V, originally uploaded by combustionchamber.

RIM’s CEO sees iPhone as “dangerous” – Of course he does. Duh.
MacNN: AT&T survey hints at iChat on iPhone? – I hate speculation, but this is the only thing stopping me from buying the iPhone. We all can see the empty bottom rows on the iPhone menu screen, we know Apple will keep releasing new functionality every few months, slowly driving the stake further into other mobile companies’ chests.
The iPhone Threat to Adobe, Microsoft, Sun, Real, BREW, Symbian (via Daring Fireball) – I see no need to have Flash or Java on the iPhone. There are tons of MP3 players with many more features that the iPod, but who’s #1? Less is more people, less is more.
Survey: Windows loses ground with developers – “Linux gaining share as the number of developers targeting Windows falls 12 percent, Evans Data says”
CEOs Must Be Designers, Not Just Hire Them. (via kottke) – Heed to design people. Heed!
Andy Rutledge: Quiet Structure

Quiet structure is achieved when you de–emphasize the structural elements; the containing boxes, structural lines, bullets, structural color elements, etc… and bring a rhythmical consistency to the layout. The result is that the content becomes more conspicuous and the overall clarity of presentation is greatly enhanced.

drunk cab ride, originally uploaded by combustionchamber.

Palm’s chief Ed Colligan back in November (I wrote about this in my entry from 21 Nov 2007):

“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone,” he said. “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”

You can learn a lot about what someone is really thinking by the language they use. Looking at this quote again, I like how he says they’re working to make a decent phone. If you’re mindset is ‘decent’, then don’t expect to produce anything exceptional.
So it has come to be. You were very wrong Ed. As a faithful Treo user for 3 years, I hope you innovate the shit out of the Treo and give Apple some competition, until then, I’ll be enjoying my iPhone – next month, that is, when I actually try to buy it.
I know what some of you are thinking, and it can be summed up in this scene from Clerks:
Audio MP3:

Randal: I hope it feels good.
Customer: You hope what feels good?
Randal: I hope it feels so good to be right. There is nothing more exhilarating than pointing out the shortcomings of others, is there?
Customer: Well this is the last time I ever rent here…
Randal: You’ll be missed.
Customer: Screw you!
[The customer storms out. Randal runs out into the street.]
Randal: Hey you’re not allowed to rent here anymore!
Jay: Yeah!

If you’re wondering, it does feel good to have known that the iPhone was going to be a hit.

Hey! my co-worker Paula just launched her fresh new site, 365 Days. Check it out, she crops her photos into squares. I kinda dig that.

photo credit: Paula Tsai, 365 Days

RealPlayer beta released: no Mac, iPod support (yet) – Does anyone still use RealPlayer?
“Maybe” is one option too many – Zeldman’s right about getting rid of Maybe on sites like Evite, but I’m not down with his argument for 4 star ratings being a better alternative to 5-star ratings.
I’m also not buying his argument, E-mail is not a platform for design. What’s smart is using services like (or adopting practices like) Campaign Monitor that allow you to create HTML and plain text versions of your messages.

IMG_5177.JPG, originally uploaded by combustionchamber.

IMG_5209.JPG, originally uploaded by combustionchamber

l.v.10, originally uploaded by stoptimephotos.

I’ve discovered a Flickr Group made just for me – Art of Classic Cars (DETAIL SHOTS ONLY!). Love it.

Things Fall Apart – by Devoid of Yesterday. (via k10k)

Continue…

After a long lapse in shooting photos, I got back out on the streets of New York with my Canon Rebel and shot some photos. I brought along with me my telephoto and 50mm lenses (like the one we used to have on our Pentax K1000’s in college, damn that sounded old).

A beautiful, shiny Cutlass in the East Village.

Continue…

original Olympics logo:

London 2012 Olympics logo:

Dropping a pile of shit into an ice cream cone would make for a memorable (albeit foul and inappropriate) logo for the Olympics. Just because it’s memorable and would provoke a lot of arguments doesn’t mean its good.
The bottom line is a logo’s responsibility is to distill a huge amount of information and ideas into ONE MARK that conveys the essence of a product, brand, company or event.
The London 2012 logo not only miscommunicates, but needs the original Olympics logo embedded INTO it in order to put it in context! I don’t call that a ‘design element’, I call that a crutch.
End of discussion.

My friend Bryan recently got back from Vegas …and some of the Nevada deserts. What he brought back was some cool stories and some great pictures, check them out on his new photography page.

Adobe Create Suite 3 – is it me, or do they seem to be going a little Windows Vista-y with their various package deals?