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Only one typo; not so bad, actually.

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:28:27 -0500

Only one typo; not so bad, actually.

This is how I always see Benihana

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:10:24 -0500

This is how I *always* see Benihana

Marco.org: A smartphone retrospective

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:06:52 -0500

Marco.org: A smartphone retrospective:

This is what high-end smartphones looked like in 2007:

Smartphones were an established consumer-electronics market with devices that people thought were pretty cool, but often frustrating and with serious shortcomings and design flaws.

Then this happened:

Other manufacturers had neglected touchscreens for years, but Apple figured out how to do a touchscreen well, and did.

Fans of the former types of smartphones and much of the tech press declared this smartphone useless or not capable enough because of its lack of a keyboard, its non-removable battery, its lack of expansion slots or ports, and other hardware features in which Apple chose differently from what most other manufacturers were doing.

That ended up not mattering. Now, most high-end smartphones look like this:

Marco hits this nail directly on the head, and then goes on to predict the future of tablets using the same formula. Genius.

Ummm, Apple?

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:12:00 -0500

Ummm, Apple?

Terrific Name, Terrible Mascot

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:53:22 -0500

Terrific Name, Terrible Mascot

I was this close to William Shatner today

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:18:29 -0500

I was this close to William Shatner today

I was this close to Dick Van Dyke today

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:18:29 -0500

I was this close to Dick Van Dyke today

8 full minutes of 3D TRON Legacy footage

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:04:37 -0500

8 full minutes of 3D TRON Legacy footage

AMURRRRICAAAAA! TRUCK YEAH!

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:06:55 -0500

AMURRRRICAAAAA! TRUCK YEAH!

Transformers 3 is filming here in Chicago

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:24:29 -0500

Transformers 3 is filming here in Chicago

Neven Mrgan's Tumbl: The Walled Garden

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:05:00 -0500

Neven Mrgan's Tumbl: The Walled Garden:

This photo shows a walled garden:

It is the Portland Japanese Garden, a city landmark that should be on any visitor’s shortlist. It’s beautiful, peaceful, clean, and well visited. Some consider it the most authentic Japanese garden worldwide (outside of Japan).

The garden is also walled off. Literally. It is run by a private, nonprofit organization, and it’s funded solely by admission earnings and donations. Adults pay $9.50 to get in. Once you’re in, you can’t smoke, you can’t use a cell phone, you can’t have a snack - you can’t even buy a snack on premises. No pets, no professional photography, no weddings.

This is because the garden is meant to create and foster a certain tranquil mindset, a contemplative mood of oneness with Nature. You may find this corny or old-fashioned; if so, you’re better off seeing other city sights. If you buy into the garden’s premise, however, it’s a rewarding and unique experience.

Neven deconstructs the App-Store-as-a-walled-garden metaphor into something worth pondering.

Closed doesn’t mean imprisoned. It doesn’t mean evil. It doesn’t mean dictatorial.

Closed means closed.

Marco.org: The misnaming tic

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 23:53:07 -0500

Marco.org: The misnaming tic:

People frequently screw up names in the same ways.

Mac often becomes “MAC”. I don’t know why. Names of other computer-related products aren’t usually accidentally capitalized. Nobody says ITUNES or EXCEL.

The iPod Touch¹ gets hit hard, too, by people calling it the “iTouch”.

I’ve been complaining about the “iTouch” thing forever. Good to know I’m not alone.

A Canada Dry on the Fourth of July:How effing unpatriotic am I?

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:08:00 -0500

A Canada Dry on the Fourth of July:
How effing unpatriotic am I?

Swiss Trees

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:35:18 -0500

Swiss Trees

I already did! (http://marshallbock.tumblr.com)

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:13:17 -0500

I already did! (http://marshallbock.tumblr.com)

SQUEEEEEE

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 07:47:20 -0500

SQUEEEEEE

There is so much wrong with this. So much.

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:24:55 -0500

There is so much wrong with this. So much.

Neven Mrgan: All the Sizes of iOS App Icons

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:42:00 -0500

Neven Mrgan: All the Sizes of iOS App Icons:

Let’s say you’re working on an icon for an iOS app. The app is universal, so it should run on all iPhones (and iPod touches), and on the iPad. As a designer, you’re used to drawing icons at various sizes; this is a big part of what “icon design” is (as opposed to other types of illustration).

…

It’s simply not possible to create excellent, detailed icons which can be arbitrarily scaled to very small dimensions while preserving clarity. Small icons are caricatures: they exaggerate some features, drop others, and align shapes to a sharp grid.

Great article on resolution independence and icon creation for iOS apps.

Kill The Settings, Build Opinionated Software

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:07:15 -0500

Kill The Settings, Build Opinionated Software:

This has inspired me to simplify the iPhone app I’m designing. Plus, that means it’ll be done faster!

Spending the day at Six Flags

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:38:47 -0500

Spending the day at Six Flags