History of Icons
A quick informative history lesson on the icons that we've become so familiar with but probably know so little on. My favourite probably has to be the story of the Bluetooth icon. Check it out.
Pampering in Pantone
A new hotel recently opened in Brussels that is both branded and designed using Pantone colours. On top of the usual hotel amenities such as lounges, rooms and meeting rooms this colorful construction also offers professional colour consulting from large retailers. They also have an area called the "Pantone universe" that allows users to test drive new products that showcase the latest use of color. I have a feeling that a hotel like this would strike with the "dorky bone" in any visual designer - I know it has with me.
Intel’s Intelligent Home
Intel put together a very elegant concept for a energy dashboard that works off of the processors they manufacture. The micro site includes overview documentation as well as a demo and video of the system in action. It's crazy to think that something as significant and commonplace as our energy monitoring has been restricted to a metal monstrosity with a spinning arrow at the back of our homes. Even worse, as an apartment dweller I don't even know where I look to view my energy consumption levels. The only transparency I get on that matter is through my monthly bills - and no one really wants to look at that on a regular basis. Hopefully we see more innovations on energy monitoring soon, and hopefully we see it available at the consumer level even sooner.
Into the Infractor
infractor - interactive, collaborative multitouch application from siwamat on Vimeo.
How do turn a wet, dreary day into a good one? Read about installations! Well, if you're a big interaction dork that is. And it's a good thing I'm not the only dork, otherwise this little electronic number would have never been invented - The Infractor.
The Infractor was the creation of the Interface Design students at Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. The piece is an interactive table that visualizes content from the NY Times database (apparently they have an API). Using a variety of small physical objects the user is able to search and filter the results of the NY Times all in real time. At first glance I assumed that they were working on a Microsoft Surface table, but it turns out the table was designed and created by the students at the same university.
It's interesting as I have seen pieces quite similar to this in the past which have been touted as the future of interactivity. Now, say conceptual devices like this did indeed become our future interfaces. Each time I've witnessed a variation on it the same question comes to mind each time: how flexible are these shapes? The interface definitiely seems to have a near endless level of flexibility but what about these fixed, physical shapes? Tangible as they may be, is it really a boon to technology to have all these accompanying parts? Would hand interaction be any worse, or better? I guess it depends largely on it's application.
Microsoft’s Courier Interface
Gizmodo provided a little more in depth coverage of the oft rumored tablet PC concept from Microsoft. Though I wonder how wide spread the need for this sort of interface would be, I do believe that it could have some great potential for creative professionals. To met this is less a "pc" but more like a digital sketch book. As a general consumer I don't think I would want to interact with a device the way they are proposing - considering I'd used to standard applications like a web browser, email and games. Yet, as a digital creative professional I would love to be able to take some of the prototyping, quick sketches, doodles etc. that I generate on a daily basis on paper and transfer it to a digital medium. It may not be as fast, but it should would organize things better than the giant pile currently sitting beside me. Check it out.
Installations in Architecture
World Changing contributor Regine Debatty featured a book that quickly made my list of "to reads" (which is getting dauntingly large): Installations by Architects. The title alone combines to of my biggest interests, but to see them combined in a novel that looks at how architects have used installation work to test the boundaries of what architecture can be about seems nothing short of inspiring. The book will focus on 5 categories of architectural installation - tectonics, body, nature, memory and public space. Once I actually hit this item on my list I'll give an update on my thoughts. I sincerely hope the library will carry this one.
The Great Triad: food, photography and infographics
I know there's a turn of phrase that states "things always come in threes" - but do great things always come in threes?
We often associate food poisoning to the big contenders in our food world like poultry, pork or beef but there are lesser known culprits who have struck thousands of people ill. GOOD magazine has posted yet another amazing infographic focusing on this issue. In contrast to the typical infographic which uses digital illustration solely, this piece combines a nice dose of photography to make it really pop (visually and conceptually). I love how the illustration and photography both visualize the progressive increase in cases of poisoning.
ESL Bulbs
Here is a video on a very promising technology setting out to replace the current lighting champions we find screwed in our homes: incandescent and compact fluorescent. Furthermore, it demonstrates several advantages over the more recent LED light bulbs.
Developed under the name of the Vu1 this Electron Stimulated Luminescence (ESL) light can last up to 6,000 hours, about three to four times the lifespan of incandescents and comparable to CFLs. They produce 50 percent less heat than incandescents and have no mercury unlike CFLs. ESL bulbs would also be garbage disposal and cost around $20 when it hits the market.
On the side of practicality, the ESL bulbs appear to recreate an very natural form of light. I haven't seen a single alternative to incandescents that can create as nice a lighting effect. It also turns on instantly and is fully dimmable.
Digital Confetti
This interactive art installation, made by the Rockwell Group, was featured at the Metropolitan Home Magazine's "Design 100" party. It is an annual celebration honoring 100 of the most noteworthy personalities, places and things in the field of innovative design.
In order to interact with the piece users waved hand held sticks at a central globe which would create explosions of confetti on the digitally rendered surface. It appears to have created a really playful conversation piece for all the party goers to enjoy. Be sure to check out the site as it contains documentation on how they built the piece as well.
Interactive Art in an Elevator
Artist Marco Brambilla was contracted by the Hotel Standard in NYC to create an interactive installation art piece into their elevators. The piece depicts the ascension or descent into Heaven or Hell - it's dependant on the direction the elevator is moving. This is a wonderful example of how art can be integrated into our daily lives and how interactive new media can truly bring this to life. Check it out for more details.