participants are trying to determine what may happen next. Some apply complex metaphors from other paradigms to the various markets to see if these explain the numbers. Others purchase a few hundred thousand shares to boost confidence in their stocks. Government officials explain how they will fix the economy. Workers worry about their jobs, their houses, and their small businesses. I look at all this from a few different angles.

The Childhood Angle: Growing up at the observatory I had a few close friends my age. There were also the older kids and the younger kids; and as expected we had different interests. I don’t remember from where a game came about where we had to hit another persons marble with ours from a distance and if it was a direct hit (the two marbles touched), we got to keep their marble (substitute ball bearing and thrust bearing parts for marbles). The kids with the most bearing parts were considered excellent at the game. The others had to go find more balls or quit. My friend and I ended up accumulating a lot of these. A few other kids felt they were ruined when they lost their last pieces with some breaking down into tears as if life was over. Looking back, it’s amusing how much importance we assigned to these meaningless childhood games. I wonder if people my wife’s 95-year-old grandmother’s age view us with similar lens.

The Computer Systems Angle: Sometimes people build a system. Sometimes they break down a system so a new one can be built in its place. Sometimes the system has usability issues and sometimes it crashes. There are bugs in all systems. Sometimes it takes years for the particular set of circumstances to trigger the bug. The bug is usually a minor issue and by the time it is discovered, quite a lot of damage is done by a malfunctioning system. Looking back people are amazed how the bug was not obvious. It takes a minute to fix the bug but months to clean up the damage from it. Some people have specific roles to kill systems, break them down. Others simply cannot build anything so they maintain. Maintaining a lousy system is counter-progress. There are also those who, given the job and the tools to build, ruin more from lack of knowledge or inability to use the tools appropriately. Sometimes we lose power (electrical system) or all systems come to a screeching halt (9/11). Some of us participate in multiple systems all at once. In times when the system stops temporarily, life goes on. In times when the system collapses (I’ve experienced this), life goes on. When our character, beliefs, values, and families collapse, the systems do not matter.

A few other angles remain but from fear of having another very long post, I’ll stop here.

TOOBS for stock by ~Mydin

I was thinking during my commute how quick the integration of new discoveries is these days. Perhaps it’s another side effect of easy information that new products, new inventions, new processes and new methods are analyzed, internalized, and digested so fast. Take the iPhone, for example. It has been around for a couple years, yet there are thousands of little programs for it already. I am sure that in another year or two, it will be added to the list of ancient technologies such as floppy disk, MS-DOS, short-wave radio, light bulb, screws, wheels, etc. To be sure, most technologies are still in use today but they have been internalized by us to the point where we rarely consider the human efforts, sacrifices, and trials that went into their initial births.

Three thoughts come to mind. First, never give up. It may take years to develop a system, a product, or to study a new force, new genetic mutation, new cancer cell, or write a great book. It may take a lifetime. People may argue, disagree, dismiss your work. They may misunderstand, misrepresent, take credit, discredit what you do. But from my history lessons, nothing major and meaningful was ever born overnight. One thought leads to another, one work makes it feasible to create another. That’s the process of development. What we see in the rear view mirror is the mature internalized, accepted, perfected result of many lifetimes of hard work.

Second, we all have some talents. My father says that great people are born with these special talents. He says although we can go to schools to learn how to write like ՎԱՀԱՆ ՏԵՐՅԱՆ, very few will be gifted with that special fragrance that he breathed into his poetry. Sure, but I also believe we each have our own unique gifts. It is a matter of early discovery and a lifetime of hard work. Again, in hindsight all we see are the jewels left behind by the greats. We do not always see all of the trials, failed attempts, discouragement, disagreements, and the hard work they endured. A classmate from elementary school writes beautiful poetry almost daily (who would have ever expected) but also lives a routine that would seem impossible to most. With God’s gift, and lots of hard work, I can envision a book in the horizon. I am sure it will be anything but easy.

Third, when you make it do not be disappointed when it’s quickly integrated into the civilization or the culture. The new method that was developed after years of hard work may become a standard routine so elementary that is taken for granted and almost forgotten. Sometimes the greatness is not appreciated for a generation or two. Often the impact is profound in many other areas of life not imagined initially. I am thinking of the Internet Protocol, for example.

As for me, I’ll be busy thinking much, learning much, observing much, experiencing much and, of course, expressing much…

Asphalt story by ~JK89

“5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” ~ Proverbs 3

This might be a bit long but I have to share. A couple months ago I met with a few paving contractors (actually their salesmen). One of them (let’s call him Chief), an elderly man, in poor health with difficulty speaking came by, measured, gave me the lowest quote and left. He came across as trustworthy. In all my recent dealings I look for integrity and trustworthiness above all. The other salesmen were… stereotypical and  their quotes were very high. So, I told the Chief he had the job but I needed to get a few other projects completed before we were ready for the asphalt. He called me every two weeks to check on my status. We met a couple more times and during the last meeting I got a surprise. He raised the price of the job stating that the cost of asphalt had gone up considerably. My first thought… what did I miss about this man earlier when I got the impression he could be trusted. My second thought… I was too tired to have a second thought. I told him I did not like surprises and would have to get back to him with our decision.

I found out that the neighbor had also used the same company and was very happy with the end result but the owner had a very poor attitude and had tried to cut corners until confronted (typical story). I also found out that the price of asphalt had increased though it was hard to know exactly what part of the total job cost increase could be attributed to this. I decided to go ahead because the other salesmen were not people I wanted to meet again and Chief’s proposal was still lower than their estimates.

Having been through similar situations many times, I was dreading the day of the job perhaps because I had not insisted on meeting the owner, I had been surprised once already, I had not been through this type of job before, and a few details still had to be worked out on that day. In the morning, I reminded myself Proverbs 3 and the Golden Rule and marched ahead.

The Chief was already waiting for me. He told me that a different company would be doing the job… the second surprise! I looked straight in his eyes and said that this was the second surprise and he already knew I did not like surprises. I also told him that I had trusted him and was sure he would not let me down. Then I reminded him the terms of our agreement, the price, and the main requirements. He nodded  and told me I’d be much happier with the new company.

The crew showed up, and did their work going the extra mile in a number of different ways. Half way through the job, the owner, a 51-year-old man strong as an ox, said that his daddy had taught him the Golden Rule and promised that he’d never go wrong if he practiced it. He and his brother did the work the way I had expected, often smiling, making jokes and laughing as if trying to lighten up the grueling physical job of spreading and compacting tons of material.

Four police officers stopped by and left shortly after speaking with the Chief. After the fourth one left, I asked him why they had come. He said they wanted to have a police detail at the site (this would have cost me more money) but he had convinced them that none was needed. Seeing my puzzled face, he said he had been the police chief in the town next door for over thirty five years.

The job was done as best as it could have been done (as best as I could judge quality). While writing the check, I asked the Chief why had he switched companies. He told me that he was recovering from a major lung cancer operation and the owner of the other company was a very mean, untrustworthy man who often made him feel bad to the point where it was affecting his recovery. The owner would often not respect prior commitments making him appear untrustworthy. All I could think of was Proverbs 3…

house by Galadrielbg

Having experienced the house building process, I have learned a lot and wanted to share a few thoughts here in case you ever face the dilemma of building vs. buying. There is an Armenian saying that every man must “plant a tree, have a child, and build a house.” I think the last one is questionable in the literal sense (though in the saying it’s really about making a home for a family).

The Emotional Dimension: The project of building your home is unlike any other project. It is an emotional project directly hard wired to your self esteem. After all your house may be one of your largest assets. Your house is also most likely one of the key elements in your external and internal image. As if trying to make this even more emotional, building a house is about your ability to take on a large, expensive, and complicated challenge and seeing that through to completion. You might be trying to make a statement to your spouse, your in-laws, many others but most importantly to yourself.

The Business Dimension: At the same time, building involves many business relationships where trust, money, specifications, deadlines, and quality matter a lot. This project comes with numerous interdependencies between many parties such as the banker, the builder, the subcontractors, the family, the city, the designers, the lawyers and the suppliers. In addition to everything else that you do (work, home, school, activities, etc.), you must make quick and correct decisions daily and sometimes hourly for months. Large sums of money are handled in legal transactions. There is significant uncertainty in all aspects at all times.

Should you build? Success requires the ability to balance these two separate yet intertwined dimensions constantly which is extremely difficult. Furthermore, the benefits are a bit overrated given the massive investment. By investment, I mean the financial, emotional, but more importantly time investments required for a successful house building project. As a result, I believe building a house makes little sense for most people who are not in the residential construction business already. If you are seeking the knowledge or the experience that comes with building a house, why not build a house for someone else or manage a few smaller house remodeling projects instead? Buying a house is generally also much more economical.

Should you buy? I think so. In good markets, you may be able to get a great deal on a house of your dreams. The buying process is far simpler with greater odds on your side. Given the thousands of homes for sale, chances are that you can find one that’s very close to your needs and need not build a house to satisfy the family. Also, given today’s dynamic lifestyles, you can sell what you bought easier than what you have built (due to amount of hard work invested) even though in the case of buying emotional attachment also takes place. If maintenance is your main concern, why not buy a recently built house.

Looking back at all of the details that we had to consider, all of the work that we put into the process, and all of the time that we invested, I feel the reasons to build hardly justify the price you pay.

Unless you are working on an antique car that appreciates in value over time or fix cars for a living, I think any time you spend on the car is worth only the present value of your time. On the other hand, let’s say you spend time on your business, career, or investments, this time can and will certainly pay dividends later in life.

Almost weekly I cut the grass and every time I feel I’m completely wasting two hours because the future value of this time is about as close to zero as it gets. To have someone else cut the grass would unfortunately cost more than we can afford now. So, my challenge is to continue investing in activities that pay dividends in the future, so I don’t have to waste time on this every week. Time spent learning something new, on the other hand, can have huge benefits (often unforeseen) later and usually when least expected.

Next time you’re working on something consider if the object will appreciate or depreciate over time. That’ll help determine the amount of time investment you should make. Appreciation includes both financial appreciation as well as non-tangible appreciation such as physical, emotional, and spiritual appreciation. One lesson I’ve learned while writing this blog is how much of our days are spent on “noise” and how little of what we do truly deserves to be retold. I hope you make it your challenge as I have made it mine to fill up your life with what really matters and leave the rest to everyone else.

Know the work. This is a difficult one as the more you know the less pleasant it is to see the various shortcuts that are employed at your expense. However, “ignorance is bliss” does not apply in this environment as “bliss” could turn into “nightmare” quickly if you have no clue what to expect. Read about good workmanship for each project and sub-project, talk to people who might offer you their experiences, but more importantly get a few estimates (at least 3 when the job is over $500) and ask the contractors what they think a job well done entails and how they feel others will shortchange you if you do not give them the job. This task is really about knowing the scope of the work. If you do not know what the scope should be, do not waste time on other elements. One issue here is the contractor does not always know the scope by looking at the job. For example, replacing a sink might involve plumbing, electrical work, plastering, painting, and all kinds of other activities. The contractor knows that unexpected items come up and tries to compensate by overestimating or by underestimating (to get the business) and then coming up with change orders. Numerous other variations also exist (walking from the job part way, using less or less expensive materials, cutting scope in less visible areas, etc.) The “good” contractors often charge so much that even if unexpected items arise, they can eat into their profit for maintaining a good reputation. The issue here is that it’s a zero sum game where your gain is the contractor’s loss or at least it’s often perceived this way by both parties. Knowing the job is required for properly overseeing the work.

Know the contractor. This is another difficult one because unless you are in the business, chances are you do not need a plumbing contractor every month. You tend to not know people in the different trades as well as you would if you had to deal with them more frequently. Also, opinions of others are often misleading. A few recommendations from trusted friends have completely backfired for me in the past. The way I try to figure out who they really are is by asking direct questions with clear cut answers. It is difficult to say but this is a character examination where you are trying to determine the integrity of a person. I try to stay clear from contractors who give less than clear answers. The questions could include pricing issues. For example, they often like to secure a payment of at least half the work in advance to ensure they are not at risk. I try to avoid paying more than a third in advance. I disclose this rule up front and see how they react. I also try to gauge how responsive they are. Recently one of them did not call me back for two days and when I gave the work to someone else he was surprised. What you are trying to assess is if you could trust such a person with important work. You are trying to determine if trust is even important to him/her, if they would be proud of their work and would stand by it for a long time, if they value your deadlines, and if they would be honest and reasonable with you throughout the process.

Know the contract. Often the contract is missing important details or does not exist at all. The key missing elements are often the start date, and even more importantly, the end date. Most contractors do not have these on their contracts. The second issue is that the scope of work and the breakdown of the costs are not spelled out. The third is that payment details are skewed to minimize the contractor’s risk. As in any negotiation, all of the details are up for discussion. I did not fully appreciate this until very recently. It takes some courage to bring up difficult issues but it’s far better to address them at the beginning instead of having to deal with them when some work has already been done. Recently, I have gone to the extreme of having my own contract and requiring the contractor to accept the terms or discuss in advance the issues with the contract. So far, this has worked better for both parties.

Let me start with scope. In any simple project, there are hundreds or even thousands of details, specifications, laws and processes that must be followed. Even if you define the scope so meticulously that you outline all of these factors, you are not guaranteeing that the team executing the project will always follow the scope, the specification or the contract and maximize the quality of the result. Furthermore, as you define your project scope, you can be certain that no matter how careful you are the scope will change due to unforeseen details that arise after the project is underway. The common practice is to pad estimates and to leave wiggle room; and the more complex the project, the more padding there is limiting your ability to control costs.

Next is time. Of course, you can estimate and even get your team to agree and sign papers that they will meet the timeline. However, those unforeseen issues that come up as you execute will invariably affect the timeline as well. You can try to add people, you can add money, you can increase resources but even that does not guarantee that the scope will be delivered with high quality on-time. As more people are added, the complexity always increases and the projects have even more unforeseen issues.

The third factor is resources or the costs. You can hire the most expensive team, you can hire the least expensive team, you can manage the team yourself, but unless you execute the entire project yourself (not feasible for large projects) you cannot ensure that the costs will be minimized.

In my experience, only the human element makes the difference. You must choose extremely carefully who you involve to help with the project. The right people will overcome the unforeseen issues quickly and effectively, they’ll work well with others, they’ll commit to delivering the highest quality, they’ll make all the difference. In my past projects whenever the team worked well together, nothing could stand in the way. Whenever the team did not work well, nothing short of changing the composition of the team could make a significant difference.

I suggest that you spend most of your time in selecting the right team. The details of the scope, timeline, and costs can be worked out easier with the right team. As I execute my projects, I realize daily the criticality of the human element and am spending more time thinking about it above all other factors.