Alles over The Apple Paradox, Closed Culture & Free-Thinking Fans | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Slashdot | 2010-01-25 15:19:26
waderoush writes "The secrecy surrounding the expected Apple tablet computer is only the latest example of the company's famously closed and controlling culture. Yet millions of designers, musicians, and other creative professionals love their Apple products, and the Apple brand is almost synonymous with free-thinking creativity. How can a company whose philosophy of information sharing is so at odds with that of most of its customers be so successful? This Xconomy essay explores three possible explanations. 1) Closed innovation, overseen by a guiding genius like Steve Jobs, may be the only way to build such coherent, compelling products. 2) Apple's hardware turns out to be more 'open' than the company intended — Job originally wanted to keep third-party apps off the iPhone, for example. 3) Related to #1: customers are pragmatic about quality, and the open source and free software movements haven't produced anything remotely as useful as Mac OS X and the iPhone."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/OusYl5VFB40/The-Apple-Paradox-Closed-Culture-amp-Free-Thinking-Fans
Alles over Design Under Constraint: How Limits Boost Creativity | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Wired News: Top Stories | 2009-03-10 21:17:18
...A 16-by 10.875-inch rectangle containing precisely 174 square inches of possibility, made from two sheets of paper glued and bound together. Legendary magazine art director and Pentagram partner D. J. Stout calls the science of filling this box with artful compositions of type and images "variations on a rectangle." That is, in any given issue of a magazine—this one, for example—subjects and stories will change, but as a designer, you're still dealing with the same ol' blank white box.
At Wired, our design team sees this constraint as our daily bread. On every editorial page, we use words and pictures to overcome the particular restrictions of paper and ink: We can't animate the infographics (yet). We can't embed video or voice-over (yet). We can't add sound effects or music (yet). But for all that we can't do in this static medium, we find enlightenment and wonder in its possibilities. This is a belief most designers share. In fact, the worst thing a designer can hear is an offhand "Just do whatever you want." That's because designers understand the power of limits. Constraint offers an unparalleled opportunity for growth and innovation.
Think of a young tree, a sapling. With water and sunshine, it can grow tall and strong. But include some careful pruning early in its development—removing low-hanging branches—and the tree will grow taller, stronger, faster. It won't waste precious resources on growth that doesn't serve its ultimate purpose. The same principle applies to design. Given fewer resources, you have to make better decisions.
For proof, just consider these cultural and technological high points of the last century: Piet Mondrian helped usher in modernism by limiting himself to 90-degree angles and primary colors. Miles Davis conceived Kind of Blue without the use of a single chord. More recently, the very iPhone on which you listen to Davis' landmark album is a one-buttoned example of restraint in pursuit of an ideal, while the sublimely simple Google homepage is forever limited to 28 words.
The idea of operating within constraints—of making more with less—is especially relevant these days. From Wall Street to Detroit to Washington, the lack of limits has proven to be a false freedom. With all the economic gloom, you might not be blamed for feeling that the boundless American frontier seems a little less expansive. But design teaches us that this is our hour of opportunity. In the following pages, we explore a few of our favorite constraints. In each case, the imposition of limits doesn't stifle creativity—it enables it.
—Scott Dadich, Creative Director, Wired
http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/ZfsppiyW7Ic/dp_intro
Alles over Doctorow On Copyright Reform & Culture | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Slashdot | 2008-11-08 04:00:23
super-papa sends us to Locus Magazine for an article by Cory Doctorow discussing the conflicts between copyright law and modern culture, and arguing against the perception that copying media is still unusual. Quoting: "Copyright law valorizes copying as a rare and noteworthy event. On the Internet, copying is automatic, massive, instantaneous, free, and constant. Clip a Dilbert cartoon and stick it on your office door and you're not violating copyright. Take a picture of your office door and put it on your homepage so that the same co-workers can see it, and you've violated copyright law, and since copyright law treats copying as such a rarified activity, it assesses penalties that run to the hundreds of thousands of dollars for each act of infringement. There's a word for all the stuff we do with creative works — all the conversing, retelling, singing, acting out, drawing, and thinking: we call it culture."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/8AE0zA9qKbo/article.pl
Alles over Aging creatives: Adapt or die | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Software Headlines :: Index | 2006-12-06 13:26:25
Filed under: Culture, BusinessNot all game designers are like the youthful Cliffy B. or David Jaffe, some are quite chronologically enhanced. One such aging creative, J.D. Alley, has written a piece about facing his own extinction. The 62 year-old discusses how he's survived in the gaming industry. Although there is a lot of explanation, bending and weaving throughout the piece, it's actually an interesting story of how to survive in the long term, like this gem quote, "We operate in a tough, demanding and competitive business that rewards success modestly and almost inevitably punishes failure with extinction. There are not many second chances in our business and those studios that have survived a gross miscalculation more than once can be counted on one hand."J.D. Alley lays it all out there and in the end makes it sounds like the older you get, the more cutting edge you've got to be. Those young whippersnappers are always ready to take over, but having the wisdom and influence that comes with age, coupled with the recognition that one must always be riding the wave of innovation is how to make it in the long term.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/57729380/ Alexander Sliwinski http://www.softwareheadlines.com/modules/planet/view.article.php/71490
Alles over Sony unveils VAIO N notebook for the home | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Neowin.net | 2006-09-15 02:24:05
Sony has unveiled the VAIO N series notebook computer line, saying its design can complement any home's motif, and its features will appeal to users who want to balance form with function. The series is available in three colors: Wenge brown - a creamy, coffee color made to resemble wood furniture; black for an elegant contemporary look; and white for a light, airy feeling.According to Mike Abary, vice president of VAIO product marketing for Sony Electronics, the N series was designed for the "culturally creative" individual who is focused on an "organic lifestyle". "From the furniture you sit on to the artwork you hang on your walls, you coordinate every aspect of your home's style, so why hide your PC?" Mike Abary said. "These new notebooks are designed to accent your interior design, as well as your life." View: The full story News source: DigiTimes Read full story...
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/neowin-main/~3/22288648/index.php
Alles over links for 2006-08-18 | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | R-win.com [weblog] drwxr--r-- | 2006-08-21 04:28:54
Skype Gateways - voip-info.org A list of products that can be used to connect non-PC devices to the Skype network. (tags: skype voip gateway sip telephony pbx) Skype to SIP Adapter This is meant to connect your Skype client to a SIP server. (tags: skype voip telephony sip adapter download software) Building a Shelf in WordPress - Asymptomatic (tags: wordpress javascript webdesign ajax howto design blog dhtml CSS tutorial plugin hidden) Comprehensive Listing of Del.icio.us Tools, Plugins and Add-ons for Social Bookmarking » ‘Change, Culture, Creativity, Communication’ Do you use Del.icio.us? the great new social bookmarking tool that is... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/R-wincomweblogDrwxr--r--/~3/14918955/links_for_20060_3.html
Alles over links for 2006-08-18 | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | R-win.com [weblog] drwxr--r-- | 2006-08-19 10:18:17
Skype Gateways - voip-info.org A list of products that can be used to connect non-PC devices to the Skype network. (tags: skype voip gateway sip telephony pbx) Skype to SIP Adapter This is meant to connect your Skype client to a SIP server. (tags: skype voip telephony sip adapter download software) Building a Shelf in WordPress - Asymptomatic (tags: wordpress javascript webdesign ajax howto design blog dhtml CSS tutorial plugin hidden) Comprehensive Listing of Del.icio.us Tools, Plugins and Add-ons for Social Bookmarking » ‘Change, Culture, Creativity, Communication’ Do you use Del.icio.us? the great new social bookmarking tool that is... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/R-wincomweblogDrwxr--r--/~3/14305219/links_for_20060_3.html
Alles over Lessig Defends Free Culture in Keynote | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Slashdot | 2006-08-17 10:18:56
lisah writes "Professor Larry Lessig, a keynote speaker at this week's Linux World Expo, took issue with current copyright laws and their effect on a free read-write culture. Lessig says that, by today's standards, the simple act of creating a video mashup renders its creator a 'pirate' and argued for sweeping changes that would embrace a fair use culture. Lessig asked the audience to consider sharing works under a Creative Commons license and redirect money they would spend on restricted content to organizations that support a fair use and free culture. He says that opponents of a free read-write culture have strong financial and political backing so unified community support is crucial. 'If the debate is controlled by lawyers and lobbyists...," says Lessig, 'this debate will be lost.'"
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/13577707/article.pl
Alles over Kandidaatlijsttrekker Simone Kuiter van D66 citeerde me. Ik voel me gevleid...... | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Hans on Experience | 2006-06-29 13:44:07
Ik lees netde laatste posting van Simone Kuiter op haar blog. Simone was kandidaatlijsttrekker voor D66. En ze heeft prachtige idealen waar ik me helemaal in kan vinden. Ze schrijft o.a.: Wat ik heb in te brengen is een ander bewustzijn, dat gevoeld en gedragen wordt door een groeiende groep mensen die wil breken met oude systemen en met wie ik mij verbind. Die mensen zijn onze doelgroep, er zijn vele benamingen voor, zoals bijvoorbeeld de cultural creatives, jou wellicht bekend. Tijdens het D66 congres op 24 juni jongstleden hield ze (uiteraard) ook een toespraak(Word file). En wat schetst mijn verbazing……ze citeertde inleiding van mijn artikel in Great Place to live: Er zijn veranderingen op til Voel je ze ook? Voel je de turbulentie? Zie je de voorbeelden van mensen die uit het systeem willen breken? Die vanuit liefde en wijsheid zaken tot stand proberen te brengen die duurzaam zijn? Als je goed kijkt vind je ze. Mijn dag kan niet meer stuk! Relevante links: De nieuwe A Great Place to Live krant is er! Great Place to Live krant(pdf) Blog Simone Kuiter For Love and Grow (website/project Simone Kuiter) Technorati tags: great place to live, d66, simone... http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogs/DJOT?m=1858
