And I thought there was a great line-up of speakers today, possibly better than yesterday. We started with Scott Berkun talking about innovation, or indeed talking about not talking about innovation. This was a great topic considering the myriad of start-ups, mash-ups and ‘new’ ideas that dominate the web industry, and Scott is an excellent speaker.

I followed this with George Oates and her presentation that focussed on Flickr and its history and underlying concepts. Very cool, made me want to have my own start-up and just begin experimenting.

During lunch I spoke to the guys at Gekko Images about Expression Media, and I have to admit I’m pretty sold on it. I’ve tried it in the past and I think it has the right combination of simplicity and functionality to suit the work I do.

After lunch, Lisa Herrod and Stephen Cox gave us two whole user-centred sessions. I particularly liked Stephen’s talk about using ethnographic research methods within a commercial organisation such as News Digital Media. He is the master :)

To finish off the day, and the conference, was Mark Pesce‘s presentation on…well, on lots of things but most importantly the destruction of the ‘hierarchy’ by the ‘network’. This was more than just a keynote, this was a real reality check. Eye-opening, inspiring and scary in equal parts. I’m sure many people in that auditorium will do just as he suggested, and question why they are doing the jobs they are on Tuesday.

All in all, lost of things to think about over this long weekend (yay!)

See what people are blogging about: wds07

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• Doing Visual Ethnography by Sarah Pink (2007) – quite an enlightening read, if a bit heavy going (although compared to most anthropology texts I’ve seen it’s pretty easy to read). I first picked it up because of the focus on using photography and video as part of field research, but covers many other topics too, including the generded nature of ethnographic research and the various theoretical stances underpinning this type of work. And I’m only part way through.
• Ethnographic Methods by Karen O’Reilly (2005) – which so far seems to be an excellent introduction to the topic. It has a less academic tone of voice and is thus easier to read than a lot of books on this subject (as I said above). Karen has included many excellent examples and anecdotes from real field research. Quite the practical reference book. Thanks to Stephen for the tip.
• Universal Principles of Design by Lidwell, Holden, Butler (2003) – an overview of 100 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach Through Design. I was browsing the bookshelf at work and thought I’d take a look, as I am quite interested in ‘little d’ design. I wasn’t terribly impressed; it’s embarrassingly brief and superficial in its discussion of these principles. It’s definitely written for visual designers and I don’t think it does any of the content much justice. As one of the reviewers on Amazon says: better for the coffee table than the design desk.

Sadly, there’s a much bigger pile of books for me to read next. It just never ends…

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Their articles give good, practical advice on the effective design of websites, posters, business cards etc. The focus is on clear and effective design, and as you’d expect, the articles are quite well written (and have an excellent format for printing “2-up” to save paper). You do need to subscribe to get to their best stuff, but from what I’ve seen it is probably worth it.

Serendipity…gotta love it.

See what people are blogging about: Before &After, design

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Burton Audex Motorola cargo jacket The ultimate in wearable technology (so far), the Audex [jacket] has full iPod and mobile phone control panels on the sleeve, works with any Bluetooth-compatible mobile phone and also features a removable MP3 player, speakers in the collars and a built-in microphone.

Niiiiiice….but if you can’t afford the $1200 or so, maybe this is for you:

Giro Omen helmet This model is audio-compatible for those with a Bluetooth-enabled MP3 player or mobile phone…It’s also lightweight and features a fitting mechanism that can be adjusted with your gloves on.

That’s neat, and a great example of user-centred design in a sport that has often been more about show than go, at least in terms of its equipment. I mean being able to work the controls with your gloves on is pretty much common sense, but anyone who has been skiing will tell you that most things aren’t made that way.

Völkl Tigershark skis These skis come with a power switch that allows skiers to decide exactly how they want their skis to react. Leave the switch off for a softer flex and more relaxed skiing. Flick it on to stiffen the ski and give a snappier response when more aggression is required.

Awesome. I think I need sponsorship for my next ski trip, because that’s about the only way I could afford any of the above ;)

See what people are blogging about: skiing, usable sports equipment

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Another month, another in-flight magazine. Yet I was shocked to read about the imminent release of the next generation of Subaru’s Impreza in the June edition of Qantas’ Australian Way.

I’ve not kept up to speed with the latest in the motor industry, as this was news to me! They’re making a hatch version, as well as sedan. The last major body change to the Impreza was the deletion of the coupe—which included the epic 22B—but I don’t think a true hatch version (as opposed to the current hatch which is more like a wagon) is such a good move.

It’s fairly ugly too, especially the back of the hatch version. The sleek front end is not bad though, quite different from the brutish utilitarianism of past models. And it’s looking more inline with the current Liberty design direction.

You can find out more at Subaru USA (an interesting Flash website by the way).

See what people are blogging about: Subaru, 2008 Impreza, WRX

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Sadly, I have thought about this quite a bit, and the initial idea has morphed slightly to become a homage to any funked up rides that are a little (or a lot) left field. I have extended my definition to encompass two categories: Factory pimped (mostly obscure Japanese imports) and Street pimped ("necessity is the mother of all modification").

For example, how does a 250kW twin turbo AWD station wagon strike you? (pretty damn hard is the answer, so keep out of the way).

I dig this because it’s usually down to a young guy who is so passionate about cars that he will do anything for his “art”. Additionally there are a lot of guys (and girls) in the ‘burbs who don’t have much cash, and can’t go out and buy an expensive sports car or Jap import (their urban cousins usually do that). So they make do with what they’ve got. Usually a car they have inherited or just plain confiscated from a family member. Or it’s all they could afford to buy. Then they pour all their time, money, blood sweat and tears into it to create a master piece (or at least it is in their eyes!).

Often the results are pretty tragic (think poorly fitted Veilside kit on a Laser) but occasionally you see something truly unique and quite creative. It takes an eye for style and good judgement. You need to be considerate of the “host” vehicle and choose mods that suit and honour it. I think the guys who do well in this regard should think about careers in design.

To not go over the top, nor simply copy what everybody else does, is the key. I invite you all to submit rides you own or have seen cruising around, and tell the world. The idea is to make this a community governed forum. You have the power. So if you post something that doesn’t cut it (not unique or not in-line with the soul of the original vehicle) hopefully the consensus will react accordingly. Remove, edit, downplay.

The thing about the vehicles (both street and factory pimped) is an unusual, bizarre, off the wall choice; something mumsy! :)

Whilst Japanese engineers seem to be quite fascinated with maxing out unusual models, it is getting a bit formulaic as we are exposed to more of their creations through the grey import market. For example how many times can you stuff a hot engine and AWD into a runabout or wagon before it’s not innovative any more? Every auto show is packed with hi-po exotics.

So in a way, it’s much more interesting on the street or “home grown” scene. Sure some examples are based on factory models, with the usual accompaniment of aftermarket bolt-on bits, but there will always be that guy who’s stuck with him mum’s old Corona and mags it, bags it, drops it and pipes it. He earns the most points in my book.

The Pimp my Mum’s Ride recipe

Mag it

Fit some nice alloy wheels. Big is good.

Bag it

Fit some decent tyres. Low profile of course. Make sure they fit the rims.

Drop it

Reduce the ride height. Good quality lowered spring and sports shocks. Don’t forget to fit decent bushes and sway bars. Some negative camber looks good too.

Pipe it

Fit a good quality exhaust system. Stainless steel, mandrel bent and big! Nice shiny muffler at the back.

Here are some classic examples.

Factory pimped rides:

• Audi RS4 estate. No need to say anything more, these are the ultimate in factory sleepers.
• Subaru Legacy GTB Wagon. Once the fastest wagon on earth. Twin turbo sedan was sold here as the Liberty B4 for a few years.
• Nissan March SuperTurbo. Can’t decide between turbocharging or supercharging? Just use both! Similar is the Suzuki Alto Works turbo AWD.
• Nissan Cefiro GTR Touring. Basically a wagon version of the mighty Skyline GTR (coupe).
• Toyota Mark II Tourer. The Japanese equivalent of an SS Commodore, but better.
• Toyota Chaser Tourer. See above.
• Nissan Stagea. Big ugly wagon, but oh so sweet with a turbo donk.
• Mitsuibishi Legnum. Twin turbo wagon version of a Galant VR4.
• Mitsubishi Evolution Wagon. Rally bred, and it’ll help you move house!

Street pimped rides:

• Holden Calais VL turbo wagon. The VL turbo is massively popular, especially since the rise in popularity of Skyline turbos which share the same family of engines (the Skyline R30/31 had the same RB30 engines, shame we never got the turbo R31 GTS here). For added strangeness, make it a wagon.
• Mitsubishi Verada Wagon. I’ve seen a few of these around Sydney that are pretty cool. Guess they’re cheaper than most other big sedans.
• Lexus ES300. Basically this is just a posh Camry, but a few have been worked and come off looking pretty sick.
• Lexus LS400. The big brother. For ultimate pimp-mobile you can’t beat one of these big buggers lowered and riding on 20″ rims. And there’s the sound of that Toyota V8 singing at max revs!
• Datsuns (such as the 1600 wagon). Old favourites, but these days it needs to be fully gutted and fitted with modern Nissan hardware to cut the mustard.
• People movers. If you’re going to hot up a people mover, may as well do it in style. There’s a whole Japanese cult around ‘slammed vans’ like a Tarago or Hi-Ace, it’s Jap Mini-truckin. A check out how they drift them!
• Subaru Forester. These look wicked when lowered (they’re essentially just Imprezas, so taking out the factory suspension lift does a good job). There’s an awesome silver ’03 model around, with STi alloys and bits. It’s been dumped right down to the bump stops!

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