Clean IT

Ben 10 Game Creator

Well coming from a family full of game playing people including 4 children I can speak from experience about the benefits of engaging the creative side of a child’s imagination.

Whether we like it or not the digital age is here to stay and whilst children have traditionally created things from building blocks and other construction mediums we now are at a point where they can truly let their imagination go wild.

In fact it goes beyond that because not only are children used to playing online games there is a trend towards creation, this also has the benefit of association whereby children can associate with their TV hero and now interact on an environment creation experience.

The Ben 10 Game Creator

What am I talking about? Well take a look at the Ben 10 Game Creator, this allows children to build their very own exciting Ben 10 Games using their hero but more the social community aspect of the Ben10 website allows you to submit your games for others to play but also play Ben10 games created by other children.

What I particularly like is the stance towards parents and visibility too and there is a clear parental section explaining exactly what the game creator does. The game creator takes the interaction to a new level, my children are all teenagers now and they actively use game editors and mod games as part of their everyday enjoyment in computer gaming.

This undoubtedly leads to really good computer skills, hand eye co-ordination, and a general understanding of the digital world due to the social side but all in a safe environment.

My children were way ahead of others in their computer classes, they were adept with word and spreadsheets and even ahead of the teachers with Dreamweaver and Photoshop both valuable development and editing tools, I now have one of my sons at the age of thirteen already creating motion capture videos which started with him video capturing his gameplay.

Three of them are heading for jobs in an industry  where there are very good salaries and prospects at a time of recession.

It all starts with engaging children’s imagination and the Ben10 Game creator does just that!

Large Format Scanning’s The Solution

Once upon a time, businesses such as solicitors, estate agents or any other kind of company which had to process a lot of paperwork had to also spend a considerable amount of money on space just to house all of the paperwork.

Thankfully, the digital era means that everything can be stored electronically. Large format scanning means that even the largest of property plans for example can quickly and safely be digitalised, stored and backed up.

This is beneficial for reasons other than simply saving space. Keeping large amounts of document hard copies in storage is a risky business; should there be any kind of disaster such as a fire, all of the information would be destroyed forever.

Using facilities such as large format scanning means that files can not only be stored digitally on a hard drive, but copies can be made onto CDs, or you could utilise online backup services where should all of the information on a computer be lost, there would be a simple way to retrieve it all.

It’s imperative that businesses back up hard copies digitally as the loss of a large number of documents could prove fatal to a company. It’s a more convenient way of safekeeping information. Document storage itself, in the form of paying a document storage company to keep hold of hard copies for you, is another option, but you will still be paying an excess for physically storage which of course is eradicated if everything’s digital.

Back up your hard drives!

Hard drives eh? The biggest threat to them is the people they have to deal with. It’s no wonder that hard drive recovery is such big business.

But why do they have to be so complicated? Hard drives and the recovery of them aren’t things instantly or even easily fathomable to the average human, and they should be. As our lives slowly slide from the realms of reality on to and in to computers, will we all gradually accumulate the knowledge as to how to properly deal with and fix these machines?

Will something like hard drive recovery eventually become innate; second nature? Probably not. If we all had the potential to become doctors of computers, we’d surely have been born with the ability to be doctors for our own bodies.

What’s weird is that backing up your own data, and thus avoiding having to seek hard drive recovery, is relatively easy. You don’t need to do much to make copies of stuff. What’s weirder is when people have stuff on their computer, personal stuff, and they REALLY wouldn’t want anyone else to see it, but then they don’t bother to back that up either.

This happened to a friend a while ago and it still annoys him when I joke that the people at the hard drive recovery place all get to have a good look at everything that’s recovered whether it’s labeled as confidential or not.

The Magic Of The Two-Way Radio

We are lucky enough to live today in a world in which mass communication is possible, and not only is it possible, it is instant. Real-time information can travel back and forth through a myriad of mediums, and most credit the internet as being the biggest trailblazing invention that facilitates this type of communication, but what about the input of the humble two way radio?

These little contraptions allowed for the first time two-way communication between two different sources – not unlike a telephone, except the difference is they were mobile, so were actually more like mobile phones and, because everything was sent by radio transmission, two-way radios were free to use!

A two way radio is basically a walkie-talkie, a device that provides infinite hours of fascination for children in particular because it seems to defy the logic they learn about space and relativity; you can’t detect the presence of your friend… and yet you can communicate with them via this magnificent little contraption which has no wires and seems to work by magic.

Perhaps nowadays technology has moved on and mobile phones and other devices are the norm and children are no longer fascinated by the technology of the two way radio, but, and this is hypothetical; what if there was a sudden, huge, world-wide apocalypse-type disaster, and all of the big technology companies had their generators and buildings blown to smithereens and there was nothing to provide mobile phone service? THEN people would show a bit of appreciation for the two way radio!

Its during months in the year like this when its cold, dark and miserable that i often reminisce and long for the old Transformer curtains and bed spread that i used to have in my room when I was a kid.

The Old School 80s Transformers Curtains

Its not just the money those awesome 80s nostalgia curtains would make on eBay but more about the comforting feeling it used to bring. Alas, just like the box full of action figures i used to have the curtains and bedspread are no longer. Boy, what I’d do to go back in time and save those little gems!…

So what curtains, bins and bed spreads do this generations kids have? Ben 10 (Yawn),  Simpson’s (Yawn), Tweenies (Yawn), Fifi (Who/What?), Sponge bob (Fair enough), Transformers (woohoo!!!)

Good to see this generation get to wake up and enjoy the same things that used to make that little bit of difference for me as a kid!

The latest in transformers Curtains and Bedding - I'm almost tempted...

Whether its web design Essex or web design Tokyo one thing is true, you MUST look further than just aesthetics and style. It goes without saying that these are a key part in any website but the fact remains true that real design skills and effective design lies beyond the just looks and the feel of the environment being creating.

Hopefully as designers we’ve learnt  from the mistakes of both ourselves and others. With such a healthy number of  freelance designers and web agencies our there and the beauty of the Internet giving us motivation and the ability to finally push some of those old bad habits out of the picture for good.

Remember, the modern day web designer needs to have far more than just a little Photoshop flare…

True talent in a web designer lies in one that:

• Understands the beauty of simplicity
• Concentrates on the needs of the user and not his/her own
• Ensures information is presented in an elegant,  self-explanatory and easy to digest manner
• Has insight into the way a user thinks and most of all NEVER assumes
• Understands the common pitfalls and frustrations we all experience as a user from time to time and how to avoid them
• Is not afraid of convention but embraces it and makes use of it
• Understands the importance of trail and error – test, improve, test, improve test…
• Tests early and tests often

Photocopiers were first patented over seventy years ago. The man who patented this idea was Chester Carlton, when he put through his patent for electro- photography however Carlton probably did not realise that he had created a dynasty of photocopiers and colour copiers. The term electro-photography was soon changed however to Xerography; the machine used to carry out the process later became one of the most famous inventions of the twentieth century and earned Chester millions of dollars.

Xerography though was not immediately popular; the Haloid Company in New York started producing office photocopiers in 1955 under the changed company name to Haloid Xerox, a business that has become synonymous with photocopying and printing technology. Additionally however the Xerox Company were one of the first to utilise Ethernet in order to enhance communication across their considerable computer network. From humble beginnings the photocopier has gone from a clunky piece of machinery to streamlined colour copiers that are equally important as Google and the internet in the modern workplace.

Last week data reached the news desks of agencies that UK companies are now spending more on online advertising than on television advertising. According to the Advertising Bureau’s report, a record £1.75 billion was spent on online advertising in comparison to £1.64 billion spent on TV. This is understandable when it is considered that searchers on the internet can find anything from dog clothes to tiaras. Essentially, by utilising online advertising, particularly when this advertising is related to search, companies can target their marketing to people that want to use their products; fundamentally this is far more cost effective than using television adverts.

Cleary the power of search engines such as Google as well as the growth in the search marketing has led to aggressive sales strategies utilising all the online medium has to offer. Companies that do use online advertising strategies not only have a more targeted form of visibility, but also have a means of direct measurement of success for the advert; in these days of penny pinching and recession it is perfectly understandable that companies would prefer this more cost effective option. This latest news is in my opinion only the tip of the iceberg; online expenditure will continue to grow as more and more people choose to shop online. An increasing number of companies will realise the benefits of online advertising and particularly marketing in the search medium.

Now there’s product design and there’s product design.

The first is the initial process that follows the ‘I’ve got a good idea’ thought. You come up with something that you think nobody else has successfully invented yet, you get your ideas down on paper, patent it (if you’re sensible) and then initiate product design whereby you employ someone who knows how to put your idea into practice and give you the resulting product itself.

Then, we have product design. Now this type is completely different. These are the products that people actually spend their time giving thought to and then, probably through some mental disability that makes them think it’s a good idea, they employ the same experts to bring their product deign to fruition.

For example, we have the bra that turns into two gas masks – just in case you should ever get caught out and need a swift removal of underwear to save your life.

Product Design - The Silent Screamer

A couple from California thought it would be a good idea to invent a ‘scream silencer’. A tube like muffler fits around the screamers mouth and away you go! Scream your heart out into the tube which is coated with sound absorbing foam, and no-one will be any the wiser. The only draw back they could see was losing the satisfaction of hearing your own scream so they considerately hooked it up to a microphone that creates a light display from the sound for visual feedback without disturbing others.

Useless product design from Edwardian times included things such as the moustache guard. This consisted of an antiseptic paper disc that folded over the edge of any cup of glass. The purpose of this was to prevent the moustache getting wet and potentially growing bacteria. All very well until it’s wet and turns to papier mache!

So, product design or product design, it make all the difference!

Google launched a new online service called Fast Flip today. Fast Flip (previously known as “Flipper”) is an online news reader that allows you to flip through popular news topics in varying categories. The difference with Fast Flip is that it provides you with a more visual user interface:

Google Fast Flip

Its already being compared with Bing Visual Search, criticised as having poor interface and being slow, some even referred to it as ‘Slow Slider’ as its doesn’t actually flip its pages it just slides them across.

Despite agreeing with some of the points made my opinion is that Google are being innovative and looking into different ways it can provide its searchers with information which is always a good thing.

I’m sure the guys back at GoogleLabs will be able to take some valuable feedback from this. Fast Flip might have its issues but a few tweaks here and there and think it could have potential. I guess time will tell us.