I learned that money can be a lot of things. It can be something that is hoarded, fought over, protected, stolen and withheld. Or it can be like an energy, fueled by the desire, will, creative interest, need to laugh, of large groups of people. And it can be shuffled and pushed around and pooled together to fuel a common interest, jokes about garbage, penises and parenthood.

— Louis C.K.

This man was created entirely in Maya and ZBrush. He’s absolutely stunning and is probably one the most realistic CGI characters I’ve seen to date.

From the video’s description:

Technology codes our minds, changes our OS. Apple products have done this extensively. The video shows how magazines are now useless and impossible to understand, for digital natives. It shows real life clip of a 1-year old, growing among touch screens and print. And how the latter becomes irrelevant.

Sadly, Steve Jobs passed away yesterday at the age of 56.

He will be remembered for many things, among them his unique perspectives and contributions on the way we use technology in our lives.

From a comment on Reddit:

If you use a mouse… thank Steve.
If you publish a blog, or videos on Youtube… thank Steve.
If you wept during the ending of Toy Story 3… thank Steve.
If you carry around a tiny little digital music player… thank Steve.
If your phone lets you play games or music, read the news or books… thank Steve.

I’m not saying he invented any of these things. But he figured out how to do them right, do them well, bring them to the level that everyone could easily use and enjoy them. He distilled concepts down to their core, then wrapped them in a simply, elegant interface. He believed that people with vision could change everything… and then he proved it time and again.
Love Apple or hate them, there’s no denying that this man and the company he helped found have profoundly changed the way we interact with technology.

This is a fundamental change in the product, and Hastings just dismisses the concern with a wave of his hand. Not only that, but this is a branding issue as well. When you switch sites you’re going from Netflix, a brand people know and love, to Qwikster, which sounds like the latest get rich quick startup without a real business plan. —from Netflix in Danger of Ruining their User Experience by Josh Porter

It’s also just a confusing change for your user base and one that will splinter the two businesses, but as Porter explains this could be on purpose:

Let’s assume for a moment that Netflix is knowingly trying to kill off its DVD rental service. This is the way to do it…separate it out completely, give it a ridiculous name, and keep your brand equity with the newer streaming service.

I’m immediately proud of the end result and even prouder of the journey and then I’m left wondering what the “next best thing” will be, something that will challenge everything I’ve learned as an artist and yet again there’s that creeping fear that I won’t be able to conjure up the creative energy that got me there in the first place.

That’s when I hit a wall and look over that tiny cliff I’m clinging to and remind myself that I’m not alone in thinking this.

We are not miracle makers nor can we rub that proverbial genie lap and wish for the genius to emerge. It’s all part of a larger process to reach some sort of goal (launching a product, finishing a painting, washing the dishes) and knowing the only way to get there is to take it one step at a time.

This seems obvious and even more so common sense but why is that every time we are faced with what is perceived as a daunting task we dread taking that first step? Yes, we’re apt to have small failures along the way but I believe it has more to do with shedding the warped perceptions of ourselves. That’s the first step in a cleansing process that places us back at square one; the blank slate.

It’s at this moment I come to the realization that we are unhinged from the obstacles that we allow to pile themselves up in our path and this is where we take our first steps (through the eagerness to learn and adapt) towards the goal that will make us feel like we’ve accomplished something amazing and become proud of our work.

That is, until the next thing…

A short film by Mike Livingston.

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

—Albert Einstein

Here was my initial response:

I think what’s best is each role [design and developer] is cognizant of what the other role does and has an understanding of the process. I may not know how to write a jQuery plugin from scratch or understand the specifics of a PHP module (for example), but I know by looking at it from an inquisitive mindset or asking the developer specific questions, I’ll better understand why it exists, what functions it performs, etc.

Likewise, a developer should feel free to ask the designer questions, examine their work and understand the process. A hybrid can just ask himself questions.

…it looks like magic to both sides but a lot of what comes out of design/development is experimentation, flashes of brilliance and guesswork. Both roles are not brilliant from the get-go.. you just keep working at it until that message you are trying to communicate breaks free. Even then knowing you can continue to iterate is key. And by all means, know your limitations and be open about them. Some things to remind yourself with as a design/dev: Don’t be a miracle maker, ask for help, collaborate. We don’t do enough of this and silo ourselves to the point where the lines of communication become cumbersome or non-existent.

Jay replied with:

Right back atchya man — it all seems like common sense — but sadly, it is very rare to find. it creates understanding / efficiency / & ultimately = #innovation.

My final thought:

I think because the environment that we all initially work in or learn within (art/design/illustration or development/mathematics/programming) is set up to be competitive in a way. People look out for themselves — natural human instinct — but the more you collaborate the better it’ll be for you and your co-workers, friends, family. I remember being in art class and asking the professor for more projects where I could collaborate with my classmates, there was very little of that. More silo’d projects with followup critiquing.