Future of Web Apps Event - Dublin, March 6, 2009

Ubiquity

Mozilla Labs Ubiquity plugin for Firefox. This is well worth a try:
View demo video and download it here:
http://labs.mozilla.com/2008/08/introducing-ubiquity/

Meetings!

Designers: Take the survey!

Aer Lingus Flying Saucers - Irish UFOs (or IFOs)

Here you can see some photos taken over the last 8 months of the Aer Lingus "Aine - passenger disk" prototype, intended to replace the ageing cylinder winged aeroplanes in use today, designed over 30 years ago. "This will be the next form of air travel, clean, green and very fast" said an Aer Lingus spokes person recently.



The craft (when fully complete and in production) will carry up to 180 passengers, crew and luggage, at over 5 times the speed of a current jet. It uses no moving parts or fossil fuels, making it the cleanest and safest aircraft ever flown by a commercial airline. Each one costs an estimated 6 billion euros to produce, so the initial cost for passengers will be expensive compared to regular flights, but with the ability to reach New York in 1 hour, along with the ultra modern and spacious design of the interior, feeling more like a modern cruise ship than an aircraft, as well as using all of the latest, lightest and strongest eco friendly materials, we think that discerning customers will definitely rather pay the extra cost to fly this way. The cost will reduce over time as more craft are introduced to the line. Each disk craft is expected to pay for itself within the first 5 years of use.

Because of the nature of the technology used and fact that it is basically powered by electricity, the craft has a "very" low fuel/maintenance bill. This new type of air travel will also eliminate the need for runways (as the craft can stop in mid air and land vertically) and will eventually lead to a total redesign of airports, and greatly improve the travel industry within the next 10-20 years.



This type of technology is not new. Humans have been aware of the theoretical possibility of this type of propulsion for many years. But now is the right time, when there is enough concern about pollution, dwindling fossil fuel reserves and a high demand for greater speeds. That, combined with modern light weight - ultra strong materials, global positioning navigation and advancing computer processing speeds, makes this the perfect time to undertake these initiatives. It's the next step in human flight evolution.



The disk hovers and propels itself using electrodes that cover its surface to ionize the surrounding air into plasma. Air, which has an equal number of positive and negative charges becomes plasma when energy (such as electricity) causes the air's atoms to lose their negatively charged electrons, creating atoms with a positive charge, or positive ions, surrounded by the newly detached electrons. Using the onboard source of energy (batteries, solar energy and ultracapacitors) the electrodes send an electrical current into the plasma, causing the plasma to push against the neutral (noncharged) air surrounding the craft, generating the force for liftoff and movement in different directions (depending on where on the craft's surface electrical current is directed).



The design of the craft became an "obvious" evolution (said Irish Designer Karl Thompson). If you compile the requirements and understand the technology and materials to be used, there isn't much choice for what it will look like in the end. Its basically a large round wing, aerodynamic outside and spacious inside. When asked; was it influenced by "50's B movie flying saucers" he commented, "of course, almost all of the technology in use today existed first only in sci-fi, it's inescapable".



It is not known exactly when the first commercial flights will take place, but it is expected to happen within the next few years.

Inner and Outer space x10

Web Forms research and suggestions

Here are some nice examples of web forms, and the research findings and suggestions of how to improve web forms for better usability.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/07/04/web-form-design-patterns-sign-up-forms/

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/07/08/web-form-design-patterns-sign-up-forms-part-2/

Man made UFOs!

Interesting article, even if there are still some questions.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=worlds-first-flying-saucer&sc=WR_20080708

Lightning Storm Engulfs Erupting Volcano

See the full story here...

Angelina Jolie Pitt

New art by KTdesigner.

Tag cloud

The BMW GINA

OMG. This is a vision of the future. The design is amazing, the innovation fantastic.

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/06/bmw-builds-a-ca.html

Get the next FireFox

Patterns and UX

http://groups.ischool.berkeley.edu/ui_designpatterns/webpatterns2/webpatterns/home.php

http://www.welie.com/patterns/

http://niceone.org/infodesign/

http://www.inspireux.com/

Sad but true

NY Time Technology Articles

There is some excellent information and reading here:
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/technology/index.html
Always makes for interesting reading :)

Logos updated to be "Web 2.0"

Some funny stuff here. Some good one too.
http://flickr.com/photos/gtmcknight/198311028/

Photoshop Disasters

Some funny stuff here.
http://photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com/

Flying Penguins

Funny: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/page/item/epeng001.shtml

Shift happens

SHIFT HAPPENS
Regardless of how insignificant you think this information is, this must have taken quite a while to compile. Nice work. It was very interesting to me, and I agree totally. Technology is evolving much faster than human evolution. I read this whilst waiting on something to load, from one of the 3 jobs I’m working on, all at once (at night on a long weekend) whilst listening to PodCasts about technology. This never would have happened even 5 years ago. There must be segregation happening (not just between rich and poor) between technofiles and technophobes (or the humans who can’t afford recent tech’quip). Are the people who “live” in technology carving a new branch/path?

Consider mobile phones (G3, 3mp cameras etc.), TVs (LCD, OLED, hi-def etc.), games consoles (multi thread cell processors), exponential computer power/speed growth rate etc. Everything that’s common place now, did not exist 5 years ago. Human comprehension does not move as fast. So if you are young and growing up with these technologies it’s great, no problems, but when you eventually have to work (prob 2 jobs), and work like a technofreak cyborg, for crap wages because all of the jobs have gone to previously “third world” countries. WTF are you going to do then? Become a farmer again?, with no knowledge of nature/land, how to “make“ food (that doesn't have a "Mc" stuck in front of it). A transition is happening, and faster than you may think.

The next 3 gen is FUBAR (oh look I have devolved into technobable).

Thats my rant’n’rave over. Yay, I feel better : )
Oh BTW, I love this technoshift. Cyber me up baby.

PicLense

Pretty cool browser add on.
http://www.piclens.com

Where I've been

1. Banff, Alberta, Canada


2. Dublin, Ireland


3. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada


4. Long Beach, CA, USA


5. Beverly Hills, CA, USA


6. San Francisco, CA, USA


7. Santa Barbara, CA, USA


8. Santa Monica, CA, USA


9. New York City, NY, USA


10. Las Vegas, NV, USA

• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Visit TripAdvisor.com

Twine

This looks great. http://www.podtech.net/scobleshow/technology/1712/editors-choice-of-twine-the-semantic-web-tool

Coolness!

A list of links to things that are just cool...

http://www.stanislavkatz.com/
http://europe.nokia.com/A4487136

Want to see possibly the most HIDEOUS website on the net?

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/

Top 10 mistakes in designing web apps

Good list: http://www.guuui.com/posting.php?id=2098

With a much more detailed explanation here: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/application-mistakes.html

Free Broadband from Google

http://www.google.com/tisp/index.html

Also, how to get better search rankings...
http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html

Some nice design sites

You can find some nicely designed sites here:
http://cssremix.com/

1gb, 20 years

How technology has changed. See what 1gb looked like 20 years ago...
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/changing-times/this-is-what-1gb-of-storage-looks-like-now-and-20-years-ago-302856.php

Adobe's going all social

Adobe is releasing a desktop based, widget using, file sharing app (using Air) for photos videos etc.

Its called Fabrik.
http://labs.adobe.com/showcase/air/fabrik.html

Are you curious?

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid980097284/bctid1385253108

Tech Videos from CES 2008

Some cool stuff here, including a 150" tv!!! Alienware curved 42" monitor display,
R2D2 projector robot, Hitachi StarBoard (similar to the MS Surface)
http://features.cnet.co.uk/specials/ces/0,149102828,49294786,00.htm

Microsoft announces a 79% profit, but everyone hates them?

Microsoft announces a 79% profit:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/01/24/microsoft_sales_up_30_profits_up_79.html

Yet, yesterday I read that Microsoft comes dead last in a consumer confidence survey (although its a 2006 article):
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060330-6491.html

So how can a company and its products (like nasty Vista) be unloved by most and yet sell more than most?

Personally, I don't love or hate Microsoft. I bought an Xbox360 because it was much cheaper than the "mega over-priced" Sony PlayStation 3.
But I think there is a slightly better selection of games on the PS3 (though some games are available on both platforms).
Halo is "HIGHLY overrated". Vista is a slow HOG (XP is proven to be faster), and in general Microsofts User Interfaces leave a lot to be desired (nice shiny graphics but a case of "find the hidden features").

But until Linux is easier to install/setup, and Apple is cheaper and more compatible with more software (and games), MS will have the majority of users.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199201179&pgno=8&queryText=

I know Google is supposed to be bringing out this magical open source (free) OS, but I'll believe it when I see it, working.
I remember years ago seeing a demo of a flash based OS (created by Macromedia, now owned by Adobe) which looked cool, but never seen the light of day (was not released).

Logo Design Trends

Very interesting article about logo design trends.
http://www.logolounge.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=540

Annual Cross Ireland Run

Over 600 motorbikes crossing from Dublin to Galway and back, what more could you want?
http://www.annualacrossireland.com

Tech TV

http://www.cnettv.com

OMG, I want this monitor

http://www.cnettv.com/9742-1_53-31908.html?tag=nl.e415

If you are into motorbikes...

Check this out.
Warning, it will make you want to get a bike and go on a world tour.
http://www.advrider.com/

Interesting Site

Epic-Fu

Interesting stuff. Good ideas, links, info, music etc.
I like's it.

http://epicfu.com/