Winners of the Webby Awards 2013
The totally great animated short “Dumb Ways to Die” won Webbies in three categories: Animation, Viral, and Viral Marketing, and won People’s Choice in Public Service and Activism. Don’t watch it unless you want to be singing the little song for days. My extra lyrics: Take a nail gun to yer face / Steal a […]
Is 3D printing about to hit the mainstream? Plus some items I’ve printed for myself
I ordered this skull and heart from Shapeways.com, a well-known 3D printing service. The 4-inch-high skull is heavy and beautiful (the heart hasn’t arrived yet). You can choose from many items with 3D patterns already uploaded, or upload your own. Some items are available only in the white plastic discussed below, and others in […]
HOW Design Live is divided into four distinct conferences, all taking place under one roof
At HOW Design LIVE, you’ll find everything you need to take your design expertise to a whole new level, including educational and career opportunities you simply can’t find in one place anywhere else. Make the kind of valuable business contacts that lead to great gigs. Find talented subcontractors or build a collaborative network you can […]
What the Heck Is P-Commerce?
By Lauren Indvik from Mashable.com: First there was ecommerce, a term developed in the early ’80s to abbreviate “electronic commerce,” or sales made possible through electronic funds transfer (and later, the Internet). Since then, marketers have gleefully affixed various letters to the word “commerce” to describe sales (or the potential for sales) made through different platforms: […]
You’re Creating iPad Art Without Even Trying
By Stephanie Buck from Mashable.com: Technology is becoming increasingly invisible. That’s impossible, you might protest — technology is more omnipotent than ever. It’s everywhere, and we can’t seem to go a day, much less an hour, without encountering it. But entire computer systems are shrinking down to spaces the size of decks of cards. Keyboards […]
Sinuous animal sculptures made from tires
By Benjamin Starr from VisualNews.com: It’s perhaps the very best and ethical way you could place an animal bust on your wall – Korean artist Yong Ho Ji uses recycled tires from all sorts of vehicles to create these incredibly dynamic sculptures. The shape of his medium is what leads to the sinuous curves of […]
Jan Chipchase was given the opportunity to try out Google Glass. He declined.
By Jan Chipchase from Hidden in Plain Sight at Medium.com: On Friday I was invited into Google Labs New York and given the opportunity to try out Glass. I declined to put on a pair. Here’s why. There are many people who are exploring what Glass could be, evaluating and providing feedback to Google, exposing […]
Interactive 3D projection on a miniature model of Tokyo – and music!
Lights and images play over a scale model of Tokyo in this fascinating and INTERACTIVE! art piece. Create your own light/music symphony! [Link to site]
Minuscule yet functional gold skeleton expected to sell for $150-250,000 at Sotheby’s
By Alexis Coe from The Awl: In 1896, Israel Rouchomovsky, in Odessa, completed a 3-1/2 inch gold skeleton with 167 parts. It had taken five long years to create a fully articulated rendering, and he took particular delight in the lower jaw, which opened and shut. In Rouchomovsky’s memoirs, he wrote that he was truly satisfied […]
Steampunk rabbit collectible toy
This “steampunk” bunny started as one of internationally famous artist Frank Kozik’s plain white plastic “Smorkin’ Labbits.” I tricked the bunny out by applying a fine film of spray adhesive to hold multiple layers of silver leaf. I “antiqued” the silver with a wash of black acrylic paint and topped it with a layer of […]
Teen outfitted with first “i-limb ultra revolution” prosthetic hand, which can be controlled with an iPhone app
16-year-old Patrick Kane was just nine months old when he fell ill with meningitis and lost part of both hands and his right leg below the knee, but he has since become the first person to be outfitted with the “i-limb ultra revolution” prosthetic hand by Touch Bionics, The Scotsman reports. The prosthetic hand can […]
A miniature book collector and his little library
By Claire Kelley from Melville House: A visitor to the Headley-Whitney Museum examines a display of Neale Albert’s complete works of Shakespeare as part of a Miniature Book Society exhibit. Neale Albert, a 75-year-old man who has 4,000 miniature books, was profiled—along with his tiny collection—in the New York Times on Monday. His titles include […]
Icon Strike! by Flinto: Easily test iOS icon designs on your home screen
Flinto is an iOS prototyping tool that allows you to quickly create realistic, installable, shareable prototypes. From the website: Icon Strike! By Flinto Like Icon Strike? You’ll love Flinto. It’s like Icon Strike for entire apps! Easily test iOS icon designs on your home screen. Upload Icon Open link on your iPhone Install your Icon […]
30 Video Game Box Art Recreations Using Only Clip Art and the Despised Comic Sans Font
Designers hate clip art and the Comic Sans font more than war, poverty and plaid combined. Lots and lots more superlative constructions in the Full article. See how many you can look at before your eyes explode.
Google Adds Dropdown Menu to Search Results, Hides Cached Pages Inside
Google recently updated their search results format, again moving the link for cached page access somewhere else. Now it hides in a convenient menu next to the page’s URL. Just click it and you can select the cache page, share the link, and find similar results.
Physics, Entropy and Web Design
A long, interesting article by Anthony Wing Kosner from Forbes.com. Excerpts are below. [Full article] We have been taught to think of entropy as a bad thing. “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;/Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,” wrote William Butler Yeats in the aftermath of World War I, in words that still ring […]
Syfy’s ‘Robot Combat League’ Makes Major Tech Dream Come True
By Brian Anthony Hernandez from Mashable.com: Robot Combat League, the Syfy network’s new reality series pitting 12 expensive, 8-feet-tall humanoid machines against each other in tournament-style face-offs, ends Tuesday night (4/23/13) with the final two robots. And while this season lasted only three months, it has been years in the making. “I really couldn’t believe […]
Stampsy: Use easy touch tools to create and share beautiful online experiences
The Stamspy app looks like a great way to share slideshows of portfolio images, advertising and more. Here’s how it works: Stamp: A Stamp is the unit of content you create on Stampsy. It can have up to 10 pages. A background grid helps you create well-balanced designs. Tools: Add images, enter text, arrange them […]
The Surgical Robot That Can Roam Around Inside Your Abdomen Like a Frog
By Jason Bittel from Slate.com: From the chest-burster in Alien to the bellybutton bot in The Matrix, most of us are a wee bit squeamish about the whole thing-crawling-around-inside-you experience. And if thoughts of parasites playing poker in your body cavity already keep you up at night, this article probably isn’t for you—because scientists are […]
The Two Most Important Words in Business
By Robert A. Eckert from the Harvard Business Review: When I arrived at Mattel, the company was losing almost a million dollars a day, the bonus pool was empty, and equity awards were underwater. I believed that those challenges were surmountable. On my first day, at a “town hall” gathering in the cafeteria, I said, […]
Mo Costandi on science writing: a good story conveys wonderment
From the Guardian UK: Our series to accompany the 2013 Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize asks top science writers about their craft. Today, we talk to neuroscience writer and blogger Mo Costandi. What’s a good science story? Something that makes me think, “Wow, that’s amazing!”. That is, stories about exciting new research that reveals some […]
Hacker Heroes: 6 Women Who Have Changed Technology
By The Daily Muse Editor at The Daily Muse: When you think about women in tech, you probably instantly think Sheryl Sandberg, CEO of Facebook, and Marissa Mayer, President and CEO of Yahoo!. But there are plenty more women you should know about—women whose names you may have never heard before, but who truly shaped […]
Did drinking insane amounts of coffee make these artists great?
By Mason Currey at Slate.com: Coffee! It is the great uniting force of my Daily Rituals book. It’s what brings together Beethoven and Proust, Glenn Gould and Francis Bacon, Jean-Paul Sartre and Gustav Mahler. This should hardly be surprising. Caffeine is the rare drug that has a powerful salutary effect—it aids focus and attention, wards […]
The Secret to Keeping Phone Calls Short and Sweet
From The Daily Muse: Whether you’re talking to a long-winded colleague, a not-so-interesting prospective partner, or a hyper-curious friend-of-a-friend who wants to learn about your career, there are times when it just seems impossible to get off the phone. But take it from me: Your time is precious, and it’s definitely worth mastering this art. […]
Victorian “Cobweb” Valentine
The Victorians popularized the “cobweb” valentine of intricately cut paper; I made this one-of-a-kind 21st century version in 2012. (Visit this article for an exhibit description of the Metropolitan Museum in New York’s historical collection.) I began with the red heart with its Valentine’s Day message, adhering it to light cardboard for stiffness. Topping that […]
Dash, the world’s first foldable, programmable, origami robot that you can build yourself
From the Dash Robotics website: Dash is the world’s first foldable, programmable, origami robot that you can build yourself! Inspired by nature, Dash runs like the world’s fastest animals. Dash fits in the palm of your hand and is so lightweight that you can run him off of tables or even buildings and he just […]
Environments for Humans online Responsive Web Design Summit 2013 – Day 3 of 3
I’m attending the Environments for Humans online Responsive Web Design Summit 2013 – Day 3 of 3. I’m summarizing the talks rather than going into detail to avoid infringing on the presenters’ copyrights. Today’s presentations focus on code. Extremely informative! Fractal CSS: There Is No Breakpoint, by Ben Callahan Major Approaches Single CSS File Multiple […]
Environments for Humans online Responsive Web Design Summit 2013 – Day 2 of 3
I’m attending the Environments for Humans online Responsive Web Design Summit 2013 – Day 2 of 3. I’m summarizing the talks rather than going into detail to avoid infringing on the presenters’ copyrights. Mobile Development on a Shoestring Connection by Jenifer Hanen How do we design and develop for varying data and bandwidth scenarios? Is […]
Environments for Humans online Responsive Web Design Summit 2013 – Day 1 of 3
I’m attending the Environments for Humans online Responsive Web Design Summit 2013 – Day 1 of 3. Great, informative talks! Today is mostly for developers, but I’m getting a lot out of it. A recurring point is that you should design/develop completely differently for different devices, including: images optimized for different screen sizes/resolutions, testing on […]
Boston Marathon Tragedy
No clever words or fancy designs today, folks. Here’s a beautiful commentary from Patton Oswalt: Boston. Fucking horrible. I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, “Well, I’ve had it with humanity.” But I was wrong. I don’t know what’s going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect […]
From dribbble: Free responsive wireframes (GIF)
From Chris Bannister at dribbble: So after the extremely amazing reception that I received off you guys with these wireframes it’s time that I say thanks for all the love. The amount of people that requested the psd [Photoshop file] was surprising and overwhelming and as I promised you can download them here. I’d like […]
Leonhard Euler honoured by Google doodle
Leonhard Euler, the influential Swiss mathematician, has had the 306th anniversary of his birth honoured by Google with the publishing of an interactive Google doodle. Euler was arguably the most important mathematician of the 18th century and one of the greatest of all time. He introduced most modern mathematical terminology and notation and was also […]
From A List Apart: A response to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic’s condescending “Seven Rules for Managing Creative People”
By Cennydd Bowles from A List Apart: Childish, inaccurate, bizarre, and condescending? Perhaps—but you can’t just ignore articles like that. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic’s Seven Rules for Managing Creative People1 has caused some serious ripples. The article sets lofty standards for missing the point, misrepresenting creative industries to the point of infantilization. At its nadir—“Creatives enjoy making […]
“I love these guys, they make data fun: Zehnder Communications”
By Nancy Sharon Collins from DesignEnvy: New Orleans has two seasons: hurricane and festival. That’s it. Take your pick. Zehnder Communications—my favorite cross-media agency here—has recently announced “State of the Listen” (#TheStateOfTheListen or SOTL) to track social media buzz for everything from festivals, such as Tales of the Cocktail and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, to worldwide events like […]
Wired.com’s Weekly Picks of Stunning Architecture: Aqua Tower, Chicago
Reflective glass makes a beautiful facade, but it can be deadly for birds, which often can’t tell the glass from the sky or trees it reflects. Studio Gang Architects designed their Aqua Tower with that in mind: the undulating concrete terraces not only provide balcony space for residents, but help restrict the angle the reflections […]
Free fonts from Fontfabric.com
Free fonts from Fontfabric.com [Full article with many more fonts]
Tiny Injectable LEDs Manipulate the Brain With Light
Tiny, glowing probes packed with LEDs and sensors are scientists’ newest tool for measuring and manipulating the brain and other living tissues. They’re flexible, they can operate wirelessly, and yes, they’re small enough to fit through the eye of a needle. This kind of device could potentially improve researchers’ ability to influence neural activity in live animals […]
Transitional Interfaces and Design UX
By Pasquale D’Silva from Medium.com Designers love to sweat the details. Much time is spent pixel-fucking buttons, form styles, setting type, & getting those icons as sharp as a tack. A+, great job, don’t stop you guys. …but there’s little consideration about how it all fits together outside of a static comp. You tap a […]
If you use “Save for Web” in Photoshop, how do you place your fingers to press the keyboard shortcut?
“Save For Web” Claws. Everyone has one. [Full article]
Typography from House Industries: “Alphabets & Things”
Worthe Numerals as fonts or Photo-Lettering settings. Step right up to Barnum over your photos in the Photo-Lettering App. [Full article]
Silk brocade kimono
I sewed this classic robe using a modern pattern, which I altered for a custom fit. The outer layer is heavy silk in a woven pattern that recalls brush calligraphy. The lining is lightweight black silk, a difficult material to work with.
Long Exposure Photos of Glowsticks in Waterfalls
“Neon Luminance” is a beautiful long-exposure photo series by Kris Abildgaard of San Francisco-based multimedia company From The Lenz where landscapes (like waterfalls) are lit up by glowsticks and other forms of light such as road flares, headlamps, and moonlight. He says, “…each shot took a while because we would have to wait for the […]
Distance to Mars in Pixels
[Interactive graphic]
The Creative Process
The horrible truth.
Flashmob Recreates Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” in a Dutch Shopping Mall
The European banking sector may still be on shaky footing. But it’s not stopping European banks from putting together a good flashmob. Last year, the Spanish bank, Banco Sabadell, brought together 100 professional musicians and singers to perform the anthem of the European Union — Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” from his Symphony No. 9. And movingly so. It […]
The Daily Dish: A Petri Dish Painting for Every Day of 2013
Artist Klari Reis will be posting a new Petri dish painting every day this year at The Daily Dish 2013. According to Reis’ Facebook page, the paintings are created using reflective epoxy polymer and are an attempt to “explore our complex relationship with today’s biotechnological industry.” [Full article]
Responsive Typography is a Physical Discipline, But Your Computer Doesn’t Know It (Yet)
By Nick Sherman in Typography & Web Fonts via A List Apart: For ideal typography, web designers need to know as much as possible about each user’s reading environment. That may seem obvious, but the act of specifying web typography is currently like ordering slices of pizza without knowing how large the slices are or what […]
Japanese Scientists Develop System That Can Visualize Dreams Based on Brain Activity
Scientists in Japan have developed a dream decoding system that can create a visualization of a person’s dream. Developed by researcher Yukiyasu Kamitani and his Kyoto-based team, the system uses a functional MRI to analyze brain activity and a learning algorithm to create visualizations from the brain data. While the researchers report that the system […]