Illustranovellas

The Dopple Ganger Chronicles is a new book series that combines art and text to create illustranovellas - a new kind of book designed to enhance the reading experience for a visually oriented generation of kids, especially reluctant readers. I recently purchased The First Escape for my brother, and was enchanted when I began to flip through the pages. I have never seen anything like this type of book. It is utterly unique and brilliant in its conception.

The illustrations are an integral part of the story. Readers can now see the story unfold before their eyes. Each turn of the page brings surprises...

The author, G.P. Taylor, intends to write six books, all told, in the Dopple Ganger series. In order to promote the sequel, The Secret of the Indigo Moon, a book trailer [no, your eyes are not fooling you] was created.

The design of the book is brilliant. Taylor combines elements of text and art into an appealing story. His writing is excellent, and the story flows with the artwork to create a new sort of atmosphere. Picture book meets good story blended with a graphic novel. Genius. I wonder how many others will follow in his proverbial footsteps.

source

Mixing It Up

This type of mixing is referred to as Auto Tunes. And in order for the general public to better understand the story behind Auto Tunes, this wonderfully informative video clip was created and posted on Youtube:

So, as you can see, this technology is still in its infancy. In the meantime, it makes for some really amusing parodies.

Beam Me Up, Scotty

With the release of JJ Abrams' new Star Trek film, people are beginning to take a retrospective glance back to the technologies that were showcased in the original series. How much of the fictional technologies from the 1960s Star Trek have become actuality? I didn't grow up watching Star Trek, and so the novelty is somewhat lost on me. But having seen the film, my interest was piqued. I found an answer to my query on the guardian.co.uk, a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. This site has just about everything you want to know about anything.


Star Trek Communicator - precursor to the flip up mobile phones which are now widespread technology that young people like myself take for granted.


Captain Kirk's daily log, an electronic notepad...


...the PDA: a handheld computer notepad.


The bridge of the Starship Enterprise had no windows, so the crew could only see where they were going via a giant viewscreen.


Today's equivalent: flatscreen television, like this Panasonic 150in HD plasma screen.


Uhura's ultra fancy earpiece, as shown above...


...can be seen adorning thousands of ears as the Bluetooth earpiece.


The handheld phaser was the Star Trek weapon of choice, which could be set to kill or just to stun...


...and the Taser, which police officers use to stun rather than to kill.

While there were several other technologies that I didn't cover here [and you should check out guardian.com.uk's website to see the rest], one fictional technology remains a dream. Sadly, the Transporter is still beyond our grasp. We may, however, get a handle on this technology in the next 300 years or so - there is still hope.

My point in sharing these predictions is to emphasize (again) that technology is fueled by concepts. Science fiction - like the Star Trek series - drives the creative process. Digital media needs innovative thinkers who are not afraid to voice their ideas, no matter how ridiculous that concept may sound at the time. I am sure that Uhara's fancy earpiece was considered 'far out' in the 1960s, but Bluetooth earpieces have become commonplace today.

He Sure Gets Around

If you ever decide to play around with Google Earth, you may happen to run across Monster Milktruck. This game allows you to type in any conceivable geographical location, and then Monster Milktruck will teleport you there. Right before your very eyes, buildings will grow up out of the ground, and bustling metropolises will take shape. You control the milktruck, and you can travel all over the virtual reality terrain. You can explore the world without even stepping foot outside your door.

The game is amusing, but it was not exciting enough to hold my attention for long. However, Monster Milktruck is a creative, strange way to travel the world...

See How They Shine For You

I have always, or at least as long as I can remember, been fascinated by the stars in the sky. I love to gaze up at the heavens in wonder, and am fixated by the bright lights that glitter like diamonds in the huge expanse that stretches on for eternity. What must space look like, beyond our planet and solar system? Before Hubble, we could only speculate. But now, we can see actual images of deep space. The images captured by Hubble are truly astounding. Breath-taking.

What I found to be fascinating are the types of programs that are available to amateur stargazers. There are many great resources for those who desire to satisfy their curiosity. Imaginova, a leading digital media and commerce company, calls itself the premier destination for the intellectually curious. They are the creators of the world's leading family of astronomy software, Starry Night. This program allows users to transform their computers into digital observatories. Starry Night software enables users to discover the night sky in ways that Galileo could not have even fathomed. This amazing technology is based on precise, mathematical laws, for the universe runs like a giant clock. Using this program, a person can animate the sky at any given day in history from any vantage point. You could see the same stars that lit the skies in Biblical times. This is truly a data packed program, and one that has whet my desire to know more about the stars that captivate my imagination.

image

Wii Are Fit

I am no gamer. I have never been enamored by video games, MMOs, PlayStation, and the like. As far as immersive entertainment goes, I watch movies. I prefer to invest my time in relationships with people rather than in virtual reality living out my fantasies. I will confess that even I have broken down and bowled on the Wii. A few times. But even though the Wii is entertaining, it just isn't my thing.

Instead of playing a virtual game of soccer, I would rather interact with my friends in a real game out in my backyard or a local park. I am more interested in bowling in a dinky alley and wearing funky, smelly shoes [who really cares where they've been or thinks about who else has worn them?] along with a group of friends, because that is an experience. The physicality creates lasting memories. I love bonding with people by spending time with them, and it so happens that 'fun' and entertainment are a by-product of quality time spent in developing my relationships.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am somewhat of a cynical person. Or perhaps the sarcastic twist is flat out funny. Whatever the reason, when I watched this YouTube clip, I knew it would end up on my blog. It says a lot about today's culture. Enjoy it ... I certainly did.

How much of our lives do we spend 'stepping up on a little white thing?' We can laugh at the mash-up, but it is humorous because it is so true. I am cynical, and I love sarcastic humor, but the truth of the matter is that Wii is just the beginning. Virtual reality gaming has been steadily rising in popularity, and as new technologies are created, Wii will become a thing of the past. People will clamor for the latest and greatest, and digital media will continue to impress. The distinction between reality and virtuality is merging, for we are living in the age of convergence.

Are You Feeling It?

Microsoft Surface, also known as Microsoft Tabletop, is an interactive tabletop computer. There is no mouse and no keyboard. It is the surface that feels you.

The tabletop features four main interface components:

Direct interaction: Facility to manage digital information with hand gestures and touch instead on mouse and keyboard.

Multi-touch contact: User need not use only one finger to manage digital data. If user dips five fingers in five different colors in the on screen paint palette and draws five lines with five fingers, you get five lines with five colors.

Multi-user experience: Typical computers accept only one keyboard and a mouse. Microsoft Surface accepts multiple inputs from multiple users. More than one person sitting across the Surface, can do independent work on the same Surface.

Object recognition: The system can identify physical objects placed on the Surface. It can relate the appropriate software for the appropriate item placed on surface. Objects may be recognized based on their shape or on special codes (like barcodes) affixed to them.

While viewing the short promotional video, I kept asking myself, "Is this for real?" My second thought was, "Gosh, these must be a pain to keep clean. Imagine all of those fingerprints..." We have a touch screen computer at work, and it is impossible to keep the screen oil-free. There are always fingerprint smudges. But at the same time, I can't help but marvel at the digital advancements.

The following video clip parodies the Microsoft Surface.

I had to smile. I'm not sure that I am willing to blow $10,000 on a technological coffee table. I know for a fact that I don't have that kind of money laying around. But the breakthroughs that Microsoft is making are filled with possibilities, and I can see this kind of technology catching on in business corporations, as well as restaurants. So yeah, take that Apple.

Mirrors&Smoke

I am a huge Lifehouse fan, and I have been anticipating their new album release for some time. Today, I just discovered their premiere cover for their long-awaited album, Smoke & Mirrors. I have to say that I was impressed. The elements of design that were infused into the cover are appealing, and the layout makes the title pop. Against a dark backdrop, wisps of curving blue smoke dance across the edges of the square. The font is modern, and the design is such that the top half of the cover is bold, while the bottom half is a mirrored reflection and dimmer. It is mysterious and intriguing. Smoke & Mirrors. Honestly, I would buy it just for the cover art.

This image is an earlier rendition that didn't quite make the cut. While not a horrible design, it does not as effectively convey the message. It is lacking in certain aspects, and does not grab attention in the same way as the premiere cover. There is less drama and more empty space.

On a side note, I do tend to judge things by their covers. I think the cover is an important aspect of the product, and speaks volumes about the content within. My eyes are drawn to appealing designs, and I would be more inclined to purchase a book or CD if the cover art is attractive or interesting. I am now more eager than before to have Lifehouse's new album in my possession. I certainly hope it lives up to the cover.

image 1
image 2

Free Economy

The rise of "freeconomics" is being driven by the underlying technologies that power the Web. Just as Moore's law dictates that a unit of processing power halves in price every 18 months, the price of bandwidth and storage is dropping even faster. Which is to say, the trend lines that determine the cost of doing business online all point the same way: to zero.

As this video clip demonstrates, we are headed in the direction of a new type of economics. In this industry, it is a challenge for businesses to market themselves, and so they have begun to change their tactics in order to survive.

Times are changing. In order to be successful it is vital for businesses be flexible in their approach to marketing and advertisement.

...a generation raised on the free Web is coming of age, and they will find entirely new ways to embrace waste, transforming the world in the process. Because free is what you want — and free, increasingly, is what you're going to get.

source

Natural Beauty

Inspiration for design is all around us. Sometimes we just need to open up our eyes to take it in. Nature is filled with contrasting, complementary colors, differing textures, and balanced compositions. It is a beauty that most of us never even take the time to observe.

I find solace in quiet walks, and it was during a recent meandering stroll that I captured these images on camera. There is design to be found in even the smallest, seemingly insignificant things.

Do not become so lost in the technology that you forget to appreciate the simple things. Already, the colors of Autumn are fading, and the leaves are falling from the branches of the trees. Life is fleeting. We are only here for a short time. May these images remind us to slow down and enjoy the fleeting moments.