An Hour With Bill Buxton – MIX10

After spending a couple of hours with Rowan Simpson yesterday afternoon I found myself continually coming back to some of the things that Bill Buxton talked about in his hour Q&A at MIX10 in Las Vegas.

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At the more theoretical level, Bill discusses technology as a human prosthesis, but he favours metaphors that are as far away from technology as possible.

The Seattle Public Library and software building. How the team of architects, engineers and finance experts worked together to build the cantilevered, glass Seattle Public Central Library building should serve as a model of building technology products, Buxton said in an afternoon workshop Tuesday. He calls it BXT - business, experience and technology.

The Fosbury Flop and innovation. Dick Fosbury was the track athlete who pioneered doing the high jump head first and won the gold at the 1968 Olympics. Buxton said in an interview Monday, "He redefined [high] jumping. He didn't just win, he creamed the competition. He literally set the bar," Buxton said. "That's worthy of anything we're doing today. ... When I look at innovation, there's two approaches: One is accelerated evolution. ... The other is Fosbury. It's surprising obviousness."