Tales of Hoffman

Gel Conference Posts Marc Salem Video -- Real Life "The Mentalist"

I've written in the past about the excellent Gel Conference put on by Mark Hurst and his Good Experience Crew. It is, hands down, the most fun, edifying and different conference you will go to in any given year. About two years ago (wow, two years already?), I went to Gel for the second time and one of the speakers made such an impression on me that I have been speaking about this talk for -- basically -- 24 months.

This 20 minute talk by Marc Salem, the "Mentalist", was entertaining, mind-boggling and unbelievable, all at the same time. In much the same way it is difficult to describe the overall Gel Conference in a quick elevator pitch, it's also impossible to fully describe what Marc Salem can do.

Now, finally, I don't have to describe it anymore, because the kind folks at Gel (thanks, Mark!) have posted a video of the full 20 minute talk on their site. I know you see a ton of links to videos posted every day that are "must see", so you're thinking, "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Please, though, at least bookmark this one for later viewing. After all, would I have come out of blog retirement to post this, if I didn't think it was truly outstanding?

Check it out, and think about attending the upcoming Gel in the Spring. I still think it's better than 95.4% of all other conferences.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Is this thing on?

Now Twittering

I'm struggling finding time to post here. I've got a one or two other side projects going on (one involving fielding a soccer team of twelve 9-year olds, otherwise known as herding cats) that are just sucking up all "have a thought, develop a thought, post cogently" time.

So, I'm trying to communicate what few thoughts I have on Twitter for now. Quicker method, less time, interesting model. Not sure how long that will hold, but in the absence of posts here, feel free to follow me at twitter.com/stevehoff

I'm sure I'll come back here when things calm down a bit. I do like the longer form of posting....

Spongebob Does the Classics

(via boingboing) As part of the Annie Awards (animation's version of the Oscars), the cast of Spongebob Squarepants created a video where they did pitch perfect overdubs of Casablanca, Singing in the Rain and The Godfather to "prove" that they should not be typecast as Spongebob, Squidward, Patrick and Sandy. I'd say they proved their point. Fantastic!

UPDATE: gone from YouTube, but I found a mirror on CollegeHumor. Here it is...for as long as it lasts...

Breaking the Web's "Fourth Wall"

In theater, when an actor turns to the audience and goes all "meta" by acknowledging their presence and talking to them, it's called "breaking the fourth wall". Although many websites take this approach in their writing (Fake Steve Jobs, for instance is fake, but we know it and so does he, etc.), you rarely see this done through interface design.

Here's a great example (via Mark Hurst's Good Experience), from a Dutch retailer called HEMA. Just let the page load, then wait for it. Creative, funny and cool.

A Bit Too Observant...if you ask me.

What kind of man not only takes the time to note that the latest Jonas Brothers video is incredibly identical to a classic Bon Jovi video, but then also chooses to post that observation publicly (Complete with embedded YouTube videos for full documentation)?

The kind of man with two young daughters. ;-) I can't say I blame him. I've often sat on the couch comparing Drake & Josh episodes to the Odd Couple.

Go on over to I Think This World is Perfect and check it out. Check the other posts out too -- it's one of my favorite reads.

Chuck Klosterman on the Perfect Patriots

I've written glowingly about Chuck Klosterman's writing before (Was that really in 2003? Almost five years ago? What happened to all that time??). Here's an article by Klosterman that shouldn't be missed about the Patriots, Perfection, and what happens if they lose. Man, I wish I could write like this.

I "Love" This Blog

I get a giggle from this every day.

Replay > Album: The Nightfly

I don't really write about music that much on this blog (putting aside the fact that recently, I don't really write about anything much on this blog), and for those that really know me, that's probably a surprise. Music has always been such a big part of my life -- playing it, recording it, listening to it -- that I figure if I'm going to make a go of this "posting most days" thing I may as well try to develop some regular features.

So here's the launch of a semi-regular feature titled "Replay > Album". This is inspired by a review I read this week of Donald Fagen's The Nightfly in the Wall Street Journal (the link should get you there, but if it's behind the pay wall, blame Rupert Murdoch, not me). Each of the posts in this series will take a look at an album or song that at one point in my life was a little mini-obsession. The type of album that you listen to over and over again until it becomes part of the fabric of your life. And then, when you listen to it again, much later, it's like an old friend, or a really worn in sweatshirt, or a favorite dish that your mom made. It simultaneously makes you feel warm and fuzzy while bringing you back to the time you first experienced it. Since I'm making this up as I go along here, give me a chance to develop this idea a bit.

Released in 1982, this album was the first release by Fagan following the breakup of Steely Dan. As a sax player, Steely Dan in the late 70's-early 80's was, of course, one of my favorites (there will probably be at least one other Dan album in this series for sure). At the time, Fagan was known for having incredibly exacting standards in the studio. Looking for just the right sound, just the right mix. Freed of the obligations of being a member of a "band" (read: now without having to listen to Walter Becker), it seemed that The Nightfly was the apatheosis of Fagan's approach. The studio is Fagan's ultimate instrument

In terms of tone, the album has a sweetness to it that offsets the cynical nature most of the Steely Dan canon, as Fagan draws on his youth in the early 60's for inspiration lyrically and musically. There's a jaunty feeling to many of the songs, starting with the bouncy semi-hit I.G.Y. that kicks off the album.

The album moves on through the smooth, driving Green Flower Street and the shuffle of Ruby Baby (dig the piano solo that throws in the little Thelonius Monk flourishes!), before arriving at my personal favorite, Maxine.

Maxine combines Four Freshman-style singing with harmonies only a Dan Fan could appreciate (see this fantastic piece on SteelyDan.com that I have to assume was written by Fagan or Becker on their famous Moo Major Chord, one of the main building blocks of their distinctive sound) and features a tenor solo by Michael Brecker that ecapsulates his melodic, yet somehow not quite in-the-chord approach. I spent many a time hitting repeat on the CD player to try to "get" this solo. It remains one of my favorite sax moments on record. To this particular college freshman, this could have been the ulitmate love song.

The second side of the album (sides?! Albums had sides!), makes its way through the slightly ironic optimism of New Frontier and the askew and angular The Nightfly before closing out with the pseudo cha-cha of The Goodbye Look and the "just for kicks" Walk Between the Raindrops. As an aside (and as you've figured out, this whole thing is asides isn't it?), I once saw Mel Torme perform live in NY and couldn't have been happier than when he did The Goodbye Look. How about that? Mel Torme singing Donald Fagan! The stars aligned on that one.

Album: The Nightfly
Artist: Donald Fagan
Year: 1982
Favorite Song: Maxine
Best Lyric: It's a toss up! From New Frontier: " Have you got a steady boyfriend, Cause honey I've been watching you, I hear you're mad about Brubeck, I like your eyes, I like him too" From The Goodbye Look: "Wake up darling -- they're knocking -- the Colonel's standing in the sun, With his stupid face, the glasses, and the gun"
Most Likely Location While Listening: The production studios at WNYT radio station, New York Institute of Technology

Gordon Ramsey's Advice for Coders

Here's one that's been sitting in my "to blog" pile for a long time, and probably would have been more pertinent to post when Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares was still on the air in the Fall, but it was too good to not post.

Those smart cookies over at 37Signals had a post in their blog (way back in November!) comparing the advice that Ramsey gives to failing restaurants with what they think are wrong with too many applications/sites out there. And they are "spot on" (as Ramsey would say).

Almost all Ramsey’s cases feature an overstuffed menu derived from a misguided notion that more choice is always better and that making every dish under the sun will broaden the appeal of the restaurant. The first order for the cuisine is to trim the choices and go from thirty-some dishes to ten or twelve.

Compare this to a piece of software overflowing with features. None of them particularly tasty, none of them particularly well done, all of them burdening the user with a learning curve and all of them cluttering the interface to the point of mediocracy.

You don’t tickle patron’s taste buds by all the dishes you can make that they don’t eat and you don’t delight users by spreading yourself thin over all the features they won’t use.

Get yourself over to the original post at Signal vs. Noise, What Gordon Ramsey Could Teach Software Developers to read more. And as an extra bonus, enjoy this excerpt from Kitchen Nightmares that illustrates the concept perfectly. Watch Ramsey's reactions...priceless.