Vism.ag & Creative Maps Blog

Well the iPad is here, first I want to talk more about the well designed, even named skin of swiss (neue grafik, J Muller Brockmann), below, arbitrary Times news rss reader Skimmer.

 

 

According to Denise Warren, senior vice president and chief advertising officer at the New York Times Media Group and general manager of NYTimes.com, Times Skimmer is meant to give "online readers another way to view the latest news and updates in a choice of formats that best suit their preferences." readwriteweb.com/

 

It apparently is trying to bring the feeling and serendipity of reading the physical newspaper to its online presence. Users can choose from seven different layouts. Most of these are based on a grid-based design, though some also mimic the feel of an RSS reader with stories organized in chronological order as it receives them from the rss, or ranked according to the the recommendations of the New York Times' editorial team. I do like as they say a design philosophy was 'to avoid using numbers where ever possible' so to deter the 'triggering a completion-ist obsession to see all the new stuff', it is interesting that Khoi Vinh points out that 

 

'when you see numbers and dates, they hijack your brain and you cant see the content anymore, only the numbers', which is very true. CR Feb '10 pg 30

 

I have blog posts that, ok I might be being big headed here, are ladled with time and thought put in and are barely read, not the most popular in the view-count, and so no sees them because they aren't re-aggregated with YARRP, or TOP 10, or PageRank plugins. 

 

Andre Behrens whose pet project it was and co-designed it with Khoi Vinh and the Times team said he doesn't like scroll bars ('heavy mouse use over fussy') and that a 'grid is so regular: I wanted easy two-dimensional scanning' CR Feb '10 pg 28. Much like I'd hoped for this page applications-tools.htm (made before I discovered Skimmer), although still scrollbar (little wheel in the middle of your mouse, arrow keys up-down).

 

'The app feels somewhat similar to the paid Times Reader application - especially if you use an application like Fluid or Prism to pack it into a standalone app. One nice feature of the app is that it smartly rearranges stories according to the size of the browser window. Times Skimmer also features keyboard shortcuts. Times Skimmer features a separate section for blogs, as well as a section for collections of articles about special topics, e.g. swine flu, credit crisis and bacon' readwriteweb.com/

 

After feedback from trials with users first launched as a prototype application earlier this year, they decided that they would like different styles to swiss, even though it doesn't need it. 

 

 

iPad

'So here it is then - the iPad. Will it change your world?

Apple launched its much-hyped, much-anticipated tablet device last night (as if you needed telling). First impressions – that name, is it us or is iPad just a little, well, 'sanitary'? And, yes, it does look like a giant iPhone, as many have pointed out (and quite a few correctly predicted).' creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/

 

It is amusing that everyone is having a backlash over its name, suggesting it is more associated and connotes ideas of sanitary products. Now its here I don't like it! (I know I said I liked interactive-digital-magazine.html concept) this is because it doesn't have a camera (skype), ok an additional external device might become available. It doesn't support flash either much of the web is very rich, well designed flash-based interactive content, not least my visualisationmagazine.com. But it isn't that mine cant be viewed on it using issuu or others, as Jeremy Leslie from magculture.com/blog/ describes as, 

 

'online pdf versions of their magazines (mimicking page-turning complete with 'whoosh' noises) and print-on-demand [services] [...] none of these have yet cut through to the mainstream' CR Feb '10 pg24 (excellent article, and issue of CR with Philippe Apeloig, brilliant views on design btw)

 

With this desire for flash based content to be allowed to work on such a big expensive device, as I am sorry but flash is a marvelous tool for the creative industry to drop a little animation in there, make your site interactive and have subtle hints of bells and whistles to enhance the playful experience of browsing the web. Just look at the animation of psyop.tv/. I do love the coke ad with another world inside the vending machine, the coke side of life. 

I can't help agree because of this with © Alberto Antoniazzi smart diagram below. 

 

 

Thoughts about Apple iPad: “Why did they made a bigger iPhone when they just had to do a smaller Macbook?” © Alberto Antoniazzi

 

Rather than having the iPad, make a smaller Macbook, it can handle flash, it can still be portable. Make it do what you said netbook's can't. I'm saying this, personally I would be ok with the touch screens for phones their are now and their size like the iPhone. I'm certainly not going to be designing, writing post like this for my blog on an iSanitary (sorry, dont despise it just adding humor). Maybe if I have the chance to use one I might change my mind, but until then make great apps for the iPhone. What a revolution they are! You know that daytum are working on an iPhone app to see-the-bigger-picture that will be brilliant. 

 

Jeremy Leslie mentions, appropriately here following on from Skimmer, and in a similar style, of Guardian App being 'a cleverly designed app that does the clever things - such as letting the user read stories through various filters - while being simple to use and fast - really fast - to update. By far the best news app' CR Feb '10 pg 26

 

I agree here that this should be made,

winandtonic: dear goodness, somebody please make this into a thing immediately

 

Btw, thank you laptop gods, replaced the charger (not too expensive) and I can power it again with out getting it mended ;o). also to PSP-USB-Keyboard-Mouse-adaptor I can... think designing... CTRL + Z again... yay!

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