Stomacher – Untitled/Dark Divider from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

This is a great twist on augmented reality. Instead of the screen being the focus and the point where data and reality meet, here the screen is merely the starting point. The focus is instead a real product, in this case a kitchen, which has some clever lighting to change the colour and the texture of it’s surfaces. More here.

Virtuelles Design Studio für EGGER by Grosse8 from Grosse 8 on Vimeo.

Albeit a little intrusive: “And Then There Was Salsa”.

I love a good reel. Some day I’ll do one of my own. Some day.

2009 REEL from // Videodrome on Vimeo.

What happens when an article about logging using Facebook Connect achieves a high ranking in Google? You get an extremely interesting and humorous insight into the way many people use the internet.

Rather than typing Facebook into the address bar, many Facebook users get to their beloved social media by searching Google for “Facebook login”. Unfortunately earlier this month Read Write Web published a post about Facebook Connect which appeared above the actual Facebook login in Google results. Believing Facebook had changed it’s design and unable to login, hundreds of disgruntled Facebook users began venting their frustration via the comments on Read Write Web.

Check out the first couple of pages of comments on ReadWriteWeb for a laugh.

From a UX perspective it’s particularly disturbing that so many people missed so many cues that they were on the wrong website. Even when other uses pointed out the mistake they still didn’t understand the mix up and kept commenting.

The sheer amount of discussion about who the iPad is aimed at and what they’re meant to do with it should be ringing alarm bells. Have Apple dropped the ball this time? Then again, as some have pointed out, those people asking questions are probably not part of the target market. So while the iPad now seems to be off to a shaky start, in time it will probably turn into a success as more apps, uses and features are introduced.

This is the first thing people are missing; it’s the software, not the hardware, that will make the iPad a success.

So the target market is supposedly people who want a simplified way of surfing the web, sending email and generally consuming various media? Yes, most definitely. It’s for people who want an alternative to a laptop or desktop computer? No, most definitely not.

This is the second thing most people seem to be overlooking; the simple fact is that you need to already have a laptop or desktop computer to sync the iPad with. You need to be familiar with a Mac or PC in order to use an iPad. You also need to have the most up to date OS to sync with an iPad too. This will mean a lot of people lining up for iPads will also need to upgrade their OS or in some cases their hardware. Just as the iPod before it did, the iPad will have a halo effect on other Apple products.

That’s really the key here; Apple don’t want to have another product to compete with their existing products. They want you to buy an iPad in addition to their other products.

So if you’ve already got an up-to-date Mac or PC and probably an iPod or iPhone (as Apple claim “millions and millions of people are already familiar with it” ie the iPhone OS), why then would you want or need an iPad?

It’s simple really. The iPad is aimed at the living space; the places where people relax and entertain. The places where an iPhone is too small, the laptop is too tedious and the desktop is too far away. In terms of a device for multiple people to consume and share media in the living room or kitchen, it’s perfect.

Running the iPhone OS and syncing from another machine makes sense too. It’s best kept simple. Who could really be bothered maintaining a whole other device on top of  their desktop/laptop?

Not running Flash on the other hand does make sense in terms of Apple wanting to maintain a certain level of control over the performance and overall experience on the device. However how can you claim it’s the best way of viewing the web when a decent proportion of it is replaced by little blue blocks?

When the iPhone was first released I thought it was awesome but I couldn’t really justify my need for one. My Nokia and my iPod were just fine. Now that I have an iPhone I couldn’t imagine be getting by without one. Interestingly I have since started using my old iPod in the living room. That’s where it lives and it’s incredibly handy. If only it were just a little bigger…

The EyeWriter project is an ongoing collaborative research effort to empower people, who are suffering from ALS, with creative technologies. More information at eyewriter.org.

The Eyewriter from Evan Roth on Vimeo.

A stunning new ad for Guinness titled “World”. Featuring the new tagline “Bring it to life”, it plays on the idea that Guinness looks like it comes alive when poured into a pint glass.

An incredibly simple yet powerful campaign. More here.

“Beware the lolly-pop of mediocrity. Lick it once and you’ll suck forever” – Brian Wilson

“I’m a firm believer that Humpty Dumpty was pushed” – unknown

“Falling in love is awfully simple, but falling out of love is simply awful” – Anonymous

“Q: Why dont ad-men look out of the window in the morning? A: Because they would have nothing to do in the afternoon” – Jeremy Clarkson

“Hashtags are the new vulcan hand gesture.” via @kim

“Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.” – Doug Ivester

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” – Albert Einstein

“If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles” – Benjamin Franklin