Muddy Creek Falls - Top

Muddy Creek Falls - Top, originally uploaded by Daniel Ashton.

Vicki and I visited Swallow Falls State Park this weekend, and I came away with a few pictures. Follow the link to see 9 of the 287 frames I shot.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdashton/

J. Wilton Ashton

On the occasion of my grandfather's 102nd birthday . . . warm and loving memories, and praise to God for the years that I was privileged to know this remarkable man.

All Programs - Communicate?

My father was quoted recently as saying that there are two fundamentals that music students must learn:

1. All music is dance music.
2. All music is vocal music.

The notes you play on piano or violin don't find their musicality until you, the player, can touch their movement and feel their warm breath on your face. It's when your spirit moves and your heart sings that true music pours out.

As I read a developerWorks article by Doug Phillips, it strikes me that a similar rule could be expressed for the applications we use:

1. All computer programs are about communication.

About the furthest I can come from that rule are games like Solitaire. But even those more frequently have shared score boards, where you can communicate your prowess to other players.

Clearly, e-mail and instant messaging programs are all about communication. Office applications and record keeping are about communication, too, although we forget it too easily.

So, how would your favorite programs be better if their architects and designers had thought more about how they communicate, and how you use them to communicate?