Ideas and Discoveries
books
Best iPhone Apps: Reinventing (and Designing) Books in the Web Era
Or, “Why I wrote and designed an entire book in Pages.” The web has changed the way we read, and my new book is part of an experiment to create a new kind of print storytelling, with lessons for writers, designers, and publishers alike.
apple
The Future in Your Pocket, and Why I'm Writing Another Book
My new book, Best iPhone Apps, comes straight out of my childhood yearning for this very device.
creativity
Marathons, Makers, and Surviving the Dark Middle
In the dark middle of the race, runners need encouragement, reminders that they’re strong, that the finish is ahead: plausible, real, within reach.
art
David Byrne Never Stops Making Sense
David Byrne’s concert in Paris was an inspiring reminder of the simple pleasure of sharing the amazing stuff you make.
apple
My Latest Project: A Book
I signed a contract last month with O’Reilly to write a book about Apple’s iWork software, and I couldn’t be more tickled.
process
Dot Your I’s
A clever logo solution smuggles in the required legalese without cluttering the design.
art
Jacques Villeglé: The Original Mashup
An exhibition of torn poster art asks fascinatingly relevant questions in an era of online mashups and user-generated content.
community
Winning the Uphill Battle
Paris solves a problem with its bike-sharing program by turning hill-climbing into a game.
business
Future of Web Apps: Finding Light in Dark Times
An uncertain economy makes it a good time for web workers to return to good-for-the-web core values.
conference
“Future of Web Apps” in My Immediate Future
I’m zipping under the English Channel to attend the FOWA conference in London.
business
Follow the Grid, Skip the Lines
My post office features a clever heat-map grid to announce slow and busy hours. A perfect idea for the web.
icons
C’est la Beach
As Paris morphs into the Riviera, some clever icon design works its own transformation.
amazon
Amazon Image Bookmarklets
Add these to your browser for easy access to large images of book covers, album art or commercial products.
c25k
No Pain, No Pain: The “Couch to 5K” and Humane Design
I wrote the “C25K” training program for new runners over a decade ago. Its philosophy overlaps neatly with my philosophy of software design.
bigmedium
Controlled
Your faithful correspondent fell under the browbeating eye of authority on a few recent and essentially trivial occasions, making me think a bit about the effects of control, rule enforcement and tone in my own work.
art
Design Treasures Found and Lost in the Paris Métro
Tons of cool historical design in the Paris subway is getting gutted.