via news.cnet.com
Over at CNET, there's an amazing collection of quotes from the huge outpouring of tributes to Steve Jobs and his tremendous legacy.
When was the last time the passing of a CEO evoked such praise? (That's a rhetorical question.)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Apple says Steve Jobs has died - The Washington Post
Apple says Steve Jobs has died
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, October 5, 4:49 PM
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple Inc. said the company’s co-founder Steve Jobs died Wednesday. He was 56.
“We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today,” the company said in a brief statement.
“Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”
The death of a mere celebrity is one thing, but the passing of a man who was a true creative genius, and who changed the lives of many, is much different. Steve changed the way I work and create, how I communicate, how I see the world.
I bought my first Apple computer in 1983, and my first Mac at the start of 1985. I served as the president of the Apple and Macintosh users group for Dallas-Fort Worth for two years, and served on the conference faculty for most of 7 years. During those times, I've made many friends and learned more than I can say. And none of that would have happened without Steve's vision and sometimes-infamous drive.
Those who are relatively new to the world of Apple products -- and many anti-consumerist critics -- think of Apple as a company that cranks out pretty toys.
Those of us who have been even peripherally involved in the Apple story from the early days know better. Steve's influence on user interface design, product design, music delivery and marketing, and many other areas -- including product demos and Powerpoint presentations -- can never be understated.
Steve was just one year older than I am, but lifetimes' worth of accomplishment ahead.
Thank you, Steve. May your creative vision and energy live on in Apple, its employees, its products, and its positive influence.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Man, I love my homeworld... Beautiful Time-Lapse Montage of the Northern Lights in Finland
Time-lapse sky photography can get a bit homogeneous, but this stands out. Check out this video made for Finland tourism. Makes me wonder why humans want to vacation in a place like Las Vegas.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
We now pause for this nanosecond of culture...
As I foraged at a CVS pharmacy today, my ears were shocked to hear the melancholy groove-tones of Broken Bells' "The Ghost Inside" playing on the Mews-Ack.
"Just like a whiskey bottle drained on the floor
She got no future just a life to endure
This good Samaritan's shaking her hard
'Too Late to Leave Him' are the songs in her car
Give it up"
Dark, intelligent music in a pharmacy? But then, of course, this sublime moment was interrupted by a smarmy VO, hawking coupons.The Apocalypse has apparently been postponed.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Rear Window: How can you not watch?
Just noticed that "Rear Window" is on. Can't resist. Switched to it just at that magical moment when a shadow falls across the face of a drowsy Jimmy Stewart... and we cut to a tight close up of the miraculous Grace Kelly slowly closing in for a kiss.
Then the full introduction: Hitchcock widens out as she floats about, literally lighting up the room. One lamp, click — "Lisa" — another lamp, and we see more of her — "Carol" — the third lamp, and she's enveloped in a cloud of chiffon — "Fremont".
Could this be the greatest character introduction in film? Even if it isn't, there's never been anyone like Grace. Or Jimmy. Or Hitch.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wondering if Paul Simon was on hand -- For Kodachrome Fans, Road Ends at Photo Lab in Kansas
via nytimes.com
That celebrated 75-year run from mainstream to niche photography is scheduled to come to an end on Thursday when the last processing machine is shut down here to be sold for scrap.
THIS is the kind of thinking we need: House sequesters carbon, before and after building - Hempcrete House [Pics] PSFK
via psfk.com
Think about it. Structures that actually reduce carbon in the atmosphere through completely passive means.
And all jokes aside ("This house is totally DOPE!"), it's another example of how versatile a product hemp is.
When generations down the road look back, they're going to wonder why we didn't start thinking sooner about how what we build impacts and integrates with the rest of the planet.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The Longest Photographic Exposures in History
image via itchyi.squarespace.com
I've always been fascinated with the scale of human time as compared with geologic or cosmic scales. We generally forget that we as individuals are here for an eye-blink in comparison with family bloodlines, which are an eye-blink to cultures, and on out into the concentric circles of Earth, solar system, galaxy and universe.When it comes to photography, we usually think in terms of "moments", and occasionally "time lapse" – a series of moments captured and displayed one after the other in series, forming a kind of Cliff's Notes of time.
But these beautiful, mesmerizing photographs, by German photographer Michael Wesely, are continuous exposures, created by leaving the shutter open and exposing a single negative for up to two years or more.
They are somewhat disorienting; it's hard at first to connect the changes to the three-dimensional matter with the flow of time through the frame.
Time-lapse is simpler for us to relate to. Capturing flashes of time, it shows us a series of easily-digestible bites. We enjoy playing them back at a pace at which movement is rapid, and sky scrapers are constructed in just a few seconds. It seems unreal. But there are people visible in the moments. Substantial humans, frozen a narrow slice of time. Their presence creates a temporal hand-hold.
In these long exposures, though, humans become less than ghostly, their bodies making no apparent mark on the film. In an exposure lasting more than a few minutes, people start to fade. And at this time scale, the things that humans work so hard to build have become fluid... some older parts having coalesced, others just a finger-painted smear across the ground.
But trees remain. And the perceived spiral of the sun remains, as we spin like a toddler, to the point of dizziness.
The volumes of time poured into these exposures, though, are still easy to grasp. We can picture a few years' worth of life in our heads. A couple of birthdays, a few holiday seasons, a handful of family trips. For the most part, things are the same when we return to an old haunt. A new store or a few new homes may have been added, and some humans may have been added or subtracted, but most landmarks – or, more accurately, most "humanmarks" – are still around. A little worse for wear, perhaps, but persistent in our eyes and minds. Still solid. Comfortable.
A year or two on film is something we can still wrap our heads around.
But what if we expand the scale? Wesely says he could theoretically create exposures of 40 years or more. Impressive... but still within memory span for most people. And still within the span of most lives.
What if we were to expose a negative to capture time on a scale that can only be "understood" by the objects that have survived it? Look at the longest exposures on this page, then close your eyes, and try to picture these:
• A 300-year exposure of Washington, D.C. – A few apparitional buildings and monuments, but mostly Potomac and trees.
• A 1,000-year exposure of a grove of giant redwoods – No tourists driving through holes in trunks, and no lumberjacks. Just monstrous stems and a thick cloud of leaves.
• A 200,000-year exposure of the Earth – No evidence of humankind. Just... the Earth.
• A 70 million-year exposure of the Grand Canyon – A very big, very blurry dent in the planet.
• A 4.5 billion-year exposure of the solar system – A bright disk, surrounded in the distance by the faintest, soft, orbital halos.
• A 13 billion-year exposure of the Milky Way – No spiral arms, just a fuzzy spot on the negative.
• A 15 billion-year exposure of the universe – I'll leave this one completely to your mind's eye.
Words like "solid" and "permanent" and even "ancient" tend to lose their sense of longevity once we start widening our gaze a bit.
And words like "ephemeral" and "fleeting" or phrases like "life is short" take on an entirely new perspective.
Just as the shutter is held open, these photographs hold open a window onto a larger sense of who and where and when we are. And they deserve to be explored for as much time as you can spare.
. . . . . . . . .
Thanks to Stefan Klenke aka itchy i for posting the images, and for a great article.
Posted via email from The Flow
Saturday, December 18, 2010
How design – and not just of visuals – yields dramatic results. - TED: Jacek Utko on saving newspapers
via ted.com
Another example of how great design – applied to every aspect of a product, not just the visual aesthetic – can create a major improvement in quality, usability, and sales.
The end result: industry awards... and 29% to 100% increases in circulation.
All businesses in the U.S. – not just newspapers – should listen closely to this talk.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Glass Microbiology | Luke Jerram
via lukejerram.com
An incredible series! Another beautiful example of the intersection of art and science...
Posted via email from The Flow
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Milton Glaser on using design to make ideas new
via ted.com
The great designer Milton Glaser -- always insightful, always entertaining -- on poster design, process, and presentation.
From the TED archives: "The legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser dives deep into a new painting inspired by Piero della Francesca. From here, he muses on what makes a convincing poster, by breaking down an idea and making it new."
Friday, December 3, 2010
Senator Bernie Sanders' Brilliant Speech
via youtube.com
This is a man who knows what's what, and isn't afraid to say it. If, after you watch this, you still think your legislators are right to vote for tax breaks for billionaires and corporations, then either you're a billionaire, you're a big corporation, you're a lobbyist, you're a legislator with pockets full of lobbyist cash, or you're a candidate for involuntary commitment.If, after you watch this, you think your legislators are right to vote for tax breaks for billionaires and corporations, then either you're a billionaire, you're a big corporation, you're a lobbyist, you're a legislator with pockets full of lobbyist cash, or you're a candidate for involuntary commitment.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Nielsen finds live action "more effective than animated ads"
via blog.nielsen.com
For ad agencies thinking of saving money on actors: Nielsen finds live action "more effective than animated ads across all major demographics".
Posted via email from The Flow
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tell Discovery Communications to cancel Palin! "Drill, Baby, Drill" comes to Discovery?
The media conglomerate Discovery Communications used to be known for their earth-friendly offerings. But they’ve just paid millions to Sarah Palin to host a “nature” show, despite her decidedly anti-environmental stance: She vocally advocates for habitat-destroying oil drilling, she denies global warming is a human-caused threat, and she spearheaded a brutal wolf-slaughter program as governor of Alaska.
Giving anti-environmentalist Sarah Palin a television platform like this runs entirely counter to everything Discovery has always been about.
Unless the network plans to expose her as the land-raping globe-heating dolt that she is, this show needs to be canceled.
Regardless of the angle, paying this imbecile $1.2 million per episode is nothing short of obscene.
Was Discovery Communications bought by Rupert Murdoch when I wasn't looking?
Sign the petition for cancellation!
Tax Day 2010 Freebies
via mashable.com
From free tax form copies at Staples to free coffee at Starbuck's, and from pizza to PF Chang's, there are some free (or discounted) goodies you can reward yourself with for being a prompt taxpayer. Check 'em out at Mashable...
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Cave Restaurant by Koichi Takada Architects » CONTEMPORIST
via contemporist.com
Now THIS is smart design. We've all been in restaurants that have great energy, but where it's impossible to hold a conversation due to the noise level. This architectural firm has used the kind of acoustic software used to tune concert halls to create an atmosphere that allows intimate conversation while maintaining that nice background buzz. The restaurant is called "The Cave"... But it could just as easily be called "Monstro". Now, hopefully the cuisine will live up to the look and sound...
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Is anyone really surprised? - RNC document mocks donors, plays on 'fear'
The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fear” of President Barack Obama and a promise to "save the country from trending toward socialism."
The strategy was detailed in a confidential party fundraising presentation, obtained by POLITICO, which also outlines how “ego-driven” wealthy donors can be tapped with offers of access and “tchochkes.”
The presentation was delivered by RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart to top donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Boca Grande, Florida on February 18, a source at the gathering said.
In neat PowerPoint pages, it lifts the curtain on the often-cynical terms of political marketing, displaying an air of disdain for the party’s donors that is usually confined to the barroom conversations of political operatives.
The presentation explains the Republican fundraising in simple terms.
"What can you sell when you do not have the White House, the House, or the Senate...?" it asks.
The answer: "Save the country from trending toward Socialism!”
Manipulating donors with crude caricatures and playing on their fears is hardly unique to Republicans or to the RNC – Democrats raised millions off George W. Bush in similar terms – but rarely is it practiced in such cartoonish terms.
One page, headed “The Evil Empire,” pictures Obama as the Joker from Batman, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leaders Harry Reid are depicted as Cruella DeVille and Scooby Doo, respectively.
The document, which two Republican sources said was prepared by the party’s finance staff, comes as Chairman Michael Steele struggles to retain the trust and allegiance of major donors, who can give as much as $30,400 a year to the party.
Under Steele, the RNC has shifted toward a reliance on small donors, but the document reveals extensive, confidential details of the strategy for luring wealthy checkwriters, which range from luxury retreats in California wine country to tickets to a professional fight in Las Vegas.
The 72-page document was provided to POLITICO by a Democrat, who said a hard copy had been left in the hotel hosting the $2,500-a-head retreat, the Gasparilla Inn & Club. Sources at the event said the presentation was delivered by Bickhart and by the RNC Finance Chairman, Peter Terpeluk, a former ambassador to Luxembourg under President George W. Bush.
The RNC reacted with alarm to a question about it Wednesday, emailing major donors to warn them of a reporter’s question, and distancing Steele from its contents.
via politico.com
It's been painfully obvious for quite some time, but now the RNC has graced us with a document that puts in writing their own special brand of institutionalized, systematic fear mongering... while at the same time demonstrating just exactly who the "elitists" are. Displaying mind-boggling contempt for its own donors, not to mention smacking of race-baiting, this is the sort of thing that should be the undoing of a party. But given the fact that so many in America seem to be more than willing to believe the GOP's lies, it's very possible that no one at the top -- save, perhaps, Michael Steele -- will be dislodged from their corporation-insulated ivory towers.
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