What Will the SmartPhone of the Future Be Like?

It really wasn't that long ago that the cool cell phone was a flip phone or better yet, a colored phone.  The last 10 years has really changed the cell phone industry.  With the increasing speed at which technology changes it's made me wonder what options might be available in the next 10 years.  What might the smart phone look like.  Will it still be called a smart phone or will that term become out dated also.  The possibilities are endless.  We don't know what we don't have now, but surely once we have it we will wonder how we were ever able to live without it.  Today's young adults can't imagine life without a computer or cell phone, they have always had them just like cars and televisions.  It's funny to think that one day they will think back to the old times when their phones could only play video games, music and movies, receive and send emails and text messages, access an App store - oh yeah, let's not forget - phone calls!  Ah, Future, what do you have in store for us?

Political Avatars Duke it Out

"As Barack Obama and Mitt Romney prepare to duke it out on stage Wednesday, virtual avatars of the candidates are quite literally duking it out in a video game geared to motivate voter registration."

It's interesting to see how the votes are being cast by each state.  Here is a link to the full article for the results.  Obama or Romney! Gamers Predict Winner in Slugfest

Vector Exercise

DTC 355 – Vector Exercise

For this exercise I choose the letter’s T, R and Y.  Since we all know that trying new things can be fear-provoking my abstract creation is of a dragon.  Dragon’s can be frightening creatures although they are not real.  Trying new things can be scary too, even if there is nothing dangerous involved.  To begin with I used the T to create the head of the dragon, then the R for the body and front legs and finally the Y which represents the tail and back legs.  I felt that using the stark contrast of black and white was most effective while I did reduce the opacity of the black to 80% in order to allow the viewer to see the subtle differences from where one letter ends and the next begins.   The typeface I used is AR BERKLEY which contains many curves along with thick and thin lines.  By tipping the letters I was able to place the characters in a way that would most effectively represent a dragon.  As a final touch and to go along with the overall Asian feel of the piece I added a uniform one point charcoal feather.

My message is an acknowledgement of the fear we may experience when trying new things.  It is not meant to either discourage or encourage that fear.

Why does science need artists?

John Maeda Technology and Design Guru

Here is a interesting interview with John Maeda, author of "The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life)", graphic designer and computer scientist. As an individual who has education in both the arts and sciences, John brings a unique perspective based on his experiences.  He believes that scientists need artists and art in order to inspire them to be innovative.  He uses Apple's iPod as an example of how merging science and design can create a superior product.  He also mentions the website Mint.com which 80% of the experience is about what the viewer see not the technology behind it. 

VSL : Very Short List

Image of a plants internal structure

VSL

Today I wanted to share a website I subscribe to.  Every day I receive a short one page email with three items interest.  VSL is short for very short list.  It is a "delightful e-mail that shares cultural gems from a
different curator every day."

Topics include tech, culture, style, design and food.  It's fun to receive the email each day and see what treasures are found inside.  I added the link to the site above so if you like little surprises and interesting gems then subscribe and Enjoy!

Toys "R" Us Sued over New Tablet

FuHu verses Toys "R" Us

Turns out Samsung's not the only one getting sued.  Yes!  Toys "R" Us is being accused of stealing too.  Charges being flung about include breach of contract, fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, false advertising, unauthorized use of the "iconic butterfly shape", and trade dress infringement.  It's doubtful this battle will get as much press and attention as the one we just witnessed between Apple and Samsung but in the end it is no less important.  As the changes in technology continue to come at lightening speed no doubt the lawsuits will continue to follow at an equal pace.

New Crowdsourcing App Available 9/26

Participatory Culture

There's a new App available tomorrow that will "allow people around the world to compare and share their lives over the course of a week." (Smolan).   The purpose to this project is inform people just how much data they are putting out into the world about themselves.  We do it everyday from each Google search and Facebook post.  The data will be collected through users answering survey questions and from the smartphone's GPS and other sensors.  This alone will provide an abundance of data about us as a human race along with us... as individuals.   The results of the project will be revealed along with an E-book due out in November.  So how do you feel about this project?  Regardless whether you are interested in participating or not you can be sure your data is already being stored!

Crowdsourcing App Will Measure the World for a Week Through Smartphones