doesn't have to be complicated >> to be good

occasionally I happen across a website that I like the look and feel of straight away. zapata design is just one, I am not even sure how I found it or what I was looking for. the site was designed by patricia zapata a graphic designer with over 10 years experience in professional services and consumer product design.

however a lot has been said recently after the cost of the london olympic logo (don't go there!) was made public. a bad example but it did get design and designers in the news.

it is difficult to put a value on ability, in my opinion the zapata web design gets close to a pure simple yet considered layout with a clear navigation with great subtle touches. and I just like it.

its back to 'the hub' >> I am still trying

I haven't given up on 'the hub', I have mentioned it on this blog a few times.
it is a silly idea really, not because it wouldn't work as I believe it would but it would be just too expensive, and unless created in its entirety it would not have the same impact.

I don't now why but it has continued to make me think about the use of space in an educational situation and will still for a long time yet.
I have clearly seen that students or learners of any age react to their surrounding in such different ways but one thing they all do it respect something that had been designed with their use and only their use in mind, rather than something that just looks good.

futurelab have some really good stuff on their web site but it still follows the classroom model, in the original sense. however I like their (now unfortunately closed) invitation for ideas to create a better working and study space for learners.

I think what I am trying to say is that students are led to believe that a classroom must be quiet and the teacher speaks and the students listen the process is then repeated over and over for an hour. then they move on to someone else (another teacher) doing the same thing in another room that looks the same. in the later years of education I believe it is not really preparing them for employment or further vocational study because the situation is so different to the work place.

I know when I am studying I usually like it to be quiet but I well remember not to far from the college I graduated from there was a pub full of books looking as much like an old book shop or library as it did a pub.

it did get very lively in the evening yet within that environment some of us read books, often books we would not have even given a second chance in a way that was alien to us but good fun.

that said I want to make it absolutely clear that I am not advocating student of any age drinking alcohol in classrooms.

I do think that consideration to different solutions has to be found. just consider most of the larger waterstones book shops have a costa coffee shop in them to encourage browsers to spend more time thinking reading and in the end buying, a result as far as retail.

here are some current educational space practitioners web sites to have a look at if you are interested further.
ncaltd.com
tq.com
jisc.ac.uk

to be continued....................

oops! flowers again?

didn't have an especially great or interesting day but I took this flower photo, and some more check my flickr for even more flowers and loads of other stuff.
rather than being negative I just thought I would wait to be in a better mood.
not bloggers block or anything. it is more like tiredness and a bad shoulder again, yawn, yawn.

writing stuff down

for a long time I considered writing lists was an excuse for not doing it (thinking that the fact you had written it down was sort of doing it) so I never wrote lists.
over time perhaps my thinking changed or my memory has become less good or more likely I have more to remember.
so for the last few years I have written (scribbled) stuff down in my filofax. things that are happening that day or plans for the next day pretty normal way of working really and as close to lists as I have ever got (normally without comment so not really a diary).
I have never succumbed to the to do culture that is too contrived for me.
I tend judge my life by how much scribble there is. as I look back through the scribble of the last few days (first photo). I can see that my week was pretty busy but this weekend (second photo) and the beginning of next week is not, as defined by the lack of scribble (scribble = good) and that makes me worry. I still like to have too much to finish another 80's throw back perhaps. luckily I have the surfing article to get done (third photo). I am sure by tuesday my pages will be full of scribble again.

today went to fast >> sunshine and thoughts of summer

today went too quickly I only had a short time it seemed until I was eating lunch with maria and jules. I couldn't resist taking this picture. It was of part of my lunch, it looked so good in the spring sunshine. after that the day simply flew past.
we had sunshine pretty much all day today. just spoken to gabes he was full of the joys of a spring day he had got down to the beach even had a skate as well. specially for him I thought I would add this publicity picture for the 60's film endless summer a surfing classic. it says a lot about how things have changed but even gabes at nearly 14 can relate to parts of the surfing lifestyle or his perception of the that lifestyle, any way it is a great picture.

whilst on a nostalgic theme I have to include a picture of a man that I hold in particular high esteem, george greenough (pictured here in about '73) who was and still is a phenomenal surfer and photographer and if that wasn't enough a very creative designer as well. surf boards, it was george who really brought kneeboarding to the notice of other surfers and non-surfers in the late 60's early 70's.
he is responsible for designing the 'spoon' the board he is holding in the picture. as well as camera housing equipment, and inspired many through his use of film images set to music. echos (pink floyd) at the end of the classic surf film crystal voyager being his most famous film. It is amazing how different a day can be just because it is bright and sunny, I was busy all day but don't really feel I produce much of the things I wanted to do.

I did finally get my podcast to work check it at dgthekneelo.podbean by going round in circles but eventually sorting it out. then after that davidthedesigner left me a very welcome message telling me about some audio software audacity (I had not heard of) I also downloaded an extra patch in addition to audacity enabling me to export to mp3 LAME no excuses now.
already I have had a play with and it seems it is an answer to making the audio podcast bursts I have been trying to create for the past couple of weeks, at what is good is that it is free! thanks for the tip davidthedesigner.

any way must get on I have too many projects on the go at the moment and to really need get back in to the design for 'the hub'.

photography >> surfing

I am going to make this a short post returning to a passion that I have. I must have taken hundreds and hundreds of pictures of the ocean and surfing and the beach. I never can quite capture the
way it was.

rob machado

joe curren

as with most things there are people who provide inspiration perhaps aspiration but whatever the reason I just like their work for no other than because I do.

paul kennedy

it is not the just technical quality of the photos/imagery but the feeling they project. some day I will be able to capture it but until then I will (as is so often said) 'just keep looking'.

this weeks >> end >> my twitter >> open office

I have been doing a lot of this this week I don't mean creating documents (i do that every week) but making sure every thing is in place, to say the stress has been on would be an understatement. I am sure that others involved will say that I didn't have to do much but it is all about perception. I now have a week to reflect and prepare for the next challenge, it is really odd that the enjoyment of a stressful situation is after it has happened.
I have been testing open-office for the environment I work / teach in and have to say it is pretty good so far, will be testing it more this week but would love to hear from anyone who uses it in a network situation. finally set up a my twitter account, not sure why, it is not like I don't have enough to do! will be out visiting things tomorrow.

gilbert lee >> pure simple designs

I am going to have to stop looking as I am distracted by so much. I should be working on some important stuff for me tonight but I had to mention gilbert lee the designer behind PlainSimple, a company focused on providing simple and easy-to-use software for team collaboration. I am impressed by the simplicity of his journal/blog some really pure images and photographs.