While checking out 2 books I’m interested in, Daniel Pink’s “Drive” and Shankar Vedantam’s “The Hidden Brain“, I noticed something. It seems their book designers both love using shadows. Nothing new I suppose, shadows are a familiar design device. It was just curious seeing it used by books right next to each other, especially since they’re both dealing with the inner workings of the human mind.
You gotta love it when people take the time to put together a video homage to their favorite font.
Well, YOU don’t gotta love it… but we do.
Here are some desktop wallpapers for your computer or iPhone.
2K Limited Poster Wallpaper
This wallpaper for your desktop or iphone is a high resolution graphic based on the limited edition 2K Strong poster. Download it, share it, or if you are really adventurous, make your own and send it to us. Maybe we will feature it on the site.
» Download Widescreen
» Download Fullscreen
» Download iPhone
2000 Strong Abstract Ripples
This wallpaper for the 2K Strong campaign is here because I just wanted to have some fun. Again, this is a high resolution graphic for your visual pleasure. Spread the word and check out The 2K Strong Online, or follow them on Twitter. You can change lives right now.
» Download Widescreen
» Download Fullscreen
» Download iPhone
Just in time for Geekend here in Savannah, check out the “I Be Au Sm“ T-Shirt over at Threadless by designer Lawrence Villanueva. NES. Xbox 360. Aliens. Robots. USB. Test tubes. Protractors. If it’s geeky, you can bet you’ll find it hidden on the front. Enjoy, and see you at Geekend.
Just a little amazing guitar work for your Saturday morning enjoyment.
By using as many dark colors on our standard monitors as possible we can reduce energy consumption by 20%, and while this may not be noticeable for a single user it can really add up when dealing with numerous computer terminals. According to Stephen at Stephen’s Lighthouse:
“White and bright colors (especially in backgrounds) can use up to 20% more power than black or dark colors. Unfortunately, e-mail and word processors tend to use white backgrounds, so your workstation uses considerable power while you are in these programs, which you are during much of the day. Because black-on-white is the most familiar (it’s just like the newspaper), selecting alternate combinations may not be appealing. However, you can change your desktop background to something efficient. You can change your background by selecting Start, Settings, Control Panel, Display, and Appearance tab. The ‘Item’ field should say ‘Desktop’. Under color, select one of the colors at the right that has a rating below 65W and then click ‘OK.’”
So I have made some simple dark wallpapers using a retro wood theme that may reduce your energy footprint. There are fullscreen, widescreen and iphone sizes - and each has a version with the EcoStatement and one without. There are also some darker versions that are black and white. Enjoy.
I can’t take credit for finding this (a friend emailed it), but it’s too good not to share.
The Fun Theory (thefuntheory.com), an initiative of Volkswagen, is a “site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or something entirely different, just so long as it’s change for the better.”
I. LOVE. THIS.
I dare you to watch these short clips and not be inspired to do something similar in your community:
Bottle Bank Arcade Machine
The World’s Deepest Bin
And my favorite…
Piano Staircase
If you’ve got a great idea for something similar, perhaps you should enter the Fun Theory competition…you could win €2500.
I’ve been an avid MensHealth reader for a while now and have been religiously following their workouts in hopes of becoming a MensHealth Guy (or at least looking like one). But it’s only after my wife noticed a certain trend based on their cover designs that I realized what I’ve been doing wrong… it’s all in the pose.
See if you notice it too.
It’s A MILLION degrees already in Savannah, and though we’re also getting rain (drought problem solved) it doesn’t seem to cool the place down for long.
Thankfully today I finally got my AC fixed, after days of it not getting below 80 in my house at night. If you’ve never seen an over-heated house cat you should have stopped by. In the haze of indoor heat that made me 96.32% useless, I did a quick search for some alternate ways to cool things down…after all, it’s not like AC always existed, and somehow people survived.
Here are a suggestions from two of the sites I found, in case you’re also looking for some ideas:
Beat the Heat Without Air Conditioning - courtesy Associated Content
Suggestions:
1. A block or bowl of ice in front of a fan
2. Dress yourself and your home in light colors and fabrics
3. Use fans to blow the air from the cooler parts of your house to the warmer parts, and blow the hot air out
4. dampen your ears, hands and feet with cool water or ice
They also have another list here with ways to keep yourself cool, but it suggests no caffeine or alcohol!!!
Other than that, it does have some good ideas.
Suggestions - minus the ones already mentioned:
1. wear loose-fitting clothes
2. put your lotion in the freezer
3. keep a small mister in the fridge and then spray yourself to cool off
4. take lots of showers
5. drink lots of fluids
6. avoid caffeine and alcohol (there go all my fluids!)
7. eat light meals
8. hold packs of frozen veggies to your face and forehead
9. put wet/frozen wash cloths or bandannas around your neck
10. wear a hat when going outside and put an icepack under your hat
Alt Guide: Air Conditioning - courtesy SuperNaturale
This site is awesome because it suggests 2 absolutely whacky/amazing things I would never have thought of myself: showering in your underwear (and going to bed with it still wet), and freezing your pillowcases. Let me apologize for TMI, but I will not be sleeping in showered underwear…though the pillowcase thing sounds kinda interesting. What about frozen underwear? Ok, nevermind that one, now that I’ve thought it through it’s probably a bad idea.
Suggestions - minus the ones already mentioned:
1. pick a home with good cross-ventilation and ceiling fans (not helpful if you’re not moving)
2. eat ice-y stuff like popsicles and freeze partially full bottles of water so that you can fill them the rest of the way with water when you’re thirsty.
3. cook outside (like on the grill) so that you keep the hot out and the cool in
4. schedule most of your activity for early in the day or later when it cools down. Lay low at the hottest time of day
5. the shower in your underwear thing
6. the freeze your pillowcases thing
7. go to the movies…love this one, but it could get expensive!!
Most websites suggested all the same stuff, though I especially enjoyed the ones where their #1 suggestion was to get AC. Great. Thanks.
Here’s to keeping cool this summer.
I’d love to hear more ideas…. I’ve taken to a steady diet of ice-cold watermelon.
An informative and entertaining take on the web typography dilemma from our fav web comic guy Brad Colbow.
Click to view full size.
