Massimo Vignelli seems to have an unusually high optimism for the Modern age, as he thinks that change is inevitable every 10 years. Nevertheless, this is an interesting analysis showing the progressions or cycles in styles in design (or mostly graphic design). Since Vignelli had already filled in 60’s to 80’s, so let’s fill in 90’s and 2000’s!

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My current (temporary) table is composed of two sawhorses and an Ikea PRONOMEN countertop, 8 feet long and 3 feet deep.

In response to the question on Unplgged:

Survey: Is Bigger Always Better?

It has to do with how often you want to return things back to their original place.

There is a sweet spot where it is neither too redundant to clean all the time, nor too much a burden to clean a lot of things at once, and that largely depends on your work. A writer who only uses a computer may still need a whole table of reference materials to map the brain, while an apparel designer will need a large table to lay all the fabric as well.

While I’m in a flow, returning tools, books or paper back to their drawers and shelves interrupts the workflow, thus counterproductive.

When I’m done with a project, I’ll return (and sometimes clean) the materials back to their position and state. Everything starts with a clean slate again.

But if I forget to do this step, that is where clutter begins: objects lost their original position and were placed arbitrarily on the desk. The key is to always find where these objects should belong… which unfortunately always ended up in the Miscellaneous box.

I find that there is nothing wrong to be embarrassed about a table with many many open files. It shows that I’m working, and not a neat freak that spends half my work time cleaning. I find people with clean tables all the time are a little OCD!

 
Before and After from New York Times

Since some blogger generalized and predicted by authority that other bloggers are going to blog about it, I’m going to blog about it, just so you know.

After the fire, everyone forgot how mesmerized yet anxious (or indifferent) they were. And since there was no massive loss or death (1 firefighter dead though), everyone joined in to the great game of denial: blaming and human flaming.

And as usual, the biggest target that won’t even know you are attacking is the easiest to hit. Therefore, everyone starts attacking the titans like bacteria attacking a human being. The titans also learnt to be immune to your voices.

Architects hate themselves, so they pick on the architect of the building. Poor Rem Koolhaas. What has all these to do with the design of the building anyway? The fire sprinkler system was not even on yet.

Chinese also hate themselves, so they pick on their leaders for all kinds of conspiracies, while at the same time the Chinese media hates themselves as well. The more controversial the more outlandish the conspiracy is, the louder and faster it travels. (Update: Though it is indeed some colossal idiots from CCTV itself firing some fireworks. I wonder if the insurance would pay.)

Bloggers hate themselves, too, so they pick on whatever bigger blog there is talking about the news. This is when I read too many comments on blogs.

The Internet hates everybody, as they dream up sad migrant workers got lit up in flames.

This is what happens when something that is jaded by nature to be destroyed. Like a supermodel killed by anorexia, nobody cares about the lady but the sensation around it.

So what the **** can you do with a totally burnt building… but not burnt enough to collapse?

Perhaps the question is too predictable. Nobody bothered to answer. I guess they can replace all those expensive titanium with simple cheap corrugated steel. Nothing is impossible to fix. Fixing the building can just as well be part of the economy stimulus plan.

Human beings announced today that they are going back into their cocoons. From now on, they will survive forever while neglecting any changes happening in the real world. They can create their own worlds, and fail as many times as they can, as they would learn or unlearn, until the day of heat death of the universe.

Perhaps one day we will come out and all become butterflies. Or perhaps we are just engulfed by our creations.

While I oppose virtual reality as a means to escape, it would be perhaps a good thing to do while humans are put inside their cyrogenic chambers for their genetic therapies. I wondered, “what are those young butterflies dreaming inside their cocoons?” This might be it! So instead of going through birth, growth and teenage, babies will be put inside their VR capsules right away while they can experiment with ‘living’ in the virtual, be transformed into post-human, and be transported to colonize outer galaxies, all at the same time!

Oh, how I love future.

A future tampered by User Experience designs forever.

(Picture from Gizmodo.)

We are increasingly aware of the environment, but at the same time we are increasingly confused by various packaging! As far as I know, the environmental agencies in Hong Kong or Europe had been watchdogs for packaging techniques, but such critical eye has been missing in the United States. Just look at these products that had been sold millions and millions around the world:

iPod nano and iPod touch (left); Windows Vista Ultimate (right)

What is so sexy about unboxing a bunch of disposable packaging?

Microsoft pushed 140 millions boxes of Windows Vista last year, while Apple had sold more than 160 million iPods. Fortunately, OEM releases of Windows are not packaged in boxes at all, while iPods have a friendlier paper package, however, most of their new products aren’t. Just imagine the amount of cases wasted, ala Chris Jordan style.

 
Chris Jordan – Plastic Bottles, 2007

Steve Jobs and company complied fully with Greenpeace for its manufacture and materials of iPod nano, however, what about the packaging? As my colleague Andy puts it perfectly:

And another ultimate question: Plastic bag or paper bag?

This is my off-topic take on the news of Adobe crippling Flash video with DRM, from BoingBoing:

Seth Schoen, staff technologist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and one of the world’s top DRM technical researchers, has written up an analysis of the DRM that Adobe has built into the latest version of Flash for videos, which prevents video viewers from making mashups and re-edits of the video they see on the net.

Amazingly, Adobe seems to have entirely missed the fact that the reason that the Flash video format has taken off is that it’s so fluid, versatile and remixable — not because they sucked up to some Hollysaurs and crippled their technology.

Lots of computer software begins its life as a tool for piracy, then turn ‘legitimate’ later on. This will be no exception.

Speaking of mashups and re-edits, I can compare them to graffiti. I’m not saying that there is no good or interesting art that comes out of it, but these day I have an ambivalent feeling that the cost is just too great to make these activities desirable.

In graffiti’s case, lots and lots of public facilities and private houses are vandalized just because someone wants to write their name on it, while decaying neighborhoods, disrespecting other users and wasting a lot more money than needed in restoration.

Yes, I know that there is a Banksy in 1 of 100000, and I know that some homeowners are so open that they let everyone graffiti their house. (Besides, those who are committed to do it will find the leeway.)

In the re-edit/remix’s case, lots and lots of videos are just exact duplicates of the original, or just plain horrible work, just because someone wants to tell the whole world instead of his friends one single joke, while encourages the use of the medium for piracy and opens up an irreversible flaw for author who just wants to release their videos as CC:BY-ND-NC.

Yes, I know that there is a (you name it) in 1 out of 1000000, and I know that there are plenty of filmmakers who happily lets others cut their film into pieces. (Those who are committed to remix will find the security loophole.)

With that said, I’m not saying that I support DRM. But I think the DRM is more acceptable – if it is not forced on all videos, and if the author has the choice on whether the video will have it or not.

Anyone who can shred some light on this dilemma is welcome.