14 November 2012

iPhone App Makes Navigation Easier to Visualize


AR-MAPS is a navigation app that utilizes augmented reality by displaying a split-screen of a live video (above) and a mobile map (below). This is an awesome idea and it would also be pretty useful if there were some kind of Overlay Mode, much like the Satellite View (formerly known as Hybrid View) in Google Maps which combines the two images and labels the buildings, streets, and landmarks.

(via Gizmodo)

09 September 2011

You are… where?

Every designer who has worked with wayfinding (be it on a handheld device or in a hospital) knows: one of the most fundamental (and, arguably, the most important) element of a directory is the “You are here” indicator and yesterday, I noticed that (at Oxmoor Mall) all of the directories are missing this very element!

Please excuse the image quality but try and guess where I was on this map like I had to do yesterday. Showing the relative location of the other stores means very little if I don’t know where I am.

05 July 2011

Something personal that I probably shouldn't share on social-networking.




Just relax.

Calm down and let the emotion from the Casey Anthony Trial wear off for a moment.

Breathe-in, breathe-out. Inhale, exhale.

Now let's talk logic instead of emotion.

In the Black community, when we see these headlines plastered all over our televisions, newspapers, et cetera -- it makes an incredible impact.

Personally, while my six-year-old niece was missing because she'd been kidnapped, seeing hundreds and hundreds of headlines about Natalee Holloway and Elizabeth Smart, while tragic, rubbed me the wrong way (to put it mildly). It was very insulting, even. That's not my niece pictured above by the way -- it was just a ploy to get you to read this. And it worked. Keep reading...

My family had an incredibly frustrating time with our unsuccessful attempts at garnering attention even from the local media regarding our missing child. Meanwhile, not only did the national news pay strict attention to the aforementioned missing little girls, but also, we stood by while the local media paid similar attention to similar cases yet ignoring ours.

Why would the media be so selective? (humor me)

And they say, "but, Matthew! That's apples to oranges! these are two separate and unrelated cases!" And, I agree: this is very true in lots of people's minds.

The question I pose in this entry is: why is it that Caylee Anthony gets more attention than Nixzmary Brown? What does this say about our society? Who is considered precious and who is expendable?

Let's just say, for instance, that your children were murdered but across the street children were being murdered and the media surrounded those stories -- how would you feel? Slighted? Maybe, even just a little bit?

This is why it's difficult for me to understand the outrage involved with this Casey Anthony case. Not that it's not tragic, but what about us? Why is it not tragic until Caylee Anthony dies?

Your responses to this post (even if anonymous) would be greatly appreciated.


19 May 2011

reDesign And Reason





In case you haven't already seen it in the last couple of days, the new portfolio web site (done in HTML5) is now online; check it out: DesignAndReason.com



04 May 2011

Guest Entry: FlyPaper Blog

I was fortunate enough to be a Guest Blogger for FlyPaper reviewing Fly Union's new album titled "The Greater Than Club." Here's an excerpt:


Only a couple of years ago, I’d never heard of Fly Union and, even today, most of their music is new to me. Changes to the group’s roster made many people wonder if their music would be as appealing and, unsurprisingly, they’ve proved they haven’t lost anything when it comes to the music.

The Greater Than Club (TGTC) is Fly Union’s first commercial release and it's full of everything any music listener expects from a great hip-hop album. The first track, titled “Salutation,” touts beautifully melodic violins and starts with a gripping line regarding Jerreau’s relationship with his mother and how it relates to his romantic relationships. From there, the insightful lyrics and alluring production hold the listener’s attention for the duration of the album.


read the full entry here.

13 April 2011

(image) The Anatomy of a Perfect Landing Page.


I don't know if I would call this a "perfect" landing page but lots of good points are made here.

07 April 2011

(image) The History of Web Browsers


I still don't understand why Google Chrome isn't more popular.

05 April 2011

(video) Gmail Motion is very possible.



Evan A. Suma, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Southern California's (USC) Institute for Creative Technologies, immediately set to work in demonstrating that the technology to run such a system already exists.

(via gizmag)


01 April 2011

Lose the mouse and keyboard. Now you can control Gmail with your body with new Gmail Motion!



I imagine Google is a really fun place to work.

If you haven't already, search Google for 'kittens' on your Android or iPhone. or, on the web, search for 'Helvetica' (although I think they went way, way too far with that one). but this one from Google Voice is funny: Introducing Voice-alyzer.

28 March 2011

Multitouch Microscope (iPad on Steroids)



yes, I have decided to start using Blogger again.

28 September 2009

Augmented Google Earth Gets Real-Time People, Cars, Clouds



This is an interesting utilization of technology although I'm not 100% convinced on the benefits of displaying even more detailed visual information–which will require more RAM–on Google Earth, a program that already requires lots of RAM to run smoothly.

10 August 2009

holograms providing tactile feedback


I just came across the video above via a eNewsletter from Gizmag. to summarize: the idea of holograms providing tactile feedback was presented in 2009 SIGGRAPH by students from the University of Tokyo.

below are a couple excerpts from a presentation for a class I took at OSU. the objective of the course was to submit design ideas which sought to improve the quality of one's living room experience regardless of technological contraints. to summarize this project: this floating hologram would control all of the electronics in a users' home. one of the features of this technology included tactile feedback (shown in the images below).

here the user is selecting "yes" to continue watching the movie from the previous night.


profile view of the hologram, depicting the tactile feedback.

while watching the movie, the user decides to dim the lights in the living room.

when I presented this project, many people's first reaction was "that's impossible." however (as previously mentioned), the objective of this project was to design without technological constraints under the pretense that engineering restrictions are only a matter of time before they're overcome.

"Now that we can make anything, what will we make?"

06 August 2009

the new look of Sean John



although Sean John's new logo is now legible (compared to the previous 'signature' logo) I'm not quite sure how it directly reflects the style of most of the clothing shown in the video above. yes, I understand the concept: futuristic (yeah, yeah, who DOESN'T claim to be futuristic these days?) however the multiple designs using acid washed denim don't seem to echo the clean-cut logo. although I did notice a couple cardigans, the "metal in the nylon fabric" and "printing on the inside of the t-shirt" seemed to be the most celebrated designs. while most of the designs are indeed cutting edge and new, the logo seems to be futuristic in a different (more conservative) way.

if the new Sean John logo were an article of clothing, I imagine it would be something one might wear with an evening gown or tuxedo, not with acid washed denim.

05 February 2009

"Obama buttons! $5!" ("trek to Washington")


I noticed this young Brother in Potomac Mall near L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, DC. I had to buy a button. this should inspire many of those who stand on corners with cardboard signs begging for money as if they can't work... this is America.

"Obama Hats!"



"trek to Washington" is a documentary depicting many of Matthew Stanford's experiences during the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies.

just imagine...



Google has used its wit to outsmart the world once again. Google Latitude (being released today) enables users to locate their friends and vice versa via their location on Google Maps Mobile.

This is such a dumb idea.
of course, I don't mean dumb in the sense that it should not have been done, but dumb in the sense that someone should have already released this by now as it is not a result of some break-through technological advance, but rather, this is what happens when the technology is available for long enough and people begin to think.

"What else can we do with this?"
Bruce Mau's Massive Change discusses the power we as humans (specifically as designers) now have. Technology has facilitated an array of options which seem to be endless. In effect, since we have yet to discover the full range of what may be accomplished through existing technology, we are not yet fully aware of our capabilities.

"Now that we can make anything, what will we make?"
Just imagine how many lives might have been save had someone thought of this application years ago? Take, for example, James Kim, an editor of C-Net.com (a web site which provides expert reviews of modern technology), who died from exposure and hypothermia while trying to retrieve help for his family after their car was buried in snow during a road trip. Kim’s death could have certainly been prevented had he received a signal on his cellular phone and been able to contact the appropriate local authorities for help. Furthermore, had his cell phone been equipped with Google Latitude, certainly his death would not have occurred from being lost in the cold.

Ironically, only a few weeks after Kim’s death, C-Net.com released survey results that indicated the general public’s distrust of location based software in cellular phones largely due to the pervasive fear of being watched by “Big Brother” regardless of the palpable dangers that surfaced during Kim’s disappearance and death. Also, most cellular phones are already equipped with software enabling users to be located during emergencies while the device is turned on (even if there is no service signal available). This indicates that the fear of being located by a mobile communication device is merely perceptual; users have been located by their cellular phones before this feature was advertised as a technological breakthrough.

Design can save lives...
Technology provides us with possibilities and allows us to imagine; design utilizes both possibilities and imagination so that we may make our lives easier through new ways of navigating, communicating, interacting, sharing, learning, teaching, dating, and expressing emotion. My only hope is that this technology becomes more affordable and lasts longer than a year or so. This new era brings forth positive change and maturation... dream.

29 October 2008

made you look

on my way back from a meeting this morning, I noticed one of those bench signs that said (in big bold yellow letters), "SEE YOU LOOKED! BENCH ADVERTISING DOES WORK!"

I sincerely hope no one is fooled by this. we all know that there's a huge difference between merely getting someone's attention and clearly articulating a message, don't we?

I remember riding in the car once when I was very young -- I saw a balloon floating in the sky that was attached to a long string decorated with multi-colored, triangular shaped flags. it had to be at least one hundred feet in the air. when the car finally got close to the base of the balloon, it was a car dealership.

'a car dealership?' I thought. 'what do balloons have to do with selling cars?'

so, I asked [whomever was driving] why a car dealership would do this? it has nothing to do with all the books I'd read on advertising approaches. just kidding, I was probably only eight years old or so.

the answer I was given was, "to get your attention." and it worked. so its a successful means of advertising, right?

wrong.
this balloon only confused me. it said nothing about their company, how they're different from the next car dealership, or even what their profession is. this, in many ways, is probably worse than going unnoticed. in the consumer's mind is now ambiguity (which does not lead to inquiry) rather than surety or simply not knowing the company exists. how can one believe it is good in any way to first mislead someone before asking for a business relationship? I thought the balloon meant there was a circus in town and then I'm disappointed by this stale, lame car dealership?

its as if so many of us are begging for the attention drug in any possible form that we'd do anything to get it.


is that intelligent?

28 October 2008

you have got to be kidding me.

how can you do this to me, Google? I stuck by your side and purchsed the G1 even when your stock fell to half of what it was a year ago, then you turn around and release Google Earth on the iPhone but not the G1? (sigh) maybe it's coming soon, I guess I shouldn't be so disappointed.

23 October 2008

T-Mobile's G1 with Google Android

T-Mobile's G1 was released earlier this week. This is the first product I've ever purchased the first day it was released; I'm not much of an early adopter (1st runner-up is my last phone, the T-Mobile MDA, which I purchased only a week after it was released).

When I first learned of Google Android
, an open-sourced operating system for handheld devices, I was very excited but at the same time a bit disappointed because some of the things I saw regarding the interactive maps ran circles around my thesis. I quickly got over that once I realized I'm no match to Google's Research + Development Team anyway -- "if you can't beat em, join em" one of my goals.

So its been about four days since I've had the phone. I must say, I am a bit disappointed and considering sending it back. A few minutes ago I got an email from T-Mobile asking me to fill out a survey "regarding your experience with your new T-Mobile G1 with Google phone."

Apparently, they have no idea how passionate I am about this subject.

One of the questions asked me to rate how satisfied I am with my device; I answered "somewhat dissatisfied" (a step up from the lowest, "extremely dissatisfied"). The next question asked, "Why are you "somewhat dissatisfied?""

My response:

I've found there are some design flaws that need attention.

The hardware (specifically the covers over the microSD card and USB/headphone connectors) seem a bit flimsy, like they will break off in a few months or so. They also tend to get in the way when I'm trying to use these slots.

The interface isn't very intuitive; it could benefit from more user testing. Why is it so difficult to turn GPS on or off? Menu: Settings>Security & location (the description of this menu option does not mention GPS).

Why is it so difficult to add a contact from someone who sent me a text message? I practically have to outsmart the smart-phone.

Why, if I see something on the screen (ie time, battery icon, Bluetooth logo, etc) am I not allowed to click, or touch, it and be given options pertaining to what I clicked? I mean, this is a touch screen, right?

And let's set aside all the complaints bloggers have been making about the difficulty in transferring contacts from MS Outlook (you don't really think I'm going to manually type in +300 contacts, do you?). My biggest frustration (being a former Windows Mobile owner) and possibly the deal-breaker is the fact that this phone does not allow the user to copy+paste. So many times have I been on the internet and saw part of an article and sent it as a text message to a colleague. Or saved part of an email in the notes of an appointment.

I use my phone primarily for business -- am I outside of your target audience?

Busta Rhymes said it best when he spoke of how much he loves
what he does in his song Genesis (00:54 – 1:24)

"...I'ma die tryin for y'all
With the blessing of an angel's tear cryin' for y'all
Back to the foundation, takin you under back where it all started
With a whole new beginnin and a brand new hunger
Starvin to where my skin was suffocatin my ribs
Now we got bitches interior decoratin my crib
Touch the love I got like you holdin my heart in your hand
And watch my manifesto, shit was all a part of the plan
The fashion that I choose to deal with this shit
Sometimes it's so hard to describe the passion that I feel for this shit
How many struggles I survived just to eat this meal
Never thought y'all meet a nigga that could be this real."


You probably don't understand the passion I feel for this. If not, you certainly won't understand why I was so excited to get this phone. I've been an avid fan of Google, Google Maps, interactive maps, and handheld devices for the last three years (borderline obsession) -- I thought this phone would boost me into the next dimension. It didn't.

Maybe I'll try to patch things up between MDA & I; she's all I really needed. I'm wondering if I should've never left her. Although she could've moved on to someone who really appreciates her,
if she understands me, she'll take me back.

"Chillin wit ya girl while ya thinkin bout ya ex."
- from the song Dr. Knockboot by Nas (01:47 – 1:49)

Okay this was supposed to be a desigNERD blog but now I'm just clownin so I'm out.