cubicle 17

Create a simple timer using LaunchBar and AppleScript

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:11:49 -0600

Create a simple timer using LaunchBar and AppleScript:

The real problem with me is that sometimes I get so engrossed in what I’m doing on the computer that things like those listed above simply slip my mind, often to frustrating ends (e.g., a burnt pizza). In light of this, I wanted a simple and frictionless way to set up reminders for things that needed to be done in the very near future.

I’ve missed the “Run After Delay” feature since the day I switched from Quicksilver to Launchbar. Thanks to Justin, I have (a version of) the feature back, which is good because this feature is the only reason my laundry doesn’t sit half-done in the washing machine for 2 days straight.

"If you design something without any regard for or understanding of the end user’s interaction with..."

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:28:25 -0600

“If you design something without any regard for or understanding of the end user’s interaction with the product, what exactly are you doing?”

- Form over Function: A review of the Cube Jigger

Paul Rand’s business card. It’s damn-near perfect,...

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:11:05 -0600

Paul Rand’s business card.

It’s damn-near perfect, if you ask me. (via Monoscope)

“Objects in Mirror” Every now and again, I manage...

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:01:55 -0600

“Objects in Mirror”

Every now and again, I manage to take a picture with my iPhone that I really like.

Using no ink whatsoever, these 18”x24” posters...

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:38:00 -0600

Using no ink whatsoever, these 18”x24” posters are foil stamped and embossed to create an alphabet composed of letters from many of the more famous (and some infamous) logos of all time.

Want. (via SwissMiss)

Repeal Day is December 5th

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:34:24 -0600

Repeal Day is December 5th:

Jeffrey Morgenthaler thinks December 5th should be the US’s official “drinking holiday”:

December 5th is the anniversary of the day the United States repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and gave us all the constitutional right to consume alcohol. I’ve been celebrating Repeal Day for years by forcing this information down the throats of my customers, and now I’m forcing it on you.

Since I generally prefer to celebrate my birthday on weekends, and this year’s celebration will fall on Repeal Day, this calls for double the celebrating…right?

The Manhattan Street Corners

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:34:41 -0500

The Manhattan Street Corners:

The Manhattan Street Corners is my working title for a project to produce a comprehensive photographic portrait of everyday life at street level in daytime Manhattan. Between March and November, 2006, I systematically photographed each and every one of the island’s roughly 11,000 street corners.

Guess that’s roughly 11,000 pictures I’ll have to look through to decide which ones I want prints of. (via Coudal Partners)

My Canabalt for the iPhone binge yesterday raised an interesting...

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:08:20 -0500

My Canabalt for the iPhone binge yesterday raised an interesting question: why would anyone not want maximum awesome?

Cabel Sasser visits the Kashiwa Mystery Cafe

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:23:59 -0500

Cabel Sasser visits the Kashiwa Mystery Cafe:

Explaining why it’s a “mystery cafe” will ruin the story. (via waxy)

Independent Music Manifesto

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:11:00 -0500

Independent Music Manifesto:

So, if things are so great for the indies, does that mean loads of people are making loads of money? Not at all. But the false notion there is that any musicians were before! We haven’t moved from an age of riches in music to an age of poverty in music. We’ve moved from an age of massive debt and no creative control in music to an age of solvency and creative autonomy. It really is win/win.

I may not be a huge fan of the scotch, but I could watch this ad...

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:43:11 -0500

I may not be a huge fan of the scotch, but I could watch this ad for Johnnie Walker over and over again. Oh, and if you’re a behind-the-scenes kind of person, there’s an interview with the director that’s worth a quick read.

Using StickyScreen to keep myself on task is meeting with mixed...

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:38:11 -0500

Using StickyScreen to keep myself on task is meeting with mixed success. Perhaps I don’t like my tone.

Stephen Von Worley mapped the location of every McDonald’s...

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:09:00 -0500

Stephen Von Worley mapped the location of every McDonald’s in the Lower 48 states.

Sad: the farthest you can be from a McDonald’s in the Lower 48 is 145 miles by car. Sadder: I expected it to be less than that.

This car needs no introduction (but here’s one anyway): ...

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:14:00 -0500

This car needs no introduction (but here’s one anyway):

Mercedes-Benz has finally revealed spiritual successor to one of the most famous — and instantly recognizable — cars it has ever built. Although it is officially called the SLS-AMG, it will, like the car it pays homage to, be known as the Gullwing.

"I find this sound quality [of MP3s] stuff both fascinating and ridiculous. It’s like the pixel..."

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:57:17 -0500

“I find this sound quality [of MP3s] stuff both fascinating and ridiculous. It’s like the pixel resolution of digital cameras: higher numbers are better, but that discussion always pushes the actual photography to one side, somehow.”

- Jonny Greenwood in an interview with Sasha Frere-Jones

"If there was an airline that flew more passengers than anyone else, but lost money on each one,..."

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:13:00 -0500

“If there was an airline that flew more passengers than anyone else, but lost money on each one, would we call it a success? If there was a restaurant that served more people than anyone else, but lost money on each meal served, would we call it a success? If there was a store that sold more product than anyone else, but took a loss on each one, would we call it a success? […] Then what the hell is going on with the coverage of our industry?”

- Jason Fried in “The Bar for Success in Our Industry is Too Low”

'Reading Rainbow' Reaches Its Final Chapter

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:27:00 -0500

'Reading Rainbow' Reaches Its Final Chapter:

Reading Rainbow comes to the end of its 26-year run on Friday; it has won more than two-dozen Emmys, and is the third longest-running children’s show in PBS history — outlasted only by Sesame Street and Mister Rogers.

My first two reactions, in order, when I saw this story:

Holy crap, I can’t believe they canceled this show!
Wait, they were still making new episodes of Reading Rainbow?

The Good Enough Revolution: When Cheap and Simple Is Just Fine

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:48:00 -0500

The Good Enough Revolution: When Cheap and Simple Is Just Fine :

Perhaps it’s not the most novel observation, but it is an interesting look at the direction a lot of tech has taken lately:

The world has sped up, become more connected and a whole lot busier. As a result, what consumers want from the products and services they buy is fundamentally changing. We now favor flexibility over high fidelity, convenience over features, quick and dirty over slow and polished. Having it here and now is more important than having it perfect.

idsgn: Know Your Type

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0500

idsgn: Know Your Type:

Need a quick primer on the history of those fonts you see everywhere? idsgn’s “Know Your Type” series has you covered:

…the “Know Your type” series, where we will take a look into the origins of some of the most commonly used typefaces in design today.

The posts are short but informative, and are more about the type’s history than its features (so knowledge of type jargon isn’t necessary). There are five installments of the series so far, starting with the venerable DIN (also linked above), followed by Verlag, Futura, Gotham, and Clarendon (a personal favorite), and I’m curious to see what’s next. (via Kitsune Noir)

Vacation Reading

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:32:00 -0500

While on vacation, I tend to do a lot of reading. Usually I read books, but this vacation was spent doing so little that even reading a book took too much time and energy (seriously, it was awesome). I did, however, get through a few things in my Instapaper queue during one of the rainy days, and these were worth sharing:

The Cocktail Renaissance

We’ve forgotten where we came from. The names of many cocktails survive, but what they are sits in a realm of hazy inexactitude. The highly reputable drinks writer of the Wall Street Journal not long ago implied that “fresh orange slices” were essential to an Old-Fashioned, which may have been true during Prohibition with the rotten liquor, but wasn’t when the drink was born and isn’t today.

Perhaps you should read this one closer to 5pm so your desire to track down a killer cocktail can be more easily fulfilled. Lucky I get to work from home these days, eh?
Kind of Blue

Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, which was released 50 years ago today, is a nearly unique thing in music or any other creative realm: a huge hit—the best-selling jazz album of all time—and the spearhead of an artistic revolution.

Hands down one of my favorite albums period, and I like it even more now that I know why it was important.
While My Guitar Gently Beeps

While over the years there has been no shortage of Beatles merchandise, some of it crass, the decision to release the game on the same date as the new CDs is, as well as an irresistible marketing tactic, a signal that the game is meant to be an authentic part of the band’s canon […]. The Beatles are positioning themselves to once again play a significant role in the evolution of popular music — this time by embracing interactivity.

If the Beatles are your bag, and they’re most definitely mine, this combination behind-the-scenes/history lesson should prove interesting. I rarely jones for the release of a video game, but I can’t wait for this one.