If you’re a software developer or web-savvy businessperson, you’ve probably heard of 37 Signals’s famous book, Getting Real, which aims to pass on some of the company’s wisdom about how to build and market relatively simple end-user applications. The book is aimed primarily at developers of web applications, expected considering the web is 37 Signals’s forte, but I think it contains pearls of wisdom that anybody working in the software industry could benefit from reading and considering.

I have read bits and pieces of the book, but I doubt I have read the whole thing. The short essays are perfect for a quick browse here and there. Often, I’ll navigate to the site in order to read just a few tidbits, before moving on with my day’s work.

But I haven’t read much of the book in a long time. When I was recently reminded of it by Manton Reece’s reference in his blog, I thought to myself, yes! I should read some more Getting Real! But again, the struggle of being faced with all those bite-sized morsels, and having to choose which to delve in to.

My solution? The Random Reality bookmarklet.

Just drag the link above directly to your bookmark toolbar. Now when you are in the mood to “get real,” you can jump to a random essay from the book at the click of a button. If you feel like reading more of the book, just click the bookmark again.

Of course, if you love browsing the book, it might make even more sense to buy a copy in PDF or paper format. But even if you own a copy and have read through it, you might enjoy the occasional dose of random reality in your life.

It’s not often that software grabs my eyes and heart the way Stunt Software’s updated time tracking and invoicing software, On The Job 3.0, does. Wow, this is the kind of application other developers should look to when they’re wondering whether they’re really giving enough attention to detail in their own applications.

The interface is clean and somewhat traditional, based on a familiar 3-pane layout that is common to applications such as Apple’s Mail and my own MarsEdit. But Stunt Software also takes some innovative leaps, adopting a “HUD style” interface for the in-window attributes editor, a style which Apple typically reserves for full-screen media editing palettes.

I’m a bit of a luddite when it comes to taking these kinds of UI risks, but on the whole they do not strike me as offensive in On The Job. Some aspects, such as the iPhone-inspired odometer-style numeral editors, strike me as questionable for the desktop. They can’t be pushed or pulled and don’t have momentum like their iPhone counterparts, but they do look pretty nice.

One way to justify the gratuitousness of these elements would be to support spinning of the elements with a direct click and drag, or even better with a push of the mouse’s scroll wheel.

Overall, I think it’s fair to say that pushing the limits of UI design is justified and encouraged if a designer is also keeping a careful watch on the finer points of the end result. It’s hard to challenge many of the choices made for On The Job, because it is bursting with clear points of consideration for the user. Consider the default names for clients and jobs. Instead of using the typical “Untitled,” they start with the inspirational “First”. After that, the default language changes to “New.” These are the adjectives we use in everyday life. Nobody starts business with an “Untitled Client.”

Which isn’t to say everything is perfect. I gave the application my patented “scrunch test.” This involves simply sizing a window to the absolute smallest it will go, and observing how the UI reacts. I do it almost by instinct with every new application I try, and On The Job doesn’t exactly shine in this regard:

Notice in particular how the HUD-style elements in the lower right have become a disgusting mess of overlapping words and buttons. I have a litmus test for these kinds of design decisions, where a user’s actions can put my application into a state of embarrassing ugliness or dysfunction. My rule is pretty simple:

Give a user as much freedom as you can without empowering them to make your application look ilke ass.

To this end, I usually restrict the sizes of my windows to the smallest size that can reasonably accommodate the UI in most cases. Obviously, when it comes to uesr-provided data it can be hard to prevent 100% of the ugly scenes, but a situation like this, where buttons simply don’t have room to live, is a clear case for limiting the window’s width.

But in spite of little quibbles, On The Job is a fantastic piece of design and engineering. I would recommend it without hesitation to consultants who bill even one client on a regular basis. I’ve given up consulting myself, but this application is almost enough to make me consider resuming. Perhaps I’ll start tracking my time, and issue myself invoices at the end of the month. Ouch, this blog post is costing me $175!

Seth Godin writes today about an alleged dichotomy between products that customers “love” and products that customers find “unannoying.”

I think smart marketers at Apple work to make products that people love. Smart marketers at American Airlines ought to work at making an airline that isn’t annoying.

I find this false distinction hard to stomach. I’m pleased that he chose Apple to make his point, because it’s the very company I would point to when arguing that in fact, customers love products that aren’t annoying.

Customers’ love for Apple products over the years has been based in Apple’s unusual determination to prevent user annoyance. Where competitors decide “this is close enough,” Apple hunkers down and and goes the extra mile for a more sensitive, courteous experience.

Godin makes the point that some businesses (especially restaurants) thrive in spite of their annoyingness. The “Soup Nazi” character popularized by television’s Seinfeld serves as a good point of reference. Customers love the soup so much that they withstand, even celebrate, an abusive relationship with the business owner.

I know this phenomenon exists in real life, but the kind of “captive love” he’s describing has more to do with human respect for confidence, even arrogance, when it is well earned. It only really works for a business if we also love the product. We love to watch the pursuit of perfection, because it inspires similar pursuits in ourselves. An arrogant jerk who pursues a dream with diligence earns our respect and admiration. Steve Jobs fulfills this role himself as Apple’s prima-donna. We admire his pursuit of excellence in spite of his reputation for rudeness and callousness.

Steve Jobs may be annoying, but the single quality of Apple products that sets them most apart from others, is that they are less annoying than the alternative. And Apple’s customers really do love that.

I’ll keep this short and sweet.

I’m grateful to my family for supporting and encouraging me in my life pursuits. In particular, to my wife Chrissa and my infant son Henry. It’s cheesy but true, their love keeps me going every day.

I’m also grateful to everybody on the internet who gives me the time of day. You invigorate and revitalize me. Customers, bloggers, journalists, podcasters, twitter followers, Mac and iPhone development colleagues, and most significantly at this particular instant, folks like yourself who are bothering to read this post.

Talent and ambition are meaningless in a vacuum. All of us depend on all of us for mutual inspiration and gratification. Let’s make an effort in 2009 to help each other and to thank each other as much as we can.

Let’s kick ass in 2009.