ThingsAmongMany

You probably have; it’s been all over the interwebs for the last 36 hours or so. But, it’s freakin’ awesome, so I’m going to post it anyway:

PhotoSketch: Internet Image Montage from tao chen on Vimeo.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to most simply as Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904 (and, unfortunately, passed away on September 21, 1991). In honor of his work, March 2nd is being celebrated as Read Across America Day - or more simply put, Dr. Seuss Day!

The National Education Association annually sponsors Read Across America. Now in its twelfth year, the program focuses on motivating children to read, in addition to helping them master basic skills. The nationwide reading celebration takes place each year on or near March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss.

One of my personal favorite authors - I still have my collection of Dr. Seuss books that was painstakingly collected by my mother as I was growing up - I’ve been known to spout random quotes from a few choice works.

If you want to learn more about Dr. Seuss, check out his Wikipedia entry. And have a look at all the chatter on Twitter today!

The crew over at Hack A Day has posted a comprehensive how-to on creating a fully networked graffiti wall for your office, bedroom, or what-not. “A what??” you might ask… Well, its one of these guys…and the best part is that it’s connected to the web so that anyone can upload their own sequence to the Graffiti Wall.

Their explanation is definitely thorough, though a little on the technical side. I had to take a break from it about halfway through - the build is not for the faint of heart. But the result is definitely impressive. They also have a live feed of everyone’s uploads if you want to keep an eye on what people are doing with it. Someone even went as far as creating a Pong re-enactment for it. Here’s the vid of it:

And, of course, the site has complete instructions down to each soldering point if you’ve got the gumption to build your own. If you do, let us (and the crew at Hack A Day) know how it turns out!

It’s always impressive when design is used to solve an everyday problem. I tweeted one instance here, when I noticed new, more ergonomic shopping baskets at my local grocery store. (Speaking of which, if you’re not already following *AmongMany on Twitter, jump on the bandwagon! We’ve already had a ton of new followers this week!)

I found another excellent example of a design solution to a common problem today: how often do you find yourself cramped under a desk or jiggling a plug back and forth to try and release it from a powerstrip with just one hand? I know for me, it’s more often than I’d like. Industrial designer Evan Ryan came up with a simple solution to alleviate the problem. His Eject Powerstrip allows the user to pop a plug from the strip one-handed by simply squeezing on either side of the plug:

One of, if not the most difficult aspect of a power strip is unplugging the power cords, especially if the power strip is under a desk or behind an object. When you squeeze the eject power strip, the plug “pops” right out eliminating the need to use two hands.

Simple. Useful. Elegant. Just what good design should be!

Sure, you know all about graffiti. Spray painted forms illicitly painted on walls in the middle of the night with the hopes of avoiding capture in the process. But how about reverse graffiti? Not so familiar?

Invented by Paul “Moose” Curtis, a then kitchen-hand in Leeds, reverse graffiti is the process of creating artwork on a surface by cleaning it. Not quite clear? Have a look at Moose’s recent work in San Francisco’s Broadway tunnel, a grime-coated subterranean thoroughfare in the heart of downtown:

Beneficial to all, and completely legal, Moose’s variation on the standard “graffiti” artwork is a huge step beyond the “environmentally friendly” wheatpaste that most artists use when they’re concerned about environmental impacts. Moose’s tools are simply water and Green Works products, a brand of environmentally minded, plant-based cleaning products.

Interested in learning more or seeing more videos about the creative process for the San Francisco project? Stop by ReverseGraffitiProject.com for a full run-down.

Anyone else noticing this trend lately? There’s a bunch of newcomers popping up across the web who are aiming their sights squarely at existing players. And they’re doing things better. For online invitations, first there was evite, then crush3r, and before they could even get their house in order, Pingg stepped into the ring. Same thing happened in the DIY arena: what Etsy started, Ponoko and now Shapeways have stepped up to take things to the next level.

And its happening again. For years now, CafePress has been your one-stop shop for custom tees, posters, coffee mugs, and tchotchkes. But just as they’re beginning to feel a little aged, a newcomer is stepping in to make their mark. Next time you need to print that custom tee or fire a poster off the presses, have a look at Zazzle, the newcomer in the custom print-on-demand sector.

Not only does Zazzle offer the usual array of tees, posters, and mugs, but they’ve stepped into an area that I’ve personally been interested in exploring: skateboard decks. And, to beat that, they have customizable stamps printable with your own designs!

I’ve already spoken to a friend who’s used Zazzle with great results. You can bet I’ll look to them for the poster ideas that have been bouncing around my to-do list for a while now. And how can you not love a company that’s willing to support National “Talk Like a Pirate Day”?

I’m not much of a gamer, but when this title started bouncing around the office yesterday, my curiosity was piqued. Braid, a newly launched game for xbox, spent two years in development. From first glance, you can see that there’s something a little different about this game. And also something a little familiar…

The unique watercolor style and intricately designed soundtrack make it clear that this isn’t your average EA game. In place of the usual bright colors and careful 3D renderings are a series of levels that truly look like they’ve been painted from the get-go.

The story is a carefully constructed tale that mixes just enough familiarity with just enough of something new to keep the user intrigued. Clearly taking inspiration from the classic Mario Bros. series, Braid follows Tim on his journey to rescue the Princess (of course). Beyond that, and some commonalities of physical features (like pipes with chompers popping out), the similarities to anything you’ve seen before end there.

The title, Braid, plays off the story described at the outset of the game as well as the twisting and turning of time that a player encounters. See, there’s the catch. You don’t “die” in Braid. You can turn back time and replay any point of the game. You can also make a change to the game, then rewind it and utilize that change to your advantage moving forward. Confused? Have a watch, maybe this will clarify:

The attention to detail throughout Braid is nothing short of impressive. The creators clearly state that their intention was to leave no moment wasted throughout the game. Every moment of play is meant to move both the story and the experience forward. Read more about it at the Braid site, or dig into the reviews and the development process at the Braid Blog.

Are you addicted to Facebook apps? I know a few people who have Facebook pages that are more akin to Orange’s Good Things Should Never End site (a POKE London creation!) than the standard facebook profile. If you’re one of those types, keep your eye open for a new app from the crew at JESS3.

Hopping on the “app-in-a-day” bandwagon, these guys created FriendCompare early this week. The new app does…well, exactly what it says. It cuts up all that random information that’s buried in your Facebook profile and allows you to go head-to-head with your buddies to see who’s got what it takes to rule…Facebook. If that’s you’re thing.

I did some searching around, but I couldn’t find the app for download quite yet. I’d imagine it will be available shortly, so keep your eyes peeled. And drop the JESS3 crew a line if you’re interested, I’m sure they’d be happy to chat about it.

Here’s a sneak peek from their blog:

You may remember, from a few weeks ago, our post about Ponoko, the Etsy + Threadless mashup for 3D objects. Well, it turns out that Ponoko isn’t the only crew getting into the 3D game. Yesterday I was introduced to Shapeways, a Netherlands-based company that will take your 3D design and return to you a “printed” copy. No, not a blueprint, but an actual 3D object created to your specs.

That said, Shapeways and Ponoko probably aren’t direct competitors for most projects. Where Ponoko is looking to combine an Etsy-like shopping experience with any easy-creation process for artists, Shapeways really seeks to bring 3D printing capabilities to the small-time designer who can’t afford his own. They’re perfect if you need a mockup of that new kidrobot-style vinyl toy you’ve been designing or a sculpture you want to create on a small scale.

Shapeways also has an interesting video that shows their process as well as a few of their earliest creations:

Right now the company appears to be in a beta stage. I signed up this morning; we’ll see how long it will take to get an invite and what that allows me to do. In the meantime, have a gander at their site.

Yup, we all know Etsy is one of the greatest places on the web. But there’s a new player in town that adds a big twist to the system. And it’s a twist that might just prove to give Etsy some competition…

Welcome Ponoko. Now before you roll your eyes at yet another oddly named design website, stop and have a look at these guys. Based in San Francisco, they’re much like Etsy. Small-time designers can sell their products in an easy-to-create store setting. But here’s the twist: Ponoko also offers on-demand creation services.

Stop and think about that for a second. You know that flat-pack chair that you’ve been kicking around in your head for a while? All you have to do is upload the plans. You get back a price, and if it looks good, you get your chair in the mail. Boom, done. Plus, when your friends start going ga-ga over it in your living room, you can put it on your own Ponoko store where they can buy it as well. Here’s how it works:

So, basically it’s Etsy, but the difficulties of the creation process fall into their hands rather than yours. All the glory with none of the trouble!