January 2010
62 posts
“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new...”
– Benjamin Franklin
December 2009
66 posts
Gruber on ‘The Tablet’ →
John Gruber:
But there’s one question at the top of the list, the answer to which is the key to answering every other question. That question is this: If you already have an iPhone and a MacBook; why would you want this?
From what I can see, Gruber nails it. I’m very, very excited to see what happens next month.
The Art of Editing →
The always amusing Liz Danzico:
Editing is to media as a performance is to a composition: It is an act of interpretation, rich with opportunities for personal insight, misguided judgments, or brilliance. Each individual is different, and each individual will construct experiences differently. In our new editorial roles, we’re tasked with acting as equal parts consumer and editor.
On Secrets and Innovation →
Scott Berkun:
The word secret makes the boring sound fun. Doing laundry is pretty boring, but secret laundry almost sounds interesting. The word secret promises short-cuts, tricks, or things people don’t want us to know, which all connote ways to get one up on others. This little semantic trick works well on newbies, since they know so little, anything can seem like a secret.
The Speculative Prehistory of the iPhone →
A nice little throwback:
Can we learn anything about Apple tablet pre-coverage from the pre-coverage of the first iPhone? I think so. So I revisited much of the early iPhone scuttlebutt for this article. Herewith, choice bits from a bunch of old stories, with summaries of what they got right and wrong…and then some overall thoughts.
Ways of Reading →
Reading and writing are not discrete activities; they occur on a continuum, with reading at one end, writing at the other. The best readers spend their time somewhere in between.
Good list of guidelines.
The Decade in Design →
This was a good decade for design I think.
Steven Heller on the history of Santa Claus →
Steven Heller:
Santa Claus (aka St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Père Noël) so personifies Christmas it would be inconceivable not to think of him piloting his gift-dispensing sleigh on Christmas Eve. Yet this jolly red giant only came into existence in 1841. That year Philadelphia merchant J. W. Parkinson hired a man to dress in a crimson suit and climb in and out of a makeshift chimney outside his shop....
Caravaggio’s remains are retrieved by scientists →
BBC News:
The remains of Renaissance artist Caravaggio have been retrieved by Italian scientists hoping to find out more about his death.
They had been housed in a special container called an ossuary in the town of Porto Ercole in Italy.
The bones have now been taken to the University of Bologna where they will compared with those of his descendents.
They will then go on show until January 24...
Duffy & Partners: 25 Things We Like →
I’ve been remiss in posting Duffy & Partners’ list of 25 things they like in celebration of 25 years of business. I’ve returned to the list a few times this past week because it is full of great products, websites, and destinations to visit.
Their “A Designed Life” feature is also extremely well done and worth looking at.
Panasonic Lumix GF1 Review →
Part camera review, part travel log, Craig Mod has written one of the best camera reviews I have ever read. The page design is also top notch.
The only problem is, I now want the Panasonic Lumix GF1 and we all know I don’t need another camera.
Behind the Scenes of ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ →
I’m sorry for all the Fantastic Mr. Fox links I’ve posted over the past few months but I can’t get enough of the process of making a full length stop-motion film. This is a Flickr photoset of behind the scenes images of making the movie. There are some good shots in there.
A Look at The New York Times Magazine Redesign →
The redesign (more of a “realign” actually) is very thoughtful and well executed. The article goes into some great detail on the little aspects and is full of images from the magazine.
Brand New’s Best and Worst Identities of 2009 →
Solid list but I would definitely not AOL’s new logo on the best list, let alone the top spot.
Roger Ebert’s Best Films of 2009 →
I apparently have some more movies to watch. (Also, I’m very, very surprised to see Knowing on the list. Really, Roger?)
Vanessa Saba Portfolio →
I love the simple, typographic-based work of recent RISD grad Vanessa Saba. The attention to detail is perfect.
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple,...”
– Charles Mingus
Style Versus Design →
Jeffrey Zeldman:
Many young web designers view their craft the way I used to view pop culture. It’s cool or it’s crap. They mistake Style for Design, when the two things are not the same at all. Design communicates on every level. It tells you where you are, cues you to what you can do, and facilitates the doing. Style is tautological; it communicates stylishness. In visual terms,...
WatchVery interesting film on the SX-70 Polaroid Camera produced by Charles and Ray Eames.
50 of the World’s Best Design Blogs →
I have to admit, I haven’t heard of most of these.
‘Iron Man 2’ Trailer →
Yes, please!
‘Robin Hood’ Trailer →
Stars Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett and directed by Ridley Scott.
I.D. Magazine Folds →
From the press release:
Since 1954, I.D. Magazine has served as one of America’s leading critical magazines covering the art, business, and culture of design. Today it is with regret that we announce its closure. The January/February issue of I.D. will be its last; subscribers to I.D. will receive Print magazine for the balance of their subscription.
Although I was never a subscriber, I.D....
A List Apart: Survey for People who Make Websites →
Whether you call yourself a user experience consultant, web developer, or content strategist; whether you design customer flows, buttons, or brands; no matter what title you hold as a full- or part-time web professional, your work shapes our future and ought to command the world’s respect. But we won’t win that respect without understanding, and we can’t hope for understanding without...
OmmWriter →
A brilliant new text editor for Mac:
Ommwriter is a humble attempt to recapture what technology has snatched away from us today: our capacity to concentrate.
Ommwriter is a simple text processor that firmly believes in making writing a pleasure once again, vindicating the close relationship between writer and paper. The more intimate the relation, the smoother the flow of inspiration.
If you are...
What Matters Now →
The new ebook (PDF) organized by Seth Godin featuring articles by Stephen Pressfield, Elizabeth Gilbert, Jason Fried, Merlin Mann, and Chris Anderson is a good Monday morning read.
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something,...”
– R. Buckminster Fuller
Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech →
Overall, I really enjoyed President Obama’s acceptance speech for his Nobel Peace Prize, but this portion was probably my favorite:
I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago—“Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones.” As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of...
‘Between The Folds’ →
A new documentary about origami and the people who make it. This looks really good!
A Typeface for the Underground →
Terrific article on the design (and redesign) of the official typeface for the London Underground, Johnson Sans, a font many would argue to be the first modern san-serif.
A Star, a Soap and the Meaning of Art →
James Franco on performance art:
I have been obsessed with performance art for over a decade—ever since the Mexican performance artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña came to visit my class at Cal Arts summer school. I finally took the plunge and experimented with the form myself when I signed on to appear on 20 episodes of “General Hospital” as the bad-boy artist “Franco, just...
Teux Deux →
A new “simple, designy, free, browser-based to-do app” from SwissMiss and Fictive Kin. It looks really, really nice and as soon as they have an iPhone app, I could see this being my main to-do application. Also, the demo video made me laugh. Be sure to watch it.
Jason Santa Maria launches Mighty, a Design Studio →
After going solo at the beginning of the year, designer Jason Santa Maria has started his own design studio called Mighty:
We all have a reason for showing up every day. Some do it for money. Others out of habit. At Mighty, we show up because we want to make stuff that matters. Simple things. Honest things. Beautiful things. Every day, we want to make things that affect people in positive ways.
...
Invisible Creature Redesign →
One of my all time favorite design firms, Invisible Creature has launched a brand new website full of some stunning work. So, so inspiring. There goes my morning…
WatchTerrific interview with Malcolm Gladwell from CSPAN. I learn something new every time I hear Gladwell speak and he always challenges my thinking. I can’t get enough of it.
Interview with Steven Pressfield →
Steven Pressfield:
That fear is a good thing. It’s pure Resistance and what it means is that this particular project (the one that is eliciting so much fear) is the one you have to do, the one that your inner being is calling you to test yourself against. If you weren’t feeling any fear, THAT would be cause for worry—because it would mean that the project-you’re-about-to-tackle really didn’t...
Pantone Unveils Color of the year for 2010 →
[Pantone] today announced PANTONE® 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue, as the color of the year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.
It feels much...
