[Sigia-l] More on IA and the midwest

[Jeff Lash]

You know you're in the midwest if you live in a "city" and the nearest
"city" is several hours away. I grew up on the northern end of the east
coast megalopolis, and the fact that going from New York to DC (and hitting
several large cities along the way) is quicker than driving from my current
home in St. Louis to the closest "major" city (Chicago) still boggles the
mind.

While there might a lot of IA going on up in Ann Arbor (I still think it's
something in the water), not much is happening in St. Louis. We've got a
little local group, but for the most part, the web shops in town have little
knowledge of IA (or usability, for that matter). From what I read, San
Francisco, New York, DC/Baltimore, and Ann Arbor (because when I think of
big cities, Ann Arbor is always right up there on the list) have large
communities of practicing IAs, but I can assure you that there is still work
to be done and room for the idea to grow.

Someone mentioned that St. Louis was the last eastern city, and in many ways
it feels like that. As was illustrated on The Simpsons (CABF17, "Simpsons
Tall Tales," for those keeping track at home), there is a distinct
difference between "Missouri" and "Missourah." (As an example, Nelly is from
Missouri, whereas John Ashcroft is from Missourah.)

.jeff.
http://jefflash.com