Typewriter-Inspired Mechanical #Keyboard | QWERKYWRITER #gadgets #devices #typewriters #digital #tech


We spend a lot of time on our digital devices and we should be able to express ourselves through them. Unfortunately it’s all beige and brushed aluminum these days. We at Qwerkytoys are about to shake things up with our first product, the Qwerkywriter. Qwerkywriter connects wirelessly via Bluetooth to iPhones, iPads, iMacs, MacPros, Macbooks, Android Tablets Devices, Windows Tablets, and more. MORE: QWERKYWRITER | Typewriter-Inspired Mechanical Keyboard

Related: Qwerkywriter’s retro iPad keyboard is a flawed masterpiece | Engadget

The Evolving Landscape Of Recommendation Systems | TechCrunch #tech #products #digital #UX


Everyday decisions, from which products to buy, movies to watch and restaurants to try, are more and more being put in the hands of a new source: recommendation systems. Recommendation systems are changing the very ways we make up our minds, guiding us through a new digital reality whose evolution is bringing us closer to exactly what it is that we want — even if we ourselves don’t know it yet. Recommendation systems (or RS for short) are intelligent information filtering engines that narrow the decision-making process to just a few proposals, and they’ve become an integral part of the user experience within some of our favorite platforms. READ MORE: The Evolving Landscape Of Recommendation Systems | TechCrunch

5 Effective Ways to Market to #Millennials | Mashable #marketing #branding


As a baby boomer, I’ve seen media trends come and go, and the millennial generation has presented entirely new challenges to the field of marketing. But, I’ve spent much of my career figuring out how to sell products to different types of people, and with age comes the knowledge and attitude not to be put off by something new.

There is no question that marketing is changing — newspaper advertisements, television commercials and direct mail don’t have the influence they once had. Millennials have changed all that, collectively drawing marketers’ focus toward online and mobile marketing.

Paradoxically known for both brand loyalty and short attention spans, millennials are truly unique. Here are five ways marketers can reach them and be heard. READ MORE: 5 effective ways to market to millennials | Mashable

The Case For Letting #Kids #Design Their Own #Play | Co.Design #identity


For better or worse, products and the designed world are used as tools for self-determination. In childhood, toys become part of a playful process of becoming ones’ self. Child psychologists have known for decades that through play, children learn empathy, “try on” identities, and experiment with their place in the world. Essentially, in childhood we play our way through discovering who we are. Unfortunately for kids today, the designed world doesn’t leave much room for them to explore. Most toys come with pre-defined identities and stories, which rob children of the joy of imagining these things. There is also a dearth of open-ended toys, or toys without instructions and right and wrong answers. This leaves few opportunities to figure out how to use a toy, experiment, fail, and invent the story of where it came from, and why it does what it does. READ MORE: The Case For Letting Kids Design Their Own Play | Co.Design | business + design.

Why Web Design is Dead | UX Magazine @UXMag #UX #webdesign


Web design is (finally!) dying of irrelevance. Web pages themselves are no longer the center of the Internet experience, which is why designers need to move on to the next challenges—products and ecosystems—if they want to stay relevant.

Web design has no future—a risky statement I know, but this article explains why it has no future and what we, as designers, can do about it. As a discipline, web design has already exhausted its possibilities, an emerging combination of tech and cultural trends highlight the need for a broader approach.

READ MORE: Why Web Design is Dead | UX Magazine

Tony Fadell: The first secret of design is … noticing | TED.com #design


As human beings, we get used to “the way things are” really fast. But for designers, the way things are is an opportunity … Could things be better? How? In this funny, breezy talk, the man behind the iPod and the Nest thermostat shares some of his tips for noticing — and driving — change.

Link to Transcript

via Tony Fadell: The first secret of design is … noticing | Talk Video | TED.com.

The Almost Completely Open Source Laptop Goes on Sale | WIRED


Andrew “bunnie” Huang and Sean “xobs” Cross want to sell you a laptop you can completely trust.

Earlier this year, the two Singapore-based engineers fashioned a laptop made almost entirely from open source hardware, hardware whose designs are freely available to the world at large. They called it Project Novena. Anyone could review the designs, looking for bugs and security flaws, and at least in theory, that meant you could be confident the machine was secure from top to bottom, something that’s more desirable than ever in the post-Edward Snowden age.

The original idea was simply to encourage others to build their own open source laptops at home. But now the pair are taking the project a step further. Starting today, you can order your own pre-built Novena laptop through the crowd-funding site Crowd Supply, and it will ship out in the coming months. Much like Kickstarter, Crowd Supply is place where you can put up money to help fund a company and then get a product in exchange.

The project is part of larger movement towards open source hardware. Open source software has become a mainstay across the web and inside many businesses, and now, open source hardware is beginning to find its own place in the world, not only among hobbyists but inside big companies such as Facebook. The idea is not only to improve security, but to help spur innovation. If you share designs, others can make them better. The new, commercial version of the Novena does include some parts that are closed source, such as the processor, but Huang and Cross have tried to minimize these as much as possible.

Read more: The Almost Completely Open Source Laptop Goes on Sale | Enterprise | WIRED.

Library Catalog Cards For Classic Books | HuffPost Books


For many of us, a trip to the library these days involves an efficient search on the branch’s site, a hold placed on a hot new release, and a quick pop-in to collect our spoils.

It’s great that so many libraries have gone digital — and some have even gone bookless— because to remain open, remaining relevant is key. Still, it’s hard not to pine for the more quixotic days of dusty shelves and hand-written library catalog cards.

For those of us who romanticize a more tactile library experience, Chronicle Books has created stationary from images of The Library of Congress’s original cards for a number of classic authors. The text of each card interestingly matches the mood often evoked when imagining the author’s era.

See all: Library Catalog Cards For Classic Books (IMAGES) | HuffPost Books

30 Notecards from the Library of Congress | Chronicle Books

Jane Austen

8 myths about wearable tech | CNET News


Wearable devices are predominantly technical fascinations at the moment, but they have widespread market potential — if misconceptions can be set straight.

The 8 myths discussed:

  1. Wearable devices are just another form factor for smartphones.
  2. Consumers will quickly embrace wearable tech.
  3. Wearable devices are standalone products.
  4. The wearable market is new.
  5. The wearable market will remain a niche.
  6. First to market is a can’t-miss winning formula.
  7. Power consumption and batteries will not be big issues.
  8. Wearable devices are secure.

Read: 8 myths about wearable tech | Business Tech – CNET News.

4 Big Trends Shaping The Future Of Design | Co.Design


  1. GOAL #1: CHALLENGE US
  2. GOAL #2: DESTIGMATIZE AFFLICTION
  3. GOAL #3: RETHINK THE SUPPLY CHAIN
  4. GOAL #4: ADAPT TO USERS

The post highlights innovative solutions in each category.

Read: 4 Big Trends Shaping The Future Of Design | Co.Design | business + design.