Feb 01, 2010
Ed Mullen
Sustainability is about more than just the environment. It’s about the long-term impact of the decisions we make about a whole range of things.
“Sustainability” is usually used in the context of environmental issues these days—for obvious reasons. Climate Change is the result of many previous and on-going decisions, intentional deferments of responsibility, and poor planning. It’s the cumulative effect of an energy economy that transfers carbon stored safely within the earth into the atmosphere where it traps heat and causes all kinds of problems. We’re deriving energy from sources that are both running out and causing damage as we use them. The meaning of “sustainability” is pretty clear in this context.
But sustainability is a consideration in all decision-making and planning. Regardless of the situation, a sustainable solution is one that can be maintained over time with a reasonable amount of effort while not continually diminishing the finite resources needed to keep going.
Sep 18, 2011
Ed Mullen
The Federal government is asking for your input and guidance. They are seeking input from the public, in particular those professionals who have deep know on the various aspects of content, search, usability, accessibility, social media, multilingual content, and online services.
The National Dialogue on Improving Federal Websites is a two-week online discussion of how the Federal government can better deliver information and services online. The dialogue will launch Monday, Sept. 19 at 2 pm ET and run until Friday, Sept. 30. You’ll be able to access it at: http://web-reform-dialogue.ideascale.com/. Please join in the discussion.
I will be participating as a “dialogue catalyst” to help keep the conversation moving. I’ll be trying to connect ideas and ask good questions; draw people into the conversation who may not already be in it. I’d appreciate if you do the same. Join in. Share what you’ve learned. And if you think particular people would add to the conversation, reach out and ask or contact me and I will.
You can also follow comments about the dialogue on Twitter using the hashtag #dotgov.
Sep 17, 2011
Ed Mullen
When you have a worldview that looks to solve the big, underlying issues, you start with the problem and seek the solution that will fix it. Too often I feel like those of us developing Internet-related products or businesses are not thinking big enough; aren’t moving us ahead in really consequential ways.
Dec 16, 2010
Ed Mullen
Chris Jordan’s amazing photographs of birds and the indigestible pieces of plastic that killed them are amazing in their efficient and potent storytelling.
Since I saw this series, I can not get them out of my head. Every time I see plastic in a gutter, I think about this. And that’s great.
Someone designed all those things. Someone used them. Some person lit dozens of cigarettes of that lighter. Someone took those caps of their soda. Maybe me.
View the full Midway: Message from the Gyre series.
Oct 18, 2010
Ed Mullen
Any time spent with the work of Charles and Ray Eames is time well spent. Especially their films. No one brought human warmth into cold Modernism like the Eames. I really can’t recommend The Films of Charles & Ray Eames enough. Goods (my favorite). Day of the Dead. House: After Five Years of Living. And of course, Powers of Ten.
A recent post by Jamer Hunt does a nice job of discussing how the ideas embodied in Powers of Ten can be applied to design problem solving on a practical level.