Adam Keys is Thinking

Newton’s Third Law of Physics: All forces occur in pairs, and these two forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

Newton’s Third Law, applied to software: To make something generic is to make the simple things complex.

Particle Tree has an excellent article on Fitts' Law. That’s the one tells designers to put the Dock and Start Menu on the edges of the screen. You definitely want to check it out, if only for the terrific images used as demonstration.

Of course, if you’re more about the math (bad news, UI design is a lot of math) you could read up on Fitts' Law on Wikipedia.

Paul Graham’s latest essay returns to ideas for which I first noticed him. Holding a Program in One’s Head asks what kind of intellectual exercise software development is (spoiler: one that requires focused and uninterrupted thinking) and then suggests guidelines for effective programmer working spaces (small teams, distraction-free workspaces). See also: Test #8 on the 12 Steps to Better Code.