The Kalashnikov as good design (and good story-telling)

A great post by Dave Gray, not only making the case for the AK-47 as a great example of good design (designed for the real world), but also explaining how talking about an assault rifle probably makes for a better presentation than some less-dramatic example.

Mr. Tufte goes to Washington

From the BusinessWeek Innovation and Design blog:

President Obama Appoints Edward Tufte – Big Victory for Data Visualization And Transparent Government

For those unfamiliar with Mr. Tufte, he has written a few seminal books on presenting information and is one of the strongest advocates for clarity and purpose in all sorts of information and presentation design. He also teaches an excellent one-day course on presenting data (highly recommended).

His appointment to the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel is a good thing for more transparency and usefulness in government.

Congratulations Edward.

Hello, I'm back

Sorry for the long absence. Just saw another fairly edgy band close Letterman, and it got me thinking. Even though Dave presents himself as a middle-of-the-road midwest guy, his actions (as least as far as music is concerned) usually support up-and-coming bands. And it occasionally surprises people, even long-time fans like me. I found myself just now thinking “wow, that's different.” 

So... how can you jiggle your audiences expectations? Given your audience, are there things you can do that (like Dave) not only shake people’s expectations about you, but also give them insight into your values?