While browsing the stacks of new arrivals at the public library one title caught my eye. Social Physics (Alex Pentland) is an easy to read exploration of the impact that Big Data can have on our decision making processes. Leaning more towards pop science than a heavier academic tome it nonetheless manages to present a convincing argument for why we should take control of our personal information.
Follow through to the full post for my thoughts and criticisms on this light entertaining reflection of an emerging field.
Read MoreThe last day of the IA Summit is always a bit bittersweet. On one hand your mind is so full of great ideas that you want to get back to the real world to put them into practice immediately. On the other it feels like summer camp where the time just flew by and only five minutes ago you were sitting down for the opening keynote.
This year's last day was bookended by an insightful exploration of using sandboxes rather than paths and a phenomenal closing plenary by Peter Morville. In between were several more excellent talks, a meeting of the IA Institute, and a chance to catch up with some of the brightest people in the world. Read on for more details.
Read MoreAfter a fantastic first day that felt like it just flew past Day Two of the IA Summit brought even more wonderful ideas as well as the IA Slam. From learning about how to make unicorns to designing for ghosts and how to cope with a world where you can sort 35 tons of data in milliseconds it was an information rich day.
Read MoreFor those who are not familiar with the IA Summit it is one of the best organized events for anyone interested in Information Architecture, User Experience, or other related professions. The conversations in the hall alone are well worth the expense.
This year's conference was held in sunny San Diego and featured some of the best talks that I have heard in five years of attendance. Starting with an exceptional keynote by Irene Au the rest of the day offered a dizzying selection of presentations from both seasoned presenters and first timers.
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