ScaryNoises Blog

Author: Brad Becker

  • Steven Sinofsky: Microsoft’s controversial Mr. Windows

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    Brad Becker
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    This pretty much outlines why I didn’t blog for my last couple years at Microsoft…

  • Error 37 is a UX fail and a PR Win

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    Brad Becker
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    #Error37 is trending as a top term on twitter right now. What is that? It’s the error code for the recently released Diablo III game from Blizzard. And it’s a total UX fail. Twelve years in the making, they say, and yet they didn’t implement a waiting queue? It’s 2012 and the best they could…

  • Pixel-Perfect.

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    Brad Becker
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    ustwo, an agency in the UK, recently released a great little guide for working with pixel-aligned imagery when using photoshop. It also has some other good tips that are worth reading before pushing pixels around.

  • Solarized

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    Brad Becker
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    Over at Ethan Schoonover’s site, he has a very useful color palette set up for code hinting. This particular palette uses 16 colors designed to look pleasing, reduce eye fatigue, and remain appropriately legible, whether used with a light or dark background. http://ethanschoonover.com/solarized

  • PR goes to the dogs

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    Brad Becker
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    So in moving from Microsoft to tech startup buuteeq there was a press release and some coverage in various trade journals and websites. I knew one of the Microsoft-focused journalists might pick up on it related to the fate of Silverlight which would be understandable with the Build conference happening. What I didn’t expect was…

  • Leaving Microsoft

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    Brad Becker
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    Today, six years to the day that I started at Microsoft, I’m leaving.

  • UX design for startups

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    Brad Becker
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    I like this adaption of the Lean Startup ideas for UX design with the pivot that you should start the process with learning before building. It’s a very typical dev temptation to code first and ask questions later. A temptation worth resisting unless you like to throw away code. I also agree that paired design…

  • A Typography Primer

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    Brad Becker
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    This is a great little starter tutorial on the considerations for typography. It discusses how size, color, font face selection, and other choices lead to better typographic contrast and readability.

  • Jonas Brothers Vs. Hanson

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    Brad Becker
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    So why in the world am I mentioning an article about Hanson and the Jonas Brothers? Because my old band, Admiral Twin, is mentioned in there. Now I can finally say we were written about in Rolling Stone. 🙂 Jonas Brothers Vs. Hanson: How the Bands of Brothers Match Up : Rolling Stone : Rock…

  • Silverlight helps jobhunters

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    Brad Becker
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    Found this article that says half of IT jobseekers still find work quickly. Favorite quote: The survey found that the most in-demand skills are in software development and testing–in particular, those with experience of agile programming, Scrum methodology, and Microsoft’™s .Net, Silverlight and SharePoint tools. Business analysis and project management expertise are also proving popular.…