This is where I rant, ramble, or report the goings-on in my life, profession, or the world at large. Travel, photography, kitsch, and design -- just about any topic is likely to make an appearance. So while I'm chewing the cud, why don't you chime in with a thought or two of your own. I'd love to hear what you've got to say.
Last month on a short road trip with my mother we came across the workshop of Ritch Branstrom in Rapid River, Michigan. Although the workshop, Adhoc Workshop to be precise, was closed at the time we arrived there was plenty to hold our attention. The yard was strewn with several found object sculptures, both complete and in progress. It definitely was a welcomed diversion from an otherwise long drive.
More from Michigan.
The official website of the White House got a bit of a makeover last Tuesday. I must confess that I haven’t visited the website in quite some time. The version I’m most familiar with is circa 2003 as seen below (source: Way Back Time Machine):
It looks like they considered the media their primary audience rather than the American public.
Fast forward five years and you’ve got this fresh new approach:
Along with the fresh new look of the website are some powerful tenets: Communication, Transparency, and Participation; as described in the inaugural post. The website puts the blog front and center, making it easier for citizens to stay connected with their government. The blog will likely serve as a major gateway for Obama’s desire to get citizens participating in the future of the country.
While President Obama may be the first in the oval office to sport a Blackberry and have email, his is not the first administration to embrace the Internet or technology. Nick Thompson presents a report of the Bush administration web successes, including my favorite, the use of Flickr by the Library of Congress to distribute and make accessible the many splendors of their vast collections.
The big difference I see with this administration is the support from the top down for these technology initiatives. The Obama administration clearly sees the value in technology as a tool for communication, efficiency, and change.
This is not the timeliest post, but I just want to take a moment and remark on a nice visualization The New York Times put together on people’s hopes for the Obama Administration. As usual, it’s an elegant and simple interaction. I like the addition of audio clips that share what other American’s hope for in their own words. Technology of the past few years has given oral histories greater power and reach. This is a nice example of how we can connect over time and space; both in the present and with future generations.
An interactive mirror, the brainchild of Alpay Kasal of Lit Studios and Sam Ewen of Interference Inc., is an interesting example of how touch and gestural interfaces are likely to become staples in our daily lives. Having worked on what is now growing to be several Microsoft Surface projects, I am always curious to see how the evolving technology will come to be used. This example is both fun and engaging, but I can see an interactive mirror having more practical applications.
For example, if this mirror were in my bathroom, I’d like it to include a clock. That’s pretty obvious but what if it also kept you informed of when the next bus was arriving at your stop? What if it displayed your scheduled meetings for the day, showed new messages from your email inbox, and made sure you were dressing (or styling your hair) appropriately for the weather? If you lived with someone you could share messages and gentle reminders with one another. If you were dieting or working towards some other goal, you could track your progress while it gave you encouragement. I see this as being less of a distraction or entertainment piece than as a tool to support you for the day ahead. All these ideas already exist both online and offline but once we have a truly integrated, ubiquitous approach, we will be able to truly leverage these emerging technologies for their connectedness and productivity.
Interactive Mirror from Alpay Kasal on Vimeo.
Via Johnny Holland.
The NYTimes.com Visualization Lab recently announced it’s partnership with IBM’s Many Eyes. One does a great job at illustrating complex data visually in unique, compelling, and universal ways; the other provides the incredible tools to do so. I took a class a while back on data manipulation where the weekly assignments were produced using Many Eyes. It was a challenging class and I was no natural but I loved the possibilities that Many Eyes provided. Now I can continue to appreciate Many Eyes as it pairs up great content and great design.
Below is a Wordle of Barack Obama’s DNC Acceptance Speech.
