For Christmas this year my wife and I got a new flat screen tv and an Apple TV to go with it. I’ve used it a few times now and for the most part really like it. First I’ll talk about what I like.

1. I like that I can stream movies from my computer or my iPod. Very nice!
2. Netflix streaming is amazing. It’s easy to brows through movies and the picture quality is great. Many movies stream in HD. I haven’t experienced a hang up yet.
3. It does other stuff too like play music from iTunes, internet radio stations, photos and YouTube.
4. You can hack it. I’ve found a bunch of hacks for HULU and other things. Rumor has it that Apple will be coming out with an Apple TV App Store so maybe the hacks are just a temporary thing anyway.
5. It works. My wife and I have a Time Capsule, an iMac and a MacBookPro and it found them all no problem.
6. The size is so teeny weeny!

Drawbacks:

1. It was a huge pain to put in usernames and passwords to connect with the my iTunes store account and to Netflix. I don’t use the iTunes store much, it’s more expensive for buying music and there are DRM issues. So naturally I don’t remember what my pw is. It would be great if for streaming your own music on your own network you could just do a blue tooth type password that creates the bond and then doesn’t matter any more; at least for those who are not buying or renting from iTunes. Entering your username and password is ridicules. Basically you go character by character using the remote. I use very secure passwords for things that involve my cc number so naturally this took a long time especially with my username being an email address . I actually took a break from it at one point. The password is dots out the characters so it’s easy to loose your place if your pw is over 8 characters. At least it is for me. You would think in this day and age that kind of thing would be figured out.
2. This in more a drawback for all of you with screens larger than 40″. The Apple TV’s HD is only 720p, not 1080p. For me and my 32″ TV it makes no difference.

So that’s my story so far. If you have a smaller sized flat screen and are already using Apple gear in other walks of life the Apple TV is great. If you’re really into image quality being at 1080p then I would go for a more expensive media center option or a Roku for streaming online video.

My friend JF sent this to me, it’s a screen shot he took of the new MacBook Air email promo that he received last week. I build a lot of html email at my job, almost two per day, and even with a considerably smaller budget than Apple, I still manage to test every email in multiple browsers and email clients before sending them to make sure everyone sees the same thing. If Apple wants people with PCs to switch to Macs they can’t be sending emails that only work on Macs. What’s funny is a few hours later he received the same email at a different email address only this time the broken hand was fixed. Someone at Apple must have noticed something. Mistakes can happen, that’s why when you’re working on the web you gotta test your work. I’ learned a few lessons the hard way my self.

Now that I’ve said this I hope the Farm is working for everyone (except you ie 6 users that have to move on; you know who you are and you should be ashamed -shaaaaame) how embarrassing if it wasn’t.

Like a lot of people, after downloading the new iTunes 10, I was surprised at the new design. Over all I think the design is a step backwards. It just all feels so… PC/Microsoft. Why copy the design of a company that constantly copies you? I do understand getting rid of the CD image in the logo. People don’t purchase CDs like they used to and iTunes doesn’t sell CD’s, but what’s with electric blue? It reminds me of a PC laptop led light and for some reason makes me think of an iconic Alien head.

Using the new iTunes so far is fine. I could care less about Ping, but Genius seems to work a bit better and I think I’ve noticed a bit of a speed improvement in pulling my music from my Time Capsule. The interface design on the other hand still seems to fall short for me. The icons feel very PC and the volume control with the metal looking ball that neither sits on top of top menu bar or inside doesn’t visually make sense at first glance. It’s like a visual eye trick when you look at it one time it’s on top, the next it recessed inside. Even my friend who works on a PC all day pointed to it and asked me what it was.

If I was on a PC I guess I would care less, but I spent extra money for a better experience and I’ve been conditioned by Apple to be pretentious and expect to be awed and by their design. I even noticed the other day that when I use iTunes, I find myself hiding it more often so I don’t have to looks at it. I’m interested to find out what you think. Please drop me a comment and let me know.

Straws

Untitled: Plastic Cups

Metallic Paper

Close up of above image

Untitled: Mylar

I just got back from Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) where I saw American sculptor Tara Donovan’s work up close. Donovan repeats everyday objects like plastic cups, straws, tape and paper to create something new, different and unexpected. The show features her work over the last decade. I really enjoyed the show. It was amazing to actually be in the spaces that the art was installed. I saw pictures on the internet before going but they no where near capture the scale or environment of each piece. I highly recommend seeing the show in person if possible.

I recently went to Mass MoCA and saw the show Badlands New Horizons in Landscape. One piece by Vaughn Bell called Green Village stood out among the rest because of its simple, fun concept. Bell suspends small-scale natural environments, terrariums, from the ceiling so that viewers can put their heads inside. Above are photos my wife and I took of each other and another photo of a couple that let us take a picture of them.

My wife and I took a trip to Mass MoCA (Massachusettes Museum of Contemporary Art) on Saturday. We had a good time but over all the art was a disappointment. There were however two pieces of art that I really enjoyed. American conceptual artist Jenny Holzer’s PROJECTIONS and Vaughn Bell’s work called Village Green which I’ll write about in another post. 

Holzer’s PROJECTIONS is an amazing installation featuring poetry by Wislawa Szymborska projected in helvetica in a large gymnasium sized room. My wife and I were a bit ah-struck. The words moving all about the room creating various sizes and perspectives. Throughout the floor viewers can sit and watch the words float by on 10 foot diameter bean bags. I’d love to have one of those. Anyway. Here’s a live feed of the installation. I’m not sure how much longer it’s up, so if you get a chance to see it in person I recommend it.

We’ve never done a post about an entire blog before, but we’ve been following Bobby Solomon’s blog, Kitsune Noir, for awhile now. The blog’s topics include art, design, music, movies, fashion and technology. The blog’s design is all about the images. They are large, well presented and the most prominent integral aspect of the design. Yesterday for his birthday Bobby offered his readers a great mix tape. I’ve had the pleasure of listening to many of his mix tapes and being an indie music guy myself have really enjoyed them. He’s also got some great wallpapers from The Desktop Wallpaper Project Presented by Kitsune Noir where Bobby asks friends to create wallpapers and then posts them for free downloads. Maybe someday we’ll be asked.

I needed a hat and a pair of kicks. I hadn’t brought either with us on our trip to San Diego and we were headed to the desert for a day of hiking. Marshalls saves the day! I found just what I needed, a hip pair of Pumas and this madras “old style” cap. I figured I looked pretty spiffy in the hat and not only wore it to the desert but all the rest of our trip. (and right now)

When I got home I wore the hat to work. Everyone complimented that they liked it and thought it was appropriate looking on me. I was feeling pretty good about myself. Though wearing a hat at work is against the dress code my boss didn’t even bat an eye. I’ve noticed everyone started paying more attention to me. Especially when putting the hat on or taking it off. So far it hasn’t failed. I reach for the hat bend my head down to put it on and when I look up everyone is looking at me with amazement. Like I was just one person and then all of the sudden I’m a different person. Someone they want to hang out with maybe? I’ve even noticed that on my ride to and from work the toll takers have been nicer.

So what gives? Well it’s the power of design. Looks matter. We have stereotypes and design is based on them. Combined design disciplines and how you organize them in life reflects who you are and who you want to be. Of course I’m a likable, look at my hat. Of course I’m a designer/illustrator, look at my glasses! Of course I like indie music, look at my green spring jacket and sideburns! Let’s go to a contemporary art museum, or maybe take pictures in front of a courtyard fountain so that the water is blowing out of the top of my head.

Let’s sum up. You are what you put around you and chances are you’re at a computer quite a bit. Shouldn’t you have a desktop wallpaper that fits who you are and wish you were? Me, I’m a Farmidable Dumplings pattern man, but maybe you’re more of a Pine Boughs or a Wood Block Print. Either way you’ll find what you’re looking for in our gallery.