tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post3111663170731741245..comments2023-10-21T10:06:30.080-05:00Comments on Communication Nation: The design philosophy of the AK-47Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08940621620133180202noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-28920675678040588342011-10-10T10:22:22.053-05:002011-10-10T10:22:22.053-05:00Well, this is about customers you have. Sometimes,...Well, this is about customers you have. Sometimes, you can simply apply Parot principle, sometimes you have to think deeply about reliability. In most cases I experienced, you have to amaze your customers, supply more then they demand, have a coherent vision behind product. <br />There is a nice post about that from Steve Denning here: http://www.agilia.cz/2011/09/steve-denning-agility-is-not-enough.htmlAdam Sobotkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07859476099912985983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-68466383449841748732011-06-16T17:24:33.143-05:002011-06-16T17:24:33.143-05:00Ti should also be noted that not only is the AK-47...Ti should also be noted that not only is the AK-47 a fantastic design, but it is / was paired with an equally well designed cartridge. <br /><br />Like the AK-47, the 7.62X39mm cartridge is a master peice of compromises:<br /><br />It is powerful enough to "knock down" opponents, it avoids over kill and is not so powerful that it cant be fired on automatic by a light weapon. <br /><br />Likewise, it is light and compact to the extent that a user can carry many rounds.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02513123520216407765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-74653989379405422082010-10-14T09:08:17.554-05:002010-10-14T09:08:17.554-05:00About the AK47 -- Terry Gross, host of NPR's &...About the AK47 -- Terry Gross, host of NPR's "Fresh Air" program, recently interviewed C.J. Chivers about his new book "The Gun" which provides a history of the AK47. It's a great interview. Google "AK47 Fresh Air" and you'll find it. Or try this link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130493013Tom Heckhttp://www.TomHeck.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-81110816112985779712010-04-24T16:08:34.761-05:002010-04-24T16:08:34.761-05:00Your AK-47 example is awesome. I will suggest tha...Your AK-47 example is awesome. I will suggest that you left out the one design consideration which is most widely applicable - the AK-47 was designed to be used by untrained people who could counted-on to fail to give it even the most basic maintenance. That is, the normal user of most things built, including nations.Les Dunawayhttp://blog.GrowingOrDying.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-46784916358433840862010-04-06T15:25:02.058-05:002010-04-06T15:25:02.058-05:00I am on the old version of blogger. To do this I w...I am on the old version of blogger. To do this I would lose all of the customization I did to my old template. Sorry but I don't have the time to do that.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08940621620133180202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-38765822988664363552010-04-06T15:13:27.631-05:002010-04-06T15:13:27.631-05:00Try this -
1. Go to blog dashboard
2. Select Layou...Try this -<br />1. Go to blog dashboard<br />2. Select Layout<br />3. In Layout - click on "Add Gadget"<br />4. In Gadgets options select basics<br />5. There is gadget "Blog Archive" - it is safe because it is provided by blogger itself.<br /><br />Setting image provided on this blog post are useful (you can ignore rest of the post) -<br />http://writingstudioblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/reminders-of-classwork-and-homework.html<br /><br />Hope this helps you. Sorry if I am spamming comments section of your blog with external links, please delete my comments in that case after you do the changes.Ashish Sarodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04178922163522511615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-1728753408229602962010-04-06T13:54:53.885-05:002010-04-06T13:54:53.885-05:00Sorry Ashish, I am afraid I don't have the tec...Sorry Ashish, I am afraid I don't have the technical skills to implement that. Unless you can give me some code that I can add to my blogger template.<br /><br />DaveAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08940621620133180202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-5076683460921071072010-04-06T13:32:41.122-05:002010-04-06T13:32:41.122-05:00Hi Dave,
Thank you for reply.
You can see this b...Hi Dave,<br /><br />Thank you for reply.<br /><br />You can see this blog as an example - <br />http://techieashish.blogspot.com/<br /><br />On the right side of page I see blog tree. Which shows old blogs in format =:<br />Year<br /> - Month<br /> -Entry name<br /><br /><br />This is good way to browse through someone's blog tree (specially when you have started following that person when 50 posts are already published). Google search on top of page is great tool - but it is useful for getting information about specific topic.Ashish Sarodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04178922163522511615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-56631279254732871512010-04-06T10:12:24.445-05:002010-04-06T10:12:24.445-05:00Hello Ashish -- I am not sure I know what "tr...Hello Ashish -- I am not sure I know what "tree format" is or how to make the change. But if you want to search old posts you can use the Google search at the top right of every page.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08940621620133180202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-40418862373847381072010-04-06T02:19:54.965-05:002010-04-06T02:19:54.965-05:00Hi Dave,
Your blog is great. I am enjoying most o...Hi Dave,<br /><br />Your blog is great. I am enjoying most of the posts.<br />One problem - it would be great if your provide old posts in tree format (it allows reader to read post name in archive section). One more poblem if I click on the title of the post nothing happens :(.Ashish Sarodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04178922163522511615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-50905760545381116872010-03-23T20:56:44.664-05:002010-03-23T20:56:44.664-05:00hmm...hired hand of industry in communist Russia -...hmm...hired hand of industry in communist Russia - make sense or NOT :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-64241849085114520652010-03-22T14:12:27.095-05:002010-03-22T14:12:27.095-05:00Thanks for your comment Sachin! On the day when no...Thanks for your comment Sachin! On the day when nothing I say is controversial and nobody's leaving comments on my blog, I will know that I have become truly boring. Till then I will keep doing what I am doing. Thanks for participating!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08940621620133180202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-73441219258086806952010-03-22T14:05:24.841-05:002010-03-22T14:05:24.841-05:00Dave... you just beat me in commenting on this one...Dave... you just beat me in commenting on this one from Alia. As I hit publish button, I see your response coming up in mail. <br />Well, I think like Jan, Alia too missed the point. Its seems to me a typical case of an activist missing the point in a hurry to raise a moralistic/ethical dirt! <br />I think AK-47 as an example was just to illustrate the "approach" to design than the "reason" for design itself!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13620492959452497249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-7258362828116542972010-03-22T13:52:10.906-05:002010-03-22T13:52:10.906-05:00Well Alia, I do believe that Kalashnikov did accom...Well Alia, I do believe that Kalashnikov did accomplish his goal -- to my knowledge Russia has not been invaded since 1947.<br /><br />I never expressed ethical ambivalence -- or indeed, any kind of ambivalence -- about anything. You and Jan both seem to have somehow constructed that idea. Jan's challenge and yours are based on either a misconception or misrepresentation of my ideas.<br /><br />Re: Drama vs. melodrama: Well that's a value judgment you are free to make. I happen to think you're overreacting.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08940621620133180202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-77345960005046529862010-03-22T13:15:20.404-05:002010-03-22T13:15:20.404-05:00I am posting this comment from Alia Noelle Lamaada...I am posting this comment from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/00020148944813635526" rel="nofollow">Alia Noelle Lamaadar</a> because I accidentally deleted it due to a VERY confusing Blogger interface (Are you listening Blogger?)<br /><br />The design brief could be better summed up as "easy enough that a child could use it". In which case, congratulations Kalashnikov, the estimated three hundred thousand child soldiers in the world are a real testament to the success of the design.<br /><br />'He was a tank mechanic who saw fellow soldiers and civilians gunned down and wanted to ensure that it would never happen again.' Did Kalashnikov succeed in ensuring this goal with his design? Isn't the unintended consequence of such a design that it merely compels more advanced methods of remote retaliation from the enemy and likely greater collateral damage?<br /><br />There is no ethical ambivalence about weapon design, at a stretch I can concede ethical naivete or outright ignorance. Jan's summation is astute and I think a noble challenge to you. <br /><br />Your example is not drama as you contend; it's melodrama. People don't remember melodrama, they remember inspiration. Surely it can't be that difficult to think of inspiring examples of design rather than glorifying weapons of mass destruction? <br /><br />Even as far as the design of the AK-47 goes, Kalishnakov's failure to consider the implications of his creation offers a frightening parable to designers. Though Kalashnikov blames politicians for allowing his design to become the weapon of choice for terrorists around the world, it seems to me unreasonable that he should not have understood the implications of such a weapon from the onset. <br /><br />This is the age-old lament of so many fathers to weapons of mass destruction. Gatling, Nobel, Oppenheimer, all regretted the impact that their designs had on the world and what their subsequent legacies became. <br /><br />There is most certainly a valuable design lesson in here, though I believe by painting in such dramatic brush strokes you have missed it. Perhaps, Eisenhower can do a better job: <br /><br />"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, and the hopes of its children."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08940621620133180202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-64151389976074976102010-03-06T12:27:56.845-06:002010-03-06T12:27:56.845-06:00Dave,
Great post, great response.
It would certa...Dave,<br /><br />Great post, great response.<br /><br />It would certainly be a better world if weapons like the AK-47 didn't exist because they weren't needed. <br /><br />We don't live in that world and until that changes, they at least need to reflect good, robust design which the Kalashnikov does.<br /><br /><i>Simple and well designed</i> is a philosophy I wish more folks would adopt--especially those designing presentations which are all-to-often pretty deadly!Dickhttp://rknisely.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-3920242420640325732010-03-03T08:39:48.497-06:002010-03-03T08:39:48.497-06:00Dave,
loved your post on design lessons from AK....Dave, <br /><br />loved your post on design lessons from AK. Have done a repost on my blog as well.. Thanks a lot ! <br /><br />http://detailtalk.org/blog/2010/03/03/the-design-philosophy-of-the-ak-47/Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13620492959452497249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-55459192122309921742010-02-20T18:17:42.955-06:002010-02-20T18:17:42.955-06:00Yes. We need more consideration for the end user i...Yes. We need more consideration for the end user in any consumer good, from blenders to software. It is often assumed that customers want more features, but sometimes we would rather have something that "just works".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-22481618002767268952010-02-18T14:23:51.572-06:002010-02-18T14:23:51.572-06:00Thoughtful post. Intriguing thoughts on the histor...Thoughtful post. Intriguing thoughts on the history of a weapon. But even better is the attitude you reveal about your audience. According to you, an audience deserves an engaging experience. Damn right.<br /><br />I especially liked this wrap up, "I would rather stir up a bit of controversy than subject an audience to slow, agonizing death with PowerPoint bullet points. And if you are speaking and I am in the audience, I hope you will do the same for me." Thanks.Don Moyerhttp://thoughtformdesign.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-36471218743622994212010-02-18T10:53:55.013-06:002010-02-18T10:53:55.013-06:00Fascinating story and well-written response to the...Fascinating story and well-written response to the critic. Definitely looking forward to more posts.bob tomorrowlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16109152608602163625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-13603273159304544912010-02-17T15:31:50.243-06:002010-02-17T15:31:50.243-06:00Great response. I believe you both have two great ...Great response. I believe you both have two great arguments, but I understand your point fully and agree begrudgingly with you even though I was first pulled in by Jan's observation.Nicolettehttp://millscom.com/expandable-phone-system/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-69030694150454293272010-02-15T16:52:43.387-06:002010-02-15T16:52:43.387-06:00The AK-47 is a brilliant illustration of good desi...The AK-47 is a brilliant illustration of good design. It's also a good example of marketing since it relayed your point in a memorable manner.<br /><br />Well done IMHO.Michael Daehnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09669733704405996757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-33709508448899014232010-02-15T16:18:17.268-06:002010-02-15T16:18:17.268-06:00"Design simple things that are rugged, reliab..."Design simple things that are rugged, reliable, simple and easy to use; things that work even when conditions are chaotic; things that work even when they are mostly broken."<br /><br />How much easier would our lives be if THIS was more often the design brief. Yes, I love beautiful elegant designs, but not at the expense of usability. If that gorgeous kitchen tool doesn't function the way I need it to, then it becomes just "stuff" that clutters up the place no matter how beautiful the lines may be and what design awards it may have won.Chris Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03798446494715565700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15650481.post-19598126498379393612010-02-15T16:09:40.789-06:002010-02-15T16:09:40.789-06:00...applause
Great entry!...applause<br /><br />Great entry!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961452623661622904noreply@blogger.com