marksdk's shared items
In June we announced a conference about the future of cities, Cognitive Cities Conference (CoCities). Today, we know that we will need to move CoCities a few months.
New designated date: 26/27 February 2011
Location: Coworking Cologne
First of all, we hope not to cause any inconveniences for your travel planning.
Second, some explanation: When we first came up with the idea of CoCities we knew that the schedule would be tight and it would be hard work. What we didn't know at the time was that other developments would coincide exactly with this schedule and draw away resources. (Don't worry: It's all great stuff, we just cannot talk about it yet.)
We were faced with the decision whether to run the conference anyway or to postpone it a bit and do it right. We all have very high hopes and high expectations for this event, so obviously we decided to do it right, to put together the very best event we possibly could. And to get to this point, we need to have a few things off our desks and minds to really focus on creating the best experience for you.
So what happens now? We will continue to talk to potential speakers and sponsors, and we hope you will continue to point us to great thinkers, urbanists and projects to consider for CoCities. We will continue to work on the conference format as well, since we have a few ideas on how to foster the best atmosphere to both exchange knowledge and think about projects yet to come. Further, we hope to get in touch with possible participants to discuss the expectations for this event and try to cater to these as well as possible.
We think that postponing the event is the right thing to do. Just hacking together a half-hearted conference would neither fit our aspirations for this topic, nor would it leave the participants (that's you!) satisfied.
Again, we sincerely hope that this doesn't interfere with your travel planning, apologize for any inconveniences this postponement may cause. And we sure hope to see you in February at Cognitive Cities Conference.
Yours,
The CoCities Team: Axel Quack, Igor Schwarzmann, Johannes Kleske, Markus Reuter, Martin Spindler, Peter Bihr, Welf Kirschner.
ps. Best way to get in touch is by email: info@cognitivecities.com. We'll get back to you quickly.
pps. If you are working on a great project that is relevant to Cognitive Cities and would like to present it, please let us know.
What I love about the 'A Bit More' button on this toaster is not just the functionality, though that's clearly come some from careful observation of everyday habits, but the name. It could so easily have been called 'Power boost' or 'Toast+' or 'Extend', or something else unthinkingly derived from an engineering- or technology-led process.
But no. The button is simply marked 'A Bit More'. Because that's what it does, and also because it has a touch of the conversational, domestic, familial, colloquial. Entirely appropriate for its context. And it's funny, in a gently everyday way.
That choice of name - and the function, and its simple realisation in a sturdy button with a good action - is a deft bit of design, and for me, the ability to produce deft, including through good copy, is one of the key differentiating factors setting apart good designers from average.
The 'Lift and Look' button isn't bad either - equally self-explanatory, but it doesn't quite have the essential humanity and wit of a phrase like 'A Bit More' applied to a button. (I quite like that it has a button marked 'Crumpet' too, but that's just the Englishman in me.) Well done Breville.
Previously on Interaction Design Classics:
#2: The 'progress bar' on the Voice-O-Graph in 'Badlands'
#3: The big pink arrow from 'Grand Theft Auto'
You wouldn't think a Korean man teaching his class how to swear in English would be so funny.
I love his mannerisms when he says the swears in English; he channels Goodfellas-era Joe Pesci a little bit during his discussion of "fucking". (via mike industries)
Tags: language video
Wi-Fireworks lets you draw over WiFi onto window screens. Unit9 beams free WiFi from their office. Open a browser on your smart phone and automatically detect their signal and get redirected to an HTML5 page optimized for multitouch devices running a game. Whatever you draw on the screen appears on their windows. Watch your doodle explode as a firework.
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YouTube API Blog announces that YouTube will switch to a new embedding code that uses an iframe. "If you use the new embed code style, your viewers will be able to view your embedded video in one of our Flash or HTML5 players, depending on their viewing environment and preferences. In instances where HTML5 isn't supported (e.g. our HTML5 player can't play videos with ads), we use Flash."
Here's an example of embed code:
<iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID" frameborder="0">
</iframe>YouTube says that "an additional benefit of the new embed style is that it will eventually allow embeds to work on mobile devices, which typically use a built-in player instead of Flash or HTML5." iPhone, Android phones and other mobile devices use a special application for YouTube, while mobile browsers use plug-ins that detect YouTube's embedding code and replace it with some code that can be handled by the built-in YouTube app. The new embedding code will allow YouTube to use the HTML5 video tag in browsers that support this feature.
In a previous post, YouTube's Kuan Yong said that "Flash Player's ability to combine application code and resources into a secure, efficient package has been instrumental in allowing YouTube videos to be embedded in other web sites. Web site owners need to ensure that embedded content is not able to access private user information on the containing page, and we need to ensure that our video player logic travels with the video (for features like captions, annotations, and advertising). While HTML5 adds sandboxing and message-passing functionality, Flash is the only mechanism most web sites allow for embedded content from other sites."
A large number of video-content publishers and video-device manufacturers are coordinating a common DRM scheme:
The idea behind DECE is the same idea behind the push to drop DRM, except that DECE would preserve the DRM part. Both sides want users to be able to use their content on more devices and be more flexible with where and when things can be watched; DECE would merely employ a DRM system that would allow any device to authenticate against a cloud-based Digital Rights Locker whenever a user wants to watch a video on a new device. In theory, this would free the user from being locked down to a single device where he or she bought the content from, but still allow the content providers to control who is watching the content at any given time.
Do we really want to give the big video-content providers more control? This time, they can give us something even more frustrating than unskippable DVD warnings and menu animations. I absolutely don’t trust them to use any new technical control scheme in a way that’s a net benefit to customers.
Video publishers have repeatedly demonstrated that they despise their customers, and they have taken every technically feasible opportunity to increase restrictions and outright hostility.
Every purported benefit of UltraViolet needs to be run through a strong bullshit filter, as if it were a Bush-era law, like “No Child Left Behind” or the “PATRIOT Act”, that’s named in a way that sounds like it accomplishes the opposite of what it really does. UltraViolet is not about being “flexible”, it’s about being locked down. It’s not “freeing” users, it’s controlling us. And it almost certainly won’t be used to give us more abilities overall.
Assuming otherwise requires a very short-term memory of the actions of the major publishers involved.
Fortunately, there’s a major setback: Apple’s not participating in this scheme. (Neither is Disney.)
So let’s take a step back for a minute. With all of this talk of abstract “devices”, which devices, exactly, are people likely to demand compatibility with?
Might any of them have an Apple logo?
Now, think about this for just a second. Imagine you’re having a conversation with Don Draper and you use a phrase like “thought leader” or “webinar”. How’s that end?
If you’re in a meeting, he takes a long draw off his cigarette, slowly stamps it out, stands up, buttons his jacket, stares right through you and walks out of the room without saying a word.
If you’re in a bar, he finishes his drink, stands up, punches you in your dumb mouth, buttons his jacket, dons his hat, walks out and then fucks your wife.
I’m starting a club. It’s called the “Simple Things Done Well Society,” or STDWS, if you will. We believe that Vanilla is the best flavor of ice cream (so long as it is really good), Ringo Starr is wonderful drummer, and Hemingway’s sentences are perfect, thank you very much.
Above, a toothbrush by MUJI, because your toothbrush doesn’t need to look like some sort of a neon-laced, ribbed dog chew toy with grips.
See also: Choice paralysis through toothpaste.
