Author Archives: infophile

Apple Just Put Its App Design Bible On iBooks For Free | Gizmodo

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Apple’s iOS Human Interface Guidelines, a set of tips and rules for designers that was previously only available through the developer portal, is free on iBooks as of today. It’s a little glimpse into how Apple hopes app developers will follow its lead when it comes to design.

The “book,” which is more of a primer, covers everything from aesthetic decisions to actual user experience decisions. For example, in the Color and Typography chapter, we learn about kerning and font size. Meanwhile, we also get insight into the nitty gritty of UX—from consistency to figuring out who your users even are.

It sounds like a document for developers, but it’s actually a fascinating insight into how Apple thinks about design. That ranges from building palettes of “pure, clean colors” to breeding trust in your users: “Important: Don’t tell people to reboot or restart after installing your app. Restarting takes time and can make your app seem unreliable and hard to use.”

Read More: Apple Just Put Its App Design Bible On iBooks For Free | Gizmodo

Lifetime Sets ‘The Red Tent’ Mini Starring Rebecca Ferguson, Minnie Driver & Morena Baccarin | Deadline.com

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Another bible-themed longform project is heading to the small screen. Lifetime is going into production with The Red Tent, a two-night miniseries adaptation of the best-selling novel by Anita Diamant published in 1997. Read More: Lifetime Sets ‘The Red Tent’ Mini Starring Rebecca Ferguson, Minnie Driver & Morena Baccarin | Deadline.com

I highly recommend the book and think the the TV production is well-casted!

The US is opening up the Smithsonian’s digitized art collection | Engadget

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The White House promised that it would open up government data last year, and it’s now expanding those plans in some intriguing directions. For one, it’s opening up the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s digitized collection; you’ll soon get to build apps and other tools using the institution’s artwork as a foundation. Even curators don’t have that much access right now, the administration says. via The US is opening up the Smithsonian’s digitized art collection | Engadget

From the White House Continued Progress and Plans for Open Government Data:

  • Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection: The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s entire digitized collection will be opened to software developers to make educational apps and tools. Today, even museum curators do not have easily accessible information about their art collections. This information will soon be available to everyone.

And The Winner Of TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2014 Is… Vurb | TechCrunch

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And The Winner Of TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2014 Is… Vurb | TechCrunch

Vurb is a web and mobile contextual search engine. When you type a query in Vurb, you get everything you need without having to leave the search engine. The company is rolling out search for Places, Movies, and Media. It will soon launch search for add People, Startups, and others. For example, if you search for a film, you get a trailer, showtimes, reviews, a link to watch the movie on Netflix, the IMDb score and more.

Read More: And The Winner Of TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2014 Is… Vurb | TechCrunch.

See also: Vurb’s Contextual Search Engine Blows Away Those Stupid Lists Of Links | TechCrunch

 

Woman Puts Deus Ex On Computer Chip In Her Hand | Kotaku

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Zoe Quinn doesn’t just make heartfelt, experimental games like Depression Quest. She’s also pretty set on becoming a cyborg, judging from the cyberpunk as hell implants she’s gotten over the last couple of years.

READ MORE: Woman Puts Deus Ex On Computer Chip In Her Hand | Kotaku

Are You a Holistic or a Specific Thinker? | Erin Meyer | Harvard Business Review

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READ: Are You a Holistic or a Specific Thinker? | Erin Meyer | Harvard Business Review

Snip: In a specific culture, people usually respond well to receiving very detailed and segmented information about what is expected of each of them. If you need to give instructions to a team member from this kind of culture, focus on what that person needs to accomplish and when. Conversely, if you need to motivate, manage, or persuade someone from a holistic culture, spend time explaining the big picture and how all the pieces slot together.

Hachette Says Amazon Is Delaying Delivery of Some Books | NYTimes.com

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Amazon has begun discouraging customers from buying books by Malcolm Gladwell, Stephen Colbert, J. D. Salinger and other popular writers, a flexing of its muscle as a battle with a publisher spills into the open. The Internet retailer, which controls more than a third of the book trade in the United States, is marking many books published by Hachette Book Group as not available for at least two or three weeks.

READ MORE: Hachette Says Amazon Is Delaying Delivery of Some Books | NYTimes.com.

Artists Etch Comic Strip Into a Single Strand of Hair | Mashable

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The eye-strain implications alone are staggering. To promote the upcoming Exceptional Hardware Software Meeting (EHSM) in Hamburg, Germany, a team of DIY artists and scientists has etched the world’s smallest comic strip on a single human hair.

READ MORE: Artists Etch Comic Strip Into a Single Strand of Hair | Mashable

Apps for Outdoor Learning | The Digital Shift

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With spring in the air, students typically clamor to get outside—and teachers would often like to follow. April is an ideal time of year to explore outdoor learning opportunities, and these apps and sites can lead the way. READ MORE: Apps for Outdoor Learning | Cool Tools | The Digital Shift.

I would also recommend the Encyclopedia of Life’s Tools & Resources page for more tools to enhance outdoor educational activities.

10 New Breakthrough Technologies 2014 | MIT Technology Review

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Technology news is full of incremental developments, but few of them are true milestones. Here we’re citing 10 that are. These advances from the past year all solve thorny problems or create powerful new ways of using technology. They are breakthroughs that will matter for years to come.

  1. Agricultural Drones
  2. Ultraprivate Smartphones
  3. Brain Mapping
  4. Neuromorphic Chips
  5. Genome Editing
  6. Microscale 3-D Printing
  7. Mobile Collaboration
  8. Oculus Rift
  9. Agile Robots
  10. Smart Wind and Solar Power

READ MORE ON EACH STORY: 10 New Breakthrough Technologies 2014 | MIT Technology Review