If the social object is sometimes the representation of an act, then perhaps the focus should be on the act, and on interaction practices, less on the object. The act of recognizing a friend’s birthday by gifting a graphic beer mug is a better explanation of the user activity. The object is merely a representational vehicle by which the activity is sedimented into a mediated, visible, socially recognizable form.
Walter Isaacson’s book about Steve Jobs includes some unflattering quotes about Google and Android, but it also explains Larry Page’s decision to close many Google products and to create a cohesive interface for Google. After announcing that it will become Google’s CEO, Larry Page met Steve Jobs, “who lived less than three blocks away”, and asked for tips on how to be a good CEO. Here’s how Steve Jobs described the meeting:
We talked a lot about focus. And choosing people. How to know who to trust, and how to build a team of lieutenants he can count on. I described the blocking and tackling he would have to do to keep the company from getting flabby and being larded with B players. The main thing I stressed was focus. Figure out what Google wants to be when it grows up. It’s now all over the map. What are the five products you want to focus on? Get rid of the rest, because they’re dragging you down. They’re turning you into Microsoft. They’re causing you to turn out products that are adequate but not great.
— Steve Jobs’ bio
RU: How do you recover from losing your “flow”—when you’re in the middle of a presentation?
DA: Great question, this happens from time to time. Not everyone notices it—but I know when I’ve lost optimal flow. What I do is look to the audience and find someone who is highly engaged. I focus on that person even though they probably never know it. I take that energy and bring it back into the presentation. This usually works and I regain my footing. I often find that I’m only as good as my audience. But I’ve been pretty fortunate to have some good ones
Вы никогда не задумывались над тем, что каждая хорошо сыгранная роль – это не только чудо перевоплощения, но и ломка собственной индивидуальности?
Тем не менее это так. А любая ломка, пусть даже добровольная и щедро вознаграждаемая успехом и признанием, это, по существу, травма, после которой нужно восстанавливаться.
— Украденный сон - А.М.
