Messy simplicity in Craigslist

Good (longish) article from Wired on Craigslist: Why Craigslist Is Such a Mess.

It's enduringly strange to me that people want to "improve" Craigslist. Here's a news flash to everybody involved in the Web except for Craig Newmark: People basically want something simple that works without having to learn anything new.

We don't necessarily want something beautiful that works. We definitely don't want something complex that only works if you understand the mindset of the programmer who coded it, and if you're willing to put up with a couple of things that don't work very well. Here's the order we want things:

1. Works
2. Simple
3. Other stuff you might think is neat

Craigslist is notably unconcerned with anything past 2 on that list.

A quote from the article:

It is the same reason that craigslist has never done any of the things that would win approval among Web entrepreneurs, the same reason he has never updated its 1999-era Web design. The reason is that craigslist's users are not asking for such changes.

"I hear this all the time," Buckmaster says. "You guys are so primitive, you are like cavemen. Don't you have any sense of aesthetic? But the people I hear it from are invariably working for firms that want the job of redoing the site. In all the complaints and requests we get from users, this is never one of them. Time spent on the site, the number of people who post—we're the leader. It could be we're doing one or two things right."

I frequently get crap from people for my pseudo-Luddite ways -- as though I prefer to do things the hard way. That is the entire opposite of what I want. What I want is a thing that works like I expect it to work, and some built-in accountability in case it doesn't. And I want to maintain some control over the process, and be able to extract myself from it when I'm done. The number of "simplifiers" that actually complicate is so much larger than people want to believe.

I hear people bitch about how their iPhone doesn't work like they want it to. I never hear anyone complain about an iPhone they don't even have. That seems deeply simple to me. And maybe to Craig Newmark?

Update: See the related article in the same issue of Wired, The Good Enough Revolution.

The new cruellest month

It's August, the time of year for depression. Everything I do seems harder, meaningless, and subject to grueling self-criticism.

Fortunately, it's mild so far, but it's a difficult state to try to find a job in. Or an operative relationship with a God.

If you interact with me on a personal level, and you are not my wife, you probably won't even notice. If I have the giveadamn to leave the house, then I can generally put on a good enough public face.

But this is also the time of year when I disappear for a while, because putting on that face is increasingly taxing. Depression is insidious because it doesn't just bring you down, it saps your ability to get help.

Talking usually loosens the blockage somehow. Maybe blogging will do something similar.

Update: Good news from Scientific American! Depression makes me a better analytic thinker! Hooray?

Rats and musical instruments

This site is in Cyrillic with a Belarus domain code, so I have no idea what's going on. But it does contain the universal language of pictures of rats with tiny, tiny musical instruments taken by Ellen van Deelen.

Look at the whole set which is just really so very OMG kawaii cute.

Movies June- August 2009

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
The most interesting character in this movie was the smarmy cad we weren't supposed to like. The ending was great, and could not be made today. The movie tracks a solitary, lonely life of Mrs. Muir through the years, until she dies, and THEN get her happy ending. Awesome.

Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder
Yeah, okay. The Futurama DVD thing kind of wound down for me. Didn't hate it, didn't love it.

Let the Right One In
I did love this though. Creepy and sweet.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
First time I saw this movie, I must have been half-asleep, because I got it more this time, and enjoyed it more.

30 Rock Season 1, Disc 1
Everything everybody says is true about this show, no matter what they say. Everything. If Tina Fey were not near-blindingly spectacular every time she's on screen, Alec Baldwin would steal the show. So good. So very good. Also, funny.

Doubt
A complex story, well told. Making Philip Seymour Hofman's character out to be somewhat sympathetic is horrible and sly.

Man on Wire
Don't quite see what the accolades are about.

Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events
This was a lovely movie for looking. have my own separate meter for that these days. Beautiful, weird sets and CGI.

Coraline
Fun, but not great. Also, smooth stop-motion animation... jarring. The movie basically looked computer generated, except occasionally, you'd see something (like a button) and realize, "Oh, that's a photograph! That's a real button! Weird!" And it would take me out of the movie.

This DOES set me in mind to look forward to Fantastic Mr. Fox later this year. Wes Anserson AND stop-motion animation? Two tickets, please!

Jane Austen's Persuasion
Perhaps Kiera Knightley has set my bar too high (no pun intended) for Jane Austen heroines, but Sally Hawkins just ain't got it. Also, this seemed like a weak effort, storywise. Don't know if that was Jane's deal, or the adapter.

Pan's Labyrinth
It was pretty and well done. But it didn't excite me.

The Answer Man
Listen, I'll go see just about anything starring Lauren Graham, but that doesn't mean it's going to be good.

30 Rock Season 1, Disc 2
ROFL. COPTER.

Work at Netflix

Great slideshow about Netflix company culture. I've never cared about the inner workings of Netflix before, but suddenly I want to work there just to know what the inside of that box feels like.

Wealth

We read and discussed the book of Proverbs last night in cell, and I was struck by the tension of wealth in it. This ancient collection of wise aphorisms simultaneously tells you that wealth is worth pursuing, but that it's also horrible, and in some cases, it's just better to be poor.

Wealth is rarely my main goal when I strike out on some venture, but it's always a side goal. I've been thinking lately that I'm great with money, but terrible with wealth. And wondering how to change that, or if it's worth bothering. Writing for a living generally doesn't make you rich, especially if you're slothful. If you're fortunate, it doesn't make you poor.

I wouldn't know what to do with wealth if I had it. Sometimes I think that almost has to be a precedent for obtaining wealth (barring lottery winnings). If you don't have a plan, you'll never do the things necessary to get it.

The role of grit in becoming

Recent story from the Boston Glob, The Truth About Grit.

Executive Summary: Old man science is beginning to agree that hard work and perseverance are key indicators of success, more than intelligence or talent.

I've been thinking more about how one gets things done, intentionally without being a giant dick. I can think of lots of used car salesman types I've known, people who achieve what they want at the cost of good will. Or more gently, people for whom relationships are not as important as their other goal. Being kind or giving does not help that person achieve his or her goals, so those facets get jettisoned.

Single-mindedness is not a fantastic trait by itself. Accomplishing a well-lived life requires a tuned interplay of a number of important things. Some people seem to be able to tease out that fine tuning, seemingly naturally.

I am none of those people, but this reminds me that I need to get back to my freelance writing, away from blog writing. More later.

In the meantime, to find more about the Grit Study, go here: http://www.gritstudy.com

Red Hand of Done

This past week, my players finished the Red Hand of Doom, slaying High Wyrmlord Azzar Kul, vanquishing his summoned Aspect of Tiamat, and saving the human lands of Elsir Vale from diabolical infestation. Only two characters died in the process!

The amazing thing is how well their plans worked.

How a normal D&D plan works
At the beginning of any major set piece, the players develop a loose plan of action.
Round 1: Deploy plan.
Round 2: Something unforeseen manifests, and the plan is left swinging on one hinge.
Rounds 3-10: Everyone runs around relying on their best tricks until somebody's out of hit points.

That is how pretty much every D&D fight goes that I've ever run or played in. The interesting parts are coming up with the plan, and then coping during the plan's lumbering demise.

How this one was different
The plan more or less worked like they meant for it to. The hitters flew up a 100 foot shaft invisibly, wailed on the bad guy in a surprise round, and finished him before he ever got a chance to respond. The rest of the group clambered up just in time to see Tiamat manifest. Judicious application of resources made the fight hard, but winnable.

Several times in their adventuring careers, the party has been in worse shape, and far less certain of outcome. At first, I wondered if I did them a disservice by making it too easy. But today I decided I didn't. I mean, it was no half-speed move action among cakes. They took their lumps. Two PCs died (conveniently, the two whose players had dropped out of the game), and everyone else took serious damage (except for the monk whom Tiamat quickly surmised as a minor threat).

The feeling of mastery and completion though, made it seem like, for once, the players leveled up. They put together a plan, hit their marks, and used gumption to solve the problem. Yay players! Yay D&D!

Some weeks, the game is totally 20 minutes of fun packed into 4 hours. But it never seems like it's not worth it.