NIXON*NOW

Going Up Mt. Lemmon

Saturday, February 26, 2005 11: 04 PM

Making Room Magazine

Thursday, February 24, 2005 05: 46 PM

MakingRoom. "A magazine about the process, intention and results of image-making." Looks like a solid effort. Nice site too. Via (and briefly reviewed at) Futurosity.

Make Magazine

Thursday, February 24, 2005 03: 33 PM

Make. "The first magazine devoted to digital projects, hardware hacks, and D.I.Y. inspiration." 1st issue TOC. (Via Metafilter) Update: Matt points me to Phillip Torrone's flashenabled.com -- he's a writer for Make, Popular Science and engadget. He also tinkers with a lot of stuff...

UA Student Jailed For Copyright Infringement

Thursday, February 24, 2005 09: 04 AM

UA student gets 3 months in jail for possession of copied movies and music. Ouch. (Update: This may actually be an ASU student -- looking for more details. Either way...ouch.)

Pupna

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 08: 50 AM

Pupna. "The search engine puppy that retrieves exactly what you are searching for (and absolutely nothing else!)" ;)

Rollercoaster

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 08: 50 AM

March Trendwatching Newsletter

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 08: 40 AM

March 2005 Trendwatching newsletter. Interesting coverage on niche marketing.

Seven

Wednesday, February 16, 2005 03: 21 PM

And he shall seek seven. Whether Lance Armstrong wins or loses his seventh, it will surely make for a great battle. Can't wait to see what young guns step up to the plate this July.

So here is my Tour de France life in a nutshell -- I usually end up watching each stage of the tour twice -- morning and evening and then spend the day reading about it. In addition to that, I annoy Rebecca about how amazing it is -- to the point that she starts to like it. All the while getting little to know work done. I'm basically a worthless, cycling consuming human being that month. Oh well. Maybe this I should go to France??? Via Jeff.

UA Redesign Blog

Wednesday, February 16, 2005 08: 39 AM

On a work related note, we are blogging the last half of the redesign process at the University of Arizona. Thursday we are pulling off a full day gathering of the 20 plus people who have helped on the redesign thus far. We'll be reviewing architecture decisions, wireframes, project status, next steps -- and I will also be presenting design options.

After that, I will then proceed to sleep for a full day. Glad the first round of designs are done.

On a slightly related note, check out the website history at UA. Great snapshot of how things have changed over the years at a large institution.

Design Eye Panel at SXSW

Monday, February 14, 2005 11: 03 AM

Just when life couldn't get any better (or crazier) I get invited to join some very talented designers on the "Design Eye For The Idea Guy" panel at SXSW (south by southwest) in Austin next month.

Unfortunately Greg Storey (the magician) can't make it, so I've been asked to fill in. Check out DKR's announcement for more details on the presentation.

Here is the rest of Design Fab Five panel: Andrei Herasimchuk, D. Keith Robinson, Cameron Moll and Ryan Sims. There is a lot of talent wrapped up in this group, so you know it's going to be good.

It's also going to be fun, not only being on the panel, but also meeting all the great designers, writers and thinkers that you only know by name (real or domain)...

Headshot

Sunday, February 13, 2005 11: 38 PM

Extreme Home Makeover in Arizona

Saturday, February 12, 2005 11: 29 AM

So, I'll admit, I get sucked into Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This past week Ty and crew were pulling off quite a bit of work right here in Arizona. The episode will air mid-March. If you don't like spoilers now would be a good time to stop reading.

The crew remodeled both a small portion of the University Medical Center in Tucson (at the University of Arizona where I work) as well as the family's home in Gilbert, east of Phoenix (about a mile from where Rebecca and I used to own a home). Good back story to the whole thing too...

• Arizona Republic Article
• 40 Photo Slideshow from Arizona Republic

Enjoy.

Saturday, February 12, 2005 06: 07 AM

Giving 20GB A Good Home.

Saturday, February 12, 2005 06: 04 AM

Design Something New Today.

Friday, February 11, 2005 02: 05 AM

Design something new today. Anything. What better day to find a blank sheet of paper, a pen and a quiet moment to create that which the world has not seen.

My Sister Shuffles

Thursday, February 10, 2005 10: 57 PM

Caution

Wednesday, February 9, 2005 08: 26 PM

Google Maps

Tuesday, February 8, 2005 03: 31 PM

Google Maps just launched. Looks tasty. "Like spreading a map out on the hood of your car." - Jason Santa Maria. Via ever impressive Stylegala.

The Lock Busters

Tuesday, February 8, 2005 03: 12 PM

The Lock Busters the from February 2005 issue of Wired. As entertaining as it is informative.

This just seems like a quirky world ripe for an independent film based on these types of "characters". I'm thinking some odd blend of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Christopher Guest's Best in Show.

Sugarface

Tuesday, February 8, 2005 12: 10 AM

Sugarface. Love bunny. Garrett's girlfriend describes life with a creative. Except for the cats, this is just way too similar to my own life. I think someone should make a help guide for those "living with creatives".

Looks like I need to earn some more brownie points around here with Rebecca -- I am only a "sweetie" and "cutie". How does one attain "Sugarface" and "Love bunny" status???

Finding Tufte

Tuesday, February 8, 2005 12: 10 AM

Aaron Shwartz recounts his December adventure in choosing a between taking a final at Stanford or listening to Edward Tufte speak on campus. What lengths we fans of information graphics will go to hear from Tufte. Of course I just missed him in Phoenix recently...

Coexistence Traveling Gallery at UA

Monday, February 7, 2005 10: 57 PM

Watch Superbowl Commercials

Monday, February 7, 2005 07: 07 PM

...and if you missed a Superbowl commercial or two you can watch them at IFILM.

Milking The Superbowl Ad Machine

Monday, February 7, 2005 02: 50 PM

I wonder, if in some weird, near future, it will be more buzzworthy as a company to intentially have your Superbowl ad "pulled" at the last moment by a major network, rather than have it actually play. As a consumer, I'm admittedly more interested in the commercials that get pulled versus the ones that are actually shown...

I can see it now: Television advertising exec. to Company XYZ, "So that will be $2.4 million to run the 30 second spot or $3.5 million for us to 'pull' it two days before the game and send out a press release pointing back to your website where you can broadcast the 'too edgy for T.V.' commercial for all to see...then all those blog people...bloggerites...or whatever they are called will shower you with links and people will think you're even more 'hip' than just having a regular old commercial in the Superbowl. The kids love that kind of stuff..."

Or Company XYZ could simply make a commercial knowing that it will explicitly be denied by a network and then get on a soap box, promote the whole scandalous denial and milk it for some attention.

Maybe all this is happening and I'm just not paying attention enough to the media...

Alarm Clock Genius

Sunday, February 6, 2005 01: 32 PM

To wake me up in the morning get me focused on something that needs attention fast. So some clever person designed the alarm clock puzzle -- which requires you to put puzzle pieces in the clock to turn off the alarm. This might actually work for me. Genius. Of course I would need to spread the pieces all over the place to still get me out of bed -- maybe keep one out in the car??? Via Gizmodo.

Art's Last, Lonely Cowboy

Sunday, February 6, 2005 01: 02 AM

Art's Last, Lonely Cowboy. Today's featured NY Times Magagzine article (reg. req'd). Some interesting Sunday reading. If you're tired of reading, then at least check out the audio slideshow by the author, which is a really well done piece as well.

Just seeing the image of Heizer's latest sculpture (which is a mile long, quarter mile wide) in it's stark Nevada setting is amazing. I wonder what civilization will hypothesize it is a thousand years from now...

Canyon Lake Hike

Sunday, February 6, 2005 12: 29 AM

My friend Jeff's been hiking again. Great shot above Canyon Lake east of Phoenix. I've biked that road in the background a few times -- it is an absolutely incredible area. Take a look if you've never seen some of the areas within an hour of Phoenix.

Double Shot of Wi-Fi, Extra Free

Saturday, February 5, 2005 01: 15 PM

I really think free Wi-Fi is changing business for smaller coffee shops and cafes (and in some cases entire cities) and the shops that charge are in for a painful wake-up call. Wi-Fi has become a cost of doing business -- a cost that ultimately drives more business.

It's 1:15 on a Saturday afternoon in Tucson Arizona. I'm sitting in a moderately sized local coffee shop (Ike's) working away. By my count, there are at least 14 laptops open right now. I would not hesitate to say that the extra business from the FREE Wi-Fi is more than paying for the expense to the shop. This place is packed...

Read more...

By contrast, if I was to go two blocks down to Starbucks, I would put money on there being maybe 1-2 laptops open and that's about it. They currently charge for Wi-Fi through T-Mobile and that just isn't flying with local users. In fact, I think I passed three Starbucks on my way here -- to get to the free Wi-Fi (I also prefer local shops).

In virtually every instance of using free Wi-Fi here in Tucson, I'm spending money at the establishment. One reason is a "thank you" of sorts for offering the free service and the other is when you sit and work for a while you get thirsty or hungry. In fact it looks like everyone here at Ike's has made some sort of purchase today. I don't see anyone "milking" the free Wi-Fi. If anything they are spending more money than the average customer because they are here for 2-3 hours or longer.

The other thought running through my mind is the opportunity for these coffee shops and cafes. I see future establishments with free Wi-Fi getting bigger. I would really like to see newer coffee shops with dedicated work spaces, even moderately sized conference tables, etc. where you can spread stuff out a bit more, with more ergonomic chairs. One local cafe, Beyond Bread, has become our monthly graphic designer Meetup location of choice because of the larger tables and free Wi-Fi (we can view each others portfolios online at the meeting.) I'm sure shops like this exist in some cities, but I'm thinking in terms of a broader design trend here.

The key is keeping the Wi-Fi free. It has simply become a cost of doing business -- like air conditioning and electricity. The next priority would then be building the environment around the people free Wi-Fi will bring in, without sacrificing the comforts required by those coming in for good coffee and conversation. Wi-Fi users require space, ergonomics and power plugs -- lots of plugs.

The local coffee shop of tomorrow will not only be a good place for relaxation and conversation, but also a highly productive environment for individuals who want to get out of the office or house. Like Ike's, some coffee shops already are...

compromised path

Friday, February 4, 2005 03: 21 PM

looking up

Friday, February 4, 2005 03: 20 PM

White Noise

Thursday, February 3, 2005 10: 23 AM

I've spent the past few minutes trying to do a simple thing -- listen to music on my computer at work. Unfortunately my music is being mashed-up by at least two other websites that insist on pumping out ethereal background music (noise?) to add ambience to their design. This wouldn't be a problem if I only had a few windows open, but currently I have 50+ tabs open in a few different Firefox windows.

...Read More.

50+ tabs you ask? Why yes 50+, see I use Firefox with the Session Saver extension. It has become an integral part of how I work, both professionally and personally. I visit a ton of design sites each day -- often CTRL clicking (Command click on Mac) on links from these sites to open the new links in the background. Sometimes I've opened 20 tabs in the background from a single design site. I'm opening them to review throughout the day as time allows. If I don't get to them today, they will be there tomorrow thanks to Session Saver (it automatically opens all the tabs you had up when you last closed Firefox).

SO...here is where my problems begin...when I start the day with 20-50 tabs automatically opening in Firefox and a couple of them are playing background music, I have to go hunt down those sites, find the "Music: On / Off" option (which can be a challenge in and of itself) and turn it off. This, my friends, can annoy me to no end.

While I appreciate the creativity behind this type of “immersive” experience, I find myself constantly annoyed by it. Maybe I'm in the minority here? But typically the music does little to add to my experience -- in fact it usually makes finding the "On / Off" switch my first order of business on the site-- instead of appreciating the design and digging into what they have to offer.

In the market for a new car?

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 11: 56 PM

In the market for a new car? When choosing an armored vehicle, it's important to keep in mind how badly someone wants you dead. There's a market for everything I suppose. Via Autoblog.

New Postal Service Video

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 07: 32 PM

New Postal Service Video - We Will Become Silhouettes. They have given birth to a quirky classic.(Quicktime) Via K10k.

Hide Your iPod, Here Comes Bill

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 10: 51 AM

Hide Your iPod, Here Comes Bill. Great Wired article on the popularity and politics of iPods at Microsoft's headquarters.

Interpol's Video Evil

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 05: 44 PM

Interpol's video Evil. This song has been stuck in my head for a while now. Video and sound quality are better over on iTunes Music Store (from this weeks email).