April 2009

Ora ilLegale Clock

Ora ilLegaleI love innovative solutions to common problems!

There are always a ton of ways to "build a better mousetrap" out there. There are some that do improve an idea, while others can overcomplicate the process or offer little innovation. Ah, but sometimes, there is that moment where the entire core of a problem is boiled down to it's most basic essence and an elegant solution that seems so obvious presents itself!

Setting clocks for daylight savings time can be a tedious task depending on your clock... You may have to hit a combination of buttons, clicking away, until you get an hour back or forward or you may have to play with dial wheels and clock hands. It's something we just kind of take for granted.

WiiSpray

in

I love to see projects that marry technology and art to open up whole new worlds for creativity.

This is a pretty cool project using Nintendo Wii controls and Flash to produce virtual graffiti. You can select paints, control spray and even use stencils to spray through. The templates look like they are controlled using a handheld representation of a stencil card that responds to movement and rotation ala Microsoft's Surface.

More info and video at wiispray.com.

Gall's Law: How to Evolve a Working System

This is from a post on Daring Fireball about Apple but the quote, Gall's Law, is something to keep in mind while working with any system or any project in work or life - Start simple and evolve.

"A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. The inverse proposition also appears to be true: A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be made to work. You have to start over, beginning with a working simple system."