I like this approach to offering a design system. It seems less prescriptive than many:
Designed not as a rule set, but rather a toolbox, the Data Design Language includes a chart library, design guidelines, colour and typographic style specifications with usability guidance for internationalization (i18n) and accessibility (a11y), all reflecting our data design principles.
A forthcoming documentary about Stewart Brand (with music by Brian Eno).
A (webkit-only) CSS3/HTML5 take on the Doctor Who opening titles.
I’m such a blogwhore.
I was contacted a while back by the people who make Sumo chairs asking if I wanted an Omni. All I had to do in return was blog about it—just like Cameron did.
This is just the sort of slightly sleazy marketing ploy that gets Tom so upset. And I agree with him. But, the thing is, Jessica and I were talking about getting a beanbag anyway. With that in mind, this Faustian bargain was just too hard to resist.
So here goes…
It’s a nice chair; quite comfy. But the outside material, though easy to clean, is a bit synthetic for my taste. I prefer more organic, cosy materials in my home. Still, the Omni would be perfect for the office. If you’re planning to get one for your home, think about getting the Omni Plus which has a microsuede covering.
Okay, that’s that taken care of. If you don’t respect me in the morning, I’ll understand.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been sent goodies in the post. Nokia lent me a pre-sale trial version of their N78 phone but they didn’t demand a blog post in return. That’s just as well because the phone turned out to be a piece of unintuitive crap. It doesn’t matter how many features you pack into a device—WiFi, GPS, what have you—if the hardware and software interface requires a degree in puzzle-solving, it’s a useless lump of plastic. The iPhone has shown us that we don’t have to put up with crappy mobiles any more …and I don’t even have an iPhone.
I feel slightly guilty badmouthing a freebie. Not only did Nokia send me a shiny toy, they also offered to fly me over to Helsinki for last week’s workshops. I couldn’t afford to take the time off work and anyway, far more capable people than I were in attendance: Ms. Jen, Rebecca and Micki to name just three.
Judging from the evidence on Flickr, an enjoyable and productive time was had by all. And, if my eyes don’t deceive me, I do believe …yes, I think those are Sumo chairs that everyone was lounging around on.
Update: Nope, Rebecca says those beanbags are Fatboys.
Now you can perform data analysis on the subtitles of the most recent series of Doctor Who, courtesy of the brilliant Matthew Somerville.
It’s just gone 4am here at Alexandra Palace. There are still plenty of hackers gathered ‘round their laptops, scheming their hacky schemes.
The gaming hack continues apace. Super-smart people are working ‘round the clock to put this together. It’s been a real journey of discovery: a mixture of game theory, APIs and maths. Everyone’s pretty frazzled at this stage though. I think my brain has ceased to function. I blame Tantek.
It probably didn’t help that I stopped to play Werewolf. It wouldn’t be a proper geek gathering without a good round of organised paranoia and suspicion.
It hasn’t bee all keyboard-tapping and accusations of lycanthropy. There was a perfectly judged entertainment break earlier, courtesy of Doctor Who.
Of course it would be completely illegal for somebody to record Doctor Who and play it back to hundreds of people assembled together for Hackday. That would contravene BBC licensing agreements. I’m sure the BBC (and Yahoo) would never do such a thing… officially.
Unofficially, it was a good episode; cheers, Auntie Beeb and Uncle Yahoo.
Former Doctor Who actor Tom Baker is to be the voice of a talking text message service for three months.