DropBox's inconsistent treatment of shared-file renamings and deletions led to disappearing files. Jackson then illustrated the problems that can arise from model mismatches through three examples. To prevent the user from constructing a mythical or misguided model of the system, the designer must present a consistent and complete model.ĭr.
Since the user sees the software through the user interface, the latter assumes high importance in the success of a piece of software. Successful use of software requires the user model to match the designer's model. He then discussed the importance of clearly-defined "concepts" as tools for designing clean, well-structured software. Thus, software should not be designed by programmers, but by software design experts. Jackson began by noting that to build a skyscraper, we don't go to an engineer first, but to an architect.
(5) "The Essence of Software (or Why Systems Often Fail by Design, and How to Fix Them)": This was the title of today's ACM-sponsored webinar by Dr. Get vaccinated/boosted and wear a mask indoors. (4) Not surprisingly, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is already here in California: Be kind to yourself and your loved ones. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the original French article or an English translation on-line. (3) Beliefs & prejudices, and their health impacts: This article from the French magazine Que Choisir Sante, affiliated with a consumer-choice group, is quite enlightening. Mehdi Fallahi, some presenting in English. Farhad Mavaddat: A Scientist with a Practical Bent, a Good Friend, a Model of Service and Humility, and a Notable Example of the Consequences of Chasing Brains Away." Also speaking will be Farhad's daughter, Mitra Nicole, Mr. I will speak in Persian under the title "Dr. Farhad Mavaddat : We will celebrate the life of my dear friend and former colleague on Sunday, December 5, 2021, 9:00-11:00 AM PST, via Zoom. Baha'is are under continued pressure in Iran (see the last item below). Find the length identified by a question mark. Math puzzle: Two isosceles triangles are inscribed in an equilateral triangle as shown. Farhad Mavaddat (see the next item below). The foggy lagoon and ocean have their charms, but I awaited the Sun's coming out, as I walked on campus around noon today. An interesting article on health (see Item 3 below). (1) Images of the day: Victoria Falls Bridge: Located on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the 198-meter-long engineering marvel, with a main arch span of 156 m, accommodates a roadway, a railway, and walkways.
Lately, non-book items (such as political news, tech news, puzzles, oddities, trivia, humor, art, and music) have formed the vast majority of the entries.Įntries in each section appear in reverse chronological order.Īrchived blogs up to 2011 Blog Entries for 2021ġ (Wednesday): Presenting selected news, useful info, and oddities from around the Internet. Given that the book introductions and reviews constituted a form of personal blog, I decided to title this page "Blog & Books," to also allow discussion of interesting topics unrelated to books from time to time.
The rapid expansion of the list of books warranted devoting a separate page to it. This page was created in 2009 as an outgrowth of the section entitled "Books Read or Heard" in my personal page.