And I thought I would have more time when I retired…
15 03 2008It is the weekend again and I will steal some time to add a bit to this blog. I must say I do not know when I ever found time to work!. The days fly by. Two obedience lessons a week for Tarot, our doberman. We are taking her to a place called www.x-centerschool.it It is located just east of Perugia, Umbria near the town of Corciano. Tarot was one year old when we moved here full time, and now approaching four, she has become quite a handfull in our small town. The streets in Monte Castello di Vibio are narrow, many local people are uncomfortable with large dogs and we need to ensure that she behaves well. Two other mornings a week I have Italian lessons – a ‘work in progress’ is the best I can say – I have a feeling it will always be a ‘work in progress’ – Some correctly point out that my English language abilities could use some polish as well! My defence has always been that the degrees are in Design, not English! – And I am sticking to that excuse.
I do spend some time each morning reading the ‘Newspapers’ – With web access this is great:
Of these sites the only one I pay for is the Economist, the other are free services, although you may have to subscribe so that they can justify themselves to their advertisers. Still, with the ability to read left, right and centre opinions from the western world on the same issue, these do provide an interesting perspective to the world around us. I must say, the fact that I live on a slightly remote hilltop, and that many times the world below is shrouded in clouds, gives me a sense of retreat from the madness of the world!
More on Wordpress:
I have been playing, tinkering, with the code of this blog, and collecting information on how it really works. I have not been brave enough yet to add images. I have come across this information this week:
This seems like a good explanation of what it is all about. So often, to get ones mind around a new program, it is important to know how one slices the information, what parts are presented, and how those parts can be individually altered and integrated with each other. Then the other possibilities start to form.
HOW TO: Customize Wordpress Part 1 Submitted by Suzy on December 13, 2005 – 1:08pm
There are two main ways that I can see to go about customising themes in WP. I’m not really a theme user, as I tend to build from scratch, so it’s difficult for me to say which way would be easier for everyone. One way is to customise the functionality of the blog itself this involves getting into the “Loop” (more on this later), the other is just to build around the existing CSS of an already stable theme. There is a lot you can do by just dissecting your chosen base theme and using the CSS to do the work.
Another article that is very helpful, yet not too detailed is at:
For more in depth explanation, this site has a number of articles:
Most of you know we are heavily involved with images, with our PHOTOempt.com web site, our presence on SmugMug and our efforts to sell through agencies such as FotoSearch . One of the newsletters I subscribe to is from Crestock . Others are iStock , and the New York Institute of Photography . In the Crestock newsletter this week there was an interesting article:
13 Minimalist Blog Designs You Really Should SeePosted Thursday, 13 March 2008 by Lars Hasvoll Bakke in Design, InspirationIf you’re tired of websites bursting at the seams with widgets, flash animations and all the colours of the rainbow, check out this list of selected low-key, minimalist blogs. Greetings all! My name is Lars, I’m one of the Crestock regulars and I plan on throwing in an entry here in the blog every now and then.
I mentioned iStock above. Their newsletter this week included a link to the third article listed below:
This is a very slippery slope – one that is being greased by some and not by others. It potentially makes the legal responsibility of a photographer, a huge problem. Is an artist responsible for how his ‘art’ is used? It has been said by others ‘guns do not kill, people do’. Where do we draw a line? Where do we let others draw a line for us? As a seller of images, if I state how an image is not to be used, and the buyer agrees to that – can I be responsible for its misuse? Do I need to worry, that even if not responsible, somebody might take legal action that I would need to incur a large expense to defend myself against. This may seem like an incidental concern to some, but it has prevented me from undertaking product design, my original profession, for 23 years. I was unwilling to take the risk of legal recourse for the misuse of a product I created. How many useful ideas of mankind are wasted by the inappropriate application of ‘intellectual property’ rules.
After those comments, onto some lighter stuff.
Some interesting reading on Colour: MOMA in NYC is having an exhibition on Colour
and two articles on how colour is used. I was aware of the initial article before, but found out that they had done a second one when I returned to the site today, looking for material to put in this posting. I was particularly interested in the pink/blue use for male/female.
This weeks sites from Maurice Belanger include: An interesting collection of Graphic design at:
There is a lot of stuff here – I personally believe the presentation is a little to sparce to do it the justice it deserves but… He also found a link to the forerunner of Apples current AppleTV. Interesting that this information is on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Interactive_Television_Box
If you are interested in this sort of Apple product history I strongly recommend ‘The Work of the Apple Industrial Design Group‘. To me fascinating, but then given my background, can you be surprised?
I mentioned ‘The Telegraph’, at the start of this entry, one of the big UK daily newspapers. They have run a photo series this week on the best 100 cars, as chosen by its readers. Again, a great collection of product design. The main link to the 5 part series is at:
Following the link to an interesting idea for a digital clock led me to this site:
Do what this page says, and you will be presented with a nice portfolio of work. For those you love, or those who love their coffee, another cute product is shown at:
http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2008/03/12/deep-love-of-coffee/
And I guess my last link for this posting will be a site for Water – I had a link to an interesting bottle shape a few postings ago – here is another. A nice site as well.
Back to the other things I need to do, like walk that dog I previously mentioned. Hopefully I will get to add to this blog again soon. In the mean time, your comments would be appreciated, either in private via email or using the site to add your own two cents worth.
All for now – Ross
Categories :
