Learning

Three things I know

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos’ tells everything he knows:

1. Obsess over customers: when given the choice between obsessing over competitors or customers, always obsess over customers. Start with customers and work backward.

2. Invent: you can invent your way out of any box if you believe you can. Invent on behalf of your customers -it’s not a customer’s job to invent on to themselves. Listen to customers but know they can’t tell you everything.

3. Think long term: any company that wants to focus on customers has to be willing to think long term. Many initiatives may take 5-7 years to pan out for a company. Thinking long term allows you to be misunderstood. Most inventions take a while to be appreciated.

John Wooden TED Talk

Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden talks about how to succeed with dignity by learning from others and performing to the best of your abilities.

For those interested, here’s the Pyramid of Success he developed that he mentions in his talk.

Programming, design and business tips

Particletree, from the creators of Wufoo, a fantastic online form service. Lots of interesting articles, ranging from Seven Pillars of Pretty Code, to the 4 1/2 Day Workweek.

Javascript and screen readers

A good explanation of how screen readers function, along with methods for making pages more accessible when using javascript to update elements.

ADA Compliance Guide

Comprehensive ADA compliance guide and checklist from Cal Poly’s Web Authoring Resource Center.