Tag: information

Texts from School

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My daughter’s high school (where I teach) has a new software program this year called Parent Square. It’s an app/service that allows school messages to be delivered more consistently, more immediately, and (unfortunately) more often.

During our training meeting where the administration sung the app’s praises I couldn’t help but think like an economist: oh this is too easy.

We all want to be informed parents. Or do we? Do parents want to know everything going on their children’s lives?

Regardless of if we want it (I don’t think we should) – we can’t!

Around the same time as my frustration with so many notifications, Kris Abdelmessih was asked about how to be a trader. He gives helpful advice. He’s a great writer, a good dad, super smart, and kind online. But part of kindness is honesty, he wrote:

“It’s gonna sound maybe harsh, but I tend to think that if you’re gonna figure it out, you just kind of are. You’re gonna find what to read; you’re gonna find the right things. And it’s like, if you’re unable to do that meta work, you’re just not cut out for it.”

Don’t bring information to a design fight. Want to change behaviors? Make it easier to people to take actions. Want to not change behaviors? Give people (more) information about the world. The ones who want it will get it.

How shiny is your noise?

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How shiny is your noise? How much does it glitter? How bright are the sparkles?

Does your noise ring like a bell? Does it sing brightly?

It’s not that noise. That other noise is dreary and harsh. It’s easy to note, notice, and avoid.

But that light tune? Our daily bread. Yes, with peaks and valleys but present thru the seasons.

It’s a trickster.

Our big beautiful bright noise. The one that sparkles, glitters, and shines. The lovely taste. The perk and pleasure. It tricks us.

It tricks us to think it’s a signal. It’s not – it’s just shiny.

There are two types of noise.

There’s the loud, brash, refreshed but not refreshing version. Like other obvious ills, easy to steer clear. But it’s the other noise that gets us. The other noise won’t tell you the truth but the truth is: it’s what you know that ain’t so. It’s noise. It doesn’t look like “noise”, it doesn’t sound like noise (it goes by names like “information”), but noise it is.

Assemble the forces. Garrison the powers. It is this noise we must block. This noise is insidious.

My noise sings. My noise is a ringing bell. But it’s noise – when all I want is signal.