Just as our eyes need light in order to see, our minds need ideas in order to conceive.
Napoleon Hill
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Sorry about the slow update. I will make posts of the future gadget concepts soon.
It’s nice of Apple to always include a pair of those patented white earbuds with every iPhone and iPod. In a way, having a those two little small white protrusions hanging in your outer ear became a status symbol of The Cool in the aughts. However, for me and several other Apple customers I’ve known, there has always been one persistent problem: the damn things never want to stay in your ears.
AppleInsider discovered today a couple of new patent applications that Apple has filed, but don’t hold your breath because unless there’s some super secret, blindly sophisticated detail in the designs, they don’t appear to be an improvement in keeping the earbuds in your ears. Instead, the patents describe a design innovation Apple’s calling a “unibody” appearance wherein the seams created by all of the connecting parts – wires, jack, different pieces of the earbud itself – will be polished and welded down so as to create a seamless appearance. In other words, the earbuds will just look like one flexible, solid piece.
The second patent that Apple’s filed may have a better utility to its millions of consumers. Simply put, it’s a new design of the part of the earbud where the music comes out of that will hopefully prevent your grody earwax from clogging up the earbud’s holes, thus dampening the sound and clarity of the music.
At least now when the earbuds fall out of your ears while you’re on the treadmill or simply sitting still, nobody will know if you don’t know how to properly clean your ears out.
I love life because what more is there.
Anthony Hopkins
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Compath.me logo
As I mentioned on the previous post and Twitter, I became lead designer for Compath.me (I’m still freelancing on the side). Joining only in last month, I worked on almost all the designs Compath.me used to have. The best part about becoming a member of a team of Compath.me is the depth of my involvement in their projects is completely different from when I do freelancing jobs for clients. Also the CEO– Mr.Ando fully trusts on my designer’s instinct, which is also not the case for client cases.
Facebook Fanpage Design
Website Design– For desktop&smartphone
Concept Video
& Everything Else… (cards, fliers, flag, T-shirt, sticker, another video, etc.)
Compath.me was the first and only startup showcased in TechCocktail in SXSW. I’ve been at SXSW in Austin now, meeting lots of lots of people, having fun introducing the app. There will be press coverage after the even is over, so I’ll post updates.
Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.
Albert Einstein
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This guest post is by Jo Gifford of Cherry Sorbet Creative.
Blogs that look great attract the attention of the reader, it’s as easy as that. Your content might be amazing but if your blog has a terrible aesthetic you are missing out on a slice of magic to make people enjoy their stay.
In 2011 visual social media platforms like Pinterest and insta.gram exploded in use, signalling a trend towards lifecasting in a more visual way, which applies to the blogosphere too; readers want your pages to look interesting. The more they stay on your site and engage, the prettier those stats look too.
This post gives some simple and easy ways to create and generate original and eyecatching imagery for blogs, without needing to be a designer. So, let’s get looking good:
Love it or hate it, instagr.am is a fantastic way to create eyecatching imagery for use on a blog, all from your mobile. I use inkstagram, which uses my instagram sign in to produce an easily scrollable stream (instagram itself is a little limited in image access). From there, I click on an image and copy the URL to add into the blog post. At this stage, the SEO savvy among you will want to make sure your image title and alternative text is changed to something relevant.
Screen grabs of images or text can make an easy collage tool. If your screen is full of images, text, maybe a mindmap of work in progress, consider capturing the screen and taking it into an image editor for a vibrant and personal illustration for your blog.
I love to use Picnik, an online image editor which is currently free in premium form until April when it is fully taken over by Google Creative kit. Both Picnik and the new Creative Kit in Google + allow images to be re-sized, effects added (including saturated and lomo effects), the inclusion of frames such as polaroids, and the addition of text too. This makes them great alternatives to Photoshop and are free resources online, so are easily accessible.
By editing and creating your own images you can have a fabulous looking blog post without worrying about Creative Commons licences or the dreaded copyright, and you needn’t be a designer!
Polyvore is a website used mainly by the fashion blogging world, but has useful features for all bloggers. Simply create an account, and go to “create a set”. You can then literally drag and drop a multitude of images including useful things like notebooks, post it notes, coffee stain and paint splash effects, alongside all sorts of images. Add text in some great fonts too by dragging and dropping text.
Once the set is finished you can click the “publish to WordPress” section; before you go ahead with it, simply copy and paste the code and add to your html section in your post. Polyvore automatically includes links to the products in the set, but you can deselect the check boxes to have code without the links. Voilà, original, fabulous imagery with a footprint on another site to boot!
There are some great apps available to help you make collages for post inclusion. I currently use Picframe for iPhone and iPad which allows photos from your library to be added into collages. You can drag and drop, re-size and alter frame edges and effects, and also export to instagr.am to add a filter and share in your stream or on Flikr.
I also use a desktop application collage maker for larger and more complex collages—there are myriad options available and a quick google search will provide some free collage resources for you. I happen to use an Apple App store called Collage Maker, and I find it to be really handy and effective.
It’s great to take a camera put and about with you if you have one. I use a Nikon D40 to snap away at places, signs, buildings and all sorts of interest. You never know what might appear that has relevance to a blog post you are writing, and you can always crop in, edit the images and form as part of a collage. Using a digital SLR allows a igher resolution to zoom in and crops parts of images not so easily done with iPhonography.
Creative commons images are images licensed by the creators to be used with a attribution link. You can search for images using the Creative Commons search tool, which may produce some exciting work you have permission to include on your site. Remember to attribute where necessary though.
iStock is a fantastic and inexpensive library of images that are perfect for bloggers. Images and illustrations are purchased in block of credits, and web friendly images can be very cost effective indeed for the odd post here and there.
So, go forth and get creative! Your readers will love you, I promise.
Jo Gifford is a designer, writer, blogger and founder of Cherry Sorbet Creative. Working primarily in the beauty, fashion and lifestyle industries her work spans graphic design for print and web, social media management and training, copywriting and editorial for on and offline publications. You will find her blogging as Dexterous Diva, on Twitter both as Dexterous Diva and Cherry Sorbet, and on Linked In.
Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
Looking Good: Simple Ways to Create Sensational Blog Images
Here is a comprehensive overview of the 2012 Grammys effort.
Work by: TBWACHIATDAY, Los Angeles
I’m pleased to announce I’ve joined Compath.me as designer and communication manager.
Compath.me connects your interests and location to help you discover the world around you. We will help you discover popular spots, restaurants, shops, events, and items that are nearby. Compath is not a regular photo sharing app – it is a compass of your life.
Compath.me is one of 16 finalists of Le Web’11 16 Startup Competition (video). I’ve been using this app for a while already and found it’s very useful and fun. I’m thrilled to have a chance to get involved in this team!
You can follow Compath.me on Twitter.
I’ll keep doing my freelance business, too.
It is the lives we encounter that make life worth living.
Guy de Maupassant
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It is approaching the three year mark since Apple introduced the iPad and since that time tablet computers have become extremely popular. Well over half of tablet computer owners get their news from the tablet everyday as opposed to print …
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