How My Unborn Son Stole a Batman Action Figure

May 27, 2011 - Permalink

When I was a young teenager, I had a dream about myself as a child. I had a family computer, and a dial up internet connection. I browsed the web, clicked a button, and a brand new Batman Action figure came out of the printer, weapons in tow.

I had no idea then that 3D printers were well on there way. Now, they’re actually affordable, and in time will only become more affordable to the average family household.

Before I go on, I have to ask you—You wouldn’t steal a car, would you? Surely you’ve seen that clip play before your new DVD plays… The commercial annoyingly compares the theft of tangible items to that of digital creations. It is annoying because of the condescending nature. Of course you aren’t going to steal a car, you don’t click a button to steal a car! 

Anyway, you can see where I’m going with this. It won’t be long before trips to the Toy Store are replaced with iToys, your one click stop for the latest action figures. Download a blueprint file (let’s call it…PostPostScript!) and bam, your 3D printer churns out your product.

Obviously, there’s a limit on what this thing can do. It isn’t going to print out glass, or complicated electronics, but overall it’s a pretty nifty idea that I can’t possibly see not happening. Think about all of the plastic and paper packaging waste we won’t have to deal with.

But where does it go from there? When I woke up from that dream at first, I couldn’t fathom how printing a toy would be possible. Sure, the creative aspects of music and digital media are just information—just bits. A toy is more than bits, right?

But as I got a little older, my eyes opened. I was thinking in the industrial era. This is the information age. I don’t think we’ve even really hit our stride in the information age though. We’ve been hearing that everything is information, but can we really understand that before seeing that even everything we hold consumer-ly tangible is simply information?

Next up in the technology pipeline are nanobots. They’re pretty far off, but the science behind it is basically extremely tiny robots creating things before your eyes. A digital purchase of anything.

For the first time in your life, you’ll really have to ask yourself…

You wouldn’t steal a car, would you?

One note, while the piracy aspect of all of this is interesting, I was simply referencing it to frame some of my thoughts. The main point of this writing is simply the idea that all tangible things are still information and data, and soon we’ll be able to see how cool that actually is.

Never Let Go

March 8, 2011 - Permalink

On Modern Social Networking and Facebook

I grew up moving around nearly once every two years. This led to meeting a lot of people, and then un-meeting them as a child. Now, it’s a little weird to not have as many close childhood friends as some of my other friends do

Design Process as Evolution

August 17, 2010 - Permalink

It starts with little single-celled ideas in a sketchbook. Hundreds of them. Some die, some go on to live, grow, and mutate a bit.

Next step: computer roughs. Here, the ideas become multi-celled. Layers of texture, scanned imagery, perfectly set type, and Illustrator files with endless ideas scattered about the artboard, everywhere but on the artboard itself. These files go through multiple iterations.

When the process is done, looking over those files seems like eons. It is an absolute case of survival of the fittest. A process book contains the history of a small world, but an important one in and of itself. Thoughts left behind on paper, ideas that grew and just nearly made it, all building up to the finished product.

Artificially finished, of course, due to deadlines.

Fascinating work by Maurizio Bongiovanni

August 13, 2010 - Permalink

Really interesting.

I’ve noticed I’ve been extremely attracted to and a bit obsessed with geometry lately. Seems like such an unusual way to convey geometry in natural things.

HOW INSPIRATION KILLED, THEN ATE, CREATIVITY

August 13, 2010 - Permalink

via viget

This is a terrifically true article, especially recently coming from design school.

I wanted to add something to it. Being inspired by other design work takes away those “what if” moments. Instead of being free and uninhibited towards new ideas, you see ideas that already exist completely in the real—complete, whole, finished.

It’s hard to think “what if” when we’re pre-occupied by thinking about what is.

Think about how many people had to make a mistake for something to become common knowledge

August 5, 2010 - Permalink

Just a thought

July 21, 2010 - Permalink

I love good beer, from good microbrews. I also love awesome beer packaging, like this, via TheDieline.

Never know what to try though.

Will the AppleTV get FaceTime?

July 3, 2010 - Permalink - #technology #apple

I bet, at the least, theres a chance the rumored new AppleTV gets a front facing camera and FaceTime.

Why? They have the field in the tablet and phone markets. Time to explore new territory and do something cool (for once) with the device. Hulu Plus, Google, everyone is trying to change the TV. The time is right.

Jobs also has said he believes FaceTime will be on a multitude of devices by the end of the year. Why not the main household family device? Isn’t this how we always say video calling tom the future when we were children? Sure, maybe a camera in an entertainment system may be awkward—but thunk about this—set top boxes, as confusing as they are—are much more well known to non-tech savvy people than cell phones or tablets. My grand parents can use a DVR but would never even try to send a text message. This is how you connect people.

Top that with the recent rumor that two devices will have cameras at Apple’s September media event—probably e iPod Touch and what? An iPod nano? Doubtful—and you end up with an okay theory. We’ll see though. It’s just a thought.

I wonder what John Gruber thinks?

Where’s the fold?

July 3, 2010 - Permalink - #technology

Why is this a somewhat common client question when it comes to web design? There is no such thing as a common fold! Even at 1440x900 I don’t keep my browser st a usual height, so no, there is no fold! Am I missing something?

Overheard Ad Student

July 1, 2010 - Permalink

My offices neighbor is a small ad firm. The other day. A student came in looking for an ad job. “When I was a freshman I wanted to do graphic design, but they’re too anal. It’s just decoration”

I think I get something completely different out of that message than some others. read: “my execution skills are weak.” I rather like being able to ideate, effectively communicate a message and idea, and execute it beautifully. Execution is nothing without an idea and thought—obviously, I’m a big believer in that—but what good is an idea that looks like shit?