The Wilson Project Blog of UX/Front-End Developer Ivan Wilson

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  • EOF

    I wanted to write something before this year ended. It took 18 months between the last two entries.

    But right now, there’s nothing to write about anymore. I started the blog in 2009. This site was already up in April 2001. There were a lot of exciting things going on in my front-end development. Then IxD. Then UX and IA. But I was still, at the core, a front-end developer.

    Someone once told me in New Orleans, “It’s all fun until the frat boys come over!”.

    Well, they came into tech, and now it’s a mess. And it seems like it’s just too much for people to clean up—a big change from 2016, when I was successful and seemed to have a bright future. I’m OK, but things have changed, and the tech scene isn’t the best place to be right now. I’m at the age, as well as some of my other friends, where we’re looking at more things older adults are looking at, especially towards ending our careers in tech and moving on.

    Other things in tech are moving on. I used to go to An Event Apart conference – the last time in 2016.

    Then, it ended last year. After 17 years. Lots of memories (and lunch boxes).

    I finally attended an IxDA Interaction conference (online this time) after an 11-year absence. I was looking at this year’s conference, but it was canceled due to financial reasons.

    Update (6/16/24) – IxDA (Interaction Design Association) makes announcement about its future amid serious financial issues

    Right now, my relationship with tech is different than it was 15-20 years ago. And the world has changed, not necessarily for the better. But right now, I can’t write anything. At least, not tech or job-related. I’ve even left Twitter after 14 years. And it may be the start of a slow departure from social media – I’ve lived a life before it, and I’ll live a good life after it. I’ll still do my job to the best of my abilities.

    But for this blog…well…I think this is the best explanation…

  • 2021

    I started the year with this statement and music –

    Le futur c’est maintenant.
    Certains seront laissés pour compte.

    Edgard Varèse – Intégrales (1923 – 1925)
    https://youtu.be/-8B7XAH3oNc

    Ending the year with this combination –

    J’ai commencé à chercher le futur et j’ai fini par chercher encore le futur…

    Sir Michael Tippett – The Mask of Time (1982)
    https://youtu.be/z8noOg8E1sI?t=205

    Everything in-between is a bit of a blur.

  • Graduation Day

    Today is June 15, 2021.

    Nothing special about today. Except for the reminders. The ones that are in front and above my desk as I work remotely.

    The picture of me with the cap and grow and two tassels (one for each major). And the smile that could have solved the worlds’ energy problems for the next century.

    And then, the piece of high-quality paper with my full name, signifying that I graduated from the University of Oregon.

    On June 15, 1996.

    Yes. It’s been twenty-five years since I stepped onto Hayward Field, heard Ann Curry give the graduation speech, and formally finished my undergraduate studies. End of college.

    But everyone remembers how they got there and everything else that took place. For me, it was a long road, involving another school called WPI, which I still have good memories of. Especially since started my studies there as well as fencing. But college ended years later at UO and my years in Eugene, Oregon during the mid-90s are a big part of my life, as well as some really good memories as well.

    But…25 years…

    A lot of things have changed since then. I’m seeing kids that I knew as toddlers are now graduating from high school or in the process of thinking about college. I took a side trip to Eugene on my way to Vancouver in September 2017. Needless to say, the school has been doing a lot with Philp Knight’s money! New buildings, buildings that I went to renovated, etc.

    And I just missed getting the last glimpse of the original structure of Hayward Field before its complete renovation – it was already flattened and cleared when I got there. It’s up and running with various athletics events and more so with next week’s Olympic trials.

    So it’s been 25 years. Yes, the world has changed. I’ve changed. I could say that it’s surprising but it’s more about amazement than anything else.

     

    And. I don’t have anything else to say.

  • No. You Don’t Have To Do Anything. Really.

    Before (lots of online) conferences and getting a new job after a year and a month of unemployment, I said the following because a lot of people, including me, were feeling this pressure unduly put on us during the pandemic.

    If someone asks you “What have you done during the past year?” and they’re putting you down for not doing enough in their squirrelly little minds,

    You’ve earned the permission to say “F*** you!”
    #JustSaying

    @iwilsonjr (9:47 PM · Apr 5, 2021) – https://twitter.com/iwilsonjr/status/1379249406050983939

    Now, this may not be as gentle as it could be. However, comic Amber Ruffin had a less confrontational way of saying the same thing:

  • Starting Point

    Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small.
    A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
    – Lao Tzu