something in the way

Maybe the most practical, real-world application of augmented reality I've seen yet.

"How it would be, if a house was dreaming"

The conception of this project consistently derives from its underlying architecture - the theoretic conception and visual pattern of the Hamburg Kunsthalle. The Basic idea of narration was to dissolve and break through the strict architecture of O. M. Ungers "Galerie der Gegenwart". Resultant permeabilty of the solid facade uncovers different interpretations of conception, geometry and aesthetics expressed through graphics and movement. A situation of reflexivity evolves - describing the constitution and spacious perception of this location by means of the building itself.

Art Direction: Daniel Rossa
Production: Urban Screen

Source: Miguex

 

 

Google recently announced a new netbook operating system to great fanfare: Chrome OS. It's named after Google's browser for a very good reason - all applications run within the browser framework, rather than being downloaded, installed and run atop the user's desktop operating system. Much of the subsequent analysis has revolved around the battle of the titans that is expected to occur now that Google has moved directly onto Microsoft's turf.

Here's my take: Google's approach is gonna win.

Why? Developers, developers, developers, developers. And installers, installers, installers, installers. Developers because people don't buy computers to run operating systems - they buy them to run applications. And developers write those apps. Installers because having a seamless installation experience doubles or triples a software developer's customer base. And nothing is more seamless than clicking on a link.

At least, that's Pathfinder's experience. We've build hundreds of software applications in the past 10 years. Most web-based. But some were native desktop apps that users would download and install locally. And for a huge portion of the population, the everyday process of downloading and installing desktop applications is completely broken. Here are some numbers, based on our experience:

• 50% to 75% of users who visit a software download web page abandon the page without starting the download.
• Roughly 30%-60% of users who download the application never install it.

These two numbers are why companies pay Dell and HP to pre-install crapware on every PC they sell. It's why Google pays to have the Google toolbar piggyback on the installations of Adobe Reader. It's why AOL carpet-bombed North America with installer CDs in the 90s. And it's why the Chrome OS - or something like the Chrome OS - is the future for netbooks. Sure, Windows XP has a head start of 15 million or so netbook installations. But if you believe the numbers above, a cloud-based, browser-based OS like Chrome only needs 25% of that number to be a more valuable platform for software vendors. That's a pretty powerful advantage for a company looking to break Microsoft's stranglehold on some part of the netbook operating system market.

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Pathfinder is a software development firm. Hire us to build complex software that's easy to use.

Why Chrome OS is the Future of Netbooks

Related posts:

1. Upcoming Talk – Back to the Future: Component GUI’s and Ajax
2. IE8, HTML5 and Ajax Navigation: The future of Really Simple History
3. I have seen the future, and its name is COBOL

Shared by herkulano
WTF!?

Apologies in advance. There is absolutely nothing related to design in this post. Except if you count the increasingly fragile installation known as the American psyche. But please watch to the end. You could not write material this... absurd. Which makes it almost performance art.

How To Get What You Want is a fantastic resource for DIY wearable tech by Kobakant, makers of the wearable toy piano. Tutorials include: constructing fabric pressure sensors; cutting soft circuits out of copper using a vinyl cutter; making a knit touchpad; sewing robust traces; and lists of both conductive and non-conductive materials. They're very comprehensive and insipring, so if you've ever had an itch to make a piece of smart clothing, this is the place for you!

Thanks Nick!

(more...)

I must first say that I have never visited Melbourne (nor Australia for that matter) so any and all opinions about how this identity reference the peculiarities of the city are based on mere speculation and interpretation from afar. But it doesn't take a local to recognize the progressive personality of the city and the rich visual landscape in which it thrives. Yesterday, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle unveiled a new identity that will represent the City of Melbourne, and provided plenty of rationale behind the new identity replacing a logo designed in the early 1990s.

"The 'M' design will become an icon for Melbourne, synonymous with the modern, vibrant, cool city Melbourne is today and will continue to be in the future.

"The new identity will deliver more impact, be stronger, more flexible and reduce confusion as to who is delivering services. It will build greater long term identification and align with best practice around the world."

"The new brand is strong and leading edge and will be instantly recognised as belonging to the City of Melbourne."
— Press Release

The identity design was developed by the Sydney office of Landor and the City of Melbourne paid $A91,000 (US$74,000) in "preliminary research for the new brand" and $A148,000 (US$120,000) for the design itself according to Doyle. Of course, any dollar amount ignites ire in people and it's so easy to say "$A240,000 for a fat blocky M?". Yes, that's what things cost people, get over it. But back to the identity.

There is something very appealing and avant garde about this logo and it walks a fine line between trendy-and-useless and progressive-and-defining, but I think it definitely swings to the latter. There is a really great tension created by the detail and overlay on the left side of the M and how it resolves into something more simple on the right side. The gradients are subtle and help add a sense of depth and breadth that you would not get with a flat logo, which is clearly evident in the 1-color application where the logo looks like a bad diagram in progress and loses its enigmatic feeling from the color version. The type selection is also unconventional and helps set apart the City of Melbourne from all other international cities with common, lowercase sans serifs. As the spreads below show, this identity has impact and adaptability beyond the logo and looks remarkably vibrant, dynamic and multi faceted, which is how I imagine the City of Melbourne to be.

Thanks to Josh Darvill for first tip.

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The Morning Highlights from the Adobe Industry Analyst Summit include the following information about the mobile Flash Player. While there was no iPhone reevaluations - Adobe’s position is still, “we’d love to have it on their if Apple would let it” - as Marshall Kirkpatrick outlined in a story, Kevin spoke to the Flash 10 roadmap [...]