The UX patterns established in 1980s-era video game arcades are all around us today. — We can trace so much of our relationship with digital devices back to the video arcades of 40 years ago. Seriously. In fact, it’s difficult to really talk about dark or gray patterns in UX today because of subtle (and not so subtle) patterns that began in gaming’s origin story. Pitfalls and Pole Positions …

Glenn Yu is cofounder and CEO of Melange, a company building prediction markets that help financial institutions see the future. How did you come up with the name Melange for your company? In Dune, the spice melange is a drug that lets you see the future. It’s the most valuable commodity in the universe because it’s what enables humanity to navigate the…

New Year, New You At the start of each year, so many of us make a list of things we want to do or do differently for the new year. A regular favorite in the resolutions department is to “work out more” or “go to the gym more.” Beyond the resolutions, the fitness industry…

15 essential, go-to resources recommended for designers and the creatively curious. — Happy 2023 — it’s a new year and the perfect time to reinvest in yourself. While some may go to a gym, I encourage designers to head to their bookshelf (after the gym). In my house, I have a single area in our family’s bookshelf dedicated to design and design-related…

Brandon is Team Lead & Senior Software Engineer, Domains for Squarespace. — What’s a tech buzzword you wish would go away? You know, one that really bothers me is “cloud” because I think it’s a marketing term for people who aren’t necessarily in tech. Something being “in the cloud” really just means it exists on the internet, on a server somewhere. Buzzwords sell. But really, you’re just paying for space. You’re…

March 11, 2022 Edition 696 Keeping Our 50,000 NYC Tech Industry Readers Informed and Connected __________________ — 1. Employees of NYC’s Better.com found out this week that they were being laid off by seeing a severance check in their Workday account — the company’s payroll app. An estimated 3,000 of the company’s 8,000 employees in the U.S. and India are being let go. (TechCrunch) 2. NYC’s Alfred…

Part 2: NFTs, non-linear viewing, facial recognition, personalization, and trans athletes. — NFTs Look, sports business and tech people love NFTs. LOVE. Deloitte says there could be over $2 billion in sports-related NFT sales this year. Money is now, as described in this nice Vox piece, a hobby and dude-centric personality aid. However, there’s a tinge (maybe more of a twinge) of skepticism…

Part 1: Private equity cash, skyrocketing valuations, real word venues, and metaverse dreams. — Sloan was celebratory this year, with good reason. Covid is winding down (kinda), teams are valued exponentially higher than they were 10 years ago, and cash is everywhere. Cash to play with blockchain, NFTs, brick and mortar and virtual expansion, new hardware, wagering initiatives, and all kinds of other fun…

Stu is the co-founder and managing partner of Core77, a New York-based publishing company focusing on the design industry. — What’s your favorite wall decoration in your home? There are two posters in my office from the National Park Service with a vintage feel. They’re silkscreens, one’s from the Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood, and the other’s from the Grand Canyon, and I like them a lot. My kids like them too.