20121123: Easel computing by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #cc #design #tablets
20121123: Easel computing by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #cc #design #tablets
So, I’m predicting that the next evolution of tablet computing is to go larger. We’ll get the processor, ram, and display technology to take full-blown applications, like video editing, CAD, design, and programming to a flat, strong, light, portable surface. There will be lots of accoutrement like stands, hangers, interesting mousing devices, and keyboards, but it will allow for full usage much like a tablet computer does now. I imagine the large names in tablets, like Apple, Wacom, and Google will emerge first as producers. Easel computing is what’s coming next.
20121120: A study in hexagonal geometry by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #design #cc
20121120: A study in hexagonal geometry by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #design #cc
This image was fairly simple to do in Inkscape. I created a single line, duplicated it, curved the line, and repeated, increasing the curve each time. Once I had the first ‘module’, I duplicated and rotated it until I had a hexagonal shape. I played a bit with palette by making each module a different color, created a vignetted background, and moved the hexagonal shape off-center to add interest.
20121114: Touchpad two-finger-tap gesture by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #design
20121114: Touchpad two-finger-tap gesture by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #design
On Mac OS X, some applications, like GIMP and Inkscape, use ctrl combinations for other purposes, rendering a ctrl-click (like a right-click, brings up a contextual menu) inoperable. In cases where a touchpad is present, a two finger click works equally well. You might also consider connecting a two-button mouse, though given the touchpad solution, it may be unnecessary.
20121112: Procrastination loop in basic by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org (cc-sa) #design
20121112: Procrastination loop in basic by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org (cc-sa) #design
When I was 12 years old, my mom saw that computers might be something I’d be interested in and that it might be an important skill in my future. She got me a couple of computers that worked in Basic, namely the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A and the Timex Sinclair 2000. The Sinclair with its 16k memory module addon was especially frustrating because it had this graphics mode that you could hold down a modifier key to add symbols to the screen, but it would take forever to refresh, would suddenly crash after a half hour of work, and had no easy way to save. The TI-99/4A at least had the ability to save to cassette tape. It was a simpler time for technology, but definitely not better. I think my favorite program I made on the TI was an ATM machine simulation that asked your password, denied access without the right one, asked if you wanted your bills in large denominations or small ones, and thanked you for your business.
A very dear friend just asked me a very interesting question, which I’ll paraphrase to “Is there a conflict for you between your love of technology and your love of a simple life?”
In no way whatsoever is there a conflict for me. Let me explain.
I do not love all technology for technology’s sake, and I do not love all simplicity for simplicity’s sake.
For example, one might consider the new Google Nexus 7, an Android based tablet, a technology. Books are technology too, by the way, but I assume that she referred to my love of new technologies. I love it because it is open. I love it because it is useful. I love it because I am a fan of Google as an organization. I think they make good choices. I love it because it is innovative. I love it because it is portable, functional, and benefits me in my lifestyle. I love it because it is extensible, flexible, and meaningful beyond the technology in and of itself.
It provides me with a certain simplicity in many ways in my life. For example, I use it to log my calories while I am out, as I eat during the day, using the MyFitnessPal app, which allows me to track my caloric goals, get support from the community, look up calorie values for just about any food I eat, and store all of my eating activity. I could do this with a simpler solution, such as a notebook, pencil and calorie counts book, but it is simpler, in my opinion, to carry just one object, in which I can do those tasks with less effort.
Another example is my beloved Fitbit, an amazing device that acts as pedometer and altimeter, tracking steps taken very accurately, stair flights taken, sleep, and calories burned. I have used a few pedometers in the past, and I got incredibly frustrated with their limited function and inaccuracies. The Fitbit allows me to know when I have done enough movement for the day, when I’ve not, how I’m sleeping, how many calories I’m burning, how fast I’m going, and more. Guesswork is gone. Using other methods to do this might be without technology, but they would not be simpler in the least. When I walk in my home, the Fitbit wirelessly syncs with my account on the web, updating my charts and reflecting my effort. All I have to do it remember to throw the Fitbit on my hip, and the rest is simply movement. This is simplicity defined, given my goals.
In my opinion, technology provides increased simplicity, or it has less value for me. Technology and simplicity are not only compatible for me, they are deeply connected.
