Life in Pixels

haud ignota loquor

  • I didn’t choose the archi life…

    … the archi life chose me.

    One year is already down. Amazing how quickly time flies. One year of architecture has made me realise how challenging, exciting and angst-ridden this course is.

    For those interested in architecture, and in beginning or considering their studies in this course, know this: architecture is a course like no other. You will learn to think in a totally different way, and you’ll suddenly become exceptionally consumed by it. You’ll begin to see things around you, wherever you go: architecture exists wherever humans are on this planet.

    You will stay up for days upon end, agonizing over the smallest of details, drafting master plans for structures that will never see a life beyond the presentation paper. You will get frustrated, angsty, philosophical. Sometimes, you might even become totally intolerable to anyone outside of the studio (studio culture means that “we’re all in this together,” – everyone in there will understand your pain).

    So why, then, do we do this? Why do us prospective architects put ourselves through six arduous years of all-nighters, AutoCAD anxiety and concept-driven frustration?

    Because we need it. We need  architecture to keep ourselves sane. It’s the one weapon that we know we can wield in the face of 21st-century challenges: urbanization, climate change, economic fluctuation. We know that we can’t deal with a 9-5 job pushing paper; we have the urge to create skyscrapers, cities, homes. We have the deep-set need to transform people’s lives through the most tangible manner possible: creating something out of nothing. It’s definitely a love/hate relationship, but then again, isn’t anything creative like that?

  • BlackBerry 10: Why it matters

    Here’s the thing: even though I’m a BlackBerry user (I just got a new Bold 9790 a few weeks ago), I’ve been a strong opponent of Research in Motion’s brand for quite some time. But the reason I’ve stuck with them is simply because here, in South Africa, the BlackBerry is so popular, and so economical, that it just makes sense to get one just to keep in touch with the plethora of friends I have on the BBM network. Plus, the BIS internet service is a major draw for a heavy internet user like myself.

    But the platform still has its problems. Even though BlackBerry 7.1, the latest version of the operating system powering these smartphones, was released a few months ago, it’s incredibly outdated. It’s a system that has tried to live in the shadow of iOS, and that’s clear in the rough manner in which touch has been slapped onto the interface almost as if it was an afterthought. The BlackBerry OS has become so bloated, and so old, that the only logical way forward for Research in Motion is to simply scrap it, and start-over.

    Which is exactly what they’ve done with BlackBerry 10.

    It’s fresh, powerful, and a completely new take on the mobile operating system – in fact, on the whole mobile experience. It’s a completely different approach to the now tired and iterative Android and iOS updates. And that’s why I’m really rooting for RIM, and hoping that the BlackBerry manages to regain its strength, even if it is to serve as a true, deadly competitor to Apple and Google in the hopes that those companies will be kicked back into the innovation mode once again.

    They’ve done away with the concept of the “application grid”, which can result in having to “nest” very deep into an app, getting lost in the multiple layers, wasting time when you need it the most.

    The two main features, then, of the user experience are called BlackBerry Hub and Flow. The Flow relates to the fluid new gestures that you use when accessing the device. Peek is a pretty cool feature that allows you to literally “peek” into parts of the screen. Unlocking the device is particularly nice; as you swipe the finger upwards, parts of the screen get revealed. Swiping completely opens the phone to you.

    Intrinsic to the architecture of BlackBerry 10 is The Hub: it runs on top of the platform, and you’re “always in” it. It allows you to see your upcoming events, messages and notifications. The beauty of it is that it’s accessible with a single gesture, with one finger.

    Then there’s BBM: perhaps the most important feature of the BlackBerry; the most defining feature. In BB10, this app has been completely redesigned, and it’s all about contacts. The contacts view is now more visual, displaying your friends in a grid format with their avatars. Peek is intrinsic here as well, and it allows you single-finger gestures to access parts of BBM like initiating a conversation.

    The “one thumb” approach to the interface, especially with the keyboard, makes BB10 a system that has been built for touch, and built for it in a highly efficient manner. The video below illustrates these points quite well:

    BlackBerry 10 is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2013. I’m really looking forward to it; it’s a new take on the mobile phone, and I truly hope it can bring BlackBerry back into the mobile game against Android and iOS.

  • Why do we write?

    Us writers, artists, creators of all sorts… we’re a curious branch of the human species. We are content with basking in solitude so that we may create something collectively greater than our being. I’m reminded, when ruminating on the reasons for artistic creation, by this quote:

    “Writing is a struggle against silence.” – Carlos Fuentes

    It is, indeed. The other day I watched an interview on BBC World News’ Talking Books. In it, the author being interviewed discussed how he believed that all writers are “tortured souls” – that we are very distinct from the rest of the population: we’re happy to remain, for prolonged periods of time, alone in a room. Writers are never content with the world they live in; they’re always seeking out new places, dreaming up new universes in which the possibilities of their imagination may exist. They feel compelled to write, to escape in the torrent of words.

    Writing and designing, two facets of my life that occupy most of my attention, have brought me to realise the struggle that artistic creation can bring: it’s a constant frustration, a feeling that the mechanics you’ve implied upon the subject you’re defining are crumbling in upon themselves; that sometimes, perhaps it’s just easier to start-over. I’ve had many re-starts in creative endeavours. My writing folder on my MacBook is littered with false-starts of manuscripts that will perhaps never see the light of day. But then I think upon the quote above – the “struggle against silence.” Often, instead of just giving up on the thing you’re creating, it’s better to persevere with it, to just go with the flow of the creative experience, and see where that stream takes you.

    So then, why do we write? Why do we paint, draw, design? Perhaps it’s because, even though it can be a struggle, against frustration, against silence, it’s a struggle we enjoy: the challenge of creating something out of nothing, that romantic notion of contributing, or commenting, on the human experience, draws us like moths to the flame.

  • Skeuomorphism and Apple’s New Direction

    From Daring Fireball’s John Gruber:

    But the big news today is about Jony Ive. I don’t think it can be overstated just how big a deal it is that he now oversees all product design, hardware and software. For the last year, outside observers have been left to wonder just where the buck stopped for UI design at post-Jobs Apple. That question has now been answered: Jony Ive.

    Apple’s senior management has had a major reshuffle, with iOS chief Scott Forstall out, and other execs like Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and the legendary designer, Sir Jonathan Ive, taking on roles with added responsibility.

    The blogs have been alive with much speculation as to why Forstall was fired from Apple, but for me the biggest news is that Jony Ive will be leading the user interface division of Apple, along with his current activities as the company’s leading industrial designer.

    From the press release:

    Jony Ive will provide leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his role as the leader of Industrial Design. His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple’s products for more than a decade. (source: http://www.apple.com)

    In Apple’s recent software products – recent versions of iOS and OS X – the design trend of skeuomorphism has been a growing tendency. Many speculate this to be the influence of Forstall, but it dates back to the Jobs era when Steve himself was a major proponent of the style. For those that don’t know what skeuomorphic design is, here’s the definition of it (from the OS X dictionary on-board my MacBook)

    skeuomorph |ˈskjuːə(ʊ)mɔːf|noun: an object or feature which imitates the design of a similar artefact in another material.

    The design has made its way into many of OS X’s native apps, such as Calendar and Address Book. The major defining characteristics are leather stitching and textured backgrounds. The idea is to try and convey a feeling of a well-designed product. However, in my design-student’s perspective, I’m not much of a fan of this trend. Computers are technological products, and their design should reflect this. Apple’s integrated hardware/software philosophy seems to fall short in the use of skeuomorphism; the design of apps like Calendar and Address Book run perpendicular to the sleek aesthetic of the company’s Mac lineup. Similarly, apps like Game Centre on iOS devices conflict with these products’ hardware.

    Jony Ive, who brought life to ubiquitous gadgets such as the iPod, iPhone and MacBook lines will now also be involved in the user interface of Apple’s software. I am extremely excited about this news; it means that the integration of Apple’s products will indeed be unparalleled. Software is a major part of 1 Infinite Loop’s newer devices such as the iPad, and Ive’s influence in this aspect of the product will indeed be greatly felt.

    This news is also important in that it marks a new era for Apple. This is perhaps the single most important corporate development since Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO last year. Sure, Tim Cook is an influential CEO, but it is Jony Ive who is the real soul of the company. He was one of the only designers at a tech company to be reporting directly to the CEO during Jobs’ reign (a symbol of the importance Jobs gave to industrial design over raw engineering), and thus, his leadership of the two highest-level departments at Apple, the world’s most valuable company, makes him quite an influential figure socially, culturally and technologically.

    I wish him all the very best, from one designer to another 😉

  • The Casual Vacancy: A tale of life, and tragedy

    This is not a review of J.K. Rowling’s new novel, The Casual Vacancy. There are plenty of professional, well-written analyses of this much anticipated book out there (look here and here).

    This is simply a post about my thoughts on the book upon completing it yesterday evening.

    It’s very difficult for a writer who has become synonymous with her work, to carve a new niche for herself. There’s, for one, a lot of expectation about what the new work will be about. It will undoubtedly be judged against her previous works. For Rowling, I felt that she handled this book with brilliant deft of hand, switching gracefully to the realm of adult fiction.

    The Casual Vacancy is a far cry from the Harry Potter series. Whilst Potter had its moments of seriousness and plenty brooding darkness, this latest novel ups the notch on the gritty factor.

    Vacancy is a book about death, life, tragedy and triumph. It’s about all that occurs in a small British town – gossip, revelations, feuds and friendships tested. The cover jacket captures the book’s essence quite aptly: “A big novel about a small town…”

    More than anything, it makes some stark statements about life. This was especially apparent in the final pages of the novel, at its climax and resulting dénouement. It makes one pause for a moment, and consider that life is happening around us, and we should take it in as much as possible.

    Interestingly, there is no main character in this book, as there was so clearly in Harry Potter. Sure, we can argue that Barry Fairbrother is a central character, yet we only glimpse him in the first few pages; thereafter, he prevails as an essence that binds the multitude of characters together.

    There’s a lot of characters in this book. I mean, a lot. It often gets difficult to keep track of relationships, but I found that as I got further into the book, and became once again ensnared by Rowling’s storytelling charm, everything just seemed to flow. Yes, it is difficult to begin this book, but trust me, about a third of the way in, it becomes very difficult to put it down.

    I think this book is important on a number of levels. It serves, as I’ve mentioned before, as a comment on today’s society. It comments about the suddenness of life, and of death. It comments on the fickleness of people. It comments on greed and power, on traditions and culture, and the clash of ideologies. It follows multiple characters, allowing us to get into their heads and try and grasp the contrasting views bottled-up in the picturesque town of Pagford, a world imagined a million times differently to the warmness of Hogwarts.

    I try to refrain from making this thought-piece out like a review, but it really is just my take on this book. The ending will stick with me for a long time; Rowling allows us to amble comfortably through the book, and incrementally increases the pace into a devastating climax.

    The mistake many readers might make is to expect this novel to be on the lines of the Harry Potter series. And it couldn’t be any more different. There’s strong (and I mean disgustingly strong) language. The book is edgy, gritty, and very brutal in portraying these diverse characters. Yet it still contains Rowling’s soul in its execution; it’s honest and captivating. If you’re a Potter fan, and don’t wish to have your view of Rowling tainted by this novel, perhaps, then I suggest you steer well-clear from it. But if you like to read with an open mind, and enjoy getting lost in a book, then this is certainly a novel for you.

    In short, I thoroughly enjoyed it.