pixelnoise

I'm still here...

2005-07-05T22:28:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I last posted and unfortunately it will stay sporadic at least for this month of July and hopefully it should start picking up again next month. A lot of things going on specially on the home-front, I'm in the midst of packing and relocating from the 'burbs of Chicago to head back to the city. I can't wait to get settle and resume normal day to day functions. I'll try and

Microsoft's Acrylic

2005-06-14T22:24:00.000-05:00

Not a Mac related post but a design news nonetheless, Microsoft today announced the availability of the beta version of Acrylic, a vector based graphic application that mimics traditional painting style. This application is based on Creature House's Expression 3 which was acquired by Microsoft last year. A free version of Expression 3 for Mac OS is available and of course no further development

Apple Switcheroo

2005-06-07T07:44:00.000-05:00

Apple yesterday tasted their own medicine by being a switcher themselves and will be moving to Intel processors. I'm still a bit mixed about this strategy since game consoles (Xbox 2, PS3, Nintendo revolution) are all moving to PowerPC to gain more power in their consoles. Apple seems to be doing the reverse. One thing for sure is their current line will suffer since people (me included) will be

Best 24 ever!

2005-05-23T23:10:00.000-05:00

The fourth season of 24 just ended and oh what a season. It's the best 24 I have ever seen, not one dull moment. Some key points/moments that I love about this season are...• Best villain: Habib Marwan (formerly held by first season's Gaines)• Tony Almeada's (among others) sudden appearance.• Chloe and Edgar. This one is aching for a spin-off.• Mandy the hottie assassin. More screen-time this

Vintage Apple TV commercials part 2

2005-05-19T07:33:00.000-05:00

This one is the mother lode! There are a lot of old Apple ads in this site that I've never seen before. Thanks to Gary L. Gray for putting this together and providing a both educational and entertaining resource. A definite bookmark-worthy.Technorati Tags: apple, marketing, video

PS3: My spider sense is tingling

2005-05-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

Is it me or Sony is actually using the font from Spiderman as the logotype for Playtation 3? I wonder what happen to their previous logo which is much more edgy and appealing.Technorati Tags: design, logo, playstation, sony

Mac user's survival tools in a Windows environment

2005-05-17T23:10:00.000-05:00

As a creative individual (or team) using a Mac in a Windows dominated environment such as a large corporation setting can be very daunting. Using a Mac as a creative tool is such a great privilege despite your IT's smirk whenever the “M” word is mentioned (nope, I'm not going to touch the perennial mac-windows debate). So it's best to keep ourselves under the radar as possible, move from network

Tiger feature: Slideshow

2005-05-17T07:53:00.000-05:00

Another great addition to Mac OS X is the Slideshow utility found in the contextual menu. This is a perfect tool for any graphic creators and photographer or anyone who wants to make a quick presentation in a slideshow form. Start by selecting several images within a folder and right (ctrl) clicking on the files to invoke the contextual menu. The first image will appear in full screen along with

It's U2 night!

2005-05-12T08:56:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend and I are going to see U2 tonight at the United Center in Chicago. I hope I can sneak in my digital camera just like the last 2001 concert to get some pictures. I love taking concert pictures, it gives you an opportunity to take pictures in a wide color spectrum. To the other concert goers who wish to take pictures, don't use the flash, they are worthless. Go manual and go for slow

Music videos in iTunes 4.8

2005-05-10T06:31:00.000-05:00

With the recent update to iTunes to 4.8, it is now capable of playing movie files right in the iTunes itself. The ads in the iTunes main page music store shows some of the new tracks for sale along with one or more accompanying music videos. I purchased the new Gorillaz and The Shins tracks which sells for $0.99 and $1.98 along with the videos. The videos downloaded just like a regular music

Bryce 5.5 shipped

2005-05-09T07:21:00.000-05:00

Bryce 5.5 shipped and (still, whew!) available for Mac OS X platform...“Bryce 5.5 adds the DAZ|Studio character plug-in, which lets you load, edit and import any OBJ model into a Bryce scene. Enhanced OpenGL support lets you see texture maps applied to your objects in real-time; you can pan, zoom and rotate the workspace while seeing a full color preview of the objects while you work. Also new to

Site update: Resources

2005-05-08T22:11:00.000-05:00

The Resources section is now updated. Previously this page were hard coded, with this update I'm now using del.icio.us (Design Links) and allconsuming's (Recommended Reading) technology to dynamically populate the content to this page. This makes it easier since I only need to add and update my tags on the mentioned sites to generate the info via the RSS feed. Only downside is that the page loads

Vintage Apple TV commercials

2005-05-05T07:33:00.000-05:00

An archive of Apple's old TV commercial from the 80' and 90's (pre “switch” campaign) are compiled at Uriah.com. Check out the SNL parodies as well for a quick chuckle.Technorati Tags: apple, marketing, video

Pixelnoise is now Technorati enabled

2005-05-04T21:09:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to announce a couple of new additions to the site to enhance your visit and increase visibility out in the blogosphere courtesy of the weblog aggregator, Technorati. The first one is the tags that you see after each post. These tags works in the same way as flickr and del.icio.us tags work, however, instead of photos and links, the tags take you to a list of bloggers who has

H.264 = WOW!

2005-05-04T10:29:00.000-05:00

Describing this new video codec technology will not do justice. It needs to be seen and experienced. Make sure you already upgraded to Quicktime 7. Sorry, macs only for now.Technorati Tags: mac, H.264, quicktime

Adobe Creative Suite 2 packaging design

2005-05-03T16:09:00.000-05:00

Metadesign reveals their creative process and inspiration on the new packaging design for the Adobe Creative Suite 2. It's interesting that the art was made using xrays by radiography artist Nick Veasey."There's a great David Bowie quote that's something like, 'There's no point in being more than 15 minutes ahead of your time.' You can create wild, esoteric stuff, but it will be meaningless

Reverting Mail.app's tool bar icon

2005-05-03T07:33:00.000-05:00

There's a lot of things to love in the new Mac OS X Tiger (more on these later) but there is one thing that I hate and it sticks like a sore thumb... the Mail.app's toolbar icons. I'm really not digging the lick-able pill look. It violates their own human interface guidelines by creating similar capsule icon shape rather than the icon's distinguishable outline shape. It's a good thing that there

Daring Fireball's “no spin zone” take on Adobe Macromedia acquisition

2005-04-21T10:53:00.000-05:00

Funny post at Daring Fireball translating Adobe's Macromedia acquisition FAQ document..."Are there areas of duplication in product lines? If so, how will that be addressed?Adobe and Macromedia are committed to serving the needs of our combined customers. The companies are largely complementary, and thus the amount of competition between us is limited. Post closing, we believe the industry will

New Wacom wireless tablet

2005-04-15T10:28:00.000-05:00

Wacom cuts the cord and finally makes graphire tablet wireless using bluetooth technology. Currently, it only comes in 6x8 and costs about $250. I think I'll wait until the 4x5 comes out since this is my preferred size. From macworld news..."The 6 x 8-inch tablet includes a cordless, battery-free pen that supports 512 levels of pressure sensitivity and a built-in eraser. The tablet can work up to

First post using Ecto for Mac OS X

2005-04-13T16:39:00.000-05:00

This is a test post from ecto app. I love how easy it is to post using this app. Much better than the online editor that blogger provides. Also, a nice little feature is the ability to insert the current track playing in my iTunes...Listening to: Are you Gonna Be My Girl from the album “Get Born” by Jet

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Available April 29th

2005-04-12T10:44:00.000-05:00

Apple today announced the ship date for Tiger 10.4. It was mentioned in the rumor mill that Family Pack will not be available in this release. Fortunately it's not true, Family Pack is availalble for $199 (5 license) for those of us who have multiple macs. Head over to apple.com to see a rare all black home page.

Craigslist and Google Map Hack

2005-04-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

Very nice hack by Paul Rademacher. A combination of Craigslist and Google Maps, for viewing rental and for-sale listings across the country.

Design: Visa brand revitalization

2005-03-17T07:15:00.000-06:00

Nothing compelling design-wise, it’s a bit too conservative in my opinion. Gone are the two horizontal banners replaced by yet another swoosh treatment… yes, a SWOOSH. The interesting part is the redesign of the credit card itself, they merged the hologram image with the magnetic strip. I wish they tint that part with a darker shade over the current dove imagery to help with the design transition

NYPL Digital Library Launches

2005-03-09T13:59:00.000-06:00

The New York Public Library launches it's digital library which provides free access to 275,00 images..."NYPL Digital Gallery provides access to over 275,000 images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed

Star Wars concept paintings by Ralph McQuarrie

2005-03-09T10:18:00.000-06:00

Michael Heilemann posted several scanned concept paintings of Ralph McQuarrie from the original Star Wars trilogy. It's fascinating to see what was originally imagined and what ended up on the screen. The paintings are wonderful and inspirational. Be sure to check out the high-res versions for a detailed look.