Big Trek from Big Tech

I spend a great deal of time evaluating tools that can replace the Big Tech variants that mistreat us. This includes services that just make my online life easier, with bonus points for small, friendly and sustainable.

Data Shadows in Government Erase Human Worth

We find ourselves in a situation where the authorities have heaps of information about you as a citizen, and you don't know what this information is, whether it is correct or what it is being used for. Do the authorities themselves know?

Typewriter design we still rely on

What did the SHIFT key really shift and why do computer programmers still have to care about carriages? Learn all about it, and why the original Qwerty layout didn't offer keys for the digits one and zero.

Bluesky and the Power of Your Own Domain Name

With the option of using your own domain name as a username, Bluesky becomes extra appealing.

Fake QR code in a car park

I often warn people about QR codes, but it's easier to understand the seriousness of these warnings when you can clearly see what a scam looks like. Here is a film I was given the okay to use for educational purposes (with my voiceover). In the video a

Back to work

On Monday October 14 it's been eight weeks since my open heart surgery. This means that my sick leave comes to an end and I'm back to work at my regular capacity.

"Regular capacity" might be pushing it a bit. I obviously feel a

QR code hijacking can divert donations to criminals

QR codes are immensely popular but also immensely open to fraud when they are used in public spaces and forums. Hijacking donations is one example of how bad actors can take advantage of your reliance on QR codes.

Heart surgery logistics and Therblig moments

On the art of focusing on design as a strategy to avoid thinking about the drama of reconstructive heart surgery and a new mechanical heart valve.

Barbie with a white cane highlights important behind-the-scenes work

When you read the news that Mattel is launching a blind Barbie with a white cane, note that the doll was developed with organizations and people who are experts in, and themselves have, visual impairments.

Mattel also organized play sessions for children with visual impairments as part of product development.

My tender heart and I

I'm in the process of preparing for open heart surgery. It's an elaborate procedure where I'll get a new mechanical heart valve and also replace about 6-7 centimeters of the aorta. This is followed by sick leave and rehabilitation with, among other things, breathing

AI Trial and Evaluation Worksheet

Many people are telling me how their companies are running tests of AI tools. This in itself is not strange at all. It's probably difficult as a leader today not to feel stressed by the manufacturers of AI promising revolutionary abilities that will radically change all of business

Generative AI can not generate its way out of prejudice

The concept of "generative" suggests that the tool can produce what it is asked to produce. In a study uncovering how stereotypical global health tropes are embedded in AI image generators, researchers found it challenging to generate images of Black doctors treating white children. They used Midjourney, a

On Nielsen's ideas about generative UI for resolving accessibility

"Accessibility has failed as a way to make computers usable for disabled users." Thus begins a newsletter by Jakob Nielsen. And had it not been written by someone a great many people take seriously in the UX industry I likely would just have dismissed it. But seeing how

ChatGPT 4 fails at solving a Captcha and progress is slow

An image of ChatGPT solving a captcha was spread far and wide recently. The most beautiful thing about the image is of course that it hadn't solved the Captcha. This made it a fantastic stepping stone for talking about the many illusions of technological advancement.

EU AI Act timeline

There are many checkpoints for the EU AI Act to pass through before it becomes legislation and before the law is applicable for all types of AI tools. While we are getting closer to a final vote in the European Parliament, there is some confusion as to when the law