http://aegiszx.tumblr.com/
Monday, April 5, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
3D Ebooks Could Be Reality In Several Years' Time
Like pop-up books from our childhood, South Korean scientists are working on 3D ebooks that animate the stories when tilted— though 3D glasses are a must, so far. It won't be incorporated into the next Kindle though.
Kim Sang-cheol from South Korea's Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology claims "it will take a while to market this technology to the general public," but in the meantime they're also looking at ways to use their research on smartphones or in the hospitality industry.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
What Would Best Buy Do With Radio Shack?
The reports are swirling today that Radio Shack is "exploring strategic alternatives" for the company, the most intriguing of which is a possible merger with Best Buy. But what would that mean, exactly?
Beyond all of the financial implications for both companies—it seems to make sense on paper—there's the question of how Best Buy would use The Shack, and what impact that'll have on customers. Any merger of this sort, if it happens at all, wouldn't come for months at the earliest, so this is all highly hypothetical. But if itwere to happen, here's a few changes you might expect:
The Money's In Mobile
Best Buy started rolling out Best Buy Mobile back in 2007, and the sub-brand has already been incorporated into every store. But smartphones and tablets and smartbooks are going to be huge business this year and beyond, and the 70-plus standalone Best Buy Mobile storefronts, mostly in malls, aren't going to cut it. The broad reach and typically smaller size of Radio Shack stores make them ideal candidates for Best Buy Mobile rebranding.
Component Constraints
Radio Shack's always been a the place to go for that specific battery or cord that you need. It's a haven for the granular component, the maker gear for home hacks, in a way that Best Buy just isn't—Best Buy Mobile even more so. This breadth of product may be something that's lost in the transition. Then again, what if Best Buy was instead influenced by RadioShack? You could get a hybrid store to appeal to consumer geeks and modder geeks in one. What would it look like? A mini Fry's.
Cutting the Cables
Along those worst-case-scenario lines: this could be the end of cheap Radio Shack cables.
Geek Squad, Ho!
We don't like the Geek Squad. There, I said it. But it's still a big-time profit driver for Best Buy, and you'd better believe every former Radio Shack will be plastered with Geek Squad signage. And since the smaller store fronts won't have room for a special Geek Squad section, there's a good chance each purchase would be met with an annoying referral from a bored sales clerk. Fun times!
Pricing Power
Radio Shack's profits have taken a beating from wireless carriers. But Best Buy and Radio Shack combined would have significantly more pull, and would be able to dictate better terms—for themselves. Whether you'd see any of those savings is up in the air, but since (now that Circuit City's dead and buried) Best Buy's biggest competition is cut-rate operations like Walmart and Amazon, chances are you would.
Again, if anything does happen it'd be a ways off. But if Best Buy gobbles up Radio Shack—which could very well happen—it looks like we may lose more than we'd gain.
Paul Rand: A Designer's Words
A good book of inspiring thoughts.
Take a look!
Excellent Game Trailers
Over the past decade, gaming companies have invested heavily in new forms of technology and multimedia platforms. The idea of game trailers as beautiful pieces of art, design, and advertisement can be seen in the following works.
DSi XL Now Available
The third redesign of Nintendo's newest handheld system launches across stores throughout the country today, though its entry is notably one of the least-heralded in Nintendo history.
The DSi XL is a little over 50% bigger than the existing DSi models. In Japan, it was marketed as a gaming system that could be more easily used by older gamers. In the US, there's a different angle, literally.
During the US launch announcement, Nintendo's executive VP of marketing said that having bigger screens will allow people to let their friends watch as they're playing a game on their XL.
Additionally, Nintendo will soon launch digital books for purchase over the "DSi Ware" store, and the XL model will offer the most amenable viewing experience for reading these books.
However, unlike the DS Lite and DSi, the launch of the XL is muted. Sales are not expected to spike as much as a typical new hardware release. Even in Japan, the prime market for the XL, initial sales were about half that of the DSi.
Additionally, while Nintendo usually counts on existing customers to provide a lot of sales for redesigned models, the XL may be a different story. People who already own a DSi and have purchased downloadable games will not be able to transfer them over or redownload them on a DSi XL.
In a Kotaku story, Nintendo said it is working on a potential fix to this problem but is not making any guarantees.
The DSi XL is available for $190 ATM.
US Politician: "Anime is why two nukes wasn't enough"
An American politician is in exceedingly hot water after remarking that “Anime is a prime example of why two nukes wasn’t enough.”
New Hampshire State Representative Nick Levasseur, a Democrat, posted a tasteless statement on his Facebook profile decrying the survival of Japanese race.
Naturally, his comments will not endear him to anime fans, but more pressingly for him he was immediately savaged by Republicans for making “hateful” remarks, and Japanese and Japanese Americans will also doubtless be joining the queue to lambaste him for insensitive if not racist remarks.
He has since apologised for the remarks.
RIM acquires Viigo
Best. News. This. Week.
Although the timing of the announcement is a bit of a surprise given that RIM’s Wireless Enterprise Symposium kicks off in one month’s time, Mark Ruddock, CEO of popular BlackBerry development firm Viigo, announced Friday afternoon that his firm has been acquired by BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. Viigo, whose self-titled application is easily one of the most popular applications for BlackBerry, started out life as an RSS reader but made big waves in 2008 when it began introducing new features to the application such as the ability to track sports scores, weather, movie times, stock performance, flight information and notifications, podcasts and more. Viigo has historically developed for Windows Mobile, although it is unclear whether or not this will continue in the wake of the acquisition. But if Ruddock’s failure in his note to mention any future plans for Windows Mobile is any sign of things to come, then things aren’t looking so rosy for any platform that isn’t in the best interest of BlackBerry.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Woman eats 12,000 calories a day to become world's fattest
NJ woman attempting to become world's fattest lady
Supersize me, please.
A New Jersey woman who already weighs a whopping 600 pounds is on a mission to double her girth in a bid to become the world's fattest woman.
Donna Simpson, 42, who lives in Old Bridge, said she has her sights on reaching the 1,000-pound mark over the next two years.
"My favorite food is sushi, but unlike others I can sit and eat 70 big pieces of sushi in one go," she told London's Daily Mail in an interview published today. "I do love cakes and sweet things, doughnuts are my favorite."
Simpson insists she is healthy, even though she can't walk and has to move around with the help of a motorized scooter.
Simpson, who wears XXXXXXXL dresses, said she gobbles up lots of fast food like hamburgers and french fries. She also said she moves as little as possible each day in order to keep on the pounds.
To reach her goal, Simpson said she's been eating up to 12,000 calories a day -- although the average woman should only consume 2,000.
To pay for her gigantic $750-a-week food bill, Simpson runs a Web site where men pay her to watch her eat.
"I love eating and people love watching me eat,' she told the British newspaper. "It makes people happy, and I'm not harming anyone."
Simpson already holds the Guinness World Record as the fattest mother, when she gave birth in 2007 to her daughter Jacqueline when she weighed 532 pounds.
"I'd love to be 1,000 pounds," said Simpson. "It might be hard though. Running after my daughter keeps my weight down."
Simpson said her boyfriend Philippe, 49, has encouraged her to eat more -- even though he only weighs 150 pounds.
"I think he'd like it if I was bigger," she added. "He's a real belly man, and completely supports me."
Supersize me, please.
A New Jersey woman who already weighs a whopping 600 pounds is on a mission to double her girth in a bid to become the world's fattest woman.
Donna Simpson, 42, who lives in Old Bridge, said she has her sights on reaching the 1,000-pound mark over the next two years.
"My favorite food is sushi, but unlike others I can sit and eat 70 big pieces of sushi in one go," she told London's Daily Mail in an interview published today. "I do love cakes and sweet things, doughnuts are my favorite."
Simpson insists she is healthy, even though she can't walk and has to move around with the help of a motorized scooter.
Simpson, who wears XXXXXXXL dresses, said she gobbles up lots of fast food like hamburgers and french fries. She also said she moves as little as possible each day in order to keep on the pounds.
To reach her goal, Simpson said she's been eating up to 12,000 calories a day -- although the average woman should only consume 2,000.
To pay for her gigantic $750-a-week food bill, Simpson runs a Web site where men pay her to watch her eat.
"I love eating and people love watching me eat,' she told the British newspaper. "It makes people happy, and I'm not harming anyone."
Simpson already holds the Guinness World Record as the fattest mother, when she gave birth in 2007 to her daughter Jacqueline when she weighed 532 pounds.
"I'd love to be 1,000 pounds," said Simpson. "It might be hard though. Running after my daughter keeps my weight down."
Simpson said her boyfriend Philippe, 49, has encouraged her to eat more -- even though he only weighs 150 pounds.
"I think he'd like it if I was bigger," she added. "He's a real belly man, and completely supports me."
Monday, March 15, 2010
10% of Microsoft Employees Using iPhones
The Wall Street Journal over the weekend profiled iPhone usage among employees of Apple's longtime rival Microsoft, noting that approximately 10,000 Microsoft employees, representing about 10% of the company's global headcount, were accessing their work e-mail accounts via iPhone last year.
Some Microsoft workers take pains to hide their iPhones. While rank-and-file workers tend to use the iPhone openly around peers, some conceal them within sight of more senior executives. One Microsoft worker said he knows several colleagues who try to disguise their iPhones with cases that make them look more like generic handsets.
"Maybe once a year I'm in a meeting with Steve Ballmer," said this employee. "It doesn't matter who's calling, I'm not answering my phone."
London 2012 Logo Design
For awhile now, I've had this thought of the logo designed for London 2012.
On the contrary.. I find this logo actually an interesting topic. I feel that it does represent London (GASP!)
I mean the whole design, this is oh so London. I wouldn't have expected anything else to be completely honest. The logo is rather.. bold and ambiguous at the same time. It's really no surprise that most of the backlash comes from the western world (north america). To the people here, it is not their liking. Too many people, it is too "flashy", "confusing", and "mysterious".
BNP Paribas Open 2010
The 2010 BNP Open started earlier in the week and things have been looking great. Roger, and Andy (Roddick) both are advancing smoothly. There seems to be no surprises or drama from the mens side. However, the women's side has proven to be quite an interesting story. Many of the top seeds have already been eliminated! I was hoping Maria would make it past the QF round but.. there is always the next tournament.
Go Roger Go!
The Next Wii Will Innovate, Nintendo Would Be "Embarrassed" If It Was Sony, Microsoft
Quite a bold statement from Nintendo.
Final Fantasy XIII Review: A New Paradigm For An Old Franchise
And.. it's here. The long awaited release of FFXIII. Kotaku put up a great review of the game.
http://kotaku.com/5490042/final-fantasy-xiii-review--a-new-paradigm-for-an-old-franchise?skyline=true&s=i
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Book Design
At the moment I have hit a creative block in one of my core studios: Graphic Design 4, with Lewis Nicholson. This second project to design a "noisy book" really has me hit. For the first time in my three years at OCAD, all my proposals and concepts have been rejected. It's due in a few days, and I still have nothing. For the first time, I may hand in late work... and we all know how much I hate handing in late work. Going to be a long week, and it's only Tuesday!
Here's are my latest discoveries by the way..
Happy Jelly Family Font, Designed by Tim York
I recently stumbled upon this blog:
Please check it out! Lots of various book covers and designs.
Also, for those of you who have been as addicted to Twitter as I am, visit TWEEEEET. It's a RSS feed site that is full of designer's twitter profiles.
And one more link you should check it for all you Tumblr users, visit Matt who is a creative like you and I, he blogs about anything fun, funky, and design related:
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Honda's Take of the Eco Future
http://gizmodo.com/5478974/hondas-eco+friendly-trike-of-the-future
The annual Geneva Motor Show has had an early entry ahead of next week, with Honda's battery-powered 3R-C concept trike looking very fast and ever so protective of the dry head inside.
The minimal, space-age three-wheeler has a low electric drivetrain to improve stability, and high sides for greater safety. Added to that, the lockable boot at the front will protect the millions of dollars worth of jewels you've just stolen in the high-speed jewelery heist (I'm just elaborating on the fantasy of owning one).
It'll probably never come to fruition, like a lot of Honda's great concepts, but thisDIY Honda Innova motorcycle is scarily close. Well, if you squint your eyes and look at it upside down, anyway.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
2010 Winter Games
After all the anticipation, it is here. As all eyes lay upon Team Canada for Gold after a disappointing run in Turin, the pressure is on. However, the mistake many people are making is belittling the competition.
As a hockey and sports fan, and former athlete, I know the worst thing one can do is underestimate the competition. While I will be rooting on the home team, I'm looking forward to the likes of the defending champions, Sweden, and the offensive juggernaut that is Russia.
Go Canada Go! BRING HOME THE GOLD MEDAL IN BOTH MENS AND WOMENS HOCKEY!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Lawyers Will “Burn Alive” Murdered 12-Year-Old’s Defenders
Pakistani lawyers have banded together to prevent the prosecution of one of their number accused of raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl, a Christian, going so far as to issue death threats to anyone participating in the case, and physically preventing access to the court.
The case in question concerns the murder of a 12-year-old girl who worked as a maid at the Lahore household of a family of a prominent lawyer. The girl was a member of Pakistan’s frequently persecuted Christian minority.
Police judged the girl to have been beaten to death, and a local hospital reported she had received a broken arm and jaw, and that she had suffered fatal wounds to her genitals.
The family claimed she died falling down the stairs, although doctors found her corpse was already days old when first reported.
After police took members of the alleged murderer’s family into custody, the city’s lawyers banded together under the auspices of the Lahore Bar Association in order to oppose the prosecution, which they claim is a media witchhunt. The head of the accused family is a former president of this body.
The city’s lawyers attempted to stop court proceedings by forming a mob outside the court and physically restraining anyone from entering, including the girl’s family and journalists.
So intimidating were their actions that no legal counsel has dared come forth to prosecute. One Christian group reports that the lawyers even threatened to “burn alive” anyone involved in the prosecution.
Police were said to be supportive of the lawyers, even as they abused journalists, human rights organisations, minority parties and bishops.
National politicians have condemned the murder and called for justice, though apparently stopping short of intervening.
