August 2007
65 posts
Windows Genuine Advantage suffers worldwide... →
Or, An Example of Why Draconian Copy Protection Schemes Hurt Consumers and Your Brand
iPhone unlocked: AT&T loses iPhone exclusivity,... →
A survey on modern approaches to data... →
[via Monoscope]
The Politics of Design - Monoscope →
Incredibly thoughtful essay from Paul Rand’s “A Designer’s Art”
More on the Gartner Hype Cycle →
“Technology Trigger”
The first phase of a Hype Cycle is the “technology trigger” or breakthrough, product launch or other event that generates significant press and interest.
“Peak of Inflated Expectations”
In the next phase, a frenzy of publicity typically generates over-enthusiasm and unrealistic expectations. There may be some successful applications of a...
Analyst: Networking Is Too Hard For Most Of Us -... →
Complexity of set-up and use complicates networking adoption, and inflated expectations set up a consumer for a letdown.
“If you want to do something that’s going to change the world, build...”
– Jamie Zawinski, in Groupware Bad [via Daring Fireball]
“We have a ‘strategic plan.’ It’s called doing things.”
– Herb Kelleher, Chairman of Southwest Airlines - Tom Peters
Is network neutrality a fake issue? Not if you... →
Adobe set to include H.264 support in Flash →
Update quietly signals Adobe’s intention to take on Quicktime, as well as a tacit acknowledgement that the existing codecs in Flash 8 & 9 have not dominated the industry.
Japan working to replace the Internet -... →
“The numbers performing [advanced mobile] activities remains relatively low....”
– James Myring, spokesperson for Continental Research, on the state of consumer uptake for advanced mobile services.
TrustedReviews has a graph showing a breakdown of usage activities over the last three years. I would love to see these same activities plotted for iPhone users. My expectation is...
How a Company Made Everyone a Team Player -... →
Have Apple's designs been repeatedly inspired by... →
If so, that’s a fine legacy to continue. [via Daring Fireball]
Verdant Computing →
Sells only Bright Green-certified electronics, with convenient per-product breakdowns for its “Green Criteria”:
made with recycled or sustainable materials
easy to recycle
energy efficient
fewer toxic materials
eco-friendly packaging
independently certified
Jakob Nielsen on Banner Blindness →
EA Games to Incorporate Real-Time Weather - Wired →
Why HTML 5 Specification Matters? - W3C Q&A Weblog →
Spoiler: “HTML 5 Specification matters because it creates more interoperability when recovering from errors.”
Commercial videogame 'Neuromatrix' seeks to... →
[via Boing Boing]
Motion Portrait →
Amazing 3D animation engine that can animate flat images into living animation.
Usable in mobile, games, and apparently Flash.
Excellent write-up at Pink Tentacle.
Seth Godin's Videos that can change your... →
Some wonderful, inspiring videos on branding, marketing, and doing what you love. Thoughtfully collected.
Spellbinder Makes Invisible Artwork Appear When... →
By overlaying the artwork based on the analysis of a picture, nothing special is required of the object being photographed, unlike Kameraflage. Unfortunately, there is no way to be sure that a potentially negative or inflammatory image won’t be overlaid over your logo or brand. If the right partnership could be struck, could be an interesting mobile/augmented-reality campaign.
The Scourge of Arial →
Why we ended up with Arial ubiquity over Helvetica.
Bonus: How to Spot Arial
Double Bonus: Windows & Mac common fonts, and how they look in various browsers on various platforms
Triple Bonus: Helvetica (the documentary) available for DVD pre-order.
Meebo releases iPhone web app - TUAW →
Feels just right, and very fast. My new iPhone IM client of choice.
Chasing Ad Dollar Is All Fun and Games - WSJ.com →
Marketing that seeks to blur the line between reality and a product works best for deep-diving youth audiences, and especially well for entertainment.
On the Web, English Becomes Coin of the Realm -... →
“The goal of security is not to build a system that is theoretically securable,...”
– Bruce Tognazzini, on security design choices, and why most fail - AskTog
The Road to Clarity - New York Times Magazine →
The fascinating tale of the new font Clearview, which is expected to improve roadsign legibility by up to 25%. Also includes some excellent thought-starters, including looking beyond your area of expertise for a solution (new sign material from 3M), and the positive effect on the AT&T brand that the use of a new typeface (also Clearview) had on consumer impressions.
Tracing Wikipedia edits to their sources - Wired →
A new project flags those who seek to censor or promote themselves anonymously, by mapping IP addresses to physical locations and companies. Apparent offenders include Diebold, Wal-Mart, and many politicians.
*UPDATE* Fox News, as well as the CIA and FBI have also been implicated.
UK ISPs threaten to shape (throttle) or block... →
A poorly conceived tactic that will not win them any fans, especially among higher-paying customers who expect broadband service and unfettered access.
How to Take Money From Kids: Sell Toys Both... →
Purchase a Webkinz plush toy (with probably amazing margins), and unlock interactive games and experiences. Repeat and profit.
I’ve seen this work on all kinds of kid-targeted products, especially constantly replenished goods like cereals.
Jeffrey Zeldman: King of Web Standards -... →
An exceptionally well-written and understandable article on why website standards matter, with a bonus slideshow. [via Daring Fireball]
“[O]utside customers don’t find your design as important as you do (because...”
– Jakob Nielsen: Feature Richness and User Engagement An excellent article on understanding that your customers don’t want to learn how to use your website (and other observations).
OLPC reviewed by 12-year-old - Freedom to Tinker →
[via Engadget]
On Apple, the Enterprise computing market, and... →
Google Ends Paid Google Videos →
DRM’d content purchased from Google Video will be unplayable and worthless by August 15th.
[via Internet Nexus, Michael Tsai]
“A Greener Apple”, Message from Steve Jobs - Rush... →
How is it that Apple’s new commitment to more recyclable materials like aluminum and glass has been completely ignored by the Bright Green media? The #1 trendsetting computer and consumer electronics manufacturer makes a fantastic change, and nary a peep. If anything, it received a sentence or two in the mainstream press, after they rushed to discuss its new price point and feature set.
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