fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

:-)

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Desktop Uploadr

The Flickr desktop uploader sits on your desktop for heftier uploading needs or offline photo management. Drag and drop single photos or videos, or select a whole folder. Even reorder how photos will be displayed in your photostream.

Flickr Uploadr

Version 3.2.1: Released June 11, 2009. This release is available in 8 languages.

via flickr.com

The most recent version of Flickr Uploadr v3.2.1 Desktop client is super powerful! You can download the Flickr Desktop Uploadr here. I've just upgraded to this new version so I don't have a lot to add yet — after installing it and based on what I've seen so far, it's much better than the previous version I was using.

 

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via methodologie.com

Methodologie is kind enough to share their 'Web Canvas' with all of us in the design community. Their Web Canvas is a grid that displays screen resolutions and the percentage of users that are capable of viewing the different screen resolutions. Their statistics are fresh (August, 2009) and based on numbers from http://thecounter.com and http://marketshare.hitslink.com

I've added this little gem to my delicious bookmarks... I think it'll be a helpful little tool when starting new projects or when I'm wrestling over what screen resolution to design for. All of this info and our own design experience seem to support the notion that in many cases size matters ;-)

• http://www.methodologie.com/webcanvas/

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via mixero.com

I'm testing the beta of Mixero as I type this, and this app really delivers on it's promise of "reducing the noise." The interface is really nicely done and there are only a few things that a little less than intuitive but fairly easy to figure out as you use it. It's got a really nice feature set [see the list on http://mixero.com] that helps make your time spent on Twitter much more productive. Follow them at => http://twitter.com/mixero to get the scoop on their latest activities (hint: Facebook integration sounds cool) and bugfixes.

It feels different than other Twitter clients I've used -- feels more streamlined and the interaction is more directed towards productivity as opposed to "stream following" like other clients. I'm still not a huge fan of apps built on Adobe Air because this machine is old and just doesn't have the horsepower necessary to really handle "power-browsing" while running an Air app and a handful of others simultaneously (you can never have enough RAM). Because it's an Air app, it should work on any OS, and as I mentioned the look and feel is definitely silky.

As social media continues to converge and inter-operate -- it's getting increasingly more difficult to stay on top of it all. Although I've only been testing it a short while, I can see that it's definitely going to be an important tool in my social media tool chest.

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via posterous.com

Very cool bookmarklet, I didn't know this existed (or maybe it didn't when I originally signed-up?). I think I'm going to be using it a lot... Stay tuned. ;-)

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Spasmolytic

Convenience of the hour.

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This is great. Interesting exercise for artsy geeks. Sharing and spreading it...

Cool, fun stuff to do. Here's the exhortation from the Reverend below:

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1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random” The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations" The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together. (I will after work)

5 - Post it to FB with this text in the "caption" and TAG the friends you want to join in.

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Do you have a flickr account yet? Want to easily share your flickr photos with the world from your website or blog? Well, now you can in just a few seconds using the flickrSlidr slideshow tool!

This free service couldn't be easier to use... all you need to do is enter a URL address for a user, photo set, or group -- and then add some tags, and set the slideshow dimensions and a few properties (height, width, preview and favorite's) and the slideshow will be created for you. You can even set create your flickr slideshow in "Standards Compliance Mode" which will make it more accessible. All you need to do next is copy-n-paste the code it generates into your website or blog post and enjoy... Cool, huh?

The tool is free and super-easy to use, so why not check it out?

•  Make your own flickrSlidr slideshow now!

Here's a flickrSlidr slideshow I just created of some of the desktop wallpaper I've made...

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

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When I Grow-up...

I just read a really nice post on FuelYourCreativity about social networks by Andy Jacobson where he described the positive impact his online social life has on his design work and how it related to his "Home Town". Good stuff. I really like the metaphor. The somewhat short and simple post and some of the comments left by folks got me thinkin' about the topic, and I thought I'd tap-down some of my own thoughts on the subject.

For me, while growing-up the world got bigger as I did, and then I reached a tipping point -- and as I moved around a bunch it began to get smaller. I realized that there are many more things we all have in common than there are differences. Sometimes it's tough to remember this during the day-to-day hustle-bustle though.

I think everybody can appreciate it when folks put the "real" them out there... it's honest and heartfelt, you know? It's like a well-written short story. It's like a timeless photo. It's the stuff that gets into your core right down to the human element.

I've always felt we all unknowingly weave our brief and seemingly random thread-like lives into a "Human fabric." It's old and worn, and it gets ripped and tattered but it won't ever tear apart. It's the metaphor I've always visualized to describe the Human condition.


Them Miles I've Traveled

I've been surfing the web since the early Nineties... Waaay back when there was only one browser: Mosaic, and a 300 baud modem was fast. I started trying to build web 'pages' around that time too. Heck, I had a Zenith 286 laptop with 1 Megabyte of RAM and I was doing "page layout" and brochure pages as a freelancer so it kinda made sense. Really basic stuff. Besides, I thought it just might be "the next big thing!" In retrospect, I've cobbled together a decent career over the years and rubbed elbows with some really fantastic people, built some great relationships and friendships because of computers, the web -- and now with Social Media.

I grew up in a small (one square mile) town just outside NYC. It had a town center, and everyone pretty much knew everyone else and it really had a sense of community. I have a busy offline "real" life and I'm slowly building a really nice, enjoyable and complimentary online virtual life as well. I now live in New England very close to Needham where Andy grew up. Small world.

Like Andy -- and probably a lot of other folks -- I love the cool factor that all the Web 2.0 technology presented. I always felt that the "you have to eat your own dog food" analogy made a lot of sense. You really have to use it to be able to design it well, right? I've been signing up for just about every service I run across to see what it does, and how it does it, and to soak-in that "virtual goodness" -- that cool factor that makes even the toughest geeks get all warm and fuzzy on the inside.


It's Good To Be Home

Maybe it's the time of year. Thanksgiving and some quality time spent with the family? Maybe it's my recent trip back home for a High School Reunion. It's nice to be a thread in the fabric, however torn and tattered it may be.

For me, it's nice to be a part of something bigger than the everyday stuff. The rough and tumble, "I just gotta get through this week" stressful kinda stuff. The virtual world doesn't seem to have the same challenges, nagging issues or problems that can build-up and stick-around in my "real" life. I like the energy and enthusiasm of the design community, and it's nice to be able to tap into a flow of consistent creative inspiration. I'm always inspired to try and continue to learn, challenge myself and try to hone my skills... feeling like I'm a prt of something bigger helps me to try to always keep an optimistic outlook on things, and "keep on keeping on" when things get tough.

I like the "connectedness" of my virtual social life, and I like the fact that it's always there, active and churning, rumbling with life. An endless virtual stream of something new and exciting just around the corner.

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Medium + message
Here's a quick and rambling post on the topic of style and substance. I just read a somewhat nasty comment on a blog that I frequent and it got me thinking about style. The flagrant comment focussed solely on the writers style, and in my opinion, missed much of the points the writer was trying to present.

Form, function? Whatever...
When I think of form vs. function issue (or is it function vs. form?), I tend to lean towards function as being the more important of the two for me. This is because so many things don't hold up to the test of time these days, and it bothers me when things just don't work or function well and do the very thing they are meant to do in the first place. If something looks great and is aesthetically pleasing and all that stuff but doesn't work, what's the point? I like dependable products and I don't mind fixing them when they fail to deliver because of normal use. When I'm constantly fixing things to just get 'em to work, it bothers me. It's about efficiency. It's about design.

Form = Style, delivery, medium

Function = Substance, purpose, message

So what's the 'dilly'?
Obviously, it's really nice when something functions well and has a great design in terms of it's look and feel, or aesthetic. I love the phrase, "we can deliver it with quality, on time, or on budget: but you can only pick two of the three." Like many people, I need to pay attention to the cost when buying things, but oftentimes I don't mind having to spend more for a better product. I like it when things last. I don't care for cheap products and many times I wait to buy an item when I can afford to pay for the superior product because it's more likely to do what it's designed to do and be dependable, and also stand the test of time with proper use.

Benefit of doubt
Folks are busy. It seems people are less willing to give others the "benefit of the doubt" these days. We live in a "heated" era where every word is often scrutinized and the point is frequently overlooked. This is an example of style over substance. The scrutiny is focused on the style rather than the substance – it's when you can't get past the delivery to see the underlying substance. Presentation and delivery (form) is important.

The concepts and ideas are what draw me to certain blogs, twitter tweets, and other web stuff on a regular basis. The writer's "voice" is much like adding some salt & pepper to a well made dish – it adds flavor. A writer's style helps distinguish the work from others. It can be playful and fun. It can draw the reader in to deeper aspects of the message. It makes things more memorable as well.

Mix it up
I like when a writer uses a colloquial or "tongue in cheek" style. It's even better when a command of language is demonstrated as well, and the two are mixed together, much like a good ballet. It's a sprinkling of style among the substance. I'm even willing to overlook a few typos and errors here and there... I try not to let the style get in the way of the purpose.

Maybe I'm getting older (or seasoned), but I prefer to take things in stride. I try to enjoy the ride, even when it's a bumpy one. I keep it "slow and steady" with the hope of going farther. I'd rather be a little forgiving than not. Go ahead, mix it in...

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