Wishing a Happy Festivus to all!

Seems a new trend is surfacing on that big cyber area of connected wires called the Internet. Seems people who use it often are beginning to suffer from what’s being called “Mouse Rage Syndrome“.

According to the Social Issues Research Centre in the UK, the condition can have a negative impact on the cardio system, along with the immune and nervous systems.

So you may be wondering, “What causes MRS?” It can be as simple as poorly designed web sites, along with those hosted on poorly equiped or out-dated servers, causing an increase in download time. Adding more frustration to the condition are sites with poor navigation, pop-ups, pesky banner advertising and the dreaded 404 Error message.

So you may be asking, what can be done? It’s simple. Businesses and developers alike need to work together to provide simple, clean, easy-to-use layouts, while focusing on download times and usability.

Sounds like a great job for an Information Architect.

Jakob Nielsen has published his list of Top 10 Bloopers for Usability in the Movies. Nielsen points out some of the short-comings/bloopers of how Hollywood depicts usability.

A few new releases or updates to keep your eye on.

• Swivel - Who says data can’t be fun
• PublicSquare - Painless Publishing by the folks at Boxes and Arrows
• MindCanvas - New spin on Design Testing
• NewsCloud.com - An Open Source Media Outlet

Any new releases you just can’t get enough of?