jeffwongdesign

jeffwongdesign.com

2011-02-06T02:26:00.001-05:00

Hey thanks for reading my blog. I'm going to keep the content up on blogger for now... however, all my new posts will be hosted on my new domain (using wordpress). Visit jeffwongdesign.com

Actors, Then and Now

2011-02-03T20:35:00.001-05:00

Man, it's wild to see how people have aged. See more here.

Design Inspiration

2011-02-03T17:00:00.001-05:00

I know there are a ton of upcoming sites like Dribbble, but It's nice to get some other sources of design inspiration. Check out this site.

Mystical Lighting

2011-02-03T11:25:00.001-05:00

I came across these photos randomly on Flickr. Wow, how's they create this effect?

Packed Lunch with Style

2011-02-03T01:58:00.001-05:00

Annie sent this to me recently. I couldn't believe that one of her friends actually took the time to create this. I typically see this kind of stuff online, but to see such creativity around here is inspiring. When's the last time you had fun like this?

Beercamp 2011

2011-02-02T15:03:00.001-05:00

Desandro created one of the coolest sites I've seen in a while. I love how the applied the concept of layers in this site. I'm officially a huge fan of his work. He's probably one of the best damn web devs in this part of town and sets the bar for innovation. Kudos!

How Facebook Codes

2011-02-01T15:00:00.001-05:00

I found this post very interesting: How Facebook Ships Code. In short, it explains how Facebook is a developer-centric company. Whether you're a web-dev, engineer, designer, or product manager, you should check this article out. It gives you a different perspective how a company can be run.

If you don't want to read it, you can download an audio book I created and listen instead. (I've been converting more and more pages into audio books so I can multi-task). Download the audio book

Motorcycle vs. Car Drifting

2011-02-01T02:15:00.001-05:00

This is a pretty sweet video of a Motorcycle vs Car drift battle. Hat tip: Krishna

Watch the Video

Jack Speaks

2011-01-31T15:20:00.001-05:00

I'm amazed by how smart Jack is (my parent's dog). He's 5 years old, and he still can learn new tricks pretty quickly. With some treats, I was able to teach him how to "speak" this weekend.

Best Kinect Hacks

2011-01-28T12:51:00.001-05:00

Watch the video here.

The funniest one by far is the Titty Tracker.

Privacy Policies [Infographic]

2011-01-28T11:09:00.001-05:00

Here's an infographic about privacy policies. It's interesting to see the most common words... these are the same things I have to think about when designing the AddThis product and site. Hat tip: Jim and Mashable

LED Cube

2011-01-27T18:12:00.001-05:00

Man, I want to build one of these. Hat tip: Fahad Watch the video.

Zen Audio Player

2011-01-27T11:27:00.001-05:00

This is an awesome demo of CSS3 and an HTML4 audio player.

Again, this is from Simurai... this dude is on fire.

Check out some of his other awesome demos...

http://lab.simurai.com/css/toggle/#
http://lab.simurai.com/ui/cycle-button/

Traffic in McLean

2011-01-27T11:06:00.001-05:00

If you were stuck somewhere in Northern Virginia, DC or Maryland yesterday, it's because a handful of assholes got stuck and caused us to wait in traffic for hours.

I believe that we should pass a law that heavily fines people for getting stuck. If you notice the photo below, there are about 5 or 6 BMWs couldn't go up the hill (since they're RWD). This caused a massive traffic block, and totally shut down a road. Instead of being fined, these cars are rewarded by getting free help and free towing.

Sadly, the responsible ones who bought FWD/AWD/4x4 for these kinds of conditions are punished by the irresponsible ones.

How many hours did it take you to get home? Here's an awesome video of me sitting in traffic (when I live only 1.8 miles away from work).

Black Ops New Map

2011-01-27T01:30:00.001-05:00

For some reason, I'm not really excited about the new maps... the last couple times I feel like the COD series has ripped me off (giving remakes of old boards). What do you think?

Watch Video

Justin Thorp Rawks

2011-01-24T10:29:00.000-05:00

Today is Community Manager Appreciation Day. Justin is the best.

No Panic Valentines

2011-01-21T01:35:00.001-05:00

I whipped together a quick design for our next tournament in Feb. Alan and Jon had a great idea—throw a valentines volleyball tournament where people can show off their skills and love for the game.

What do you guys think? Check out the current site. Ps. The site is getting a huge amount of traffic already. Thanks for all the support!

Data Data Everywhere

2011-01-21T01:26:00.001-05:00

If you're into data, you should read this article by the economist. It was highly recommended by one our board of directors. Hat tip: Nigel Morris

Yo Mama So Fat...

2011-01-19T12:10:00.000-05:00

Yo mamma so fat, she sat on a binary tree and flattened it into a linked list in O(1) time.

Hat tip: Matt Abrams

Silk

2011-01-18T12:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is a really cool and sexy site. Check out http://weavesilk.com/ and create your own eye candy.

AddThis Bowling

2011-01-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

After our awesome Q1 meeting, our entire team (east coast, west coast and everything between) went bowling. Here are some of the highlights of our evening. Thanks to everyone who could make it out. It was a fun way to start a great year.

Transporting the team to the bowling alley.

Peggy explains the rules of the tournament to the teams.

Mike clears his mind, and prepares to throw a turkey (3 consecutive strikes).

Robert throws a strike of his own, executed with immaculate form and surgical precision.

Will provides real-time color commentary.

Aaron suffers the endless shame of missing a spare.

The finals were won by a microscopic margin. Victory is sweet.

The official 2011 champions.

Check out the rest of the gallery. ^_^

iPad OS 4.3 Gestures

2011-01-12T22:55:00.000-05:00

Finally, something that I've been waiting for. I'm so glad they decided to do this. Watch the video here.

Harry Potter at Work

2011-01-12T14:20:00.000-05:00

I enjoy the Harry Potter series, but I have no clue what my coworkers are talking about (in terms of spells). I love how geeky everyone is here.

Laws of Spacecraft Design

2011-01-11T09:37:00.000-05:00

While these laws are focused for space craft engineers, I'd like to apply them to my next design project. Hat tip: @soleio (Facebook Designer)

Engineering is done with numbers. Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.
To design a spacecraft right takes an infinite amount of effort. This is why it's a good idea to design them to operate when some things are wrong.
Design is an iterative process. The necessary number of iterations is one more than the number you have currently done. This is true at any point in time.
Your best design efforts will inevitably wind up being useless in the final design. Learn to live with the disappointment.
(Miller's Law) Three points determine a curve.
(Mar's Law) Everything is linear if plotted log-log with a fat magic marker.
At the start of any design effort, the person who most wants to be team leader is least likely to be capable of it.
In nature, the optimum is almost always in the middle somewhere. Distrust assertions that the optimum is at an extreme point.
Not having all the information you need is never a satisfactory excuse for not starting the analysis.
When in doubt, estimate. In an emergency, guess. But be sure to go back and clean up the mess when the real numbers come along.
Sometimes, the fastest way to get to the end is to throw everything out and start over.
There is never a single right solution. There are always multiple wrong ones, though.
Design is based on requirements. There's no justification for designing something one bit "better" than the requirements dictate.
(Edison's Law) "Better" is the enemy of "good".
(Shea's Law) The ability to improve a design occurs primarily at the interfaces. This is also the prime location for screwing it up.
The previous people who did a similar analysis did not have a direct pipeline to the wisdom of the ages. There is therefore no reason to believe their analysis over yours. There is especially no reason to present their analysis as yours.
The fact that an analysis appears in print has no relationship to the likelihood of its being correct.
Past experience is excellent for providing a reality check. Too much reality can doom an otherwise worthwhile design, though.
The odds are greatly against you being immensely smarter than everyone else in the field. If your analysis says your terminal velocity is twice the speed of light, you may have invented warp drive, but the chances are a lot better that you've screwed up.
A bad design with a good presentation is doomed eventually. A good design with a bad presentation is doomed immediately.
(Larrabee's Law) Half of everything you hear in a classroom is crap. Education is figuring out which half is which.
When in doubt, document. (Documentation requirements will reach a maximum shortly after the termination of a program.)
The schedule you develop will seem like a complete work of fiction up until the time your customer fires you for not meeting it.
It's called a "Work Breakdown Structure" because the Work remaining will grow until you have a Breakdown, unless you enforce some Structure on it.
(Bowden's Law) Following a testing failure, it's always possible to refine the analysis to show that you really had negative margins all along.
(Montemerlo's Law) Don't do nuthin' dumb.
(Varsi's Law) Schedules only move in one direction.
(Ranger's Law) There ain't no such thing as a free launch.
(von Tiesenhausen's Law of Program Management) To get an accurate estimate of final program requirements, multiply the initial time estimates by pi, and slide the decimal point on the cost estimates one place to the right.
(von Tiesenhausen's Law of Engineering Design) If you want to have a maximum effect on the design of a new engineering system, learn to draw. Engineers always wind up designing the vehicle to look like the initial artist's concept.
(Mo's Law of Evolutionary Development) You can't get to the moon by climbing successively taller trees.
(Atkin's Law of Demonstrations) When the hardware is working perfectly, the really important visitors don't show up.
(Patton's Law of Program Planning) A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week.
(Roosevelt's Law of Task Planning) Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.
(de Saint-Exupery's Law of Design) A designer knows that he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Any run-of-the-mill engineer can design something which is elegant. A good engineer designs systems to be efficient. A great engineer designs them to be effective.

(Henshaw's Law) One key to success in a mission is establishing clear lines of blame.

Capabilities drive requirements, regardless of what the systems engineering textbooks say.

The three keys to keeping a new manned space program affordable and on schedule:

No new launch vehicles.

No new launch vehicles.

Whatever you do, don't decide to develop any new launch vehicles.

Space is a completely unforgiving environment. If you screw up the engineering, somebody dies (and there's no partial credit because most of the analysis was right...)

-Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design

No Panic Volleyball

2011-01-07T12:17:00.002-05:00

I've been playing volleyball more, and figured it was time to do something special. A couple of the guys that I play with had an idea... about starting a "No Panic" community around volleyball. Right now it seems that Meetup.com is the only online place to set these kinds of things up... I've launched a quick landing page (with the help of Foo) that features our first tournament. It's all beta right now, but eventually I'd like to figure out a way to use the Facebook social graph to connect volleyball players online. This is just the first iteration, but I have a feeling it's going to grow with a little time and love. Check it out.

Ps. Seriously Foo, thanks for helping me out yesterday night. You are awesome.

The Worst Hurdler

2011-01-06T17:05:00.000-05:00

There are days we all feel like this. Watch the video.

New Starbucks Logo

2011-01-05T17:14:00.000-05:00

The new Starbucks logo is a beautiful progression. Glad to see the bold visual direction they've taken. Reminds me of Nike. Check out a video of the CEO talking about the logo. Hat tip: Jina

Designers, Pick Two

2011-01-05T09:42:00.003-05:00

Thoughts About Dreams

2011-01-04T10:39:00.000-05:00

This is an absolutely beautiful book and concept. Bravo.

The book “Traumgedanken” (“Thoughts about dreams”) contains a collection of literary, philosophical, psychological and scientifical texts which provide an insight into different dream theories.

To ease the access to the elusive topic, the book is designed as a model of a dream about dreaming. Analogue to a dream, where pieces of reality are assembled to build a story, it brings different text excerpts together. They are connected by threads which tie in with certain key words. The threads visualise the confusion and fragileness of dreams.
On five pages there are illustrations made out of thread. Their shape and colour relies on the key words on the opposite page. This way an abstract image of the dream about dreaming is generated.

In addition there are five pages where a significant excerpt from a text of the opposite page is stitched into the paper. It is not legible because the type’s actual surface is inside the folded page. This expresses the mysteriousness of dreams and the aspect of dream interpretation.

banksimple.com

2011-01-04T10:02:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful site. I love how they're using Museo. Check out BankSimple. Hat tip: Charlie.

Create Your Own O2

2010-12-30T19:10:00.001-05:00

I don't have these... but the spider plants in my home seem to be growing well.

Mario Bros The Movie

2010-12-30T18:28:00.000-05:00

I liked how they used GTA to create this trailer. The little tribute to The Professional was good too.

Watch the video.

AddThis 2010 Trends

2010-12-30T05:57:00.001-05:00

Here's an infographic I whipped up yesterday with Hooman and Justin. Glad to see it was well received on mashable, readwriteweb, theatlantic, allfacebook, and techcocktail. Huge kudos to all my comrades at AddThis. 2010 has been quite a year. BTW, if you want to see some of my inspiration for this infographic, check out my other site: visualizationporn.tumblr.com.

Animation with GDocs

2010-12-26T13:51:00.000-05:00

I mean, this is an epic waste of time... but you have to give these guys a pat on the back for being really creative.

(Watch the video)

Singing Parrot

2010-12-23T12:50:00.000-05:00

Parrot sings "Let the bodies the the floor". (Video) Hat tip: Michael

Designing Analytics

2010-12-22T14:22:00.000-05:00

Over the last few weeks, I've been working on the new AddThis Analytics. This is the 3rd generation, and it's come a long way. I'd like to talk a little more about the design. You can read all details about it on the AddThis blog.

Introducing Analytics Version 3.0
Our previous generation showed everything about shares... but very little about what happens after something is shared. The new analytics tells different story—how someone found you, how a user engaged with content, who came back from the shared link, and what their interests are. The images below are screenshots of our new analytics.

Process
The original wireframes were created by Jim (pictured right), and we prototyped it to see what data would look like. When we populated the original reports with real data, everything changed:

We discovered interesting things:
• The funnel visualization, while interesting, was confusing
• Top content took too much space in a Summary page
• The Snapture screenshots were not helpful
• We couldn't do social mentions at a domain level—too slow
• Share velocity doesn't make sense for smaller publishers
• The page felt like it was scrolling too much vertically
• New queries were affecting performance
• We wanted to know more about Audiences and their Interests

The bottom line was that we all had to challenge ourselves to show the data in a more compelling way. So, we grabbed a room and reworked everything. The images below show how we shifted components around to tell a story. It was important to show the data in a specific hierarchy, so the reports could convey interesting correlations and deltas.

While this approach requires more rounds of revisions, I think we ended up with a better product—a product that we would have never arrived at, if we didn't challenge ourselves.

The Video (watch)
Lastly, the video was created immediately after the reports were finalized. Huge thanks to Kori for laying down the vocals. She's a rock star.

The Final Result
After weeks of revisions, exploration and tweaks, we have something that I'm really proud of. I'm excited to see how our entire team pulled this together quickly. Huge high five to everyone.

DIY Star Trek Door

2010-12-21T21:55:00.000-05:00

Wow, this is cool as hell. I want one in my home now. Learn how to build your own. Hat tip: Vinny

Typewriter Art

2010-12-21T14:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, so creating this could take a little time on the computer... but try doing it on a typewriter. Read more about it here.

British artist Keira Rathbone uses typewriters, instead of brushes and pencils, to create amazing portraits and drawings.

Bubble Magic

2010-12-21T13:31:00.000-05:00

In this video, you'll learn how to create a square bubble.

DIY Om Nom

2010-12-21T13:11:00.000-05:00

For you Cut The Rope fans, here's a little DIY paper cut out of Om Nom in a box. You can get the full size image here. He is just so cute... They should make teddy bears and accessories. I tried to check on Etsy, but there was nothing! :(

Sh*tty Day

2010-12-21T12:48:00.000-05:00

Everyone's had a shitty day... so this site picks up all the Tweets. And yes, I love the pink toilet paper holder. Check out the site.

jeffwongdesign at Work

2010-12-21T12:24:00.001-05:00

After setting up my home computer, I decided I'd try using a similar setup at work. This is what it currently looks like. I'm thinking about picking up another 27" Apple monitor for the office... *glances around*

Chrome Search Default

2010-12-20T20:50:00.000-05:00

I'm installing Chrome on my new computer, and noticed they asked you what search engine you'd like to use. I would have thought they'd have Google Search as their default, but they offer Yahoo and Bing.

I wonder what their intention is...

T-Mobile Commercial

2010-12-20T19:09:00.000-05:00

This was shot with real passengers coming out of the airport terminal. While it was used primarily for a commercial, it's really impressive how the guys at Satchi & Satchi coordinated it. Watch the video. Hat tip: @uyfresh

Watch the behind the scenes video.

Making of the Aeron

2010-12-20T01:13:00.001-05:00

As I put together my workstation, I wanted to find a nicer chair. I'm considering the Aeron (I had the pleasure of using one in a prior life). I'm also considering the Freedom Chair as well (used of course). Anyone have a recommendation for the perfect chair? Watch the video about the Aeron.

The Aeron chair is a product of Herman Miller designed in 1994 by Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf. It is an ergonomic chair that is regarded by many users as inherently very comfortable due to its wide range of fit (available in three sizes) and adjustability. Its novel design has gained it a spot in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection.[1] The chair's exclusivity became a symbol of the dot-com bubble in the late 1990s. -Wikepedia

Dog Massage

2010-12-20T00:35:00.000-05:00

I feel bad for this corgi... but it's pretty cute. Watch the video here.

jeffwongdesign iMac

2010-12-19T02:07:00.000-05:00

This is my new workstation. It benchmarks at 6503. While it's not the fastest computer, it's plenty of power for what I'm working on these days. Here's a screenshot of my current setup. I'm still decorating and installing all my software. Thanks Stephen and Roger for the recommendations. And thanks to Annie for helping me pick it up. ^_^

Cameron Moll's Desk

2010-12-17T16:34:00.000-05:00

Love this setup. Nice and simple. Check Cameron Moll's site.

Clearspring Party

2010-12-17T16:30:00.000-05:00

The top two photos are by Yuesong wife. She was shooting with a 50mm 1.4f lens.

Apple Store Benchmarks

2010-12-17T13:35:00.001-05:00

I ran Geek Bench on a couple of the stock computers at the Apple store last night. The image on the left is a dual core iMac... which is pretty fast. I was debating between a MacBook Air and an iMac as a home computer, but after seeing the results, I'd have to favor the iMac.

The Air just doesn't have enough hardware to run stuff like Photoshop, Logic, Final Cut, etc. If I used the Air, it'd be purely for web browsing, email, writing, and some omnigraffle.

Also check out Cameron Moll's blog post about why he can't use the Air as a replacement for his iMac.

Macbook Air 11" and 13":

Mac Mini Server and Mac Pro Quad Core:

Zombie Catapillar

2010-12-17T11:33:00.000-05:00

A team that has done extensive field studies with infected caterpillars say they have the first conclusive proof that the manipulative behaviour of some parasitoids increases their chance of survival.

The parasitoid wasp Glyptapanteles lays its eggs, about 80 at a time, in young geometrid caterpillars. The eggs hatch and the larvae feed on the caterpillar's body fluids. When they are fully developed, they eat through the caterpillar's skin, attach themselves to a nearby branch or leaf and wrap themselves up in a cocoon. -newscientist.com

Anyone know what causes the change in behavior? Read about it here.

BMW M1 Coupe

2010-12-16T10:13:00.000-05:00

Dimensions and Construction.
The new BMW 1 Series M Coupe has been developed for near-perfect balance and a large, square footprint. It is 71 inches (1803 mm) wide - 4.8 inches (122 mm) wider than its 1988 M3 ancestor - yet only 1.3 inches (33 mm) longer at 172.4 inches (4379 mm) long. The new 1 Series M Coupe weighs in at 1,495kg DIN (3,296 lbs, preliminary), and features a 104.7-inch (2659 mm) wheelbase, three inches longer than the 1988 M3. Front and rear track widths are exactly the same on the 1 Series M Coupe at 60.7 inches (1542 mm) each. Compared to the 2011 BMW 135i Coupe, the 1 Series M Coupe is 0.2 inches (5 mm) longer, 2.1 inches (53 mm) wider, 0.5 inches (13 mm) taller, and rides on the same 104.7 inch (2659 mm) wheelbase. It features a track 2.8 inches (71 mm) wider up front and 1.8 inches (46 mm) wider in the rear, and weighs 35kg DIN (77 lbs, preliminary) less.

Wow, this should be an interesting one. I thought the regular 135i packed plenty of horses and was super focused... but this M version will probably be insane.

Plus, it looks much better.

Jobs Page

2010-12-15T10:03:00.000-05:00

Here are some jobs pages I saw recently. I have a bunch bookmarked, but here are some you probably recognize. Where would you want to work?

Google

Twitter

Facebook

Ferrari Spotted

2010-12-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

How often do you guys see super cars? I probably see one once a week around here.

Richmond Snow

2010-12-13T13:27:00.000-05:00

Was in Richmond for less than 24 hours for a dr's appointment. Here's a photo of some snow.

iPod Nano Watch

2010-12-10T12:49:00.000-05:00

This makes me miss doing industrial design. Interesting idea. Watch the video and learn more here. Hat tip: Charlie

TikTok and LunaTik simply transform the iPod Nano into the world's coolest multi-touch watches. The idea to use the Nano as a watch was an obvious one ever since the product was announced. But we wanted to create a collection that was well designed, engineered and manufactured from premium materials and that complemented the impeccable quality of Apple products. Not just clipped on a cheap strap as an afterthought. We wanted to create a product that your friends and strangers would stop you and ask "WTF is that??? And where can I get one?!"

Stewart's Birthday

2010-12-10T11:22:00.000-05:00

Stephen and gang strike again to decorate another desk. This time, Stewart is the victim of birthday decor with a holiday motif.

And... Here's a time lapse video I created to show the behind-the-scenes.

How fast is your Mac?

2010-12-09T18:16:00.000-05:00

Sounds like I'll be getting a new computer soon—this should make everything a faster. I'm working on a computer that's benchmarked at roughly 3300. My new computer should be close to 7000-8000. I used Geek Bench to benchmark my computer and compare numbers. They actually have a really nice application and website. Check it out, and tell me how fast your computer is. Here's a screenshot of their computers... You'll notice that my computer isn't even in this photo.

Electronic Pickpocketing

2010-12-08T12:34:00.000-05:00

This is a pretty cool hack... but then again, it always sucks to get robbed. Watch the video. Hat tip: Vinny

Talking Animals

2010-12-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

Mishka Saying "Hello"

Talking Parrot

Will's Birthday

2010-12-07T10:11:00.000-05:00

Office decor by Stephen. Impressive!

Icon Porn

2010-12-06T18:08:00.000-05:00

Here are some nice icons I've saved from Dribbble.com.

Best Cantonese in NOVA

2010-12-06T12:04:00.000-05:00

While this might not be the most flattering picture of food, it is by far one of the best cantonese restaurants in Northern Virginia. The real star is their duck—it's official... it's up there with the duck from hong kong.

Map
6124 Arlington Boulevard
Falls Church, VA 22044-2901

Their lunch menu price is fair (about $15 per person if you eat a lot).

RetailMeNot sells for 90M.

2010-12-06T10:24:00.000-05:00

But as surreal as it is for the new multimillionaires, RetailMeNot is but one example of a number of global sites that exploit an online trend towards using coupons or group buying for discounts from traditional retailers of goods and services. Just last month, another Australian coupon start-up Jump On secured AU$5 million in funding from a similar US company.

It's a trend which has seen multinational sites like Groupon and LivingSocial spring up to become billion-dollar enterprises almost overnight. The US technology sector is buzzing with rumours that Groupon will be bought by Google for US$6 billion, and overnight Amazon announced a US$175 million investment in LivingSocial, which is projected to top US$500 million in revenue in 2011. - zdnet.com

With sites like these, it makes me want to learn how to be a developer. Wow. Read more about it here.

Anatomy of Typography

2010-12-03T14:38:00.000-05:00

This is a beautiful diagram that shows the entire anatomy of traditional type. Hat tip: Charlie

QR Street Art Spotted

2010-12-03T14:06:00.000-05:00

This is pretty geeky. Posters are spotted with QR codes. I'll have to play around with this a little more. I've seen Charlie playing around with this a few months ago in the office with the Android.

Lately I've spotted a series of wheat-pasted pictures on electrical boxes, lamp posts, and such around the neighborhood: various pictures of people, plus the addition of some QR codes, the funny looking patterns, which are similar to UPC codes. A lot of smart phones have apps where you can scan them and it goes to a website or plays a song or something. I'm guessing they're related, but not sure who is putting them up aside from a band that plays "psychedelic doo-wop metal." - New Columbia Heights

To answer this question, I had to go into photoshop and transform the image with some enhancements. Here's a screenshot of my retouched image. The codes used in the photos are the same. The link takes you to: http://mother.bandcamp.com

Hat tip: @jxnblk

Dogs Eating Cabbage

2010-12-02T17:33:00.002-05:00

Watch these dogs eat cabbage. It's too cute.

AddThis 32x32 Icons

2010-12-02T13:19:00.000-05:00

When we launched the AddThis 32x32 icons a few months ago...
we wanted to make sharing easier to click and easier to touch. Bigger icons proves to increase sharing... but there are some challenges that come along with size... like alpha transparency, size and load time, loss in fidelity when scaled from 16px to 32px.

Some of our Challenges
To make sure alpha transparency looked smooth (like corners, shadows, etc) we're using a 24bit PNG format. To ensure a small/fast size, we've compressed the images and created a sprite. To make sure icons upscaled nicely from 16px to 32px, we've re-drawn a large number of the top services.

Examples of Rescaled Service Icons
However, there are still a lot of services that need to be re-drawn. I'm going to take a little time each month to sharpen them. Here's an example of Yammer, Email App, Plaxo and DesignMoo... compare below:

Old:

New:

Dark Background
You can really see the difference when you compare them on a dark background. I created this page to show my comrades the difference.

If you have any special requests or larger icons you'd like to submit, please leave a comment.

Ben The Bodyguard

2010-12-02T11:05:00.000-05:00

Sweet site, concept, and execution. Scroll down the page, and you'll get a nice experience. Check it out.

Pure CSS GUI Icons

2010-12-01T15:57:00.000-05:00

These icons were created with pure CSS, by Nicolas Gallagher. Check out the demo.

An experiment that uses pseudo-elements to create 84 simple GUI icons using CSS and semantic HTML. Shared as an exercise in creative problem solving and working within constraints. This is not a “production ready” CSS icon set.

Office Hacky-Sac Skills

2010-12-01T14:51:00.000-05:00

Looks like a fake one, but I thought it was well done. I didn't expect the ending. It makes we want to pick up a hacky-sac.

Watch the video.

Merchant's Tire Sucks

2010-11-30T15:53:00.002-05:00

The Background Story
I went in to get my oil changed yesterday... When my car was returned, I was missing about $1.50 from my change box. While this is a trivial amount, I needed it for tolls that evening—the toll vendor wasn't there to give me change, so I had to wait for strangers on the highway to exchange dollars for coins. If I had ran the toll, I'd pay $40 in fines per toll (x2). This was extremely unnerving and frustrating.

$10 a Day = $2400 a Year
If 1 employee steals $10 worth of change from customers every day, they'd make $2400 a year. Within 15 miles, there are 15 Merchant's Tire. I'm sure there are plenty of Merchant's Tires that don't steal, but I'm not going back.

"Your Trusted Source for Tires, Wheels and Service"
This is their address:
2055 CHAIN BRIDGE ROAD
VIENNA, VA 22182

The Follow Up
So I got a twitter reply from Merchant's Tire to fill out this form. We'll see what happens next. Everyone knows pennies add up.

Photos from Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T15:56:00.000-05:00

Perfect Typography

2010-11-23T11:49:00.000-05:00

Tim Brown - More Perfect Typography from Build on Vimeo.

Tim Brown is Type Manager for Typekit. He studies, promotes, and advances the craft of web typography on a daily basis, and shares what he knows at Nice Web Type. Tim has written for A List Apart, and he helps web designers with tools like Web Font Specimen.

Rockmelt vs Rubiks

2010-11-22T19:11:00.000-05:00

I love start up cultures... especially the super nerdy ones. This video of RockMelt brought a huge smile to my face. Maybe it's time to dust off my rubiks cube and practice again. Thumbs up for keeping it nerdy.

Chronic UV Exposure

2010-11-22T18:42:00.000-05:00

That is exposure to the sun without using sun protection. Learn more about skin cancer. Hat tip: Annie

Happy Bday Carrie

2010-11-22T18:38:00.000-05:00

I hung out with Annie's sisters/friends this weekend to celebrate Carrie's birthday. In her honor, I created her an "isms" page that features some of the PHP/Javascript and CSS I hacked together this past week. Check it out.

(In order from left to right: Julia, Valina, Carrie, Annie)

iPhone HDR + Ferrari

2010-11-22T18:34:00.000-05:00

A was driving home and a guy in a Ferrari pulled up beside me. You can compare the quality of HDR vs non-HDR. I think I'll be shooting with this new feature on all the time now. What do you think?

Without HDR

With HDR

Ugliest Font Car Decal

2010-11-22T18:30:00.002-05:00

This is the ugliest font ever... and the worst thing, it was in GLITTER text.

CSS Penguin

2010-11-22T18:24:00.000-05:00

As an attempt to learn more about CSS and web development, I've mocked up a penguin based on one of my friend's illustrations (Emily Wilson). The image above is just a bitmap, so check out the CSS version. Also check out Emily's write up about it too.

Friday Face

2010-11-19T16:39:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a week. I got to see Jim speak as well as Steve Case. We're working on some exciting stuff over here. It's looking really exciting, and I'm ready to crush our favorite competitors. If only I had a dribbble account to "accidentally" leak some of my work... heh.

CSS iPhone Icons

2010-11-19T16:01:00.000-05:00

You can only view these incredible icons (built entirely with CSS) in Chrome or Safari. Check it out here. Try to make the text bigger (by hitting command +). ;)

Too Bright

2010-11-19T09:18:00.000-05:00

I'm usually a fan of brighter colors, but wow is this too bright. It just hurts to look.

State of Cloud Computing

2010-11-17T16:29:00.000-05:00

Looks like the guys at Jess3 made another video, but this time about the State of Cloud Computing. I love the animation and style they used to tell the story. For those of you who don't know what cloud computing is, this is a great intro. For those of you who do, just sit back and enjoy the eye candy (since you probably already know this, and more). Here's an older post about another Jess3 video about the State of the Internet. Hat tip: Simon Owens

Watch the video here.

Danny MacAskill Skills

2010-11-17T14:31:00.000-05:00

Way Back Home is the incredible new riding clip from Danny MacAskill, it follows him on a journey from Edinburgh back to his hometown Dunvegan, in the Isle of Skye. You can read about it and watch the interviews with Danny here. Watch the video here. Hat tip: Priidu Zilmer

Condo Porn

2010-11-17T10:56:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted some condo porn. Here's some cool stuff I've seen recently. It really makes me want to decorate my corner of the office.

Google User Experience

2010-11-16T10:22:00.000-05:00

It's nice to see some other perspective at Google other than Marissa Mayer. John is a UX designer at Google. Matt was a co-founder of Feedburner. This is a talk about user experience, not design. There are so many things that affect UX that do not fall in the category of design. These are tips that anyone can use.

Watch the video.

The video's a little long, so here are the notes:

Make your app Fast
Focus on latency. Users should get immediate feedback if they do something. Mozilla optimized their download page by 2.2 seconds and saw their download conversions improved by 15.4%. Speed is important to Google. It takes 470 ms to download the Google search page in Firebug. Firebug lets you see how fast everything downloads, which is useful to analyze your web app.
Other tools are pagetest, page speed and yahoo yslow. Page speed and page test are add-ons to firebug. They will give you advice on how to improve.
Its OK that part of the aesthetic does not load quickly, as long as the content loads quickly.
Fred Wilson, an investor also says that the speed is the most important feature. Users dont care about how hard it is for your app to work, they just care that it works fast.

Make your users fast too
Provide shortcuts - small things add up over time and make the experience frustrating for your users.
Focus on the first field in the form. Saves 1/2 a second, saves a click.
Example: an airline site remembers the last inputs entered by a user.
Big targets are better than small targets when it comes to mouse clicks or mobile devices.
Tab order: users think a certain way when they use your app. Twitter devs made it so that the users go to "remember me" before going to the "sign in" button, even though the sign in button comes first.
Make sure users can submit a form by hitting enter.

Be Yourself
Make sure using the app is fun for the users. Don't have to be all corporate about it.
Don't over explain errors, messages, etc. It only needs to show what the user needs to know.

Engage in conversations with your users
The see you as being on their side and are more likely to forgive you if something goes wrong.
Listen to what people are saying about your product. Monitor blogs, facebook, twitter, etc. to see what people are saying about you. Blog search, technorati, etc. help you do that.
Twitter lets you see stuff that is too new for people to have written a blog post about it, or too small to write an email or a blog post.
When you respond, do it with honesty and humility. Matt has an anecdote here.

Surprise your users
Anecdote: The publisher at Google team decided to build a mobile version of the app. They designed and built it within a week. Someone tweeted about the feature before it was announced, so they called him into the office and showed him the app, which completely surprised him.
Use schwag wisely. It's a great way to build your brand.
Provide your own support: It's a good way to see what's going wrong and to fix it immediately.
Easter eggs that happen when the right things happen is a good way to surprise users.

Be willing to give up control
All of us use 3rd party libraries, use shared code, etc. The same applies to accounting, financing, etc.
For example, whenever feedburner needed anything more than simple graphics, they used istockphoto.com. What if someone else uses the same graphic? That's pretty low risk, and you'll find yourself working with the same artists over time to build your brand.

Be polite
Shoutout to Erica Hall - she gives a great presentation on how to be polite to users.
Be friendly to users, try to understand how your app might annoy users.
There are many error messages that tell you what is wrong (maybe) but no way to fix it or change it.
Make it easy to get started with your app.
Tripit lets you save your travel info. You forward your itinerary to them at an email and they create a shell account that you can sign up with if you want to.
Use Open ID, so people dont have to create a new account unless they have to.
Offer a way out.
Make it easy for your users to leave. No one likes to feel trapped, so don't build dead ends or dark alleys in your app.
Eg. Save changes OR Cancel and Don't save.
E.g. Netflix lets you put your membership on hold and explains what happens if you do.

Prepare for failure
Fast failure makes a lot of sense, but this is not about that.
This is about dead ends and blind alleys. Things that you did not prepare for.
Don't ask people to format phone numbers, enter http:// or ask which kind of card it is. Make messy data entry as easy as possible for the users.
E.g. BBC always has a high and low graphics version of all their content. If you expect a lot of traffic, make sure you have a low-res version of your app that still works, even if the high-res version goes down.
E.g. the "fail whale" at Twitter.

Be reliable
This brings the talk full circle. Speed and reliability are both critical. Stakes are higher for certain apps (banking) and an unreliable site can affect your brand.
Commit as a team to making your service as reliable as possible.

See all the notes here.

Centerville vs. Stonebridge

2010-11-16T09:39:00.000-05:00

I went to another highschool volleyball game this weekend. This was the regional finals between Centerville and Stonebridge. Here are some videos:

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Paradise in Vietnam

2010-11-15T15:20:00.000-05:00

I was watching some top gear, and one of the shows was featured in Vietnam. One of the most amazing sceneries was filmed in Ha Long Bay. It's one of the places I'd like to visit sometime, and interestingly enough, it's very close to where Annie's mom grew up. Here are some more stunning photos of the landscape.

Ha Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km2 with a high density of 775 islets.[1] The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. The evolution of the karst in this bay has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate.[2] The geo-diversity of the environment in the area has created biodiversity, including a tropical evergreen biosystem, oceanic and sea shore biosystem.[3] Ha Long Bay is home to 14 endemic floral species[4] and 60 endemic faunal species.[5] - wikipedia

Some of the islands support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. Many of the islands have acquired their names as a result of interpretation of their unusual shapes. Such names include Voi Islet (elephant), Ga Choi Islet (fighting cock), and Mai Nha Islet (roof). 989 of the islands have been given names. Birds and animals including bantams, antelopes, monkeys, and lizards also live on some of the islands. - wikipedia

The end of the Vietnam war, and the advent of "Doi moi", Vietnam's policy of opening its economy to foreign trade, means that Westerners and South Vietnamese now have a chance to visit Ha long. Vinh Ha Long or Bay of the Descending Dragon is often touted by proud Vietnamese as the world's Eighth wonder. One of the main attractions of Ha long is the bay's calm water and the thousands of limestone mountains dotting the seascape. The Bay's water is clear during the spring and early summer. Some of the islands are quite large and there are small alcoves with sandy beaches where swimming is possible. Ha Long bay lies in the northeastern part of Vietnam and is 165 Km from Hanoi. -vietscape.com

Who else wants to go?

Designer Slash Hacker

2010-11-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

I spent last night hacking away at my parked page at jeffwongdesign.com. I added a bunch of stuff to make it a little more interesting. FYI, I'm not a developer, so this was a total hack based on a bunch of stuff I found on the web. Check out some of the sources below...

Random background image with PHP (Get Code).
In order to randomize the background, I used a PHP script. Then I changed the CSS to call the .PHP file. Then I set up an image folder, and point the PHP to it. I dropped about 15 optimized images, and viola! Randomized background images.

Full screen background image with CSS (Get Code).
In order to make the screen scale perfectly to the browser size, I used some CSS that updates the background on the fly. As a bonus, the site always shows a full image for any screen (even iPhone/iPad).

Custom AddThis button (Get Code)
I used AddThis for sharing/bookmarking, and simply transformed some text into a custom button. To make the menu appear beneath the text perfectly, I added a custom offset. The best part about AddThis is that it has a special custom interface for iPad and iPhone... so my site looks great on mobile devices.

Custom Twitter feed (Get Code)
I added a custom Twitter feed that pulls in my last tweet with a json call. I was surprised how simple it was to do—it's pretty much plug and play.

IE browser tested
Foo checked out my site this morning and noticed that it didn't work in IE. My CSS3 alpha background was gone... So instead, I stretched a transparent png as the background, so that it works in IE.

Centered DIV (Get Code)
In order to center the DIV (the black box), I borrowed a little javascript. Now the DIV is centered horizontally and vertically.

Custom Font-Face (Get Code)
I wanted to try loading in a custom font, "Museo". You basically need to gave the TTF, EOT and SVG and link to them with CSS.

Birth Control for Geeks

2010-11-11T13:26:00.000-05:00

Laptop On Laps & Sperm Quality Linked – According to a new study, using a laptop on the lap may be potentially damaging to sperm cells. Of course, there is not actually a lot that can be done about this, as the whole point of the laptop is so that it can be used on the lap. However, there is always the option to use it on a desk, or on top of something which can be used on the lap. -healthrelatedinfos.com

As I was typing on my laptop during a meeting, one of my coworkers asked me if I had seen the recent article about using laptops on your lap. So if you want to reduce the chances of having kids, be a geek. There are other ways to reduce the chances like smoking, eating mcdonalds, becoming obese, cycling, doing drugs, and being exposed to radiation (according to this article).

Hat tip: Gar

Dog Icons

2010-11-11T11:16:00.000-05:00

I love these icons, and the fact that they're dogs makes them even better. The icon of the corgi is absolutely adorable. The flat geometric style is delicious. Check out more icons from alwayswithhonor.com

Quotes in Carter Sans

2010-11-11T10:56:00.000-05:00

These quotes were used as a part of a promotional piece for the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, and originated from some of the most innovative creative thinkers (ranging from photographers, artists, graphic designers, architects, and copywriters). My only criticism is that this design would have looked better flush left. The longer quotes are harder to read, and break funny.

The Carter Sans family is based on epigraphic letters used in inscription, and the gala graphics are suitably elegant and ceremonial. In the campaign materials, the letters A, D and C in all laureates’ names appear in three metallic colors to shimmering, subtle effect. The invitation and other gala materials are wrapped in a paper band that lists the 154 prior Hall of Fame inductees—a piece that pushed the typographic limits by registering four spot colors in 7-point type.

Ps. I love this font—I might have to get my hands on it when it comes out. I get turned on by metallic PMSs... it's been so long since I've done print work. I sure miss designing with PMS-877 (silver) on a nice juicy 120lbs cover stock of Cougar Ultra White. Ohhh la la.

Steven Seagal vs Balls

2010-11-10T12:35:00.001-05:00

Steven Seagal has a tendency of attacking people below the belt. In this video, he tags the speed bag 74 times. I wonder how many times Chuck Norris has tagged the speed bag.

And a little bonus: Here's a video of Seagal running like a....

I just got a link from Wings with a spoof movie trailer, "Cock Puncher". Check it out.

Bevel and Glow Porn

2010-11-09T15:03:00.001-05:00

I'm saving all these wonderful screenshots from dribbble.com. While I prefer more minimalist graphics, there's something absolutely beautiful about interfaces that render controls with total realism. The thing that makes all of these graphics realistic are the bevels--they create tight parting lines between the controls, which gives the interface such a nice tactile fit and finish. It makes me want to design an iPhone or iPad app when I see this sexy stuff. I'm also really digging the glow effect too. Check out my old blog post about textures.

Ultimate Peeping Tom

2010-11-09T14:33:00.000-05:00

Parrot AR.Drone consists of a central cockpit surrounded by four propellers, each driven by an engine. It offers amazing possibilities for piloting, excellent maneuverability and extraordinary stability.The heart of AR.Drone contains all electronic components and two cameras: The first camera, located underneath, connects to an Inertial Measurement Unit, which allows the AR.Drone to measure its speed and perform flawless stationary flight. Parrot Smart Piloting (PSP) technology compensates for wind and other environmental conditions during outside flights. For the first time, these technologies, used primarily for professional and military applications, have been adapted to the gaming universe. The second camera, at the front, broadcasts and streams to the iPhone(TM) or iPod touch(R) screen, what the AR.Drone sees, as if you were sitting in the cockpit. This allows for the augmented reality gaming experience.The Parrot AR.Drone generates its own Wi-Fi network that simply connects to an iPhone(TM) or iPod touch(R) and turns it into a true piloting station. -stepup21.com

Our office has been acquiring several RC helicopters, but the ultimate RC flying device is the Parrot AR Drone with Live Camera, controlled by an iPad. While this is an awesome RC device, I can't help but to wonder if it's the ultimate peeping tom tool. And you want to buy it, it runs for $299.99m.

Watch the video here. To see how it works, and watch even more videos, click here.

Herndon vs Stonebridge

2010-11-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

As You May Know
I've been playing volleyball for the last few months. I watched a good match between Herndon and Stonebridge Highschool.

Here are my notes:
Always serve in, otherwise you're giving away free points.
Passing makes plays.
Setting to your weakest hitters is like free balling.
No matter what, don't free ball. Hit everything.
Stay low.
Transition and be ready.

Watch Video 1

Watch Video 2

Watch Video 3

Watch Video 4

jeffwongdesign.com

2010-11-08T16:59:00.000-05:00

I registered jeffwongdesign.com (again), and I've parked it with a temporary layout. I'll update the background photo from time to time with photos I've shot. For now, it'll be my playground for learning more CSS and messing around with wordpress. Stay turned! Ps. I coded it myself! *pats self on back*

Fluid Grid (12 Columns)

2010-11-08T13:49:00.000-05:00

The 1140 grid fits perfectly into a 1280 monitor. On smaller monitors it becomes fluid and adapts to the width of the browser. Beyond a certain point it uses media queries to serve up a mobile version, which essentially stacks all the columns on top of each other so the flow of information still makes sense. Scrap 1024! Design once at 1140 for 1280, and with very little extra work, it will adapt itself to work on just about any monitor, even mobile.

I've been using 960gs with Foo for a while now... but I'm definitely going to try this new grid system. I'd like to see some examples of sites that use this system. Check out cssgrid.net to learn more and download the spec.

Just Buy This One

2010-11-07T22:25:00.001-05:00

No more surfing through thousands of laptops. No more jumping between websites. No more technobabble. Instead of shopping for a laptop, how about owning one? We plugged into the technical guts of Reevoo.com for its laptop expertise, amazing price comparison and, most importantly, reviews from people who actually own the product. If you don't see something here, it's because it's not worth your time. The best laptop for £150? No such thing. We're about buying the best, not something rubbish that will break down within a week. Enough is enough. Just get the best one.

not sure if i'd trust a site like this... but it's an interesting concept. ah, the things you can do when you have tons of data. check out justbuythisone.com hat tip: charlie