If you are an aspiring designer of any kind, you should know that a book store is one of the most valuable sources of inspiration, ideas, and knowledge. Of course, depending on your location, it may be hard to come by a shop with a good collection of design publications.

I pay a visit to my local Barnes & Noble store every week, spending a minimum of 1 hour on reading, learning, and broadening my creative outlook. There are magazines for Web Designers and Developers, Advanced Photoshop Users, and Photographers, all of which contain tutorials, interviews, tips, and so forth.

One may think "why visit a book store when I can browse the entire internet for creative inspiration?" Well, to put it simply, there is a lot of garbage out there on the internet. When you're reading trusted publications that have been in the business for years, you're more likely to gain valuable knowledge.

Helpful links: (continue reading...)

By now, most of you have probably heard about the rumors of Steve Jobs preparing his retirement. Although we may never know whether or not this is true, it is clearly evident that changes are occuring.

So many famous moments have been recorded into the history books at these events throughout the years, primarily the iPhone. I wonder if Apple is going to do something HUGE for their last and final Macworld appearance, or if it will be a quiet departure.

Continue after the jump for the list:

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are dealing with a high or drunk person, keep one thing in mind: Agree to whatever he says, and try to walk away from the situation!

The last thing you want is getting into some kind of trouble by upsetting the irrational man, who can possibily be a danger to you, others, and himself. On the other note, try to refrain from being that person people may want to avoid as well. I don't believe there's any excuse to hurt your body in such way to experience temporary pleasure (if that's what you want to call it).

Question: Have you ever been in a dangerous/uncomfortable situation involving an intoxicated person?

I cannot say I enjoyed this movie as much as I hoped. Usually, I like movies that people tend to not favor, but I felt that barely any effort was put into the making of this film.

For a good portion of the beginning, you don't really know what's going on, and it's all mostly mystery. The lack of a story line made it difficult for me to stay interested. In other words, it got boring. The message I believe this film wanted to deliver was good, but it wasn't carried out successfully. This message was "we are slowly bringing this planet to an end - if we don't change our ways, the planet will change for us in a way we won't like."

There was an abundant amount of special effects to go along with the cliche choreography, which wasn't that great. After having watched movies like Iron Man, Transformers, and War of the Worlds, it just feels it was subpar in terms of the story, and special effects. I honestly did not know what to make of the acting, some moments were good, most were...ehh. I haven't seen the original 1951 version, but I am sure it will be interesting once I do, haha.

Score: 3 out of 10

When companies use efficient technology to operate their business, less people are needed to get the job done. Yes, I am referring to the recent technical specialist layoffs from Netflix due to the simplicity of Microsoft's Silverlight video player. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to easy to use technology, but what's next?

Good design, maybe? I think so. I firmly believe that good design is a major part of what makes something a pleasure to use. Whether it's software or some kind of a device, companies will invest in producing better products to reduce support funding. Now, this isn't exactly the best thing for the job market as it will reduce the amount of jobs for support specialists, but competition will surely be on the rise.

It's too early to determine the exact direction companies will take, but it would be great to see an increase in the design & development departments, working to create better products. We will hopefully see a rise in the quality of products now that mass production does not work as well as it did yesterday. Things will eventually start to pick up again when confidence levels stabilize.

All I can say to the people running these businesses is this: Create, innovate, care, and pay attention!

I recently read an article over at HellYeahDude.com discussing how good design provokes customer interest. It stated the idea that customers generally buy things because of the essence, and whether or not it will cause interest in you from others. This idea was sparked by his recent purchase of the Starbucks Gold card simply because it looked good. Here's a quote from the article:

"A want can be things from cars, computers, clothes, or shoes. But why do we buy these things? First off, we ask ourselves, “are we going to enjoy this?” Then secondly, we ask ourselves subconsciously if it will cause the kind of interest we are seeking from other people."

After reading the article (fairly quick read), here's what I had to say: (continue reading...)

An article written by the NYTimes a couple of days ago helped me finalize my stand on bailing out corporations. You may have read in the papers that Archway Cookies has been shut down, and the employees that relied on the company health plans are now stranded with nothing. It is absolutely devastating that thousands upon thousands of people are losing their jobs with all of their benefit going down the drain.

Yes, bail out the companies that are failing. YES, make them pay the consquences for building shitty products. Yes, create or reform a national health policy that protects hard working people from losing their coverage.

I hate having to hear about people cancelling their surgeries, prolonging their pregnancies, and living with controllable illnesses that they can't help because of they just can't afford health care. This applies to millions of Americans, and it shouldn't be that way.

Just in November 2008, over half a million jobs were lost, and it doesn't seem to be getting better. We are all facing tough times, but people don't have to suffer like this. Corporate, political, and social corruption need to end. Without this, things won't start getting better until it's too late.

A little over a week ago, I stumbled across something that had me in awe. Adobe is working on a video editing technology that brings object placement and integration to a whole new level. Instead of trying to explain it, just watch this:

Imagine all the possibilities this will unravel, and the amount of jobs that will be lost because of the ridiculous ease of manipulating objects. Nonetheless, I would love to see the technology implemented into future versions of After Effects and the likes. If you are into video editing, what are your thoughts particularly - is it a big deal, or no so much?

Today is the day we give thanks to our friends, family, and loved ones all around us. Gathering together to enjoy the presence of one another, having delicious food and fun conversations. Most of you are probably enjoying a long weekend off from work, so make sure you make the best of it (whether you overstuff yourself is up to you)! Enjoy your time off and spend it well, everyone!

PS. If there are fun stories to share after today, PLEASE DO! 🙂

A recent article over at NYTimes got me thinking about the impact MMA is having around the world. Just several years ago, UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) was banned from over 30 states, now Mixed Martial Arts is making its way into high school gymnasiums.

Many people, including students, don't take UFC and MMA seriously. Some believe it's too brutal while others believe it is just a bunch of sweaty guys rolling around in their underwear. Being an avid martial arts fan and a former practitioner, it is easy to see the level of skill being displayed. Unfortunately it is not so for many.

People often taken interest in martial arts when they feel the need to be able to protect themselves. Often, they're afraid of getting hurt and/or being vulnerable, thus taking on a form of martial arts to change that. Proper discipline from any type of martial art will teach self-control and confidence, as well as many other valuable lessons. Additionally, physical conditioning and health improvements are imminent. Read more about the jump...