Digital Parsimony

WebKit, the fastest open source web browser engine.

There are a lot of reasons why WebKit is used in so many applications. From Apple’s Safari—the default browser on the Mac and iPhone), Google’s Chrome—their flagship browser on both Windows and Android mobile platform, and Palm Pre’s Web OS operating system, WebKit has proven to be widely accepted amongst the giants of the industry. Even KDE and Nokia’s S60 use WebKit and this is one of the biggest reasons why:

Performance is a top priority for WebKit. We adhere to a simple directive for all work we do on WebKit.

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 As I went over to my TV to turn it on, I noticed that I was surrounded by five seperate remotes, each of which has an infinite amount of buttons. Which of these do I even use? I just want to watch TV!

To do that, I have to first turn on the TV using one remote, then the cable box with another, then the sound system with the third. Eventually when all my devices come on and I can hear that screachy kid on American Idol loud and clear, I’ve forgotten how to switch the channel. I look down only to see about 50 tiny buttons, none of which point me in the right direction.

That reminded me of a post I saw on Gizmodo today. I think that manufacturers need to pay a bit more attention to simplicity. If I only use 10 buttons on a remote frequently, make them large and easy to use, the rest you can hide behind a bezel or put them in a less-convenient place.

Value the importance of using less to accomplish more. If you can combine the play, pause, and select buttons into just one, do so. Why do we still have seperate buttons for fast forwarding and skipping to the next chapter? Press the button to go to the next chapter, and hold it to fast forward. For example, here’s the remote for an Apple TV:

I got bored with the layout I previously had and I figured, it’s time for a little change. The new one is still getting tweaked, so bear with me. I added links on the side to all my social “homes”. From there, you can get to my LinkedIn profile, my Facebook page, or follow me on Twitter.

I would also like to transition this blog into a different direction. I intend on posting a little less on the things happening in my life and a little more on technology, design, and simplicity. I figure I can use Facebook and Twitter to post personal things, and this blog to talk about the things I think about on a daily basis.

Lastly, head on over to the about page, I added a feed that’s constantly updated with what I’m bookmarking on Delicious, what pictures I’m adding over at flickr, what news I’m sharing on Google Reader, and even what I recently posted on Twitter.

Update: And with the change of pace comes the slightly different name. When I thought of daily parsimony I must have been kidding myself, I may not be able to do this daily. So, I unveil to you, digital parsimony. At least it’ll keep me on topic.