Simple Logos

Read this blog post from Noisy Decent Graphics about the end of the life of black and white logos.

I agree with him about black and white logos being much less useful in a world of increasing digital presence. I also think that as we move completely away from paper and exclusively to digital medium then the black and white logo will cease to be of any use.

I do, however, continue to believe that a simpler logo is better than an extremely complicated one. Not only is having a logo that can cross mediums important, but also a simple logo allows for easier recognition.

Smart Parking

I like this announcement (PDF press release) from Smart USA (also on Treehugger).


Photo: Flickr, CC

Basically Smart USA has made a deal with a number of parking garages throughout New York and New Jersey to offer half price parking to drivers of Smart Cars. I think it makes sense, because they do take up half the space of a regular car.


Photo: Flickr, CC

In fact, whenever I pay for parking in a lot, I will usually ask (more jokingly than not) if I get half price on parking because I drive half a car. Unfortunately, it usually gets more laughs than discounts, but maybe someday it will work.

The New Facebook

It seems like I write something like this after each time Facebook changes their layout, but it is usually in response to so many people complaining about change.



After reading a number of people's reasons for disliking or even hating the new Facebook, here is my summary of the complaints.

• Confusing
• Difficult to do things that were easy to do in the past
• Don't understand it
• Want to see more customization of the Homepage/Newsfeed

I just have to say that anyone complaining using the first three issues is just not giving it a chance and is probably against change in general. There is going to be a learning curve with anything new. Utilize the resources that Facebook has provided to learn how to do the things you want to do. These types of things work better when people know what they are doing.

The fourth type of complaint I partially agree with. I agree with it because I think the customization/filtering of the homepage and newsfeed should be a little more powerful. However, most of the complainers that used this reason didn't seem like they realized there is a filter on the left side of the page that does what they were talking about. So most of these people need to read the above paragraph.

As a matter of fact, I've actually been reinvigorated with the new Facebook. I have found that I've spent a little more time using Facebook after the change compared to before. I would also be as bold as to say that a lot of the people who are complaining that they aren't getting to see all the "stories" about their friends that they did in the past, are the same people who complained that the newsfeed was too invasive and stalkerish in the first place.

I guess my point is that people are often too quick to fight against change. In a month or two everyone complaining about the new Facebook will have forgotten about their issues, and in all likelihood will have found something else to complain about.

Pecha Kucha

I was fortunate enough to attend Pecha Kucha Vol. 2 last night here in Fresno at the Starline.

What is Pecha Kucha you ask? Read this.

From all accounts it was a great success, especially since its only the second Pecha Kucha event held in Fresno, and the first one they actually started charging for. It was standing room only by the time the show started, with estimates of 150+ attendees. I got there early, and had great seats (can you pick me out of the first picture from the BeeHive post on the event?)

I really enjoyed Walmer Medina and James Collier's presentations, but all that I got to see where interesting in their own right.

While talking with my friend Andrew Ellenberger who attended with me, I thought that my Dad could make a great presentation at one of these things with his collection of Cereal Boxes. Of course, narrowing down his collection to 20 slides might in fact be the most difficult task.

I am really looking forward to attending Vol. 3 on June 8, 2009.

Decision Paths

This article from Noisy Decent Graphics was very interesting. It basically talks about how even when signs are clearly showing a detour (specifically with walking paths) people are usually tempted to at least check out the potential obstructions for themselves so they can make their own decisions. The point is also made that the larger a group, the longer it takes to make a decision about the path to take.

I thought about the marketing implications about this. If people are skeptical or at least don't always blindly follow instructions, how does this affect the marketing of instructions? How often do people read cover to cover a user manual, or read the fine print on a receipt outlining a store's return policy, or pay attention to the potentially life-saving safety instructions after boarding a plane? Not very often is my guess.

I think one way around this would be to make things more interactive. It gives people a certain amount of that decision making process, and also gives them the important information.

One idea I had, which could have multiple applications, is using those paper wheels that you spin around and line up certain things and information is revealed in little boxes. How much more interesting do you think airplane safety information would be if it was on one of those things?

What ideas do you have for making instructions clear and more enjoyable?

Traveling to Europe?

If you are planning on any traveling to Europe, especially if you are wanting to do it on a budget. I would suggest checking out my Squidoo lens on European budget travel. It is a compendium of the basics of my knowledge of european travel. It should give you a good basis for planning a trip to Europe. If you need more advice, feel free to contact me. I'm always happy to help fellow travelers out for a nominal fee, depending on how well I know you of course.

Twenty-Twelve or Two Thousand Twelve?

Check out this article on Boing Boing about what we should call the years, especially in this first century of the millennium.

I've thought a lot about this topic, and I think we are on the right track. For the first 10 years of the millennium it is awkward to call the years anything but Two Thousand________. Specifically the year Two Thousand (2000), you wouldn't call it Twenty or Twenty Hundred. Same with a year like 2005, it wouldn't be Twenty-Five, because that is a different number than 2005 as you lose a zero. The year 2012 on the other hand can be said Twenty-Twelve because putting those numbers together doesn't lose any digits.

Another aspect of importance on this subject is things like sports video games. When coming out with new ones every year, the games are distinguished by the year. This intrigued me back in the late 90s when I was trying to guess what the games would be called in the new millennium. Early on the games were, for example, NCAA Football 99, then NCAA Football 2000-2005, then in 2006 and beyond it became NCAA Football 06.

I think that 2010 will be the official start of people getting back into the Twenty-Ten etc. of saying the year. I do think there will be a transition period because of the pattern of the last 10 years. By the time we get to 2011, most people will have stopped saying Two Thousand Eleven because Twenty-Eleven is the path of least resistance.

Facebook Game

I just came up with a time-killing game that you can play on Facebook.

Step 1 - Pick 2 friends on Facebook (preferrably 2 that don't necessarily run in the same circles)
Step 2 - Go to the profile page of 1 of those friends and click on one of their friends that show up in their "Friends" box
Step 3 - Continue to click on friends of these friends until you eventually make your way to the other friend you chose in step 1.

That's all. Can you think of any adjustments or changes that might make this game even more fun and interesting.

Clever Company Slogan

On my way home from work the other day, I saw this truck. I took a double take just to make sure I read the slogan correctly, but I apparently did.

Twitpic Picture

This truck belongs to a Framing and Construction company called Felix Haro Construction.

While I don't necessarily agree with the content of the slogan, I think it does qualify as being very clever, creative, and buzz-worthy.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

I found this video on Hulu the other day. It is an enjoyable musical starring the talented Neil Patrick Harris as a man who wishes to become a super-villain. It was released in three acts totaling about 45 minutes. The entire episode is available at Hulu.

If you've got some extra time, check it out.