INFORMA(C)TION No. 73:

Outrage and Concern

I’m still shocked and distressed over last week’s desecration of the Capitol. I’ve spent most of today writing a long post that captures my outrage and concern about our current political situation and where information environments fit into the picture. Since early this morning, I’ve been editing and re-writing, sharpening each sentence to the point where it conveys my thoughts precisely, efficiently, and effectively.

I’ve decided not to send that post. You didn’t subscribe to this newsletter to read my opinions on these issues — especially when they're written in anger. Perhaps one day, I will address this subject from a place of equanimity. That can’t be today.

For now, I’ll say that I believe our country crossed a few thresholds last week. One of them involves the role of online places in public discourse. Specifically, we’re about to discover whether it’s possible to stop an armed insurgency by shutting down its abilities to spread misinformation and coordinate online.

This raises lots of tricky issues. We’re relying on the moral integrity of the (unaccountable) people who manage the privately-owned systems that serve as our de-facto public squares. The stakes couldn’t be higher since the insurgents aim to overthrow our democracy. After this crisis passes, we need to seriously reassess the role of these online places in our society.

That’s all I will say for now. I wish you and yours peace in these unsettling times.

Also worth your attention:

• “In a time of climate crisis, a pandemic, and predatory capitalism, is optimism about humanity’s future still justified?” Steven Levy covers a recently-settled 25-year bet about whether tech has destroyed society. (Spoiler: no, but it was close — and the loser is refusing to concede defeat by changing the parameters of the contest.)
   
• “Fundamentally, the only measure of design quality that matters is how it contributes to (or detracts from) whatever has been agreed upon as a measure of success.” Peter Merholz's approach to establishing design quality in organizations.
   
• Speaking of Peter, I was thrilled to be invited to be a guest in his and Jesse James Garret's podcast, Finding Our Way. Our conversation touched on architecture, design education, and why I'm of two minds about certifying designers. Have a listen.
   
• Speaking of managing design quality in organizations, I like Jasmine Friedl's heuristics for measuring design quality.
   
• Two new OpenAI neural networks. One of them, DALL-E, generates images from text descriptions; the results are incredibly intriguing.
   
• There are different ways of thinking; the mind is a crucial component in the process but not the only element in play. A short post on various ways of thinking, including sketching.
   
• My favorite reads of 2020.
   
• “Jootsing” – how understanding systems can help us think more creatively.
   
• Looking to Buddhism for ethical approaches to artificial intelligence.
   
• I've been considering introducing cellular automata to my systems students. The time might be right: Conway's Game of Life at 50.
   

Episode 52 of The Informed Life podcast features an interview with Grace Lau. Grace is an information architect and UX designer based in the Greater Los Angeles area. Since early in her career, Grace has been organizing local professional community events. Now she’s a leader in two important information architecture events: the IA Conference, where she’s one of the 2021 chairs, and World IA Day, which she co-presides. I enjoyed my conversation with Grace, and hope it encourages you to participate on either the IA Conference or World IA Day — or both!

On an administrative note, this episode marks the show’s second anniversary. I’m thankful for all the guests who’ve carved time out of their busy schedules to share with us on the show. I’m also thankful for your attention. I hope these conversations are valuable to you. Onward!

The Informed Life Episode 52: Grace Lau on Information Architecture Events

Parting thought:

It appears to me madness to base all our political efforts upon the faint hope that we shall be successful in obtaining excellent, or even competent, rulers.

— Karl Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945)

I wish you and yours a healthy and generative 2021.

Thanks for reading!

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