Notes from the desk of... [2005 Jan 24]

• Near Near Future (We Make Money Not Art) - My newest blog bookmark-- looks interesting.
  
  
• Google Suggest gives you drop down suggestions (a la Internet Explorer) and also shows how many times each phrase has been searched. (Via Alex)
  
  
• Last.fm - social networking for music geeks? Looks like it-- you get to make a profile listing all your favorite bands and can even hook up an Audioscrobbler feed for real time play lists. But here's the interesting part-- labels and bands can sign up and post their music, and users can check it out and promote through 'word of mouth' by linking in their profile. Just like how P2P file trading networks have enabled small bands to spread their music through out the globe exponentially, maybe this could do the same? Plus it adds the almighty peer-recommendation which has been predicted to help propel the internet into it's next phase. Well-- I think this might be interesting, so I just might sign up. Until then-- I hooked up my own audioscrobbler feed.
  
  
• Album of (last) week: Viva Voce - Lovers, Lead the Way!
  
  
• The Thought Project - How often have you looked at someone in the street and wondered what they were thinking about? Well this guy stopped those people, asked them, recorded what they said, and took a great photo.
  
  
• Two quotes from two different co-workers from last week that for some reason stuck with me but will probably have little-to-no meaning out of context:
  
  
• "You dreamt a dream of reality."
  
  
• Whilst standing in a bar and drinking a beer my coworker turns to me and says, "You know what I really hate?"
  I look up and reply, "No, what?"
  He takes a stoic sip off his beer and replies, "When weak rappers try to flex."
  
  
• I give Spamalot two enthusiastic thumbs up.
  
  I give Monty Python fan-geeks who laugh a just little too hard at the jokes that you *know* they have recited with their friends for the past 15 years two other enthusiastic fingers.
  
  
• 'Transparent' Design -- a new macrotrend in design?
  

  Citing the success of the iPod, he said that he believed industries like personal electronics would "emerge past industrial design to design of a total activity," providing devices like cellphones or music players that sold not a style but a point of entry to a stylish experience.
  
  [As an aside-- I guess this trend answers my question of how American Apparel has become so big outside of their original 'indie rock' market.]
  

• Vessel Inc. Nothing new from these Bostonites, just linking to them because they're so damn inspiring to me. Why? Well the obvious is that they are industrial designers who left consulting jobs to start their own product-based company. But beyond that, Vessel creates beautiful and intelligent products that are successful without being exclusive art-pieces or pandering to mainstream retail demands. Oh, someday...
  

  1/24/2005