douceurs

gills thoughts on business

2008-04-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Set up costs

People (staffing and management)
Materials ( to do the service)
Resources (services, spaces, support)
Communication (design and production of promotional material, awareness building)
Servers and tech backup costs (IT to run the thing, handle databases, traffic and code Development)
Other general business overheads including insurance, accountancy fees etc.

You can do this on the cheap by yourself, or you may like to borrow money from some form of investor for a good idea, but you have to convince them it. These costs are often described as sunk costs - that is they can't be taken out of the business and used again, they're the basic investment to get it running.

Running costs
People
Resources needed
additional services
IT infrastructure costs
Delivery/distribution costs
Other general business overheads including insurance, accountancy fees etc.

Expansion costs
Additional services to provide new aspects of the service
Additional training and development
People
Raw Materials
Other general business overheads including insurance, accountancy fees etc.

But, and this is a big but, it's not all about the money, is it?

You may also consider the costs of the materials used in delivering your solution - now this is normally the domain of green consultants, but I think it should be as mainstream as Word is to computing. Basically there are not only costs about the production and performance of your services, but there are also hidden 'costs' of what you are trying to do. In product design land things appear to be fairly clear - it's about sustainable materials - that they are reusable, or renewed from other sources for example, or that they involve low power use. But there are costs that are hidden from sight, through the production processes - for example how much energy it takes to make something, or how much water is involved in the process of extraction, processing or shaping the raw materials.

ISDN3 conference

2008-04-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

Having spent the last couple of days in Newcastle attending the ISDN3 conference on Service Design I have lots of photos, notes and thinkings to get down on paper...

The introduction by Bob Young:
constructing engagement not products.
epistemology of design practice : epistemology - the theory of knowledge especially with regards to its methods, validity and scope. epistemology is the the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion.

"edge services" : a phrase I had never heard before, initial reaction is this phrase is yet another terminology being used rather frivolously.

engagement the design process has on lives and attitudes.

sophisticated multi dimensional model.

"sense of listening manifested through the act of story telling."

hugentobler and jones: the role of design in society, appropriate of descriptions of service design. allowing designers to sufficiently navigate and contend.

"adequate way of listening to people and to the world."

People as a subject are objects of research.

Methods - visual, verbal and conceptual to help us articulate a complex system.

how can services be prototyped?

'language of engagement'

centric approaches. artefact centered. human centered.

This conference was an important opportunity - follow up different perspectives.

"The rigour of good service design methods and process has not yet been identified."
jonathan ive

Author centerdness? limits to the applications of service design methods?

real people in a real world context.

Anna Meroni. "approaches to and reflection on sustainable social innovation and service design."

look beyond mainstream behaviour and opinions and know-how to foster new ideas...

describes the UK as the "the mythic land of service design"

Society emits signals, signals are detected, promising signals are re-inforced, society is stimulated.

Innovation driven by ordinary people.

Sense making.

Service design still has no identity and no langauge.

It is all about the study of behaviours.

Social innovation: changes in the way groups of people act to obtain results ( to solve a problem or to generate new opportunities).

Pinpoint the demand for the product, the service and the solution.

Service design explores interaction, relationships, experiences and the exchange of benefits.

Importance of relationships. how can I design a new attitude? atttitudes can be found all over the world. Styles of implementation.

Restore meaning and value to everyday life.
Make people happy :) to be truly creative you much turn upside down current ways of thinking.

Ordinary people involved must have a vision of how things should go, be sufficiently motivated to follow it and feel able to do so.

I want to be an expert in imagining future scenarios.

Subjective well being is related to a belief in interpersonal relationships.

Designer as a facilitator - creates situations and conditions.

an 'open product' can only be completed by contribution of user.

People and object are enhanced by service.

The search for meaning and authenticity - material comfort is not enough.

Service Design should not be about solving problems or preventing something i.e - relieving services. they should also build competence and confidence. address the need for engagement - help people to feel and to be engaged.

Take inspiration from people - listen and imagine.

"connected to the present, the past and intentions for the future."

The meaning of product and artefact is related to the quality of a subjective experience.
It must contain meaning and information, make sense for people and make a positive experience.

Create platforms of tool and knowledge to enable and power.

Question : link between insights gained from ethnographical studies.

Creating service scenarios are a powerful projection tool..they provoke discussion..

Must observe the solution over time.

How do you perceive the role of a designers? they must detect, learn to listen, communicate well and visibly and feasible imagine how the future could be. be able to create visions and tell the story.

benedict singleton.

edge services are service which operate between and around the boundaries of private and public. the practice and art of negotiating boundaries. tools for conviviality. ARK design solutions for post crash civilisation.

lauren tan. "insights into design and its contribution to the public sector."

"what we seek is not the meaning of life, but the experience of being alive."
joseph campbell 1997.

We must challenge old models and ways of doing things.

Understanding the context - gather, understand and then disseminate the information design helps people explore who we are, who we want to be and enable us to form new connections and create new ideas of old problems.

"the innovation is in the proces, not the outcome" dott o7

Conversation as a form of research.

Habits. vision. commitment. knowledge.

Dott is embedded with legacies as it was about working WITH people, not FOR them.

Look beyond technology ,product, branding and business and look at the experience of humans.

Dialogue with designers.

"if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get, what you've always got"

deborah szebeko. "the barriers and enables for designers working with public sector organisations."

working every day with real people and real challenges.

Support ordinary people with amazing ideas. Tap into people in the community.

the real work experience 23.2% of design graduates get work in the public sector.

The word 'design' is a problem in itself. how can we tell people what it is? this is the challnge. we must invite them into the process.

the main challenge is the language barrier - we must learn to re-communicate with others.

Our role as designers is to make really challenging notions accessible to ordinary people.

thoughts on process

2008-04-01T04:05:00.000-07:00

"Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we've already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there."

finger print technology....

2008-03-12T10:08:00.001-07:00

hertizan tales

2008-03-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

as new technical development alter the object and make it ' intelligent', they also set the object on a plane with no prior cultural references...although the physical aspects of these objects are still within the world of materials, their operation and their very state of being is well beyond the manipulation of matter and has more to do with information exchange than with form.

e.manzini...the material of invention.

viewpoint

2008-03-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

In a world where everything can be bought, the search will be for the unique and the intimate, the marginal and the magical.

Philosophy- always be curious

Anticipation - those who learn to wait will receive the best.

Technology will make all engagements personal and all products bespoke and intimate.

informing our intuition. jane fulton suri.

2008-03-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

i believe passionately that research can help us reach a better understanding of people - thier needs, desires, habits and perceptions - and that this will lead to better design decisions about how things get designed and put into the world.

how can you find out what is going to matter to people if it doesn't exist yet? how do you discover what kind of people might use it?

effective research is not just about analysis of objective evidence - there isn't any directly applicable data anyway; it's also about the synthesis of evidence, recognition of emergent patterns, empathic connection to people's motivations and behaviours, exploration of analogies and extreme cases, and intuive interpretation of information and impressions from multiple sources.

design research both inspires and informs intuition through a variety of methods with related intents; to expose patterns underlying the rich reality of people's behaviours and experiences, to explore reactions to probes and prototypes, and to shed light on the unknown through iterative hypothesis and experiment.

motivated. curious to explore.

getting out of the studio, being where customers are, becoming aware of and sensitive to social trends and the broad ecology of stakeholders.

generative: gaining insights and opportunities - research that provides human- centered insight, revealing new ways of framing opportunities and inspiring new ideas. possible new offerings are informed and inspired by in -depth understanding of people's aspirations, attitudes, behaviours, emotions, perceptions, processes, and motivations within their prevailing and evolving social, cultural, and technology context.

evaluative or formative: learning and refining - research that provides continual learning throughout the process to determine the what, how and to whom of the offering.

predictive: estimating potential - research that helps to estimate the scale and potential of an opportunity even when most variables are unknown.

plans for this week.technology.

2008-03-04T02:55:00.000-08:00

Biometrics: identify people by measuring some aspect of individual anatomy or physiology - hand print or fingerprint, a deeply ingrained skill, behavioural characteristic, handwritten signature.

the fingerprint is a weak biometric mechanism that works quite well in practice. Friction ridges that cover the fingertips and classify patterns of minutae, such as branches and end points of the ridges - loops, whorls etc.

Carbon dating - using radio activity to determine the age of objects. Material which was living in the last few 10, 000 years. which got carbon from the air.

very tangible --------------------------------------------------blue sky.

Talk to experts.
Look at inks that fade over time.
How is the indication of time passing represented in other contexts.
Sealing. making it tamper proof- not re- resealable.
Create packaging prototypes.
The technology must INFORM the aesthetics and the form.
High tech papers.
How they make money - eg. Australia.
Product must withstand time conditions.
Futuristic - how will passing of time be measured in future.
What would happen if the Queen put a letter into her will? Where would it be kept? What would it look like?
How are exam papers delivered?
Government documents.
Birth.death.marriage certificates.
Medicines that are tamper proof.
How are wages delivered?
Are their duplicates stored?
Where is the letter picked up?
Is it 'delivered' , is it tracked
Create a time line.

Form musn't appear to be 'crafty' it must be refined and look perhaps slightly 'futuristic'.
THIS IS MY DESIGN CHALLENGE.

Look into computer software- labels, packaging, bar codes.

It is a project about the FUTURE. create scenarios etc.

is this the future?

2008-03-03T02:59:00.000-08:00

Hypothetical scenarios - three photographic scenarios. explore the ethical, cultural and social impact.

final phase

2008-03-03T02:12:00.000-08:00

Tom Inns next week - costing.
Following week - business.
It is now about consolidating. not the process. create something that looks good and works. be able to use it with no instructions. the object must encapsulate everything.
polishing design skills.

designed outcome - object.
video.
website.

How the whole package fits together - coherence. very important.

Reference other designers work. articulate design decisions. level of resolution - ability to communicate idea.

for presentation - design in its most complete form. website - front page and a few working buttons

developement feedback

2008-02-28T13:27:00.000-08:00

technology has to be applied not theoretical.
the technology has to provide trust.
authenticity.
how will the receiver know who it is from? where it came from?
seal with a kiss?...an applied version of tony dunne projects - create three scenarios..what will technology be in the future? when over one hundred years have passed?
transfer dna? what happens to dna over time
think about carbondating.

handwriting to object

2008-02-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

letter to royal mail team

2008-02-18T15:10:00.001-08:00

letter to archivist

2008-02-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

letter to evening telegraph

2008-02-18T14:12:00.001-08:00

quick draft of blueprint

2008-02-18T14:10:00.001-08:00

my brand model

2008-02-18T07:25:00.001-08:00

sealant wax

2008-02-18T05:50:00.001-08:00

stamp

2008-02-18T03:58:00.001-08:00

hello from douceurs.

prototyping visuals

2008-02-18T03:52:00.001-08:00

we hate mobile phones

2008-02-18T00:42:00.000-08:00

this article was published in the Herald on the 15th Feb.

"the soundtrack of modern life is a cacophony of pings, rings and buzzes"
"Oftel Residents Survey in 2007 showed that there are more than 65 million mobile subscriptions in the UK. 4% of adults aged between 25 and 44 don't have a mobile phone."

One of these people is William Morrison, 35, an english teacher based in Aberdeen. He is adamant he will never succumb to a mobile. "I regard them as the single most annoying things ever invented in the complete history of the human race," he says. He is aware of the problems this creates in getting hold of him, but wears his elusiveness with pride: "I must confess, I enjoy the fact that even arranging this article has been made harder by the fact I refuse to play the mobile game."

"Why must everything in the world be instantaneous and automatic?Mobiles phones pander to the worst traits in our own personalities and in our society. They celebrate crass, selfish behaviour.

Mobiles are favoured by the needy and the clingy, people who are totally unable to function with out engaging in the most mind numbingly trite exchanges. We're breeding a generation who are unable to cope unless they have one of these tiny glowing comforters in their hands.

Barry Shelby, 47, a freelance writer who works from home in Glasgow. mobile phones are an invasion of privacy and prevent people from becoming fully absorbed in what they are doing. given the choice email is his preferred choice of communication. "Again, I think it's control. i can see the emails that come in. I can read them, and then I can decide when want to respond.

When it comes to personal calls, he prefers to meet up for long chats as opposed to speaking for any length of time on the phone

my type

2008-02-17T08:13:00.001-08:00

the beginnings

2008-02-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

today i received the first two letters to Douceurs...

touch points I must think about - the stamp, the quality of the ink..

potential touchpoint:

delve into methods of opening letters, perhaps an exclusive letter opener could be part of the douceurs pack? what kind of people tear letters open, no care for the paper? who meticulously uses a letter opener. who keeps old envelopes?

desk

2008-02-15T08:27:00.001-08:00

2008-02-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

pentagram perspectives

2008-02-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

jons thoughts.

2008-02-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

I need to think about time proofing and future proofing.
how will I find out if ink fades over time?
how are precious documents currently stored?
how are documents stored in vaults?
think about testing papers.
how do you simulate testing papers?
where will the user collect it from? what would their journey consist of?how will people trust that it will work?think about the feeling of loss involved if it never arrived safely.
talk to archivists.
reference future now and justify why mines is better.
if the envelope becomes an object it stops being an envelope and therefore defeats the purpose of the service....

notes from branding lecture

2008-02-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

branding begins

2008-02-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

the branding:

behaviours.connections.inventiveness.quirkiness.consisteny.compelling
implementation.identity.longterm.insight.needs.emotional.vision
aspirations.values.personality.framework.stuff.things. words.articulate.

nice

2008-02-10T16:06:00.001-08:00

calvin and hobbs

2008-02-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

sound module

2008-02-10T15:16:00.000-08:00

potential marketing

2008-02-10T15:14:00.001-08:00

beautiful pictures

2008-02-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

business talk

2008-02-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

eco branding

2008-02-10T14:43:00.001-08:00

service images

2008-02-10T14:14:00.001-08:00

evidence

2008-02-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

business business

2008-02-10T13:52:00.001-08:00

more than half of all UK households are now online and broadband take up has doubled in last year. the average household invests an average of £230 getting online.

around 250,000 people nationwide live too far away from a local shop, so there is a considerable potential for more home shopping in future.

brand value counts for alot online.

the web as a medium is more rational and less emotional than real world experience. 30% of online shoppers logging into peer reveiw sites, word of mouth has never been more powerful.

14,ooo post offices and 100,00 post boxes.

trade and industry secetary Patricia Hewitt said the service is in profit and is going in the right direction.

service quality is going up and postmen and postwoman who do an outstanding job are earning up to £300 a week.

a loss of more than 1million a day three years ago has been turned into profit of more than 1million in a day in 2005.

royal mail is one of the country's most prominent enablers of communication.

'royal mail does understand that mail has an environmental impact and we're doing all we can to address that. We're specifically interested in mail media, which we believe can be produced in an environmentally responsible way.'

royal mail service

2008-02-10T09:06:00.001-08:00

save the post boxes

2008-02-08T17:43:00.001-08:00

tech and service

2008-02-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

technology opportunities

manufacturing: ( how the object is made- laser cutting etc)
service delivery: ( eg. rfid tag )
service touchpoints: (interactive box)

first we need a service based on people.

service sketch/ story board

more detailed service blueprint ( feb/march)

service blueprint : servicedesign.org

map service based on people and business and then see where technology fits in.

working on the wall

2008-02-07T12:03:00.001-08:00

texting thumbs

2008-02-07T11:46:00.001-08:00

things to think about

2008-02-06T15:10:00.001-08:00

read read

2008-02-06T13:47:00.001-08:00

notes from service design master class

2008-02-06T13:30:00.001-08:00

the people

2008-02-06T13:11:00.001-08:00

the light bulb

2008-02-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

poetic text

2008-02-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

"merry wednesday post noon! I bode you an enjoyable early evening and beyond, fair maiden. This fine day I contemplate memories past, and dream many daydreams"

handwriting + technology

2008-02-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

2008-02-02T05:00:00.001-08:00

inspiration.smiles

2008-01-30T08:11:00.001-08:00

Life recipe

1 Take a full measure of passion
2 Add to this a full cup of commitment and courage (there should be no half measures in this recipe)
3 Then stir in a good dollop of inquisitiveness
4 Take a large heap of emotion and pass through a fine sieve, removing any unwanted lumps of apathy
5 Sweeten with some love
6 Add a generous pinch of don't give a fuck and a sprinkle of hope
7 Turn up the heat
8 Pour into a serving dish and savour each and every mouthful

Barefootin

You have the world at yours.
But do start off on the right one.
Then put your best one forward.
Keep them on the ground.
Be sure that they are loose and fancy free.
You might even have one in the grave, but don’t let that stop you.
If you get tired along the way, put them up.
When you know you’re right, have the courage to put yours down.
Don’t back-out if they get cold.
Think on them.
Don’t go putting one in your mouth.
And if you meet someone special, sweep them off theirs.
But above all, be sure the prints they leave are as small as possible.

Pause

For 10 seconds to take a deep breath.
For 1 minute to take in the view.
For a couple of minutes to brew a cuppa.
For 10 minutes to clear your head.
For 20 minutes to call your mum.
For half an hour to exercise your body.
For a couple of hours to read a good book.
For a day to find some fun.
For a weekend under the stars.
For a fortnight to recharge your batteries.
For a month to learn something new.
For a summer to be a kid again.
For a year to see the world.
For a lifetime to work out what it all means.
Or for just five minutes to do absolutely nothing.

These Are The Days. They Always Were.

Some of us live in the past.
Always talking about back then.
Some of us live in the future.
Always planning what we are going to do.
And, then there are those,
who neither look behind or ahead,
but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Reset Yourself

We are creatures of habit.
Of routine.
We are all in our own groove.
So try new. Try different. Try crazy.
Try unexpected.
Like punk? Try opera.
Wear black? Try white.
Love bubbles? Try still.
Speak Spanish? Learn Chinese.
Love to ride? Try running.
Always grumpy? Try happy.
Like science fiction? Try romance.
Never cook? Bake some bread.
Forever cynical? Try love. Try Trust. Try hope.
Take a different route to work.
Say yes when you mean no.
Wear your watch on the other hand.

Leave the comfort zone.

prototyping

2008-01-29T13:02:00.001-08:00

the first two first images show the small mock up model i made initially to achieve more accuracy. this prototype was created to house the wacom tablet i have been exploring, the tablet functions well through a pad of paper - increasing the qaulity and realistic nature of physically writing with a normal pen. the user in question particularly liked the fact they could keep a physical copy of their hand written letter as well as send their email electronically. the form of the product needs further exploration.

thinking service

2008-01-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

purchases

2008-01-29T03:57:00.001-08:00

a pantograph (from Greek roots παντ- 'all, every' and γραφ- 'to write', from their original use for copying writing) is a mechanical linkage connected in a special manner based on parallelogram that they move in a fixed relationship to each other.

the CMP-PCWRITER is an electronic pen that enables you to write memos, notes and drawings by your own handwriting on paper up to A4 size and it will appear on your monitor screen. It works in a similar way to a drawing tablet except you write in a natural way onto paper - and get to keep the original document.

you can store the data, send it via e-mail, save it in different folders or add it to Word or Excel documents.

i have bought both these instruments.

fact

2008-01-28T14:53:00.001-08:00

i found something out today that speaks volumes for my project. in one year an average student writes up 42 pages of notes and 500 pages of emails.

business case

2008-01-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

these are notes taken from 'social trends and product opportunities' - a product by philips.

subjectivity : people are searching for identity, people take time out nowadays to reflect on what their true values of life are.

sociability : we need other people. families are becoming fragmented to the extent that relatives are moving, not only away from home, but often to another part of the country or world. naturally, through the medium of telecommuncations - phones, faxes and email, people are trying to stay in touch, but, in the future we will see the emergence of products which link people far apart in more satisfying ways than are currently available.

time and space : time can be considered in two different ways. one is to consider our ever accelerating lifestyle.people have a sense that a lot is happening at onece, that they are doing many things at the same time that they never have enough time and that they are constantly struggling to keep up with demands of modern life.

also consider the moments when times stand still: moments of rest, mediation or wonder. these are moments when we become aware of our relation with the past, our heriatage, and when we see ourselves as part of a continuing tradition.

space can also be considered in two ways: personal space that is familiar and comfortable. this trend is often referred to as cocooning, the sense of feeling comfortable in one's own territory.

space can also be considered has having no borders. through telecommunications we are able to to communicate in real time, over vast distances. we can also join virtual communities whilst remaining members of our physical community. as a result our subjective experience of distance has changed, and physical borders no longer limit our ability to communicate with people in distant places.

i want to create ideas biased towards people and not technology!

to do list

2008-01-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

one week!!

mock up texting concept and film.
( ask user questions regarding quality and value)

last week i stripped my research down to a concise statement : i want to transfer handwriting from one location to the other resulting in a tangible form.

input - output

find relationships. mix and match. create new relationships

manipulate code from fuzzmail somehow to create random capitaliser concept.

order wooden postcard and record user reactions.

create a plan of action for when wireless pen arrives.

create model to integrate tablet. ( use duplicate pad or foil to enhance experience)

what is missing from the communcation i have studied? be more specific - fidelity, variation, personality, value, beauty, worth?

create plan of action for when pantogram arrives.

create model based on image.

create user scenarios.

continue with business case.

have solid tangible output by the end of this week.

look at customisation techniques. users handwriting indicating where buttons should be etc.

pay for equipment bought : £42.35

model aesthetics

2008-01-28T06:33:00.001-08:00

taking inspiration from this model at the pompidu centre in paris. i would like to create a model such as this to mock up my texting concept - it will also allow me to create a user scenario.

interaction design master class

2008-01-28T03:32:00.000-08:00

2008-01-28T03:11:00.000-08:00

these images show my exploration into a projector. as it was the first time i had usd an old style projector i was very consious of my reactions to the noise and weight of the object. the whole experience was very physical. i decided to take one of the slides apart to see how they were made, this allowed me to adapt a slide to incorporate letter writing. this relates back to one of my concept ideas of using a slide printer to store letters. the concept of having a letter on a rather fragile and small object increases the value and quality that i am trying to acheive.

i created a new slide using paper and then wrote a message on a orginal slide. both had very different effects but the user was drawn to the idea of viewing their handwriting over size.

this little video documents the experiment.

writing with light

2008-01-28T03:06:00.001-08:00

these images show my exploring of laser tag technology. i intend to test this experiment with users to investigate the perception of the laser pen and 3.dimensional text in comparison with letter writing.

carve messages

2008-01-25T06:49:00.001-08:00

Simply carve your musings onto this postcard-sized slice of cedar wood and deliver it to the object of your affection. If you’re a proper scaredy-cat you can even bung a stamp on it and pop it in the post (although you’ll need to use a pen for the address, as postie might be unable to decipher your child-like scrawl). Genius!

newspaper story

2008-01-25T06:37:00.001-08:00

a letter from heaven

2008-01-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

greetings 'from Heaven'

a man from the US state of Oregon has stunned friends and relatives by sending them Christmas cards, two months after his own death.

The 34 handwritten cards were sent and signed by Chet Fitch, who died in October aged 88, with "Heaven" given as the return address.

In a message on the cards, Mr Fitch said God had allowed him back to Earth specially to deliver the cards.

But his barber told local media they had planned the ruse together.

Patty Dean, 57, was quoted by the Ashland Daily Tidings newspaper as saying Mr Fitch had approached her with the idea in 1987, saying he wanted to play one last trick on people after his death.

She said he told her a week before his death that she would probably be able to send the cards this year.

'Little stinker'

The card showed Mr Fitch square-dancing with his wife Jessie, who herself died in 1995.

I'll probably be seeing you (some sooner than you think) - wishing you a very Merry Christmas

From Chet Fitch's last message

"I asked Big Guy if I could sneak back and send some cards," he wrote in the card.

"At first he said no; but at my insistence he finally said, 'Oh well, what the heaven, go ahead but don't [tarry] there.'

"Better get back as Big Guy said he stretched a point to let me in the first time, so I had better not press my luck," he ended the message.

"I'll probably be seeing you (some sooner than you think). Wishing you a very Merry Christmas."

Friends and relatives were both amazed and amused.

Mr Fitch's daughter, Tangren Alexander, described the card as "sweet and funny. So much like him".

"When I opened his card, all I could think was: 'You little stinker,'" said Debbie Hansen-Bernard, an old friend.

anoto technology

2008-01-23T06:19:00.000-08:00

The Hot New Medium: Paper

How the oldest interface in the book is redrawing the map of the networked world.

anoto is the pioneering leader of digital pen & paper technology. anoto technology optimizes paper-based processes by rapidly and reliably converting handwritten information from business forms into digital documents.

paper.

handwritten information no longer locked in a form. all types of ordinary paper can take advantage of anoto technology. to make the paper digitally legible a patent-protected dot pattern from anoto is added before printout.

the pattern
almost invisible to the naked eye, the anoto pattern consists of numerous intelligent small black dots that can be read by a digital pen. the pattern indicates the exact positions of the digital pen. what’s more, the pattern on each paper has a unique identity so that each page can be kept separate from another.

pen.

from ink to digital data: quick and easy. a digital pen looks and feels like using its normal ballpoint counterparts. however, it contains an integrated digital camera, an advanced image microprocessor and a mobile communications device for wireless connection. when using a digital pen you capture, store and then securely send the handwriting. here’s how digital pens convert and transfer ink to digital data.

what happens when you’re writing? when writing digital snapshots of the pattern on the paper are automatically taken (in fact, more than 50 pictures per second). every snapshot contains enough data to determine the exact position of the pen and what it writes or draws, including the time each pen stroke was made as well as which particular paper form was written on. All this data is then retained in the pen’s memory as a series of coordinates. the pen can store up to 50 full A4/Letter size pages of handwritten data.

transfer data from pen.

send data for digital processing. the digital pen user transfers data after it has been temporarily stored in the pen, either:

wirelessly: by ticking a box on the paper, interpreted by the pen as a “send” command, the pen will use Bluetooth to instantly send data via a mobile phone
via a USB port: pens connect to any PC

sent data is in proprietary Anoto PGC format and can either be handled locally or routed to the application server associated with that specific paper form for further processing.

digitizing handwritten information. the application receiving the PGC data extracts all information using an Application Programming Interface (API). The APIs are available both for PC and server environments. The pen data includes all information about the pen strokes written on the page, including:

the location (coordinates for each pen camera picture taken by the pen)
exact time of when they were written
who wrote them
the identity of the paper form and of the specific pages

data may be exported in any preferred format to suit the recipient system. typically, data may be exported as a picture (for example, in .GIF format) but most often it needs to be translated into letters and digits by character recognition software. this requires, for example, an .XML file as an input. finally, data can be integrated into the enterprise's back-end system for further processing.

nadine jarvis

2008-01-23T06:13:00.000-08:00

this project is the creation of product designer - nadine jarvis.

Carbon Copies

pencils made from the carbon of human cremains. 240 pencils can be made from an average body of ash - a lifetime supply of pencils for those left behind. each pencil is foil stamped with the name of the person. only one pencil can be removed at a time, it is then sharpened back into the box causing the sharpenings to occupy the space of the used pencils. over time the pencil box fills with sharpenings - a new ash, transforming it into an urn. the window acts as a timeline, showing you the amount of pencils left as time goes by.

this work forms part of a larger research project into post mortem.

motorola branding.

2008-01-22T00:55:00.000-08:00

a picture speak one thousand words - connotations of the seamless connection between the old and the new.

nebula.philips.

2008-01-21T06:38:00.001-08:00

Nebula is an interactive projection system designed to enrich the experience of going to bed, sleeping and waking up. It provides intuitive and natural ways of physically participating in a virtual experience, through simple body movements and gestures. The aim was to create an atmosphere that encourages and enhances rest, reflection, conversation, intimacy, imagination and play. Nebula consists of a ceiling projector linked via the Internet to a database of content.

synthesis and analysis

2008-01-21T06:12:00.000-08:00

jitterbox

2008-01-21T05:24:00.000-08:00

this product called the jitterbox .
the video is realy nice and i am drawn towards the nature of interaction involved in this idea.

the JitterBox is a modern dance contraption!

change the tune and watch the beautiful tiny dancer shake and shimmy along with any song! But beware the talky talk radio, this dancer loves to boogie but hates chit chat!

printing with a difference

2008-01-21T05:07:00.001-08:00

the print-bot

this project was the final project for ECE 4180 - Embedded Systems Design, 2007.

the print-bot is a robot printer that can print an image of any size, on almost any horizontal surface. it can be used to print on sidewalks, floor, carpet or football fields. for now it uses powder as the printing medium.

writing with light

2008-01-21T04:29:00.001-08:00

"you can create art and beauty with a computer"

this video from graffiti research lab.

this has inspired me to investigate the technology involved in writing with light. the graffit research lab provide the program for download:

what i will need:

equipment

1 PC Laptop - ASUS A8JS - Core 2 Duo 1.83 Ghz 1GB Ram Nvideo Geforce Go 7300 256MB - VGA and DVI out.
1 Pansonic PTD5600U 5000 ANSI Lumens 1024x768 DLP Projector.
1 Watec 221S Security/Astrononmy Camera with manual iris zoom lens.
1 Bogen magic arm and super clamp.
1 Pinnacle PCTV USB capture card.
1 60mW Green Laser (super illegal in a lot of places and very dangerous)
and loads and loads of AAA batteries.

in its simplest form the Laser Tag system is a camera and laptop setup, tracking a green laser point across the face of a building and generating graphics based on the laser's position which then get projected back onto the building with a high power projector.

fix the projector in place and then fix the camera underneath the lens of the projector so that it is looking at the projection area. allow the camera to see a little more than the projection area so that you can designate an area as a clear button.

make sure all the settings on the camera are set to manual - no auto exposure or gain control etc. adjust the color balance of the camera so that it looks as natural as possible - make sure any lights in the shot don't look green as this will confuse the tracking sytem.

all equipment is ready, just waiting on laserpen to arrive!

slides and stuff

2008-01-21T04:08:00.001-08:00

this video

"This mod brought a smile to my face, thank you.

Elegant and clever. The essence of good design. "

'AppleTV may be full of neat new-fangled technology, but we're old school. That's why we prefer this AppleTVesque mod called the Nanoscope. Formerly a 35mm slide viewer, the device was repurposed through a bit of Dremel/cursing to fit an iPod Nano (because it happens to have a screen size not so different from 35mm film). Additionally, a speaker was crammed into the 70s era casing so that the whole family at least two people could enjoy a movie together. Hotness. We'll have to install green appliances to match while waiting for our videos to encode upside down.'

potential technology to explore.

words and pictures

2008-01-21T03:59:00.001-08:00

letter to hayes

2008-01-21T03:58:00.001-08:00

this is a letter i sent to the genius behind fuzzmail, hopefully I will get a reply.

existing wonders

2008-01-18T06:33:00.000-08:00

ABRACADABRA

ABRACADABRA aims to use design to create a new experience, just as a book allows us to encounter a new platform of experience and knowledge.

ABRACADABRA is a bookmark that makes use of a simple movement of air through a tube. Each bookmark contains an air-filled tube, half of which is flattened during use by the weight of a book’s pages. Squeezing the exposed side of the bookmark inflates the concealed side. This enables the tube to lift up the pages of the book, and allows the book to be opened more easily. The concealed side of the tube is coated with adhesive, allowing the bookmark to function as a sticky note. The graphics on the bookmark tubes bring a hint of delight, particularly when the book is opened to reveal the unexpected design on the concealed side of the tube.

The product experience can continue after the bookmarks have reached the end of their functional life. ABRACADABRA is produced in packages that consist of six bookmarks, one clipping wire that bends in several directions, and a paper ‘pot’. When the bookmark is no longer usable, some fun can be had using the package. The ‘pot’ can be detached from the paper, and the wires folded so that a ‘tree’ comes to life. The bookmarks can be added as ‘leaves’ simply by clipping them into the centre of the wires.

between the pages.

Between Pages is a vertical scanner that scans pages of books or documents by inserting them vertically.

the scanning of pages in a book with existing scanners gets tricky, especially when it comes to areas close to the book’s binding. scans of these areas often appear darker and bent. Between Pages is based on the idea of inserting a scanner between pages, instead of placing a book on the scanner. This enables both pages of the book to be scanned perfectly, without a dark and uneven area. Between Pages also requires less space while using and storing.

instead of the amount of light required by a conventional scanner, this vertical scanner’s operation is based on a scanner sheet that combines organic photodiodes and an organic transistor. The organic photodiodes pick up reflected light from the object being scanned, and thus, the thickness of the scanner can be greatly reduced. The thickness of the bendable scanner sheet is 1mm, including the protective coating.

there are two touch-pad styled buttons placed on each side of the scanner. a scan is made when the user presses an engraved button on the side of the scanner that they wish to scan from. the cover is designed to make it easy for the user to open it from the top and the side.

this postcard design is sweet.

anymails.

Anymails is a visualisation of an e-mail inbox. Microbes serve as a metaphor to visualise the e-mail inbox including its structure and characteristics: one microbe represents one received e-mail. How an animal looks and moves depends on the age, status, and sender of an e-mail. The user can go back in time to see and compare e-mails received over the last months or years. He can filter and group e-mails by certain attributes to find easier a wished e-mail. The prototype was coded in Processing, a Java-based language.

emotionmail.

The Web special aims to develop a more trend-oriented target group using its claim “Belebt die Sinne” (“Vitalises the senses”). The user can send messages, which are faster than letters and more sensual than e-mails. When writing an EmotionMail, the meaning of the text is automatically analysed and images from a database are added. The addressees receive their individual EmotionMail as an animated movie clip combining text and graphics in a new way.

credit seal

2008-01-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

a digital product that combines a recording device with traditional seal, Credit Seal records promises made between parent and child, or between adults.

a promise is important to both a child and an adult alike. Credit Seal is designed as a “game” that records and seals promises between a parent and child, or between adults. parents often make promises to their children, but at times these promises are left unfulfilled due to the parents’ busy schedule. this could potentially affect the trust children place in promises.

with Credit Seal, promises are recorded and are able to be retrieved at the anticipated date. the names of the parties involved print their names and the date of the promise in the area indicated by the stamp. this game is played to emulate the signing of contracts between adults. the child learns to understand the value of promises between adults through this game, and thus, the child will be encouraged to adopt a good set of values, including sincerity and trust.

designed by arthur xin.

moleskin business

2008-01-18T05:58:00.000-08:00

i have always loved moleskin notebooks. the brand and the values associated with it are similar values i want to associate with douceurs.

identity, imagination, movement, memory and unique experiences: Moleskin is a brand that expresses values and lifestyles.

the product.

moleskine is a flexible medium that complements leisure time and daily use, the creative arts and professions, study, research, and training. from notebooks and albums, to agendas and diaries, to travel guides for various cities, the extensive assortment of moleskine products provides a platform for a wide array of communications contexts.

identity, imagination, movement, memory, and unique experiences: moleskine is a brand that expresses values and lifestyles both classic and contemporary. by sharing and intersecting these values with similarly-minded organizations, and by articulating these shared values, moleskine can satisfy all of our clients’ and partners’ communications needs.

typewritten v. handwritten

2008-01-18T05:12:00.000-08:00

this image shows the moleskin sketchbook of vincent van gogh.

scattered thoughts...

some people study best at night time and in silence, while others prefer daylight and background music.

extended mental processes, and creative processes in particular, are hopelessly open to individual variation. development in a skill is partly a matter of finding what works for you.

so regarding the question of longhand vs typewritten, handwriting vs word processor: --

firstly, it's not an either/or thing -- people frequently use both. the trick is to know when to use what.

and secondly, there's a large number of factors that go into the choice, including:

-- how fast you can type, and how IT-literate you are
-- how messy your handwriting, and how tiring
-- how good an editor you are, and, in general, where your various writing strengths lie
-- the sort of work you're doing -- fiction or non-fiction; prose or poetry; blogging or magazines; outlining or drafting; brainstorming or proofreading; deadlines or no deadlines
-- the style and genre you're writing in (perhaps tiring handwriting is a good thing if you want weariness in your story; perhaps typing is a good thing to access the conventions of e-mails)
-- what you grew up on and are comfortable with
-- what your associations are, how your thinking works
-- and the sheer limitations of your life, like whether or not you've got computer access.

in word you can word count, spell check, find and replace, and footnote. and you can easily reach google, your e-mail, your blog, etc.

on paper you can mind map, chart, and draw.

associations: longhand can feel more like a diary. typewritten can feel more like a public announcement.

longhand can be more relaxed.
longhand can give you permission.
whereas typewritten is closer to publication, and an audience is more distractingly present.

speed - typing lets you get it down before you forget it, and gives you the power to catch a lot more of what flickers across the consciousness -- including your natural speech patterns.

typing can be closer to flying, and can encourage you to think faster. and if your mind is spewing a thousand thoughts a second, you'll need the bucket of typing to catch them.

if your pen can't keep pace with your brain, you might be left with nothing to say, or might find your rhythm and train of thought unsustainable or disrupted.

on the other hand -- yes, more thought happens before and while you longhand-write, but this can be a good thing. your brain spends more time on the words, and can bring more to them.

editing - handwriting pushes you towards the linear and the fixed. whereas word processing can free you to move within a text. typing can be closer to swimming. the text is more penetratable, amorphous.

the words can be lighter, more flexible, more open.
and creation can be more jumpy, associative. the typewritten can have gone through processes that are unimaginable for longhand. so it's not just that editing is easier, but that there's less of a distinction between editing and writing.

you can go back and forth to check on things. you can work on ideas, and on parts of the piece, as they occur to you or catch your eye. -- thought isn't linear, so why should writing be? -- even if the end result is supposed to have this illusion.

form can emerge from chaos. pages of notes can coalesce into coherence. you can brainstorm as you go, collating the results into groups, turning the groups into polished paragraphs.

the text can assemble itself like evolution assembles biospheres, each segment changeable and changing until the entirety reaches equilibrium.

does the option of a backspace mean you're more inclined to use it, or that you'll use it self-destructively?

typewriters.

perhaps they feel efficient, professional, businesslike - put you in a working mood, give you a sense of working away. perhaps they feel like something is happening, like things are getting done.

consider the sound of the carriage return, or the physicality of it, especially if you actually need to push. the crisp action of the keys, their solidity, their precision. the closeness and realness of the machine, and the associations and self-image you're tapping into.

or is the noise distracting?

pen and paper.

no shortage of people to admire the glide, and to spend time and money on finding the right pencil or pen (light, dark, fountain, ballpoint), and the right colour and texture of paper.

moleskine has built a business out of it. and hollywood-types sometimes have a thing about yellow legal pad.

no shortage of people, also, to take pains over or even find inspiration in handwriting.

when you turn off the computer's drone, you begin to be aware of other things -- noises outside, bodily sensations...

and paper can make you think more purposefully. just like people play better chess against real rather than computer opponents, and when there's a physical board involved.

Handwriting is natural: typeface is not. Speech is natural: but your recorded speech is not. When you hear words in your mind, you know them. But on page, on tape, they're another's voice, their implications mysterious. They're open to interpretation in a way that they weren't; and they have a likely interpretation, based on a statistics game; and they are vulnerable to common meanings.

Part of what I meant was this -- that typewritten letters are always impersonal, whereas the shortest of handwritten notes has life, character, humanity (though it might well look sickly when exposed to the light of typeface).

The same word typed and handwritten means different things to you, triggers different thoughts in your head. And this could be an argument either for typing or for longhand,

typewritting is too impersonal, and the computer is too much of an interruption.

a thought on the history of typewriting:
why would ordinary writers need writing machine?

fly fusion

2008-01-18T04:23:00.001-08:00

i am looking into digital pens. they record the movements and then translate to digital. a concept which could potentially be the technology behind my final idea. this image shown below shows how the fly pen works.

when you write with the fly fusion pentop computer on FLY™ Paper, everything is automatically captured and digitized. you can then upload it to your pc and convert to text. touch your pentop computer to FLY Paper, and you can quiz yourself on history, get help with a quadratic equation, or even play your favorite MP3. and when you're ready for new software, simply connect to your pc again to purchase and download custom homework and gaming applications directly to your FLY fusion pentop computer.

livescribe has put a computer inside a plump ballpoint pen.

for more than two decades, the dream of controlling a computer with a pen has seduced and, more often than not, frustrated some of the biggest luminaries in the technology pantheon, including Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

this pen has created an ambitious new type of pen-based computer system that, if successful, could bridge the gap between paper and the digital world and perhaps even change the way millions of people interact with the internet.

“The challenge, like with all technologies, is to package it in a way that people will want to use”

instead of forcing users to write with a stylus on a computer’s slippery display, livescribe put the computer inside a plump ballpoint pen that is used on paper imprinted with nearly invisible miniature dots. as a user writes, a tiny camera near the pen’s tip watches those dots go by, recording what is being written.

mr. marggraff said calling it pen computing is a misnomer. “We are creating paper-based computing,” he said.

in addition to the camera, the pen, which is about the size and weight of a fat montblanc pen, has two microphones to record sound, a speaker for playback, a small display that mr. marggraff calls a pixel bar, and, of course, a hidden computer chip and other sophisticated electronics. It fits into a docking station, where it can upload or download programs and data files to and from a PC.

The Livescribe pen is a more advanced version of the LeapFrog Fly Pentop Computer, which itself has some impressive abilities, even if it is intended for children. Fly users can draw a calculator on paper and make it work by tapping the keys with the pen; a speaker in the pen plays back the results. Users can also draw a piano keyboard on a piece of paper and play a tune on it.

“Ironically, the big behavior change may be to get this younger generation to pick up this unfamiliar instrument called the pen.”

fuzzmail

2008-01-17T07:25:00.000-08:00

i have discovered a wonderful thing; fuzzmail.

what is it? fuzzmail records the act of writing and lets you send it as an email. dynamic changes, typoes, pauses and writeovers are captured and communicated. we created fuzzmail because we wanted a more emotionally expressive alternative to email, so that an emailed love letter does not have to look the same as a business letter.

how do i use it? fuzzmail is free! just start typing a message and fuzzmail will record what you type. when you're done, click "send" to stop recording and send your message. the recipient will get a private web link to read the message replayed in the way that you typed it. a copy of the fuzzmail you wrote will be sent to you at your email address.

check it out. it is great. captures what douceurs is all about.

development

2008-01-15T09:31:00.001-08:00

having reached the end of my research and investigation phase Douceurs is now progressing into the development stage. again, the development will be documented on this blog daily.

thinking of what this stage will involve for me...further development as a designer. working with user groups in a different manner - testing and discussing concepts ideas. iteration of concepts. continual justification of 'people' influencing ideas. designing a testing program to evolve and develop any technology. developing my business case. increasing commercial viability. branding. costings.

consistent- consolidation- testing - visual references.

a aspect of technology that has been really interesting to work with, very simple but effective in terms of achieving the new level of 'personal- ness' i am hoping to achieve through douceurs.

the product is made of a wacom table and a stylus.

It allows the user to send emails such as this:

many people , who are not comfortable typing with keyboards, use these tablets for writing essays etc. others use it for graphic design and drawing etc. using the tablet takes a little getting used to - when used like a normal pen and pencil it works perfectly. when you are conscious of the technology involved and where you are placing the 'pen' things don't work so smoothly.

concepts are funny little things. sometimes they comes in twos and threes. and sometimes they take a little holiday. however, i am going to elaborate on my concept ideas, good or bad.

this idea is about visually viewing letters, notes and hand written keep sakes in an beautiful object.

this book contains photographs of hand written notes flat mates have sent to each other.

i shall put up some pictures when it arrives.

times gone by

2007-12-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

this video shows the results of day spent in aberdeen with my aunt irene and her friends.

this experience was an opportunity to observe and record behaviour within its context...the group of friends we spent the day with meet up every month to have tea and cakes and a catch-up. being welcomed into this environment let me analyse their behaviour, language and habits.

this enabled me to spend time with people relevant to the design topic i am researching...as well as being in their natural habitat allowed me to gain a deep firsthand understanding of the trends and cycles of product use in the past. as well as an insight into their feelings on current communication devices such as email and mobile phones.

a significant outcome was the collective opinions that communication is not strong enough across generations. as well as the notion that a strong family network ( out with parents and siblings) is diminishing.

douceurs aims to create a product that will increase communication throughout various age groups and genders...perhaps addressing the issues the ladies highlighted.

the victorian internet

2007-12-06T05:08:00.000-08:00

just finished reading the victorian internet by tom standage.

'the atlantic telegraph - that instantaneous highway of thought between the old and new worlds'.
scientific american, 1858.

wanted to put down a few thoughts: i was particularly drawn to this poem. it fits in with the brand i am creating for doucuers.

Que fais-tu, mon vieu telegraphe
Au sommet de ton vieux docher
Serieux comme une epitaphe,
Immobile comme un rocher?

from 'le vieux telegrpahe'. a poem by Gustave Nadaud.

the concept of a signature is something i will be looking at over the next few days. why do we have signtaures? do our signatures change as we grow? do we know what the signatures of our loved ones look likes? the bank letters we get through still have the bank managers signature ..and even if photocopied..it still makes us feel that little bit more comfortable.

the jargon, vocabulary and abbreviations used in the days of telegram are nice.
s.t.d = stop for dinner
g.m = good morning
i = wait a moment
coquarum: engagement broken off
cambitas: collar bone put out
gnaphalio: please send a supply of light clothing.

the way email addresses are contrived is interesting. @ symbol seems to be telling people where we are at? why is it not:

lauren@cosylivingroom.windyscotland

why cant we decide what our email address says, after all people come into contact with our email addresses more than our home addresses.

the telegram forms used to be coloured blue...so it adopted the nick name petits bleux.

one of the most intriguing chapters in this book was the one describing new technology as an opportunity for crime. the telegraph provided unscrupulous individuals with a novel opportunity for fraud, theft and deception. encouraging people to cheat, steal, lie and deceive.

some simple yet secure cipher, easily acquired and easily read, should be introduced, by which means messages might to all intent and purposes be 'sealed' to any person except the recepient.
quarterly review, 1853

wow. magic communication

'whole earth will be belted with electric current, palpitating with human thoughts and emotions.'

'the telegraph wire, the nerve of international life, transmitting knowledge of events, removing causes of misunderstanding, and promoting peace and harmony throughout the world.'

raison d'etre = the rapid delivery of messages.

paper aeroplanes

2007-11-26T15:31:00.000-08:00

this video shows my experiment of using paper aeroplanes as a medium of communication.

video sketching

2007-11-26T15:08:00.000-08:00

this video shows me playing with a solenoid.

electroluminescent show

2007-11-26T10:49:00.001-08:00

today i had a sneak preview of the products of an electroluminescent paper workshop, run by my tutor jon rogers.

each participant was given a pack containing all the materials needed, they then ventured out onto the streets of dundee to find objects to manipulate into an end result of digital product design.

i particularly liked this design featuring a tea bag

the material is so simple and the effect beautiful.

weather cloud. nice

many of the objects created were fitting to the nature of my product: these stamps in particular.

this designer has physically written on the paper. an experiment i hope to do very soon.

this design features the light wrapped in newspaper text. i'd like to set up several of these to create a short story.

prototyping solenoids

2007-11-26T10:42:00.001-08:00

today using a very small spring generated the force i require to eventually move a key. i generated another concept of placing the spring at a different location to increase the 'push'. see diagram below...

this formula will help me calculate distances and make sure all the distances relate correctly.

i mocked up this prototype lever, as the force is fairly weak i made the model out of paper. the next step is attaching a mock key to the end of the lever.

romantic laser cutting

2007-11-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

using the laser cut i created 3 dimensional words and phrases. i would like to be make the words move on the canvas...

drawing over the radio

2007-11-23T08:32:00.001-08:00

i like the idea on 'drawing over the radio' ...could you send texts over the radio? how strange that many people in different homes were sitting drawing the exact same picture at the same time....

object of use

2007-11-23T08:11:00.001-08:00

an experiment based on ethnographic research - this object has been placed in different home environments for one week. the results are being relayed to me through photographs.

first photographs from paticipant are shown below. this structure has been used to store letters, bills, books, magazines, keys, shoes and an umbrella. the latter being the object you often find yourself placing in a random location when you first come through your front door.

how would you use this object in your home? what room would you put it in? would it be kept outside?

clocked writing

2007-11-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

these conceptual household objects are quietly encouraging you to write. as the water evaporates writing should occur at noon.

as time ticks on noon is the perfect time to write.

visit to borders

2007-11-23T03:23:00.001-08:00

i have always loved bookshops. there is something about the atmosphere that makes me feel different. i much prefer a bookshop to a library.

the people who visit borders regularly are the individuals doucuers is aimed at:
i began by looking at books focused on letter writing and hand writing, i particularly liked the branding and graphics of many of these books.

the content of the books made me smile and made me realise that there is indeed a place in peoples lives for an object that will enrich their relationship with conversations and letter writing.

as my probe questioned where do people keep secrets...these are examples of secrets in the post a secret book.

this book reminded me i must try and source sealing wax.

i then began to really look closely at how the people at borders approach letters and storage of post etc.

the brand paper chase is a brand with similar values and aesthetics to douceurs.

these books intriuged me, is reading in the loo an interesting aspect to my project?

many books are dedicated to sharing silly nonsenseful letters written by members of the public.

psychology is an aspect of much importance. i want to understand people and understand thier motives and reasons.

more books that caught my eye...

olivetti

2007-11-23T02:27:00.000-08:00

these designs are wonderful. what else would be expected by the olivetti group?

logos 68, electronic desktop calculator - design: mario bellini, 1973

i particularly like this image of divisumma 24, manual desktop calculator - design: marcello nizzoli, 1956.
this is a side view of the internal mechanism

typewriter laptop

2007-11-23T02:22:00.001-08:00

this object is described as being 'made from want'. this typewriter laptop
the website seems to suggest this product has usb funtions and serial ports etc. would love to know more about the makings and workings of this design but the page is in japenses so rather difficult..i like the concept but feel the aesthetics are too vintage and aged.

typewriter piano

2007-11-23T02:10:00.000-08:00

this typewriter piano made by a guy called jon brumit is interesting. it is made from scavanged materials, has a bell for a the question mark and twenty six strings.

i think the concept is nice but i do not like the form of the finished object. wonder what is like to use?

typewriter art

2007-11-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

typewriter with stand and typescript scroll.

typewriter art and typewriter poetry hold an important niche in this archive i found on the web.

recent developments in the landscape of literature and art may mean this form may soon disappear entirely, dwarfed by the emergence of computer art and computer poetry. the works of individuals including Kurt Schwitters, Henri Chopin, Dom Sylvester Houedard, William Jay Smith, and others was created on manual typewriters, instruments already foreign to a generation of young poets and artists.

the use of black, red, or colored ribbons often enhanced the creative process. in
this piece, Leandro Katz, an argentinean poet and film maker living in new york city, used a large face Royal typewriter of the 1960s. the japanese rice paper scroll consists of spanish words selected at random; a smaller scroll of English words also exists.

the appearance of single words emanating from the typewriter gives the work a sculptural quality.

i am keen to learn more about how this product functions and the mechanics behind its workings.

borders

2007-11-22T16:13:00.001-08:00

i have written to borders to ask if i can bring my typing service into the store in dundee. i believe the customers who sit and read books, drink coffee and eat pancakes are the type of people i want to talk to. the type of individual who would welcome a free typing service and the excuse to communicate with friends and family.

my letter to graeme

hopefully i will get a response soon