24/07/10
Posted in Media, Publishing, Quotations, Web 2.0, Why didn't I think of that?, free culture, social media | No Comments » 
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–Jay Bradner to high school students at graduation
Read for the first time on this tweet by @johnmaeda
14/05/10
Posted in Apple, Why didn't I think of that? | No Comments » Tweet This Post
Link: Apple Responds – Jeffrey Zeldman Presents The Daily Report
23/03/10
Posted in Movies, Photography, Why didn't I think of that? | 2 Comments » Tweet This Post
The Sandpit is a 5 minute short film created by Sam O’Hare (@duskzero) using a digital version of the tilt-shift technique (the kind of effect that makes life size photography look like miniature models).
The movie was shot on a Nikon D3 as a series of 35.000 stills at 4 fps (as fast as the camera would go) and the tilt-shift effect was added at post-production time. It took O’Hare 5 days and two evenings to complete the shooting.
Here’s the making of with an interview with the photographer.
Best viewed in HD 720p and full screen.
Via @ferranmc
16/03/10
Posted in Advertising, Publishing, Why didn't I think of that? | 2 Comments » Tweet This Post
This video was prepared by the UK branch of Dorling Kindersley Books. Originally meant solely for a DK sales conference, the video was such a hit internally that it is now being shared externally. Posted by Penguin Books to YouTube the 9th of March 2010.
Although this technique has been used before in several other TV commercials is still fresh and the message gets delivered loud and clear. And if such a message is said by Penguin Books, one of the top British publishing companies, it gets even louder. You’ll read about it.
06/03/10
Posted in Design, Quotations, Why didn't I think of that? | No Comments » Tweet This Post
World renowned designer and friend Carlos Segura from Segura Inc. talks about design for the March issue of Indonesia’s Versus design magazine.
Most of Segura’s comments are applicable to many areas other than design if not to life itself. I particularly love the one I used for this post’s title.
Excerpts taken from segura-inc.com
A good design is nice to look at, but an idea makes you look at good design.
Design is not just a “visual” medium. It is a complete experience, one which draws emotion from intelligence and makes the experience a memorable one, which in turn drives you to act.
Clients tend to ask for what they want, not for what they need
(about pitching) I do not, have never and will never do free work. Period. It is ridiculous to ask someone to do this. No client that asks you to do this will do it for you. It is disrespectful, devalues our industry and the talent in it. People only value things they pay for. So, if they want your work for free, then they don’t think very highly of you.
Don’t let things happen to you. Make things happen for you. If you’re going to dream, dream big, it’s free.
Link: SEGURA INC :: News > Segura in Versus
26/02/10
Posted in Why didn't I think of that?, copyright | 1 Comment » Tweet This Post
Kamal Dhillon, a 17 year old Canadian student is the 2010 Glassen Ethics Competition winner. This year’s essay topic was: “Is it OK to download music, movies and games without paying?”
Her answer was: “Not wrong, just illegal“. I love the refreshing views she has on copyrights, file sharing, and free culture. Some highlights follow.
I support the act of file sharing and argue that the free sharing of these forms of intellectual property would likely produce, overall, more good than harm for society.
Everyone knows that it’s illegal to download movies, games and music without paying. Why, then, do so many people simply ignore copyright laws?
The fact that something is illegal doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily immoral.
Not only do we think that the copyright laws are unjust, we also know that it’s easy to get away with breaking these laws.
No matter what laws are put in place, technological advances by ingenious young computer geeks mean that youth will always be one step ahead of the authorities.
…most young people believe that it’s morally acceptable to share their music, movies and games with others.
…the movie industry opposed the introduction of video recorders. They were short-sighted. It turns out that the VCR was one of the best things to happen to the film industry.
A recently published, three-year study on online music sharing concluded that 95 per cent of all downloads were illegal, yet the worldwide digital music business grew by 25 per cent in 2008 — the sixth year in a row that it has increased.
(about taxes on recording mediums) If I buy a book, and lend it to a friend, should I be charged because they haven’t paid for the book themselves?
(similar argument here on my previous post: p2p and libraries are not that different)
Whether it’s one degree of separation or 1,000, if sharing is morally justifiable in one case why isn’t it also justifiable in other similar cases?
So, the legal ban on file sharing won’t work and it’s also unfair, inconsistent and irrational.
Read the full article at the Winnipeg Free Press’ website: Not wrong, just illegal
(The funny thing is that I copied and pasted this excerpts from a magazine that has a nice Copyright sign at the bottom of the page. This could create a hole in the space-information continuum)
15/02/10
Posted in Photography, The real world, Why didn't I think of that? | No Comments » Tweet This Post
Impressive demo by Blaise Anguera at TED talks of augmented-reality maps, a blend of Bing Maps and user generated photos glued together with Microsoft’s Photosynth technology.
In simple words: take Google Street View and a gazillion of geolocalized pictures from Flickr (made by people like you and me) and put them all over the place according to their coordinates and orientation.
You get up to date pictures of every imaginable corner of our (digitized) world plus the ability to navigate inside closed spaces which I guess makes Google quite envious.
To experience it you need to download Microsoft Silverlight and head to bing.com/maps.
Here’s a nice link to a Photosynth of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Link: Blaise Aguera y Arcas demos augmented-reality maps | Video on TED.com
20/02/09
Posted in Apple, Design, Quotations, Why didn't I think of that? | 1 Comment » Tweet This Post
Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
28/09/08
Posted in Blogosphere, Interface, Usability, Why didn't I think of that?, Wordpress | No Comments » Tweet This Post
When I read the title “How WordPress Has Changed My Life” by Matt Mullenweg in my reader, I thought I was gonna find a marketing talk about how creating the renowned blogging platform WordPress made Matt a better and richer person. Hoping to learn something for myself I bookmarked it for later review.
But the video has little to do with Matt’s wonderful life. It features Glenda Watson Hyatt, the “left thumb blogger” (she can only type with one thumb) telling a lesson on usability and accessibility. Read the rest of this entry »
13/07/08
Posted in Music, Quotations, Why didn't I think of that? | 1 Comment » Tweet This Post
There’s a time to laugh a time to cry
a time to live and a time to die
a time to break and a time to chill
to act civilized or act real ill
but whatever ya do in your lifetime
ya never let an MC steal your rhyme
–Big Bank Hank from Sugarhill Gang, in Rapper’s Delight, 1978
Sugarhill Gang-Rapper’s Delight Part 1[14:36] (With Lyrics)
Sugarhill Gang-Rapper’s Delight Part 2[14:36] (With Lyrics)