The smartest thing I’ve read today comes from Andy Rutledge:

If not for context, design would be an incredibly simple (and boring and worthless) endeavor. Anyone could be a designer, as they’d only need to learn a few dozen concrete rules. But context gums up the works. Context is a highly disruptive element in communication and the primary reason why creativity and concept have such value in design. Context would seem to change the rules on us from project to project, but as I mentioned before the rules do not change. Rather, context defines which rules are relevant and which are not.

and I love this definition:

Artistry in the context of constraint is design

While the dumbest thing I’ve read today comes from John Dvorak in reference to Apple’s iPhone:

What Apple risks here is its reputation as a hot company that can do no wrong. If it’s smart it will call the iPhone a “reference design” and pass it to some suckers to build with someone else’s marketing budget. Then it can wash its hands of any marketplace failures.
It should do that immediately before it’s too late. Samsung Electronics Ltd. might be a candidate. Otherwise I’d advise you to cover your eyes. You’re not going to like what you’ll see.