Our current era of on-demand television series does more than facilitate binge-watchingâit encourages it. David Foster Wallace already told us what happens next.
A great read. Found via Daring Fireball
Artist David Thomas Smith stitched together thousands of Google Earth photos to create these Persian rug inspired photos.
See more of his work at The Copper House Gallery and see some awesome Google Earth time lapses of Southern California on KPCC’s Without A Net blog.
Great work here.
Look out future office mates, this will probably happen to you.
(via sureilikefun)
To me, there is a distinct movement towards a particular style and I would be very surprised if Apple were ignorant of it. It’s not “flat design” per se and it’s certainly nowhere near the “Metro” levels that people are suggesting they may follow, but it’s a mellowing out of the visual indicators that people need to trigger the idea of a tappable element. Why? Because this is not 2007 anymore, and we are all now fully aware of the medium and the process; we don’t need to be led garishly by the hand. There is still a sense of depth and tactility but done in a refined and suggestive way, sensitive to the changed perceptions that people have of interacting with touchscreens.
That’s something important not being talked about nearly enough in all this “Apple is moving towards flat design” chatter: it’s not that flat design is necessarily “better”, it’s that Apple can start changing some things now because so many people have become accustomed to using the iPhone (and smartphones in general) over the past 5+ years. Not as much hand-holding in the design is required. Apple no longer has to try as hard to make new users think they’re just doing something like pressing a bunch of buttons on a screen. Hopefully that’s liberating for the design team.
It really is not about the design or look, but rather how people interact with their devices. As the two authors note above, people understand touch screens now, so we do not need the direct replication of physical textures to guide us. The next step is to simplify the design language, to make things clearer and more direct. Just like the logo example above, it’s not about a huge radical change away from icons or buttons, but simply a cleaning up that is probably in store. I’m excited to see what happens.
I’m delighted to announce that we’ve reached an agreement to acquire Tumblr!
We promise not to screw it up. Tumblr is incredibly special and has a great thing going. We will operate Tumblr independently. David Karp will remain CEO. The product roadmap, their team, their wit and irreverence will all remain the same as will their mission to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve. Yahoo! will help Tumblr get even better, faster.
They really executed this announcement well — right down to the GIFs.
This is Water, by David Foster Wallace.
Beautiful - MM.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about portability and laptops. The upper limit for a comfortably portable laptop is somewhere around 4 lbs. My Retina MBP is right around that, and even then sometimes I yearn for the lightness of the Macbook Air. However, what also strikes me now is the weight and size of the charging block and cable that you have to carry with you too.
I think a big opportunity for Apple would be to slim down their charging blocks even more, and also to focus on making their cabling thinner and more pliable. I realize there is a lot of complex circuitry and a large amount of current running to the block from the outlet, but it would be great to have charging mechanisms that match the level of engineering and lightness of the Macbooks themselves. Anyway, it’s just an idea…
One day I have to see Dubai and Abu Dhabi, if only to experience the incredible sense of movement and development. Is it good? I don’t know, but it’s fascinating no matter what time will tell.
(via the-design-nerd)
Apple; no one does retail like they do. The stone walls make a huge difference and bring warmth and solidity to a store that can feel “cold” to some people (as I’ve been told many times).
Photo via The Verge
I’m always tempted by the green grass on the other side, like I was too with the HTC One. But, what I’ve realized is that the most attractive part is the clean home screen configurations you can achieve on Android. The grid on iOS, while simple, has no hierarchy to it.
Is this enough of a reason to jump over? No, because my iPhone 4, now almost three years old, is chugging along like a dream and running the latest iOS version. For what I do, it just works. And that’s a good thing. Keep it simple.
iFun.de has posted a beautiful set of photos of the new Apple Store in Berlin, Germany. I’m most impressed by the briefing room. I don’t think the industry pays enough attention to the moves Apple is making in the Small-Medium Business market. These rooms, coupled with the dedicated staff in the black shirts make a huge difference for customers with business needs (which is most people these days, in one way or another).
