Wednesday: July 7, 2010
- State of the GLM: Yes, I'm still here. No, I'm not dead.
You may have noticed that GLM has gone rather quiet for the past two-three months or so in terms of any and all content on the site. This post serves as a status update to alleviate any fears that GeekLikeMe is gone for good. Quite the contrary my dear friends. And yes, while I could run down the list of excuses as to why the site hasn't been updated, I'm sure they would just bore you to tears. To save us all some time I shall sum up in two words: work and parenthood.
For work I have been diving into the grand world of Objective-C programming for the past six months and I still haven't managed to come up for air. Hopefully when I'm actually able to take a deep breath I'll have an array of iPhone and iPad apps to show for it. Also on this note I'd like to state that I very well may have taken the most ass-backwards route in getting into a new programming language. Nevertheless, it's been a rewarding and infuriating process thus far but I'm learning a lot and I think it'll turn out well in the end.
I don't think I have to say much about parenthood other than sleep is a sought-after commodity and there are only so many hours in a day. This has turned out to be a major contributing factor to the current lack of posting. Shocker.
But now onto much better news: a new version of GeekLikeMe.net is in the works yet again and I've decided to make a design choice right off the bat. I recently took a trip down memory lane courtesy of archive.org's wayback machine. After feeling somewhat nostalgic about the old GLM design I decided that maybe it was time to return to the minimalist roots yet again. More details and information about the new site coming soon!
P.S. You can also follow me on Twitter even though I have yet to tweet anything. Oops, scratch that.
Monday: May 17, 2010
- Apple beats out Whole Foods and Nordstrom for best shopper experience title.
Factors that contribute to a good shopping experience, according to the survey, include having customer-centric store design, maintaining shopper history data, creating ambiance, and carrying and displaying a well-organized, 'rationalized' product assortment.
Wednesday: May 12, 2010
- Twenty fresh high-quality free fonts courtesy of the folks from Smashing Magazine.
Every designer knows that it can never hurt to have some quality fonts laying around in your design arsenal for a rainy day. Having too many shitty fonts in your library and using said shitty fonts often, well that's another story.
- Eight websites you need to stop building according to The Oatmeal.
After carefully perusing this comic (and laughing a little bit too loud for office-level volumes) I was a little discomforted by the fact that the Pork'd mock design looks ridiculously similar to the current version of GLM. I guess I was a little generic with this iteration, might be time for a redesign methinks.
Tuesday: May 11, 2010
- Have a peek at some near-final screenshots of the Windows Phone 7 interface.
I find parts of this user interface to be very depressing (granted it's not final but near-final sounds like their pretty close). The data entry screens are bland, colorless, and lifeless. Almost as if you're signing a death warrant on someone when you want to add them as a contact. Not very inviting.
- A showcase of blogs with unique post designs for your viewing pleasure.
It seems like these days everyone is using the same old blog template or the same tired Wordpress theme (although I've seen some pretty amazing Tumblr themes). Regardless, I'm a sucker for blogs that don't actually look like your average blog and stray from the formula. The end result is what some are calling a 'blogazine'. Enjoy.
- Wikipedia may get a facelift in the near future.
The new design promises to to make things easier for our users and introduce simpler editings tools - which should make spreading false information about a subject even easier! You can learn more about the changes that are being planned on their FAQ page.
Monday: May 10, 2010
- An interesting writeup on iPad usability from Jakob Nielsen.
This post contains most of my reasoning as to why I haven't purchased an iPad just yet. I can't seem to rationalize how the device fits into my overall usage scheme. The iPhone seems to do everything I would use an iPad for - and it does a heck of a good job at everything it already does.
- Twelve stylish and creative sinks for your viewing pleasure.
Any sink you come across today will look dated and unappealing after seeing the photos contained on this link. Sure, they may not always be quite as functional as a regular sink but who cares - I've always wanted a sink that resembles a water slide.
Tuesday: April 20, 2010
- A handy Photoshop tutorial regarding how to create your very own realistic paper textures.
Not sure just what version of Photoshop you'll need to pull this off but you can probably find multiple methods in earlier versions should you be so inclinded to do so. Quick note, the best use of digital paper design on a blog goes to Panic.
Thursday: April 15, 2010
- A collection of the world's strangest buildings for you to gawk at.
Sorry, but you won't find any, as Travel & Leisure puts it, 'goofball novelty' buildings on this list. On the plus side, if you've always wanted to see what a bar-code building looks like then this post has your numeric ID all over it.
Tuesday: April 13, 2010
- Forty awesome Batman wallpapers to adorn your currently non-batty desktop.
Are you a big fan of the Dark Knight ? Know almost every line to every Batman movie both modern and classic? Wait a minute, where are all the retro-style Batman desktops? Oh well, Google image search to the rescue.
Monday: April 12, 2010
- Adobe Creative Suite 5 now available for all you serious design folk out there.
The cost for getting yourself the latest and greatest set of Adobe design tools will set you back $1,699. If you happen to be thinking of going full-blown Master edition, you'll be plunking down $2,599. The iPhone Packager Tool may or may not be included with your purchase.
Monday: April 5, 2010
- Eight rules for creating effective typography that you should probably know about.
This is a great read for any designer (be it web or print) who might be looking to beef up their current typography skills a little bit. Some items you'll learn about include kerning, font communication and what they mean in regards to effective use of typography.
Thursday: April 1, 2010
- Twitter revamps their homepage to in effort to make Twitter easier to understand.
To me, this revamp is actually a much welcomed step in the right direction as you can plainly see the 'realtime-ness' that didn't appear to be there with their previous version. Trending topics scroll across in realtime along with top tweets from select users. Not bad.
Friday: March 26, 2010
- Thirty free fonts for that next retro/vintage design you happen to be working on.
Every now and again it's good for a designer to breathe some new life into their beloved font collection. This site lists out thirty new typefaces that you can use to spruce up that project. Go ahead, go have some retro fun.
Wednesday: March 24, 2010
- Fifteen unique and creative staircases for your viewing pleasure.
After seeing some of these photos (particularly the slide plus stairs combination) I am suddenly realizing that my current set of stairs is in desperate need of a makeover. I just need to figure out where I can fit the slide.
- Ten of the most commonly used colors in web design with examples.
Need some creative inspiration to get started on that next design project? This post showcases how other designers are using colors to their advantage and even touches on the associated feelings some of these colors convey.
Tuesday: March 23, 2010
- The @ symbol now officially a work of art thanks to NYC's Museum of Modern Art.
In honor of the little squiggly's potency, the Museum of Modern Art in New York announced on Monday that it had added the @ symbol to its architecture and design collection, citing its 'design power.'
Wednesday: March 17, 2010
- Eight common CSS mistakes and how you can fix them.
Yep, this about covers every mistake I've made along the way so far in my learning of CSS. Looking over my source code now it seems there are still a few I've yet to correct. Regardless, if you're just starting out learning the ins and outs of CSS, read this first - it may save you some tim e (and potential headaches). Good luck.
Tuesday: March 9, 2010
- Eleven of the world's craziest roads for you to gawk at.
Enjoy this collection of wild and in most cases ridiculously dangerous modes of travel. Maybe it's because I usually have video games on the brain but after seeing these pictures I really want to go play some Mario Kart.
Thursday: March 4, 2010
- Twelve very creative home wallpapers for your viewing pleasure.
If pixelated wallpaper isn't your thing there are ton of other interesting designs listed over on the other side of the click. The color palette/wallpaper idea sounds like a fun weekend project as Home Depot sure doesn't seem to mind the taking of those free swatch colors (you may need multiple trips to get away with it though).
Monday: March 1, 2010
- Eleven tips for making for your home (or work) office more comfortable.
This article seems to be geared to freelancers probably because the source website is all about freelancing. Well, I say nay to that my friends. This article can cross freelancer/worker lines and apply to anyone who happens to have an office at their job as well. I need more plants.
- Daily Grind: Motivated
Name: Vin (aka springy)
Occupation: Webmaster / Procrastinator / Dad
How Vin feels today: Motivated @ 8:55:44 AM
What Vin really wants today: To welcome everyone back into the world of daily grind posting after taking an entire month and a half off. What can I say, it's been a crazy past 45-50 days or so.Music Stuck in Head: New York City Traffic
Recently I've taken a break from listening to music on my morning commute into the city. These days I'm all about playing Scramble (free app) on the good old iPhone. Passes the time quite nicely.Stuff to do today:
- Attempt to post new photo to photoblog at some point today
- Continue achievement hunting through Ghostbusters: The Video Game for Xbox 360
- Some of these achievements are just ridiculous
- Mini review of game: mildly enjoyable, lots of wasted potential, flat voice acting (looking at you Bill Murray)
- Find time to watch Termination: Salvation
- Mini review of movie: wasn't all that bad, quite predictable but not overly terrible
Monday: February 8, 2010
- Heinz pulls the curtain back on brand new ketchup packet design. Behold!
Say goodbye to those hard to open splatter-prone ketchup packets. Say hello to the totally redesigned peel-back-BBQ-sauce-like-dipping-style design. Wait, it took them this long to figure this one out?
Thursday: February 4, 2010
- Forty-seven amazing CSS3 demonstrations for your viewing pleasure.
Behold the mighty power of CSS3 which can take on some powerful animation techniques (thus negating the need for Flash or intense JavaScript). You'll need a webkit compliant browser (Safari, Chrome) to enjoy said demos though.
Wednesday: February 3, 2010
- A list of thirty-five web design mistakes you should try to avoid.
Are you an aspiring web designer? Thinking of making a name for yourself on the big world wide web? Then follow this well put together guide and you'll be on your way to web success in no time.
Friday: January 29, 2010
- The golden rules of site redesign as told by Some Random Dude.
A good read for my fellow webnerds out there that might be thinking and/or planning about a potential redesign. Be it for work or for personal use, this is a good starting point before you actually get started.
Monday: January 25, 2010
- The many advantages and methods to using a CSS reset implementation.
Everything you ever wanted and/or needed to know about the beauty of CSS reset all on one handy article. Yes, this site employs a CSS reset implementation as I'm sure you were dying to know.
Wednesday: January 13, 2010
- Five branding basics that every logo designer should know about.
When Coca-Cola briefly changed their formula in 1985, people flipped over sabotaged history. Can you imagine their reaction if Coca-Cola changed their name to Sanscoca Fizzola? Exactly.
