Design

The future of business is social: notes from the Milken Global Conference

"The difference between the optimist and the pessimist is that the pessimist has more facts," said Jean-Paul Betb?ze, Chief Economist and Head of Economic Research Department, Cr?dit Agricole S.A., in a panel at the Millken Institute's Global Conference 2008 in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago. True as this may be, his statement stood in sharp contrast to the overall vibe of the event: Yes, we can, was the prevailing sentiment, and the overwhelming majority of attendees would probably have outed themselves as fervent optimists, despite an abundance of fact-featuring PowerPoint slides supporting … Read more

Fashion for gadgets, Singapore-style

Accessorizing gadgets is an addiction, and it can sometimes be a chore as well. Finding the right bag, sleeve, case, or even screen protector for your music player or notebook can be a harder decision than choosing the device being protected. Here's another company that may complicate the decision even further: Fabrix, a made-in-Singapore brand of cases for tech products.

Fabrix seems to have its focus on design. For example, all its iPod cases are slip cases, which mean you have to remove the player to view a video or to change the volume--a no-no for people who'd … Read more

Design conversations, not products

These seem to be apocalyptic times for designers. If you happen to be a member of this threatened species, you better look for another calling. We had just put Pillippe Starck's "Design is dead" fatalism to bed, and then I read Peter Merholz's essay from 2007: "Stop designing products!"

What sounds like another shocker initially, however, turns out to be a milder riff on an old and well-known theme that Merholz himself has been promoting for two years now: "Experience is the product -- and the only thing users care about:"

"… Read more

Whether the weather function on the iPhone is mocking us or trying to be accurate

Let's face it, the iPhone can do a whole bunch of things, some necessary (like talking, texting and emailing) and others not-so-necessary (like the rolling-a-make-believe-ball-into-a-peg-fame) pretty well. But, you would hope that one of the more basic features like the weather function would work better than it does. Sure, the icons are pretty and easy to understand. One of my favorites is the ambiguous sun-with-raindrops icon, so you know that it's supposed to rain and be sunny, right.... The forecasts are not detailed, and have questionable accuracy at best. I've been noticing this trend for months now, … Read more

Retro metro - the legendary New York subway map is back!

The 1972 New York subway map is back! Massimo Vignelli, the man behind this graphic design classic, was asked by Men's Vogue to update his legendary map for the magazine's May issue, reflecting more than 30 years' worth of changes.

When it was first released in 1972, the map was both beloved and hated for its high level of abstraction and artistic freedom (the 50th Street and Broadway stop, for example, was east of 8th Avenue instead of west). Some New Yorkers remarked that the map succeeded in its obvious intention to make it easy for tourists to … Read more

Rallying cry for innovation at Fortune Brainstorm Green and Milken Conference

Doreen Lorenzo, president of frog design, attended the recent Fortune Brainstorm Green and the Milken Global Conference and identified a common theme:

"In the past two weeks, I had the opportunity to attend two very interesting conferences. The first one was Fortune's Brainstorm Green, followed by the Milken Institute's Global Conference. Both of these conferences attract the who's who in the financial and business world. What struck me at both events was the rallying cry that innovation is key in solving many of the world's problems. I continued to hear that change is needed for … Read more

Fake the fake!

This high-end designer boutique in a trendy part of Seoul sells these bags at higher than Louis Vuitton's full prices, which is not nearly as hilarious as Louis Vuitton's unique methods in fighting back counterfeiters these days. Just look at this fake set-up of a fake bag seller that sells real bags during a recent exhibit launch party in New York. (via Notcot)

Toyota simulation tries to keep you in one piece

Having made a fool of ourselves last Friday crashing at every turn in the SingTel F1 simulator race, we were relieved to see somebody else being a klutz behind the wheel.

Toyota has developed a computer simulation dubbed Total Human Model Safety (THUMS), which re-creates high-speed accidents to examine the impact it has on human physiology, according to Fareastgizmos. The system is part of a new study conducted jointly with the FIA Institute that is designed specifically to examine high-speed rear-impact collisions at the FIA Formula One World Championship and Indy Racing League.

Driving an F1 car, as you might … Read more

Featured Freeware: Lego Digital Designer

Lego Digital Designer for Windows and Mac gives users the chance to play with Legos without paying for Legos. Loaded with features, the drawbacks are minor and this program is a lot of fun to use. The program links to the Lego online store, but there's more going on here than corporate shilling.

The graphics-intensive program seamlessly zooms in and out, rotates your point-of-view 360 degrees, connects bricks to each other, rotates them, and moves any hinges they might have so you can explore how your pieces fit together. Parts include basic bricks, model jet engines, and infrared sensors. … Read more

Photos: Maserati Quattroporte

In an age when automakers are touting the "four-door coupe" as the future of sports sedans, it's refreshing to see that there is at least one manufacturer that can combine performance and comfort without trying to invent a new segment. It may be in desperate need of a cabin tech upgrade, but the Pininfarina-designed Maserati Quattroporte is in a class of its own when it comes to exterior and interior style.

Check out our photos right here.