Tangible Life
How to Make a Vesper: Design
Dave Wiskus writing on the Vesper blog1:
Vesper is opinionated software. Every interaction, pixel, and line of code was carefully considered, and no work was too precious to throw away.
No matter what your opinion of Vesper is, this account of the painstaking attention to detail shows that the Q Branch team didn’t ship a single pixel that was not mindful of the product they set out to make.
Thanks to the Internet Wayback Machine for keeping this link alive.↩︎
History of Typography
The amount of time it took to make this shows how passionate the creator is about typography.
The next generation of Instapaper
Marco Arment announcing the acquisition of his Instapaper on his blog:
I’m happy to announce that I’ve sold a majority stake in Instapaper to Betaworks. We’ve structured the deal with Instapaper’s health and longevity as the top priority, with incentives to keep it going well into the future. I will continue advising the project indefinitely, while Betaworks will take over its operations, expand its staff, and develop it further.
Being upset that Marco is selling Instapaper would be the same as being upset that he ended his Build & Analyze podcast. The biggest difference is that Instapaper isn’t ending, at least not anytime soon if the contract is written with as much focus on the future as Marco indicates in the post. I’ve been a happy Instapaper user/subscriber for a long time and I don’t plan on jumping ship now.
I have noticed a growing interest around the competitor Pocket, mostly since their last redesign and the launch of their Mac desktop application. My concern with Pocket has always been that I didn’t need to pay to use their service. Lately I’ve started to seek out services and applications where I have a clear picture of the relationship. I pay for your application, I get to use the application and you get to feed your family. With someone like Pocket, I have to question why they’re giving me such an awesome service for free. Are the articles and videos that I save to read/watch later with Pocket being sold to for market analysis? Is that data being provided in an anonymous format or does it tie directly back to me? These are all reasons that I’ve stuck by Instapaper, even when something pretty like Pocket strolls by.
Congratulations to Marco and I look forward to his future efforts.
Sushi Etiquette
I knew most of these, but I’m guilty of the following every time I eat sushi:
Never mix wasabi in with the soy sauce. Sushi should be prepared with the proper amount of wasabi directly on this fish. If, however, you would like more, simply apply it directly to the fish.
How To React When Your Boss IMs You
Hilarious post from Tanner Ringerud over at BuzzFeed.
Pfft. Wasn’t even worried.
Design Tips For Developers
Developers shouldn’t feel like they need to get an arts degree to have a working understanding that gives designers a leg up with their work. All it takes is a general understanding to be able to cooperate in creating great web design.
The three tips that Luke Clum highlights are some of the most basic. They also represent what is lacking in many applications on mobile platforms. I’m often frustrated by an app that does everything but the design correctly.
Matt Groening’s Artwork for Apple
Jeff Miller, an engineer at Apple during that time, recalls that Groening did the poster in exchange for a LaserWriter, which retailed for many thousands of dollars back in the 80s.
Fun to think how much different Apple ads could have been had The Simpsons not taken off.
7 Monumental Abandoned Wonders of Military Architecture
Awesome feature over on WebUrbanist. My favorite is the Balaklava submarine base.
It is said to be virtually indestructible, able to survive direct atomic impact.
Wonder what what cell coverage is like down there.
Platform Whore: Apps & Services
Platform Whore is a series on Tech & Coffee designed to identify areas of self-imposed complexity, and contemplate if the complexity brings any added value. This entry focuses on apps and web services. For the sake of simplicity, the remainder of the post will speak of the “app”, but the content refers to both.
The Attraction
It all begins innocently enough. You’re just wandering along online, minding your own business. Suddenly you see two sets of terms that are totally avoidable used singularly, but when used in conjunction are a trigger for your weakness.
Set 1:
- beta
- pre-beta
- alpha
- pre-alpha
- v0.X
- dev build
- pre-release demo
Set 2:
- invite code
- beta invite
- alpha invite
- early access
- seeking feedback
- early adopter
Combining words from these two sets is like combining the two agents that make up an epoxy-style adhesive. You know two things when you see them used together.
There’s something new and not quite yet ready for non-geeks AND
you can be one of the special geeks that has access to it.
Geek Seeking App
The seed has been planted and the hunt begins. Normally at this point, the invite code is elusive. You weren’t one of the first 100 callers when the text infomercial caught your eye, and so now you must resort to alternative methods. Not to worry though, you’re a geek dammit! This minor delay shall not detour you from your targeted treasure. The tweet/email/blog post/sky writing says something like this:
Anyone have any spare invites to X?!
Most of the time, this will do the trick. Crafty developers are smart. They let you into the crack house (give you access to the app) and then give you a small sample (usually 3 - 5 baggies) to get your friends hooked. This is in their best interest and is not to call their motives into question. They need users, but they aren’t quite ready for the masses…the unwashed, un-geeky masses. You get that reply and the endorphin button in your brain is pressed:
Here you go: DHSDFK495. ENJOY!
Honeymoon
You’re in, and you’re awesome for it. You use the app/service. You tell everyone how great it is. It’s your favorite. You can’t imagine how you got by all these years with anything else. It is just as awesome as you had imagined, and when it is released, you’ll know you had your turn before it turns to shit. Life is good.
Granted, this is not always the feeling because sometimes the app sucks. When that is the case, you do what any good geek would do. You tell the developer what is wrong with it, hopefully through whatever channel they’ve asked you to use for such a thing. If the app improves with revisions, you know it was your feedback that made the difference. When it is officially released, you’ll know you had a hand in its success. Affirmation achieved, you’re still awesome.
Occasionally, the app sucks and doesn’t get any better. You remind the developer several times of how bad the app is and how your recommended features and bugfixes will make it whole. If your feedback continues to be ignored, you do what any self-assured geek would do. You abandon it, and inform your fellow geeks through non-developer monitored channels that it is crap-ware and should be avoided for the good of all humankind. You’ve saved the world.
Sometimes, as in marriage, the honeymoon lasts forever. This is ideal, but seldom achieved. If you’re a good user, you understand when an update is pushed that causes a crash and you forgive the developer. You use the app through good times and bad. You don’t entertain the other apps that are shiny and new and do mostly the same thing, but the icon is sexier. You’re a faithful geek, and as long as your app doesn’t sell itself to the highest bidder, you’ll stick by its side.
The Divorce
You’ve used the app. The app is not what it used to be. The app has decided to move on to someone else (usually to someone rich and famous). Sometimes the app has decided it doesn’t want users like you anymore. It wants to be part of something bigger. It wants to join a cult and shave its head and let its data be for the good of the movement. You’ve been served with papers, but you had warning. The first warning was when the app told you that it was moving. Not to worry, the app said you’d still be supported; you still matter. Then you get the email informing you that they’ve decided to end development; strike two. You are told that you were loved and appreciated, but the app is no more. It wasn’t you, it was them. Strike three, app is out.
On the flip side, often times you are the driver of change. You find a better app with better functionality, and you don’t feel like there is anything wrong with deleting this app for the new and improved. After all, these are apps, not people. No harm done, no guilt generated. You keep this one around just in case, for a time, but you’ve basically started over at The Attraction and it is time to hunt. The thrill of the hunt is what you enjoy most, and therefore, you switch apps often.
Polygamy: The Divorce Alternative
Then there are the collectors, which is the group that I fall into, or fell into, most of the time. You find a reason to use more than one app for mostly the same purpose. You like having options and the more the merrier. You use several different apps and if questioned, you’ll be happy to explain in detail why each one is special and each one deserves your precious time and attention. After all, when you are in a crowded category like Twitter applications (well…once crowded), or more recently, App.net applications, someone has to have tried everything so that the true victor can be identified. That someone is you; sweet, sweet affirmation.
Afterlife
You have ascended and can now think more clearly without the woes of the world clouding your judgment. You realize that using everything had its advantages, but came at a cost. This phase can actually happen due to circumstance. I started thinking more critically about the cost of time and attention when two little people (my sons) came along and now remind me constantly how much they want my time and attention. In this ongoing process of self-analysis, I’ve discovered that all of the above has occurred with startling frequency. I’ve paired things down. I let mentions of beta invites and new services pass me by and while the itch remains, I’m happy to have saved the time. That’s not to say that I don’t still switch apps occasionally, but I no longer do so without a clear understanding of the time it is costing me. Let me share a recent example of how the above stages occurred, start to finish.
Simple, Kind Of
Many of you will already know what Simple is. For those that do not, click here. I applied for my invitation to the shiny new online bank (which now more accurately describes itself as a banking service). After over a year of waiting, I got in and switched over my personal checking account to it, leaving my savings account (which it does not support) and credit card with Bank of America (who I’ve banked with since it was Barnett Bank here in Florida). The card came, and it was just as minimal and beautiful as I had imagined.
A clean, white card with only the Simple logo (which is spectacular, by the way) and the small Visa logo clouding its face. The mobile apps are awesome. The website is awesome. I even helped beta test (yes, I know…really driving it home here) the Android app. The transactions finally started showing up in Mint, which was one of the only early frustrations I had. Then, inevitably, the honeymoon began to end and I realized that for as awesome as Simple is, it adds unnecessary complexity for me.
My wife and I keep separate checking accounts as it is what works for us. We manage finances as a team, and I track purchases and trending through Mint, which connects to all of our accounts. My wife takes a portion of her paycheck and gives it to me in cash so that I can deposit it into my checking account and use it towards bills, etc. Simple does not have the ability to accept cash deposits; strike one. So, while using Simple, my workflow has been to take the cash my wife hands me, and deposit it into my still open Bank of America checking account via the ATM. I then need to remember which bills I pay from that account, and which I have setup to auto-pay or pay online using my Simple account. This is not hard per se, but it is more complex than having everything in one place for bill payments. For those that are wondering why I bother putting the cash in a checking account at all, Mint is much more automated with where the money goes if it is a debit/credit card transaction. Otherwise, I’d need to manually add each cash transaction to track things accurately. Complexity where it isn’t needed once again; strike two. My mortgage financier changed, and I now no longer have the ability to make fee-free payments through their website. I can pay without sending a check, however, I have to sign up for auto-deductions from my bank account. I cannot sign up for this without a voided check. They will not accept the “sample” check that Simple provides on its site, and Simple does not offer paper checks (it is 2013, and this is actually a selling point of the service; not a knock on them at all). Not Simple’s fault, but strike three.
I’m going to be moving away from Simple and back to Bank of America for my checking account needs. I have enjoyed Simple’s service and the edge they have on website and app design will make them the better choice for many people. It is just one example of how my mentality to try something new caused a reduced level of simplicity in my life. I chose to use it as the example here because the irony of the service being called Simple was too good to pass up.
Afterlife entered, simplicity achieved.
Goats yelling like people
I’m fairly certain I’ve been on conference calls with some of these goats.
Barnes & Noble Weighs Its Nook Losses
Leslie Kaufmann writing for the New York Times:
Barnes & Noble, the nation’s largest book chain, warned that when it reports fiscal 2013 third-quarter results on Thursday, losses in its Nook Media division — which includes sales of e-books and devices — will be greater than the year before and that the unit’s revenue for all of fiscal 2013 would be far below projections it gave of $3 billion.
Initially, I thought that B&N would have a distinct advantage over the Amazon Kindle (and other e-book readers) in this space because of the physical store presence. You can’t walk into a B&N location without immediately running into a Nook kiosk/bar/counter. The devices are there to demo before purchase and there is almost always a knowledgeable employee there to help move the sale along.
Then I used a Nook… After that experience, there are no surprises with the results being discussed.
Amazon has not needed to have physical stores to demo the Kindle. Within the non-iPad e-reader market, the Kindle has been the dominant player for several years now. If someone is trying to make a purchase decision, chances are a family member or friend has a Kindle they can try out. Amazon has been pushing the Kindle on the front page of its website, which gets far more “eye traffic” than B&N’s foot traffic could ever hope to achieve.
Architectural Characters
Awesome typographical architecture feature from late 2011 on the Letterology blog. My favorite is the Lentos Art Museum.
The Lentos Art Museum in Linz, Austria designed by Weber & Hofer in Zurich. It has a transparent glass casing covered in a pattern of words (lentoskunstmuseum) which has the enormously scaled “Lentos” reversed out of the this text. At night it is brilliantly lit with colored lights which makes a beautiful setting on the Danube River.
Lentos Art Museum
Google Stole Apple’s Thunder
Where Google was once seen as a bumbling, but well-intentioned tech giant, it now looks like a lean, focused company ready to capture the future of technology.
Apple, which was once seen as an innovation machine that only cranked out hit products is now seen as stale, boring, and adrift by many people.
While Google has trimmed quite a bit from their product offerings, I wouldn’t go so far to describe them as lean. If Apple is so stale and boring, why does even the slightest hint of anything create an explosion of rumor and discussion galore?
If the author replaced Apple with RIM, or BlackBerry for that matter, this story would be much more believable.
Font Hinting and the Future of Responsive Typography
Type and web designers usually think of “hinting” as instructions built into digital fonts to improve their rendering on a grid of pixels. Hinting pushes the points of a font’s Bézier curves around according to contextual conditions, such as the font’s rendering size. Though it’s now associated with type on screens, hinting was first used in the 1980s to improve rendering on low-resolution printers.
Nick Sherman delivers a fascinating breakdown on font hunting and how responsive font design and rendering will continue to evolve.
America’s Coffee Cup is Half Full
But the truth is, our cup is half empty. We could be drinking a lot more coffee and, in fact, we used to. In 1946, when America’s thirst for coffee peaked, each of us swallowed about 48 gallons a year on average, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture — more than twice current consumption. “We’d drink coffee with breakfast, coffee with lunch, and coffee with dinner,” says John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest. “And mostly, we’d drink it at home.”
I love coffee. My love for coffee began at an early age, drinking it with my father. My father was born in 1946. The above factoid is no coincidence.
Yahoo Homepage Update
Taylor Hatmaker detailing the Yahoo homepage overhaul on readwrite:
Yahoo homepage cleans up its look with a flatter, more modern design while adding endless scrolling, stealing a page from the social media playbook of sites like Tumblr and Twitter. Yahoo also updated its core apps today to reflect the changes on Yahoo.com. There is nothing clean about this UI.
It reminds me a lot of the iGoogle personal homepage builder that lets you create panels that will pull in data from various Google properties as well as other sources on the web. Ironically, Google knows this model is dated, because iGoogle is shutting down on November 1, 2013.
Another flaw in the new design is the fact that Flickr is buried under the “More Y! Sites” expansion on the left-hand navigation panel. Flickr saw a resurgence in mindshare recently when Instagram made some questionable updates to their Terms of Service. This was timed perfectly for Flickr as they had just launched a much improved iPhone app that provided a viable alternative to the massively popular Instagram. Apparently, shopping for vehicles (Autos) and celebrity news (omg!) are more important to Yahoo than fully leveraging the Flickr brand to be a true competitor in the social photo sharing space.
The Apple Board After Steve Jobs
So how much input does Apple’s board have in the creation of its new products? Not a whole lot, according to Levinson, though new products are presented to the board between 6 to 18 months prior to launch. If presented early enough, some board insights are taken into account, and those on the board with expertise in certain product areas may have more influence, he added.
Jony Ive ensures that the board doesn’t need to provide this kind of input.
The Write Kind of Stress
Stress comes in many forms for just about everyone. There is the stress of being a good spouse. The stress of being a good parent. The stress to consistently perform at work. The list goes on. The words that you’re reading right now are a form of stress. The difference is that they represent the “write” kind of stress in my life.
Many days go by without a post appearing on this site. Very seldom is this due to a lack of ideas on things to write about. I have a growing directory of half-written posts. Some will never get finished because they were relevant at a point in time, but are irrelevant at the time I get back to them. One such example is my partially written post that highlighted my favorite “tech” items of 2012. Publishing a post like that at the end of February 2013 would make me look like a procrastinator (not a complete misrepresentation). Some of the posts are timeless in nature and could be completed and published at any point in the future. What troubles me most, which is just a way of saying what stresses me most, is that there are many more posts in the partial state than in the published state.
My hope is that by identifying the various forms of stress in one’s life, it provides the opportunity to turn negative stress into positive stress. Positive stress is often referenced by the much more positive term motivation or inspiration. I want to use my stress from how many hours I put in at work as a driver to write about things I discover that make me more efficient in the work that I do. I want to use my stress from striving to be a good father as the inspiration to share things my children have taught me. While it stresses me out to think that eighteen days have passed since my previous post, publishing this one will provide the needed motivation to continue transforming negative stress into the “write” kind of stress.
As Little Design As Possible
A post back in July 2012 detailed some design changes made to Tech & Coffee. They weren’t overwhelming, but they were all decisions made with the goal of removing unnecessary items that got in the way of the site content. When I migrated from Squarespace v5 to v6, the design was updated again. The template I was using on v5 was no longer available and I took it as an opportunity to further refine the visual experience.
Today, T&C received another minor UI refresh. I saw a post on the Squarespace blog announcing a partnership with TypeKit, a digital font foundry. I wanted a more readable body font than Open Sans. I found a lovely font called Ronnia. I liked it so much that I also updated the heading/title font to the related Ronnia Condensed. They have so much more personality than Open Sans, and I feel like the site is more pleasing to read now.
The other noticable visual change is posts no longer sit in a white “container” in the middle of the page. When I moved to v6, I decided to keep with the idea that the drop shadow border and white background of the post area made it feel like you were reading a sheet of paper that was laying on the screen. I thought it was clever and visually appealing. It guided the eye to where it was suppose to be focusing its attention. I came to the realization that I was wrong, and it was unnecessary.
Dieter Rams’s last principle of “good design” states that it “is as little design as possible.” While I feel that many of the ten principles are exhibited in the new T&C design, the last was in the forefront of my mind as I striped away the unneeded UI elements.
Welcome to the honest, unobtrusive, innovative, useful, aesthetic, understandable, long-lasting, environmentally-friendly, thorough down to the last detail… Tech & Coffee.
Beardberry 10
This should sum it up.
Jim Dalrymple proves in-depth analysis is the best kind. Cheers RIM.
Tim Cook’s Freshman Year: The Apple CEO Speaks
As I look around the table at the executive team, arguably, at least in my opinion, we have the best designer in the world, the top silicon expert in the world, the best operational executive in the world, and the best leaders in marketing, software, hardware, and services.
This really speaks to what makes Apple’s team special.
Tim goes into a bit more detail on Jony Ive later in the piece:
I don’t think there’s anybody in the world that has a better taste than he does. So I think he’s very special. He’s an original.
When I try to explain to non-Apple customers why I’m willing to pay a premium for their products, I struggle sometimes. I think going forward, the best response is simply, “It is a matter of taste, and Apple’s is the best in the world.”
The Handmade Process Behind Your Eames Chair
Great detailing of the process of making an Eames chair via fastcodesign.
But all of the efficiency is still guided by humans simply because the materials are natural and don’t lend themselves to automation. Any given cowhide might stretch twice as much as the next one, simply due to natural variations. A seamstress has to adjust accordingly. The wood grains for an Eames lounge don’t automatically match up–a human has to be there to eye the various pieces and make sure they make sense when paired together.
This is the same reason that some high-end vehicles will never be matched in “fit and finish” by machine-built competition.