The Present is Catching Up to the Future.  Ever seen those futuristic movies where the magazines on the newstand are animated and moving?  Well, now it is becoming a reality.  Check out this blog article on the new Esquire magazine that will be animated.  http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/07/30/esquire-to-geeks-hac.html

Here is an email I sent this evening, in case someone checks here and not their email. As you know, we decided to cancel class, which may or may not have been a great idea, although I know all of us are relieved to not drive on slick roads this evening — even if they don’t ice up, it’s the thought, right?

The email:

Don’t you just hate hindsight?

Well, the deed is done and we can’t second guess ourselves. Some at UTD said bail. Others, later in the day, said, no, wait, we’re on.

So here we are. After taking stock it looks like Saturday morning wins out. Be at the Mac Lab at 9:30 and will go until 12-12:30.

The lineup for Saturday:

(note: some of you may be in Chip’s class. Chip has said anyone who is presenting in the Emac class may have time to do so. If you are finished with Chip’s class, check in and you can attend all of the Emac presentations. If not, you’ll need to present in Chip’s class and Emac, which makes for a long morning … )

Aimee and Joel (I’ve heard from Aimee, she is available, but I am not sure about Joel).

Laura, Carlos, Damion, and Rachna (Laura is out of town for a frisbee tournament, Damion is at work, and Carlos has class. It’s possible that Damion and Carlos can join us after 12. Otherwise, it’s Rachna’s show.)

Brandy, Tony, Clay (I’ve heard from Brandy and Tony. They will be in class, although Brandy says it’s too early: She needs her beauty rest.)

Scott

Cannon and Ghazanfar (Cannon has graciously decided not to go out of town, which helps. I am not sure Ghazanfar is available or not Saturday.)

Vince (All ready to go.)

David S. (At work until 10, will present to the class afterward.)

Jeffrey Miranda and Joe C. (Available on Saturday and will present.)

Guy (Not sure about.)

Alberto and Kim (Saturday works for both.)

Evontae (Have not heard from him in more than three weeks. Anybody heard from him?)

Isabel (Available Saturday)

Tim (Not sure about.)

There should be some surprises here. We’ve seen some early work from the Poetry gang, Vince, Jeffrey and Joe, and Scott, but overall what will be presented is new.

As a reminder, these folks have already presented. While I’ve asked that they attend, some are unable to and have received excused absences.

David G.

Janice, Cone, Rizwan, Kyle (Janice and Cone said they will attend; Rizwan is excused for personal reasons, not sure about Kyle)

Mary E. (I think she said she could come.)

Manuel and David M. (Manuel has a class and is unable to attend; I have not spoken with David.)

Brent, Corey, Karl (Have spoken with Brent; not sure if Corey and Karl will attend.)

I think that’s it. Am I missing anybody? Thanks to all for your patience and understanding. Maybe it will ice up yet.

If you need to reach me, call (see the email). I will be available most of Friday, except for a doctor’s appointment at 1:30 (ask me what for Kim … )

Dan.

The winter blast is here!  Does anyone know if we have a back up plan for the last day of podcast presentations if the weather doesn’t permit us to attend class tonight?

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist the title…)

Lifehacker had this little link to an idea to make a mic stand out of a wire clothes hanger. I’m not sure it would do much for sound quality (maybe add some rubber bands to suspend the mic & another hanger with a nylon stocking over it…) but it’s a quick & dirty solution.

I discovered this – free online seminar -

here on the “Pro” section of the Apple site – The Podcast Recipe: Producing a Successful Show.

Tips to help you:

Should your tastes run differently, try Let There Be Light about Brian Eno. Or King Britt’s Seeing Music.

Ethnography in Product Design and Development

When: Tuesday, Nov 14

Time:  6:30 Networking, 7:00 Program

Where: The Art Institute of Dallas    ( directions )

8080 Park Lane, Suite 100

Dallas, Texas 75231 – 5993

Topic: What is Ethnography? How can it be used to create better design, products, and interfaces?  How can it be used in everyday life, outside of product design?  Come listen to Dan Langendorf explain ethnography and reveal tips, best practices, and case studies from his 25 years of experience in ethnographic field research.

REFRESH DALLAS
November Newsletter

————————————————————–
IN THIS ISSUE

* November Meeting
* December Meeting Scheduled
* Stay Connected

————————————————————–
NOVEMBER MEETING
Note: meeting is on Wednesday, Nov 8 this month again due to
library scheduling conflicts

This month’s topic:
Creating Pleasurable Interfaces

Usable interfaces are not enough. When everything looks good and
works well, the applications that stand out are the ones that
satisfy unmet – and often unarticulated – needs. But how do you
design workable interfaces that also account for intangible things
like emotions?

Stephen P. Anderson will discuss the new skills needed to create
desirable experiences, explaining why a task-based approach to
design is no longer enough.

To get a sense of where things are headed, this session surveys
the evolution of interface design, with comparisons to product
and environmental design. Learn what’s needed to incorporate
desirability and emotions into modern interfaces, and why an
engaging experience might be more satisfying than one that is
easy.

Date:
Wednesday, November 8 2006

Time:
7:00pm to 9:00pm (presentation starts at 7:30)

Location:
Christopher A. Parr Library
6200 Windhaven Parkway
Plano, TX 75093

RSVP:
If you plan on attending let us know by sending an email to
rsvp@refreshdallas.org

————————————————————–
DECEMBER MEETING SCHEDULED

Mark your calendars, the December meeting is tentatively scheduled
for Thursday the 7th.

—————————————————————
STAY CONNECTED
Stay informed and connected to Refresh Dallas.

* Refresh Forum ( http://forum.refreshdallas.org )
* Upcoming.org Group ( http://upcoming.org/group/614/ )
* IRC ( irc.freenode.net, Port 6667, #RefreshDallas )
* Flickr Group ( http://www.flickr.com/groups/refreshdallas/ )

—————————————————————-
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And I immediately thought of Janice and her public history blog – plus some of you might be interested as well.

searching through historical documents, personal papers, and family histories held in archives around the world

I especially liked the LABS section on Mashable! covering the Top 10 Video Sharing Sites. We’re briefly covering 3 of these: Xanga, Facebook and MySpace on our Interaction Design blog. (About Mashable — With more than 150,000 subscribers via email and RSS and in excess of 1 million monthly pageviews, Mashable is the world’s largest blog focused exclusively on social networks.)

So here’s the link to the new emac blog.