Must-read: "We Are Sorry to Inform You" —

Steve Gill just mailed me link to this video of a phone setup and user manual by @vitaminsdesign just lovely design!

Fantastic post on innovation by @VodkaPundit: via @javaun

RT @oulasvirta: New post: Germany - the Wunderkind of HCI?

A must-read.

Mooie column. “In sommige bedrijven laten managers zich maar al te graag omringen door ja-knikkers.”

RT @Dries: Seth Godin: The warning signs of defending the status quo.

The Patent Pledge:

Your keys can be copied from a picture taken 60m away ~

The Solar Sinter project. Wow.

RT @inadarei: The dangers of taking what [potential] customers tell you they want at the face value:

@StevenHouben Reminds me of your Tangible Jukebox #MPC project of last year: /cc @kluyten

Let’s Compete on Innovation Rather Than Patents by @vwadhwa

Don Norman: "I do not know of a single radical innovation that has come from the people who do design research."

RT @gkob: just posted: "Startups: Europe vs. Silicon Valley"

Wired.co.uk: Mapnificent is the transit map mash-up we've been dreaming of.

The 21st-century textbook

Commercial entities have no advantage in releasing concept products the likes of which they hope to subsequently sell. If the conceptual piece truthfully captures their “best” it can only tell their competitors how advanced they are and where they fall short. If it camouflages their true capabilities in an effort to mislead their competitors, then what value is it to others? In fact, the intention to mislead competitors is really the only effective reason for a commercial entity to publicly release concept products.

Apple would gain nothing from telegraphing its intentions and capabilities by releasing public conceptual products. The company is being more than prudent by not displaying their unconstrained fantasies to competitors, media, investors or customers.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, this inexorably leads us to Kontra’s law:

A commercial company’s ability to innovate is inversely proportional to its proclivity to publicly release conceptual products.