Version 7.0Elsewhere
April 2006 Links
John C. Dvorak: The Great Microsoft Blunder
“All of Microsoft’s Internet-era public-relations and legal problems (in some way or another) stem from Internet Explorer. If you were to put together a comprehensive profit-and-loss statement for IE, there would be a zero in the profits column and billions in the losses column — billions.”
Disturbingly Sexy Ad for Campari
Probably not intended to increase sales in the red states. Via Alert but Not Alarmed.
Windows Vista Review
“ Windows Vista is a disappointment. There is no way to sugarcoat that very real truth.”
NYT: One Day Soon, Straphangers May Turn Pages with a Button
New digital forms for the newspaper industry.
El Boton: Purveyors of Buttons, Pins, Badges and Limited Edition Button Sets
Designer buttons for your jean jacket, from Naz Hamid and Andrew Huff of Gapers Block.
High Dynamic Range Photography
Beautiful technique for combining multiple exposure levels to create composite images with a painterly effect.
The Golden Ration May Not Work for Web Sites
Results from a sketchily described study at a UK university suggest that the mathematical formula for compositional beauty may not work online.
Mike Davidson: Hacking a More Tasteful MySpace
A re-skinning of the confoundingly ill-designed social networking site. The equivalent of renting a room at a Motel 6 and dressing it up to the level of an Ian Schraeger hotel.
Daring Fireball: Initiative
John Gruber has decided to give up his day job and focus on the his excellent, Mac-focused Daring Fireball weblog full-time. This is great news for his because Daring Fireball is so clearly where his passion lies, and it’s fantastic news for readers because it means even more of his exquisitely well-reasoned Macintosh punditry.
La Bibilochaise
Awesome design for a chair. Yes, the nav is terrible, but it’s worth it if you click on “Bibliochaise.” Via Alert but Not Alarmed.
How to Subscribe to Google Calendar Using iCal
I’m pretty happy that the .ics calendar format — used by both iCal and Google Calendar, among others — has caught on as an open standard for sharing this crucial information. Goodbye, Outlook.
Cheese by Hand
An audio documentary process “traveling across America interviewing cheesemakers who are making handmade cheese… All milk types… All farm sizes… In as many states as possible.”
Redesign UnBeige’s Banner
“ This is not a contest; it’s a constantly rotating online gallery to showcase your work.”
Portable Applications for Mac OS X
“Packaged so you can carry around with you on any portable device.”
Rick Poynor: The Death of the Critic
A powerful essay on the current, moribund state of design criticism. Highly recommended.
WP: Apple Gets a Big Slice of Product-placement Pie
Why you see Apple’s products everywhere in film and on television.
John Langdon’s Ambigrams
Beautiful typographic designs that read the same upside down as they do right side up.
Microsoft, Intel and Samsing’s Origami Stumps Samsung’s V.P. of Personal Computing in Demonstration
Brings a tear to my eye.
Gapers Block Redesigned
Wow, second launch this week by Naz Hamid. The guy must never sleep. This redesign is top-notch.
Ben Fry: Linking Illustrations
Two gorgeous visualizations of the blogosphere commissioned for New York Magazine.
Rentglass.com
Fantastic idea: rent camera lenses for Canon EOS series bodies by the week, shipped via mail. Nikon store coming soon.
The Center for Cartoon Studies
“Offers a course of study designed for a small group of dedicated students with a passion and appreciation for graphic novels, storytelling, writing, comics, and design. Experienced and internationally recognized cartoonists, writers, and designers will teach classes.”
Business Week: How to Wow ’Em Like Steve Jobs
Lessons for presenters from the speeches of Steve Jobs.
NYT: A Maker of US$14.99 TV’s Aims for Higher Ground
A business profile of Coby, which is a real company, believe it or not.