Secrets of Simplicity: rules for being simple and usable (Giles Colborne)

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Secrets of Simplicity: rules for being simple and usable (Giles Colborne)

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Why is Apple gear more expensive in Ireland

If you compare prices on the Apple US and Apple Ireland sites, you will see examples like a MacBook Pro $1499 US / €1449 Euros.

Or the new iPhone 3G S - $299 US - €299 Euros.

What's wrong with this picture!
If you do a currency conversion its more like $1,499 US = €1,076 Euros, and $299 US = €215 Euros.

Why is it more expensive in Ireland?
It can't be the stores adding profit, because you can buy directly online. And it can't be the cost of importing Macs into Ireland - as the hardware is MADE HERE (in Cork). Or was (I just found this). And if it WAS expense from importing, why is it cheaper in the UK? (£1,149.00 GBP = €1,347.83 EUR) The UK's even further than Ireland from the US.

So what is it? Who gets the extra profit?

So you have a hi-spec PC, graphics card, monitor, mouse etc. But theres still something "not quite right"...

Just thought I'd share my experiences with tweaking "hardware" to improve gaming.

So about a year ago I bought/built a high spec PC for gaming - if it can handle the latest FPS games, it can handle anything else (like heavy Adobe software).
The usual - 4gb ram, dual HD (one for OS, one for everything else), high end graphics card, a good 23" Dell monitor, a good mouse (I like Logitech G5, feels good, has counter balance weights etc: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mice_pointers/mice/devices/359&cl=gb,en)
but after all of that, here are the simple things I ended up changing that seemed to make a real difference...

1. I switched to a regular, normal, cheap, white keyboard!
Before I had a very expensive, thin, backlit (blue light) keyboard, and it was cr@p for gaming (or anything else). It reminded me of a laptop keyboard. Sure you can type on it, but try using WASD to control your character during an intense fight and forget it. You loose. Also, what they failed to mention on the pack, was that "backlit with blue lights" actually meant, the spaces in between the keys light up! NOT the actual letter and numbers on the keys!!! - like thats helpful, when I'm playing in the dark with a black keyboard - I want to see the spaces in between the keys!! - yea right!.
The regular (12 euro) white keyboard with big buttons works just great! I can see the keys as they are sufficiently illuminated by the light from the screen (white keys). I can feel the keys - no need to even look for WASD, and its obvious where the numbers are, as the keys are not all placed right on top of each other to save space. I recommend a regular, cheap, white keyboard for gaming.

2. I bought a "Steel Series" mouse mat! (http://www.steelseries.co.uk/proddata.php?partno=E3152&desc1=SteelSeries%204D)
I never thought a mouse mat would make any real difference. I knew that mouse mats with pictures were a no-go, as the pointer jumps around due to the laser mouse thinking the colors in the picture are different height surfaces.
But I used to use just plain (one color) foam/cloth mouse mats. When I switched to this new "plastic" black one, it really made the mouse seem much better, more accurate and sensitive. I'm peeved I didn't switch years ago. A good mouse, combined with a "proper" mat, plus the right mouse acceleration = much improvement in quality. So these hard, plastic mats may be twice the price (approx 30 euros) of a normal foam mat, but they are WELL worth it.

BTW, I got the Dell monitor approx half price from iBood.ie

Important links for designers, sales and anyone interested in what’s going on in the world of design!

Everyone in business should read/listen to this book (I prefer the Audio book from iTunes):
http://www.amazon.com/What-Would-Google-Jeff-Jarvis/dp/0061709719

In defense of eye candy (about UI/UX design):
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/indefenseofeyecandy/

UX design:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/15/40-helpful-resources-on-user-interface-design-patterns/

GUI Mags (good for UI/UX designers and testers):
http://guimags.com/index.php?p=products_guimags_corporate&nav=nav_guimags

Interesting Graph (about the biggest bankruptcies in history):
http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/transparency/web/0906/trans0609largestbankruptcies.html

More “Transparency” infographics:
http://www.good.is/sections/department/department.php?tname=transparency

New Toyota Prius (nice flash site):
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/minisite/newprius/

Guess the logos (makes you think how much you recognize brands and logos):
http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/

Just interesting design stuff here:
http://www.notcot.org/

And more good design links here:
http://dzineblog.com/
http://creattica.com/
http://psd.tutsplus.com/
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/

Some good Design related links

DESIGN:

50 Free lessons in Graphic Design Theory:
http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/web/50-totally-free-lessons-in-graphic-design-theory/

Something for Designers - Adobe Edge Newsletter:
http://www.adobe.com/newsletters/edge/april2009/index.html

Apple Style:
http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/web/40-apple-themed-photoshop-tutorials/


NAVIGATION:

Tabs based navigation:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/06/showcase-of-well-designed-tabbed-navigation/

Menus navigation:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/03/24/designing-drop-down-menus-examples-and-best-practices/

Navigation trends examples:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/02/26/navigation-menus-trends-and-examples/

More Navigation examples:
http://patterntap.com/tap/collection/navigation

More different styles of navigation design:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/04/50-beautiful-and-user-friendly-navigation-menus/

For those interested in Photography, here are some good links. Enjoy :)

40 Amazing Online Photography Magazines
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/17/40-amazing-online-photography-magazines/

50 Great Photographers You Should Know (with portfolios)
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/50-great-photographers-you-should-know/

Cooliris: Plugin that transforms your browser into a lightning fast, cinematic way to enjoy photos and videos from the Web or your desktop.
http://www.cooliris.com/

Dreams of Flying. Interesting viewpoints.
http://www.janvonholleben.com/

DP(digital photography) Challenge. New "challenges" every month. Enter your photos to win respect.
http://www.dpchallenge.com/

Camera reviews, ratings, demos, examples. Compare model features etc. Review before you buy.
http://www.dpreview.com/

Probably the cheapest place to buy equipment.
http://www.pixmania.com/

This is awesome!

Benjamin Zander spoke at Lotusphere 2009

I recently had the unexpected pleasure of hearing Benjamin Zander (world famous orchestra conductor and motivational speaker) talk at the closing session of IBM's Lotusphere 2009. This was an amazing speech and very inspirational.

For anyone who was there, you will understand this image...



I can't wait for the audio version of his book to appear on iTunes.

More about Benjamin and his book "the art of possibility" here:
http://www.benjaminzander.com