Tokyo Zoo Project | mapping animals on the streets of Tokyo
Description spoon&tamago
Tokyo Zoo Project is a website that has managed to transform the city of Tokyo into a zoo. How? By unleashing various cycling routes around the city that trace outlines of animals. There’s a panda that peruses Shibuya, a gorilla that goes to Haneda and even a zebra that zooms through my old neighborhood of Kichijoji.
The different animals were chosen based on requests they received on twitter. A team of cartographers then drew out animal-shaped routes on a map. But in all its topographic greatness, the project also has an interactive component, which of course involves a purchase. With Sony’s NAV-U personal navigation system (about 24,000 yen) you can try out all the routes yourself. You can even create new routes. The navigation system even logs cool stats like distance traveled and calories burned. But with a little creativity we can all try out these routes without making the purchase.
Tokyo Zoo Project is a nominee for a Webby Award this year in the “Best Visual Design-Function” category (which is how I discovered the project). It was created by ad agency Frontage – a joint-venture between Sony and Dentsu.
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Original description
Kid-in is a platform for the diverse perspectives of a wide range of international and local designers and photographers, artists and thinkers, focusing on the singular subject of childhood.
We exist as a magnet for unique and creative expression regarding this singular moment in existence, left of field from the typical approach. Concepts of normal and abnormal are unavoidably held to question – but always with unfailing humor and respect.
Parents and artists ourselves, our goal is to return as genuinely as possible to the rarified view of the child, achieved only by setting our minds free.
This magazine is a celebration: of the magical realism inherent in childhood, and of the surreal nature of its imaginative realm.
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Tutorial: Create A Minimal Single Page Portfolio With HTML5/CSS3
Description koikoikoi
This tutorial is the second installment of how to create a minimal single page portfolio using HTML5 and CSS3, take a look at part one where I initially designed the single page portfolio concept. In this tutorial I will walk you through the basic front-end build and what resources I used to rapidly build the page. GO HERE
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New Site Lets You Look Inside Other People’s Luggage [Pics]
Description psfk
I Am Packed is a clever photo-sharing blog where you can get a glimpse of what other people are taking on their holiday and trips. The site hopes to help travelers gain inspiration on packing efficiently and effectively as there is an “art” to finding a balance between “necessities, showing off in a new city, and leaving space for all your shopping.”
The website was created by SLAMXHYPE founder Adam Bryce who initially started the site to let others see what he typically packs when traveling. He also accepts submission from readers who want to showoff what’s in their luggage and suitcase.
Browse through the gallery below to see some of the photos on the blog.
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Pinterest’s Social Aesthetic
Description hypebeast
Something is changing in social media. A very noticeable shift is taking place from the data-heavy, status update-laden burden of platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to something lighter, more versatile and highly visual. As I covered in my last piece for Hypebeast, Tumblr seems to have blazed the path for this alternative philosophy of sharing over the web – one catered more towards interior designers and fashion journalists than tech geeks and pundits.
The true black horse of “Instablogging,” a term used to describe the immediate point-and-shoot nature of allocating content across networks like Tumblr and Instagram, is without a doubt Pinterest. From what seems like out of nowhere, the platform has been written up as a branding tool on Mashable, cited as a secret weapon for fashion PR and even made it onto the list of the top ten most-trafficked social networks at the end of 2011, beating out sites like Google+ in the process. Pinterest has accomplished this all while remaining a technically “invitation-only” website, a formidable feat despite the fact that requests to join are rewarded fairly quickly with a membership.
For those in need of a quick education, Pinterest is essentially a digital inspiration panel upon which browsers can create myriad “boards,” titled anything their heart desires. Each of these boards then contains a host of “pins” – images that the user finds enticing. The social aspects of the site come in the form of “follows,” which can be applied to a whole user or just one of his or her boards, as well as “repins,” which are akin to reblogs on Tumblr.
So, why is this important? Especially for the young and urban demographic, Pinterest offers a fascinating form of self-expression that is truly shareable, yet almost solely visual. Much how the old adage goes, this site is truly “worth a thousand words” in its capacity for unique storytelling. Brands like L.L. Bean, Whole Foods and Nordstrom are counted among the early adopters on Pinterest, although none seem quite sure how to leverage their engagement on the site yet. In a way, this is a good thing. Social media platforms these days have lost their original verve for the unadulterated sharing of inspiration. Advertisements and socially savvy companies bombard users on every channel possible with messages crafted carefully to seem genuine. Pinterest, much like Tumblr and Instagram, cannot be exploited so easily. To take place in the conversation, companies and celebrities alike must tap into their creative sides and produce content that is legitimately worth sharing. Furthermore, they must tie this information to stunning, quirky or interesting graphics.
I believe that the Instablogging trend is not only here to stay, but also heralding in a powerful niche genre of the social aesthetic. This is a realm for the artist in all of us. Although our Instagram photos may never be professional caliber and our Pinterest boards might not rival those of magazine editors or interior decorators – platforms such as these allow dormant talents to be discovered and nurtured.
In the modern metropolitan environment, consumers are overwhelmed with data coming at them from all sides of the physical and online worlds. TV and computer screens have become almost unavoidable, popping everywhere from elevators to bathrooms, blasting a cornucopia of ugly, unhappy information. The Internet can be a beautiful place, but users had to look fairly hard for a style of artistic engagement online before the Instablogging trend took off. Sites like Pinterest bring creativity and storytelling to the web in, for the first time, highly social incredibly easy to use interfaces. Furthermore, they not only challenge users to think more aesthetically, veering away from the anxious over-sharing of Facebook and often dour real-time updates of Twitter, but they also force advertisers and editorial entities to embrace this style of pure self-expression.
In a way, Pinterest and the social aesthetic represent a little slice of digital serenity – and that’s addicting.
Douglas Brundage is a born-and-bred New Yorker and aesthete who has been writing and editing in one form or another for most of his life. Douglas’ interests in food, travel, hip-hop, fashion and marketing have allowed him to garner the unique ability to discuss everything from Woody Allen to Kanye West. If you liked his piece, make sure to follow him on Twitter, Tumblr and (of course) Pinterest. Douglas currently works in social media at Team Epiphany in Manhattan.
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New Vimeo
Description coolhunting
Our favorite video sharing platform reveals a complete redesign
We have always been big supporters of Vimeo and their mission to provide a high quality, creatively focused platform for video sharing. We are super excited to announce that today Vimeo is launching it’s latest iteration with New Vimeo. The new platform entails a complete redesign from top to bottom. The new user interface was built with all new code, has brand-new features and a fantastic new look. The first redesign since 2007, this major overhaul marks Vimeo’s push to grow and reach a larger audience by making it more accessible and adding some great new features.
The basis for New Vimeo revolves are putting the video first. In lieu of the Inbox, when you log in you are now presented with your Feed, a streaming list of videos from all your contact and subscriptions. The feed allows you to watch and interact with those videos in place, including the ability to like, share or comment without having to visit the actual clip page. The feed is super clean and open, it has a very pleasing effect on the eye and incorporates the various buttons and tools in a subtle, intuitive manner.
The language of the site has also changed. Adopting terminology more in line with social networks the site loses subscriptions and instead let’s users “Follow” each other. Anyone you follow will appear in your feed and act in the same manner as subscriptions and contacts did in the previous version. This simplification makes it much easier to manage your network on site and is more digestible for new users coming from other social platforms. The video still remains the focus of the experience, by keeping user interaction simple you can do more without straying from the content.
Content really is king in this new layout. Gone are the tabs upon tabs and long scrolling video lists with options layered one on top of the other. Videos are now presented front and center on clip pages, a drop down bar on the top of the site lets you browse other videos from your feed, more videos from that user or a wide variety of other filtering options. We spoke with Blake Whitman, Vimeo’s VP of Creative Development, who gave a walk through of the new site. The word “granular” came up often and it rings true, Vimeo managed to simplify their layout but the attention to detail and level of consideration that went into the new UI is outstanding.
Over a year in the making New Vimeo has some new add-ons that are sure to gratify their faithful base. One of the most exciting new features is the ability to upload multiple videos simultaneously. To make sure you don’t choke your internet with your line up you can set throttles on your data usage when uploading which, while not earth shattering, is a very useful detail. It’s hard to pinpoint new features considering the metamorphosis everything seems pretty fresh but there is a new search criteria and filter that lets you sort by the license associated with the video. In line with this there is an entire category dedicated to the Creative Commons license in a push to educate users about this form of copyright and make it easier to track down royalty free content.
Overall the Vimeo team did an excellent job moving the site into it’s next phase. A lot of user feedback was incorporated into the redesign making sure it will satisfy the faithful but it has a fresh enough look to draw in a new crowd. The focus on accessibility and keeping content center stage show a great deal of insight from the team and we are excited to see more new features are they role out. Head to the site to pre-register for New Vimeo, where you can migrate an existing account or sign up as a new user.
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![Fast-Forward Through Music Blogs With Hype Machine
Description wired
Music-blog aggregator Hype Machine has taken the wraps off an innovative way of exploring new music on the web called Fast Forward.
Keeping track of even a small handful of music blogs can be a pain, so the Hype Machine has built considerable success from making the whole experience a lot easier. Fast Forward is the latest experiment in that, letting you quickly skip between songs while still letting you read the blogs where the music has been posted.
Click here to try out Fast Forward. You’ll get a sample of a song, with a large screenshot of the music blog that posted it below. Clicking the screenshot takes you to the page that posted it, so you can read about or download the full version of the track. Arrow keys, spacebar or the big > button can be used to skip to the next sample.
“We’ve been thinking about this idea since [South by Southwest] 2009, and after some further inspiration, thought to push this experience further. Fast Forward is like a spinning radio dial across radio stations curated by music bloggers,” said Anthony Volodkin, who founded the site, in a blog post announcing the experiment.
With more and more music posted to the web every day, it’s more important than ever to have effective filters. But the effectiveness of any particular filter is also quite a personal thing.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly1chnA8o91qzxjpeo1_1280.png)
Fast-Forward Through Music Blogs With Hype Machine
Description wired
Music-blog aggregator Hype Machine has taken the wraps off an innovative way of exploring new music on the web called Fast Forward.
Keeping track of even a small handful of music blogs can be a pain, so the Hype Machine has built considerable success from making the whole experience a lot easier. Fast Forward is the latest experiment in that, letting you quickly skip between songs while still letting you read the blogs where the music has been posted.
Click here to try out Fast Forward. You’ll get a sample of a song, with a large screenshot of the music blog that posted it below. Clicking the screenshot takes you to the page that posted it, so you can read about or download the full version of the track. Arrow keys, spacebar or the big > button can be used to skip to the next sample.
“We’ve been thinking about this idea since [South by Southwest] 2009, and after some further inspiration, thought to push this experience further. Fast Forward is like a spinning radio dial across radio stations curated by music bloggers,” said Anthony Volodkin, who founded the site, in a blog post announcing the experiment.
With more and more music posted to the web every day, it’s more important than ever to have effective filters. But the effectiveness of any particular filter is also quite a personal thing.
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Small Demons
DEscription coolhunting
Discover the “Storyverse” of real world places, music and movies from your favorite book
Taking an ambitious approach to filtering information online, Small Demons is a new site dedicated to opening up the worlds inside of books. Not just another search engine for what’s inside your favorite novel, Small Demons collects and catalogs the millions of references to real-world and fictional music, movies, people, and objects that are found in literature. Your new favorite restaurant could be on the next page of the book you’re reading, and Small Demons hopes to provide a place where you can draw meaningful connections between stories and everyday life.
The site uses both algorithms and human touch to make these links and open up what Small Demons calls a “Storyverse,” or the expanse of details that support a good story. “A computer can tell us how many times a song appears in a book. But it can’t tell us that it is the song that the couple dances to at the wedding reception or the song the jilted lover plays after being dumped. It can’t tell you the emotional resonance of it. So we are going to be relying on librarians and authors and gifted amateurs to come in and help us fix and add and weight and evaluate all the data we are generating,” says Richard Nash, the start-up’s VP of Community and Content.
Founded by former Yahoo Product VPs Valla Vakili and Tony Amidei, the original idea for Small Demons came to Vakili while on a trip to Madrid and Paris. He also happened to be reading Jean-Claude Izzo’s celebrated Mediterranean noir novel Total Chaos, the first book in the French author’s well-known Marseilles Trilogy. Vakili changed the Paris leg of his trip and headed to Marseilles, finding himself enchanted by the fact that he was enjoying the same scotch and walking down the same streets as the protagonist in Izzo’s book. The story in Total Chaos had a life beyond the page, and Vakili realized that many more books had the same experiences to offer.
Small Demons is currently in beta, and you can apply for an invite here.
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絵に描いたようなオアシス、ゴビ砂漠
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New work from Olly Moss.
