Blogtyp: A Collection of Bits and Bytes http://www.arktyp.ca/ Arktyp Blogtyp en Blogtyp: A Collection of Bits and Bytes http://www.arktyp.ca/fileadmin/tt_news_article.gif http://www.arktyp.ca/ Arktyp Blogtyp TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:23:00 -0500 8-bit Comedy http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M58fb00bff27.html ]]> A new discovery for me thanks to an ad I found in Complex magazine, Code Monkeys airs Sundays on the G4 network but can be found on various link sites. The show takes place at GameaVision, a video game company, in the early 80's and features guest appearances from ET, Steve Wozniak and George Lucas. That is just after watching only 2 episodes. The main group of characters are a colourful bunch who have no problems showing off their naughty pixel bits while covering every stereotype in the book. As you watch each episode you become overwhelmed with 80s cultural and video game references. The show views like an 80's video game plays so if you are old enough to remember the first days of popular gaming then cheers - this ones for you!

Watch Code Monkeys here and be sure to check out the site.

]]> Video Culture Jun 2008 Cans Festival http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M595e6aab617.html ]]> I know that most of you have already heard about and seen the pics from the Cans Festival this past weekend in London so I will not bore you by telling you that Banksy and other stencil artists took over part of London to provide the public with an overwhelming display of street art while giving them their own chance to contribute. What I will bore you with are my views on the weekend.

I just happened to be in London last weekend on vacation from Toronto and was lucky enough to hear about the exhibit in time to go and check it out. As far as the exhibit itself goes it was a pretty sweet display of artwork and messages but in all honesty I really hope that this was a one time gig. I know that this is an unpopular opinion but the show really lacked that same feeling you get when you round the corner and happen upon a piece that you have not seen before or walking down Brick Lane in London and seeing the numerous pieces by local artists that decorate the landscape and help make the area what it is.

If you disagree with me please let me know. I will say however that there were several things that I quite loved about the exhibit. Watching a father and son work together pulling out stencils, taping them up, shaking the can and handing it off to eachother as they contribute their own piece was a beautiful thing to see and giving them that opportunity is a definite point in favour of doing something similar once again. I also saw kids as young as 10 (rough guess without asking them) spraying through stencils as people watched on while taking pics - another beautiful thing to witness. I even saw a elderly woman in a wheelchair pulling out her camera and taking shots while being pushed around - another plus for the show.

Hmm on second thought, please allow me the opportunity to change my opinion. I really hope that this is not the last time that an exhibit like this takes place. Even though seeing the art in a staged setting does not offer the same emotional reaction as seeing a fresh piece in the streets the benefits of opening it up to the people who may never have that experience are well worth it. Good job guys!

Check out the official site or browse Flickr to view the artwork.

]]> Art Culture Events May 2008 Songza http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M58031e3c3d6.html ]]> Bored with your itunes collection? I just discovered Songza, a music search engine and jukebox. You can search for any artist or song, and listen to the entire track. You can even make playlists or watch the music video if one exists.

Check out Songza

]]> Music Web 2.0 tony@arktyp.ca May 2008 iBand http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M5ebb8b800dd.html ]]> The other day a friend an I were talking about how it would be cool and possible to start an iphone band with the music apps that have been created for it. There is now a drum, a guitar, and a synth. First thing i did was google iphone band and sure enough found iBand. A group of gadget and music geeks managed to do it but not only with iphones but with a Nintendo DS as well. Pretty cool stuff...

Check out iBand

]]> Music Technology Video tony@arktyp.ca May 2008 Giraffetyp http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M5294bbd6960.html ]]> Everybody loves their iPod, and rightly so. It's one of the greatest technology products of all time. The iPod experience is the sum of many parts: design, development, etc. One of Apple's biggest strengths is their ability to put all of these pieces together effectively. If the iPod was ugly, unusable, had buggy software, or felt lousy in your hands, it wouldn't be the same device; it would be mediocre like all of the other portable mp3 players that came before and after it.

On the web, shops are usually run with a strong focus on one piece of the puzzle. Some firms are development-centric, others are design-centric, others still are business-centric. A shop's core skill usually trumps everything else. Even when they hire consultants to fill the gaps in their skill set, shops tend to keep focused on their core competencies, failing to properly execute the work of the consultants. It seems to happen everywhere ? even in the best shops.

So, having the best people work on the product isn't enough; to achieve greatness, there has to be tight collaboration between all parts. The developers must respect and understand the designers, and likewise. Most importantly, no one concern can trump another.

Come read the rest of this article at the Giraffetyp blog. Note: I'm going to be doing a lot of my blogging over there for the next little while, so, please subscribe there too.

]]> Design Technology tony@arktyp.ca Apr 2008 Sombrio http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M511354e09bf.html ]]> The year was 1998, the location - British Columbia's North Shore Mountains in Vancouver, the idea - start a kickass clothing company and so it was - the birth of Sombrio. To the present day where Sombrio celebrates their 10 year anniversary with their biggest line up of freeride clothing to date. For 10 years the mountain bikers turned businessmen have been supplying us with some of the coolest designs and graphics available in the cycling industry. In a world dominated by Sesame Street characters sublimated on jerseys worn by spandex clad riders Sombrio has been a giant blessing to freeriders who prefer the baggier approach to cool. The visual design trends illustrated on the various pieces through out the Sombrio line up have always been years ahead of the ever stagnate cycling industry, taking their cues from the surf, skate and snow culture. Nothing looks cooler than a rider hitting a jump and launching through the air wearing a crazy a$$ pattern by Sombrio. I am sure you have seen a photo much like this in Bike Magazine a few times.

Just in case John F. is reading this, I am not a freerider who gets crazy air or hits mad tricks, I am just a weekend warrior who likes his single track but refuses to wear spandex. I may look like a poser but I love many baggy a$$ Sombrio jersey and I say it is not just for freeriders. If you love killer graphics Sombrio is for you. Join me in making cross country look a little more modern in design and demand that your local shop offer more than cartoons on tight fitting jerseys. Thank you Sombrio and happy birthday. Now if we could only get the killer graphics on cross country bikes. The freeriders get all the good stuff - it is just not fair (whine).

Click here to check out the Sombrio site and here to check out the Sombrio Girl site. If you are interested check out the short video on the evolution of Sombrio here.

]]> Design Products Sports Apr 2008 Reality Bites http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M52d2045ad5f.html ]]> Aside from design, art and music there is a new culture that has been attracting my attention lately. The meta-physical, occult and new age are areas of thought very much overlooked by popular and common culture. With political, societal and environmental issues continually surfacing in our time, perhaps we all, as individuals, need to look deeper into the mysteries of our lives and the contents of our own minds to gain a better contextual understanding of the global situation we are all participating in.

Reality Sandwich is a community driven blog on just this topic. Founded by writer and new age philosopher, Daniel Pinchbeck, valuable insights and information into these realms of philosophical thoughts and the on-going analysis of the human spirit and our perceived reality are presented here by people who have devoted their lives and professions to the study of these archaic and forgotten areas of study.

What I find most interesting within this area of thinking are the metaphors and motifs commonly presented in stories about the human mind and our percieved reality as they relate to systems theory and design. Nature and the natural world is a major working system with rules, processes, an interface and predictable outcomes (as with any system). I draw much of my inspiration from these big ideas and insights as the are derived from natural processes verses ridged design rules imposed by technical minded individuals who tend to overlook the extremely dynamic  nature of the human mind and spirit when approaching design problem solving. I often find myself reapplying and contextualizing these ideas in my work as a graphic communicator and information architect.

So I encourage you to look deeper for inspiration in your life, beyond the blooming buzzing noise of mass media, brand power and popular culture - into the contents of your own mind and direct experience of reality. It takes courage and an extremely open mind, but i promise you that you'll be very surprised with what you find there...

Along with Reality Sandwich, here are a few names and resources to peruse:

Terrence Mckenna
Writer, Philosopher, and Ethnobotanist

C-Realm Podcast
Discussions on topics focused on the coming Vingean Singularity, Entheogenic Exploration, the re-localization of community & agriculture, and Individual Conscious Autonomy.

Daniel Pinchbeck

 

 

 

 

]]> Counciousness Culture tony@arktyp.ca Apr 2008 iWallpaper http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M5c47c144b6c.html ]]> If you dig screen art on your iPhone or iTouch then you will dig Poolga. Not sure what a Poolga is but the site is a sweet collection of illustrations from around the world by "invite only" contributors. With the onslaught of 2.0 sites where anyone can upload content it is refreshing to see a site that still limits  content contribution to a select few. Quality not quantity, this is what makes a good resource that you can trust. Thanks to the people at Poogle for understanding that and creating a kick ass site. As mentioned Poolga works on an invite-only basis. If you want your work showcased send a link [invites at poolga.com] to the fine people at Poolga and hopefully you can make the short list. Be sure to check the site every few days for new selections.

Checkout Poolga and start downloading or visit their Flickr page to see how your fav designs look on other people's phones.

Poolga is the best site for iPhone and iTouch wallpapers by far. If you know of one better please comment below or take a stab at guessing what a Poolga is if you think you know.

]]> Design Art Apr 2008 Summer Cruisin' http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M51a848ea757.html ]]> With the nicer weather finally here and the snow almost gone it is time to get out on two wheels if you haven't already. The best way to get back out onto the city streets is on a cruiser bike and the only cruiser bike you should be thinking about is an Electra. Electra bikes are the meaning of cool and the brand kicks a$$. If you have ever seen their print adds you will know what I mean. The site is pretty good, not mind blowing but the real beauty is in the bikes themselves and the special added touches ranging from the sweet paint jobs including graphic details, loud colours and a plethora of accessories to choose from. Make sure you click on the Gallery link to see what I mean. For a special treat in design, photography and typography download the '08 catalogue from the home page. It is truly beautiful and worth saving for your inspiration collection. Way to roll Electra (you'll get this one when you see the site :).

Some of my fav Electra ads in no particular order:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Visit the site or go straight to the '08 catalogue download.

]]> Design Products Sports Apr 2008 PS Xpress http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M58dbcd5a1f7.html ]]> Adobe recently announced the release of Photoshop Express, a flash based version of Photoshop on the web.

The tool allows users to make quick adjustments to their photos, as well as share photos in an online gallery. A very slick and revolutionary tool overall, the launch of PS express represents an interesting time for both web applications as well as Flash as a web application platform.

I have to say, I was fairly impressed with the overall performance of the app, though not so impressed with some of its usability issues. For instance, my mouse wheel doesn't work with this app, as it uses a native flash based verses scrollbar for scrolling images. Its this type of issue that makes me question whether flash is an efficient platform for building web applications. Really, that scrollbar should react to my mouse-wheel, and I know there is a flash controller for this, the developers simply didn't code it in. If this were a standard non-flash web app, no extra code would be necessary, as the browser already has working scrollbars.

Other than the scrollbar issue and a few other usability hickups, its still a cool app worth checking out. I'm just not convinced I would store, share and edit my photos here just quite yet...

Check out Photoshop Express

]]> Technology Web 2.0 Flash tony@arktyp.ca Apr 2008 Tartelin.com http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M593007c9bb6.html ]]> The illustration, graphic design and motion graphic work of Stéphane Tartelin is on display at tartelin.com, his personal portfolio site. Born in France, Stéphane's personal style is a mix of traditional drawings and computer graphics which allows him to produce some visually stunning pieces that all types of art and design lovers would enjoy. Be sure to check out the t-shirt designs for HOMEBOY and his piece titled Happy Life published in Bliss Express: an art book.

Be sure to check out his portfolio for some creative inspiration. Too bad all (almost all) of the pieces in his shop section are sold out :(

Also wanted to say thanks to Stéphane for sending me some great links for my trip to Paris later this month.

]]> Design Art Apr 2008 iLK from Paris http://www.arktyp.ca/blog+M5056515d824.html ]]> iLK is the personal portfolio of Ludovic P, an illustration and graphic design freelancer based out of Paris, France. A quick glance at his portfolio of work and it is obvious that illustration and graffiti are his passion which he has masterfully been able to carry over to more commercial type work. My favourite piece is one that he did for the Luvgalz exhibition in 2006.

I just wanted to say a quick thanks to iLK for sending me the link to glltn.com/1001, a sweet list of some shops in Paris for me to check out on my vacation there in a month. The shops remind me of Queen St W here in Toronto.

Enjoy iLK's portfolio and be sure to check out his news section for updates.

]]> Design Art Apr 2008