Microsoft Office user interface blog

I mentioned last month that Microsoft is overhauling the user interface of the next version of Office. Now member of the Office user experience team, Jensen Harris, has a blog all about Office’s UI, both its past and its future. It contains some good insight into how Office’s UI has evolved, how they are designing the new UI, and what issues they’ve already run into while testing it.

Ubicomp city

From the New York Times:

A ubiquitous city is where all major information systems (residential, medical, business, governmental and the like) share data, and computers are built into the houses, streets and office buildings. New Songdo, located on a man-made island of nearly 1,500 acres off the Incheon coast about 40 miles from Seoul, is rising from the ground up as a U-city.

Sounds like a ubicomp researcher’s dream.

Hillary’s journey to the center

What’s Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton doing hanging out with Newt Gingrich, co-sponsoring bills with Rick Santorum and Bill Frist? Pundits say that she’s drifting to the center in preparation for a presidential candidacy. But Matt Bai argues in the New York Times that she is being true to her ideology, shaped by a Methodist upbringing in the suburbs of Chicago.

Vasona Light Rail line

On Saturday, Jonathan and I went to the grand opening of the Vasona Light Rail line, which runs from downtown San Jose to Campbell [photos]. It was packed. At 11, they started the speeches. I leaned over and saw the schedule — there were a lot of politicians lining up for their turn. We decide to skip the chitchat and ride the trains themselves. First, from the Downtown Campbell station, we headed north. The train was faster than I expected; it was a smooth ride, and as Jon pointed out, a lot quieter than BART. (Granted, it’s also slower.) We got off at the Convention Center station, then waited about 20 minutes to take a Winchester train back. We took it to the end of the line, and then arrived back at the downtown Campbell stop at 12:30. And they were still talking.

But soon they were done, and then we hit the free food stands (grad student instincts). But it was a little chaotic, so we didn’t get enough for lunch. Instead, we went to nearby Sam’s Barbeque. Jon immediately decided on the beef brisket, which brings back good memories for him, while I went for the pork shoulder. That’s mighty good eatin’!

A follow-up: Looks like the new light rail line is off to a good start.

Cupertino’s 50th birthday

[Logo for Cupertino's 50th Anniversary Celebration]Yesterday I went to the festival celebrating Cupertino’s Golden Jubilee at the Civic Center. I spent most of my time at “History Lane,” which had nice exhibits on Cupertino’s past, starting from the Ohlone Indians, through Elisha “Stevens Creek” Stephens, the vineyards, the orchards, the Cali Bros. Mill, and finally the development boom of the 1960s and 70s. A lot of people crowded around the aerial photos capturing that development. [photos] By the way, it’s scary to think that my family has lived in Cupertino for almost one-third of its existence as a city.

Guadalupe River and Los Gatos Creek parks

Two weeks ago, Michael and his two brothers joined me in the grand opening of the Guadalupe River Park. It’s a somewhat odd juxtaposition of greenery, urban and suburban landscape, and the sounds of jets landing at San Jose International Airport, but it is a nice respite in the heart of San Jose, and I’m sure it’s much better than what was there before. [photos] After all the talking I’ve heard over the years, I was glad to finally see it finished. Sort of.It turns out that the section between Julian Street and Coleman Avenue is bisected by a railroad, and it was closed off at the railroad the next day while a bypass was being planned. Meanwhile, another section between Santa Clara and San Fernando Streets was also closed off the next day for Highway 87 construction. Also, not all of the signs have been put in yet, which led us astray a few times. But it was a nice day and there was a huge turnout.

The next week, I shoved my bicycle into the back seat of my car and drove to downtown, where I rode in as much of the Guadalupe River Park as I could, and then went over to the Los Gatos Creek Trail, which stretches from Willow Glen, through Campbell and Los Gatos, to the Lexington Reservoir. [photos] This is an ideal bike trail for me: nice scenery, relatively flat, long, and virtually no cross traffic. Did I mention it’s flat? It also passes through a few large parks, and in Oak Meadow Park, I saw something I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of before: a miniature railroad. The Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad was opened in 1943 and inspired Walt Disney to build his own miniature railroad in Disneyland. Fun for the whole family! And the trains were packed.

Instead of going up to the reservoir, I decided to stop in downtown Los Gatos. I browsed through the History Museum of Los Gatos, located in Forbes Mill Annex, ate lunch at Pizza My Heart, and then headed back. At the end of the trail in Willow Glen, I couldn’t take much more cycling, so I biked over to the Tamien light rail station and took it through downtown San Jose, and then biked back to my car, shaving about 4 miles. It was worth it, especially since I brought my Eco Pass — no fare needed! Woohoo!

Two sides to Li Ao’s visit to China

Li Ao, a Taiwanese politician who favors unification (or reunification, depending on your political slant) with mainland China, is currently touring the mainland. China’s official Xinhua news agency proudly points out how Li has thanked the Chinese Communist Party for bringing prosperity and military power to China, adding, “Only the Communist Party of China is capable of doing this.”

Meanwhile, the New York Times focuses on Li Ao’s criticism of the Communists. It reports that Li Ao “chided China’s leaders for suppressing free speech, ridiculed the university administration’s fear of academic debate and advised students how to fight for freedom against official repression.”

The Taipei Times is just happy Li Ao can be his own, kooky self, provoking both Taiwan and China.