Callie Neylan

Callie Neylan

📍 Seattle, Washington

On Learnability Theory and gestural interfaces.

How do humans learn to speak the language of machines? In order to communicate with computers, interfaces embody a set of semantics and grammar that humans must learn in order to command the machine to do his or her bidding. Microsoft Gestures, Manipulations, and Interactions Learnability Theory attempts to define

On cowboy boots and good design.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who wear cowboy boots and those who don’t. I grew up one who didn’t in the land of most who did. I hated cowboy boots and western wear growing up, but now that I’ve lived away from

On the Great Works of Software and Detroit.

I have never been to Detroit, but as a lover of cities, I am interested in what happens to it. Interested to see how it transforms itself from ruin to revival. I did live in Baltimore for four years, though – a city facing nearly identical problems. I am interested in

On being female and not giving a f*ck.

I have always done what I needed to do, but when I tell people about my childhood and early adulthood and register their responses to my stories, I realize just how unusual my past was. Perhaps not everybody could have done what I did under similar circumstances (if you do

On the Seattle Box and building a visceral house.

People who build their own home tend to be very courageous. These people are curious about life. They’re thinking about what it means to live in a house, rather than just buying a commodity and making it work. –Tom Kundig When I first moved to Seattle, I lived in

Tuesday, December 23. The shoes I wore to meet the architect....

weren’t worn to meet the architect at all. They were worn to meet the builder. The designs aren’t final yet, but they’re close enough to show schematic drawings to builders. So we’re interviewing builders now, meeting skilled craftsmen and professional construction managers to hear about design

The Secret Life of My Passwords

In 2012, it dawned on me that I had lived on the East Coast for four years. My promise to myself was that I would return to Seattle after five years. We had a beautiful house in Baltimore and life was very comfortable, even though I had a love/hate

When you're in love with a black baby.

She got on the Number 13 at 2nd and Galer. A white woman and a little black boy. You don’t see that combination very often in Seattle, let alone on top of Queen Anne. His cherubic, brown cheeks. Bright yellow jacket. Baby hoodie with khakis and little black Nikes.

Friday, November 14. The shoes I wore to meet the architect.

The trim. I prefer post-modern. Will prefers the traditional. And, lucky for Mies, we both prefer dogs, despite all this. We are starting to think about materials and surfaces, and interviewing builders now to get a price estimate to take to the mortgage lender. We need a builder who can

Wednesday, October 8th. The shoes I wore to meet the architect....

It is that time. That time of transition. That time when one must think about the meta and the micro. When one must start thinking about materials and textures. And Timelessness. And Visual Power. And designing a house that ages beautifully. Massimo Vignelli offers a manifesto: Visual Power We say