Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia Currently enjoying photos that Flickr has collected of the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia. The flats are particularly gorgeous when covered in water. I was inspired to do the search by the viral video, Where the Hell is Matt?, in which he dances in just the place. Don’t miss his new video for 2008.
How the Digital Age is Changing UI Design
After reading Marc Prensky’s stimulating article “Listen to the Natives,” I truly have a desire to quote it in its entirety. Instead I am going to focus on one of the opening paragraphs in which he distinguishes between two types of digital peoples — digital immigrants and digital natives — and how they learn differently in the Digital Age. I strongly encourage you to read the entire article; Prensky discusses some very thought-provoking facets of learning in the Age of Information. For now, though, let me begin by sharing with you that excerpt:
I’ve coined the term digital native to refer to today’s students (2001). They are native speakers of technology, fluent in the digital language of computers, video games, and the Internet. I refer to those of us who were not born into the digital world as digital immigrants. We have adopted many aspects of the technology, but just like those who learn another language later in life, we retain an “accent” because we still have one foot in the past. We will read a manual, for example, to understand a program before we think to let the program teach itself.
The last part of this excerpt strikes me as extremely relevant to web application user interface design. I’m no expert on the topic of UI design, but my status as digital native and experience with such services as Facebook, Gmail, and Twitter have provided me with at least an opinion of what I, a Generation Y user, consider to be good and bad examples of UI. Particularly when it comes to understanding and finding my way around a new online web service, certain UI features an make all the difference in whether I become a dedicated user or turn away and never look back. Prensky hits on a key point when he distinguishes between reading a manual to learn a new program — where, as I’m using it, program can mean anything from computer software to web apps — and letting the program teach itself.
A great example of the latter is Geni.com, a website that lets you quickly and easily build gorgeous, online family trees that are interactive and shareable. When someone first visits the site, this page introduces Geni:
The message at the top explains exactly what Geni is and what Geni can do for you. A more detailed list of features is included at the bottom left; however, what follows immediately after the introduction sentence (note: a sentence, not a paragraph) is the Geni interface where a first-time visitor can immediately get started using the service. All that’s required is your name, email address, and gender. No username, no password, no registration process. Instead, an account is instantly created for you and Geni emails you a temporary password so that, if you wish, you can login in the future and continue using your account. This allows the user to immediately begin using Geni to create their family tree.
Dennis Neuschaefer-Rube’s Stilled Films are individual works, each consisting of thousands of still frames from the movie that gives each piece its title. He has “stilled” nearly every film by Stanley Kubrick, which makes his work just that much better. You really get a feeling for each film’s mood and atmosphere. Pictured here is Eyes Wide Shut, with its golden hued opening scenes and darker sequences throughout the middle.
Will WALL-E Live Up to Expectations?
In one word: Yes. In two: Of course.
Pixar’s winning streak is no longer a streak. It’s a guarantee. Even Cars (2006), widely labeled their “worst” film, was a great film. I don’t hope that WALL-E is good. I don’t think that it will be good. I know that it will be fantastic. It’s like when Apple was getting ready to release the iPhone. People didn’t hope they liked it. They knew they would. It was simply a matter of sitting around and waiting until the moment it was released so they could run out, line up, and swipe their plastic as fast as humanly possible.
I didn’t line up for an iPhone, but I’ll be damned if I’m not in line to see WALL-E the second it hits theaters.
Still not convinced? Early reviews from Ain’t It Cool News are calling it a “masterpiece,” “gorgeous,” “a Buster Keaton silent film mixed with the wonder of the original STAR WARS and the morals of the best fables.” John Gholson has this to say:
Thanks to Pixar, I have no choice but to go into wild, unrestrained
hyperbole regarding their new film, the animated sci-fi adventure love
story titled Wall-E. Ready? Here we go.Visionary. Emotional. Fantastic. A Must-See. A Thrill Ride. Romantic.
Eye-Popping. Incredible. Instant Classic. The best Pixar film ever
made. Let that sink in for a minute.The best. THE. BEST.
WALL-E hits theaters this weekend. Who will be there with me?
I pretty much want to make love to this stunning macro photograph by Ryan Rahn. The pinks are spectacular and the shallow depth of field is out of this world. I love abstract shots like this. Just wanna blow them up and hang ‘em on my wall. Don’t miss his exquisite desktop wallpapers as well.
I am absolutely, positively in love with this poster by French graphic design couple Fabien and Frédérique Barral. It is one of their new limited edition posters (100 of each will be printed), and I just might need to order one! Check out more of their work at Harmonie Intérieure. And please, if anything, click this image to enlarge.