planet earth is breath taking.
i've watched most of the episodes on youtube, but i must say, watching the series on dvd is breath taking. i'm going to get a bluray player—i must have this as part of my collection. sir david attenborough is my hero. i need to get blue planet as well. go BBC!
what's your favorite scene?
the power of "no" in design.
i was talking to Jim (AddThis UX Director) and we were talking about our product and comparing it to other companies. We were talking about how simplicity means to sacrifice. sometimes the best thing to do for a company is say "no".
look at the ipod shuffle above. in order to create a product like that, someone had to have said "no".
"it should have buttons to control the songs..." no.
"it could have a smalls screen to help the user navigate..." no.
"it can have 8 gigs instead of 4 gigs..." no.
think of all the "no's" that had to go into this product. but in order to have the power to say no, you have to a very focused team that understands the problem space, product, and audience.
Jim made an awesome point about how you can say "no", but also have the power to say "yes".
"it should have buttons to control the songs..." no buttons, but yes to controls—voice recognition.
"it could have a smalls screen to help the user navigate..." no screen, but yes to more battery life.
"it can have 8 gigs instead of 4 gigs..." no 8 gigs, but yes to cheaper price point.
i definitely feel we have alot of clarity in our product. there are things we can improve, but sometimes the most important role i can help this company with is to say no to some ideas, and say yes to others.
i'm hoping Jim writes a blog that goes into this further. it's great to be surrounded by such great minds.
plants! day 3.
the a couple of cactus seeds have started to sprout. according to the instructions, the seeds are supposed to germinate in 3-4 weeks.
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plants
fly fishing at gunpowder falls
went fly fishing this weekend in gunpowder falls with bev. though we didn't catch anything, it was really nice to go outside. we saw some trout, but they weren't biting. i highly recommend this park, even if you just want to go for a walk/walk/run. i had a great time. ^_^
it was a nice reminder that there's life outside of dc and work. it was refreshing to just get away, even if it was for half a day.
anyone know any other good fishing locations?
plants!
trying to grow some plants from seeds this weekend:
1. cactus
2. red chili pepper
3. bonsai
should start seeing some results in 4 weeks. in the mean time i may mock up some designs for a website concept: "is my plant dead?". basically it'll allow you to rate other people's plants, and how dead you think it is. it'd be cool to allow people to give tips, and exchange seeds for free.
painting elephant.
i have a whole new respect for elephants. if you don't have time, just skip 2/3's into this video and watch the elephant paint.
hat tip: mark
baby t-pain
yeah, baby t-pain. autotune works on anything.
check out teddy riley using the talkbox. the original.
jason thielke illustration.
love this sketching style. check out www.jasonthielke.com to see more.
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nice sketching style.
awesome illustrations.
SprintCam Slow Motion.
I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.
super sharp. super slow. super hypnotic.
do you matter?
if your company were gone tomorrow, would it matter? would your customers miss you? what if apple no longer produced mp3 players, computers, or software? what if the world no longer had google search? what if coca cola no longer produced their classic formula soda? would you miss them?
here's an excerpt from a synopsis i read recently...
"Do You Matter? How great design will make people love your company certainly isn't afraid to demand attention. All of the details -- bright orange cover, too-tall proportions, monster san-serif titles, limited color-palate, grid-adherence so obsessive that even the cover format is the same as the pages within -- just scream "I've been overdesigned to look simple!" Combined with the existentially accusatory title, it certainly succeeds in demanding audience participation, but it's a book, not a graphic design experiment, and for it to matter to the audience, it needs to keep the reader's attention too."
read the rest of the review here.
order it here. i'll be ordering my copy soon too.
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google user experience.
addthis new year and new branding tactics.
growing plants.
i went to a plant nursery this weekend with my dad... i forgot how much i liked to grow plants. unfortunately, i'm having alot of trouble trying to keep this one alive. it's literally dead. not sure if i'll be able to bring it back. i think it died b/c i didn't fertilize it constantly.
i really like palm plants, but i'm not sure if they like me. i like these two...
i'm going to give it another chance. i'd like to grow some small stuff on my porch like this.
i really like this japanese maple. the tree below is priced at $250... however, you can buy a younger version for $30. i may give it a shot.
any recommendations?
i really like palm plants, but i'm not sure if they like me. i like these two...
i'm going to give it another chance. i'd like to grow some small stuff on my porch like this.
i really like this japanese maple. the tree below is priced at $250... however, you can buy a younger version for $30. i may give it a shot.
any recommendations?
slow as cox.
i just downgraded my internet to the "value" package recently... and it's slow. how slow you ask? i tried to download a COD4 package and it took forever. granted, it was 400mb, it still took forever. i'm not a big fan of cox cable internet. there's not much value in their value internet package.
desire to inspire.
i found a blog that shows some really nice interior designs. the blog itself is over-saturated with ads... but if you can get past it, there are some nice photos. i like the way the designer showed the before and afters. these types of enhancements seem very realistic, and look like they can be done within a reasonable budget.
pew pew pew!
wish they had a gun like this in call to duty. heheh. it'd be a nice unlockable perk.
here's the new teaser for call to duty, modern warfare 2.
home cinema couch.
typically, i'm really into designer furniture, but i can't help but to admire the simple functional design of the home cinema chairs. they seat comfortably and they even have a fridge/cup holder. i had the chance to try on out this weekend, and it was everything i thought it would be. the only rub was the color. i would have to get a black leather one. this may be my next big purchase for the condo. thoughts?
learn more about the couch here.
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another cool lamp. chrome.
classic modern chairs for my living room.the balance of spaces.
i love the design of this interior. it's an interesting blend of spaces. what impresses me most is the balance of space within space (what is outside, and what is inside). not sure if it's really "livable" interior design, but it's really impressive. i could see something like this more fit for a small creative agency. check out more photos here.
on a side note, i found this... very livable. only wish i were a kid again.
i feel like doing this in one of my rooms. love the pvc tent. it's amazing how something so simple can be so fun. check out more of this designer's work here. (unfortunately their site UI is impossible to use)
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cool office environments
on a side note, i found this... very livable. only wish i were a kid again.
i feel like doing this in one of my rooms. love the pvc tent. it's amazing how something so simple can be so fun. check out more of this designer's work here. (unfortunately their site UI is impossible to use)
you might also like:
cool office environments
is a journal by 
