Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Deluxe Version)

Just pre-ordered it on iTunes. So excited.

I get at least one email like this every day. I just ignore them.

My Proposed Solution to the App Review Situation

What if any app could be posted to the App Store instantaneously, without having to go through a review. Apple would still review each app, to even higher quality standards than currently. If an app is approved, it would receive some kind of “Apple-approved” badge. If denied, the app would live on, but without the badge. Apple would kindly provide the developer with a reason for why it was rejected, worded in english (as opposed to the legalese they use now).

Only approved apps would show up when one browses the App Store and in the rankings. Rejected apps could still be accessed through search (though approved apps would get priority in search results), and by knowing the iTunes store URL. Important updates (such as critical bug-fixes) would be instantaneous.

Users can opt to only allow verified apps on their phones, if safety is a concern to them. Developers have the security of knowing Apple won’t kill their business on a whim.

I had a great time at Temple Nightclub last Saturday night. Saw DJ Klaas, got to shake his hand while he closed his set with one of my favorite tracks ever, Infinity 2008 (Klaas Remix), by the Guru Josh Project.

Illustration: Digital Media, 1st part of the 2nd project.

This is the first part of the project. We chose a work from before the year 1800, and had to re-create it in vector using Illustrator. I chose this piece of ancient Japanese art.

16” * 28” full-color print.

Resist the urge to punish everyone for one person's mistake

Derek Sivers:

Nine years ago, one guy tried to light his shoes on fire on a plane. Now for all future time, millions of people a day have to queue up to take our shoes off at the airport, because of that one dumb moment.

[…]

It’s important to resist that simplistic, angry, reactionary urge to punish everyone, and step back to look at the big picture.

Flash Isn’t The Problem, Flash Design Is The Problem

Louie Mantia:

I’m sure a lot of people (in the United States) would love to watch [Hulu] on their iPad. Putting Apple’s iTunes business aside, I see the same interaction problem here. When watching a video on Hulu, after a few seconds, the playback controls fade away to give you the best experience of watching. How do you get the controls back? Simple! Move your cursor back over the video, and they appear. Not so easy on a tablet without a cursor. Sure, you say that you could just tap the video, right? Wrong. On Hulu, tapping on the video itself pauses the video. If on iPad, to bring up the controls to scrub or view in HD, you’d have to pause the video first. That sounds like a broken interface right there.

Even if we had flash for the iPad, we wouldn’t be able to use it comfortably.

A Short Case for Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

I think we’re missing the point. The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy doesn’t withhold any rights from gay men and women serving in the military. Serving in the army is a very tough job, and the soldiers need to focus on the job to be done rather than on their differences.

The policy is not asking gay men and women to lie, or renounce their sexual orientation. Rather, it’s about asking all soldiers to distance themselves from their personal feelings in order to give their full attention on the job to be done.

Ideally, this would not be an issue and the military would be able to function just as well with openly gay members, but the reality is that that would make other members uncomfortable, cause a division within the force and damage the social dynamic of the military.

Part of a project for 3D class. Abstract ink drawing on trace paper.