We’re always looking for ways to make things easier, quicker, and more convenient. While in most cases, this can be a good thing, the need for this can sometimes cause rituals and traditions to become extinct. A good example is coffee.
Companies like Nespresso and Keurig are advertising their machines as being convenient and quick, whilst producing a high-quality, great-tasting cup of coffee. I’ve tried both companies’ machines, and while I do agree that the coffee it produces is pretty decent, there’s something vital missing from the experience: the ritual.
The ritual of brewing and drinking coffee is, for me, one of the best parts of the entire coffee ‘experience’. I love taking trips to the local coffee roasters and picking out the beans I will soon be brewing, then going home and making that latte I’ve been craving all day.
Not only do I enjoy this ritual, but practicing it makes me enjoy the coffee so much more. It’s kind of like using a pre-designed website template verses designing your own that looks just as good. There’s more satisfaction and enjoyment that comes using a template you designed, instead of one that was pre-designed.
We can’t let technology and convenience get in the way of great things.
No Longer a Ritual
Video: Telluride Video
This past summer, I traveled around to different places in Colorado, and by far, Telluride was my favorite. I shot a few video clips while I was there, and put all of them together to make this video.
I shot the entire video with my Canon T3i and edited it in Final Cut Pro. Music is M.M.I.X by Coldplay, off their newest album, Mylo Xyloto.
The Problem with Education Today
Increasingly over my years attending school, the interest I have in the classes I’m taking is decreasing. And it’s not my fault. The current education system today is seriously screwed up and is in need of some serious change.
A majority of my classes are textbook-based. I hate textbooks, not just because they’re a pain to carry around, but also because it’s an easy way for teachers to run their class. Instead of taking time to craft meaningful, intellectually-stimulating lesson plans for students, teachers simply plan to read the next section out of the textbook assigned to the course.
A class where students spend the entire time memorizing irrelevant content only to regurgitate it on a test or exam is extremely ineffective, and really just a big waste of time. Our schools are failing to teach students how to live and think in today’s real world.
Instead of reading paragraphs of text in a class, teachers should launch discussions that connects what we [the students] are studying and real-world issues today.
This kind of structure could work particularly well in history classes. Instead of focusing just on what took place years ago, teachers should be explaining to us why what happened in the past is affecting the way the world works and operates today. If these kinds of connections don’t happen, it’s hard for students to find value and be interested in the content they’re being forced to memorize.
This next point is rather controversial, but I think it’s important to bring it up. I feel that a majority of teachers are overpaid. Yes, overpaid. The overpaid teachers have it easy: they come to school at seven in the morning, read out of the textbook for a few hours, eat lunch and socialize with other teachers for two hours, then resume having students read out of the textbook for the last couple of hours of the day. Then they go home, and grade papers for a few minutes. They also get more vacation time than most do.
And this: screw seniority. Just because a teacher has been teaching for 40 years doesn’t mean they’re any good. It just means they’ve managed to complete the bare minimum and pass the observations done by administrators. It’s a terrible system.
The teachers that have taken it upon themselves to improve their class(es) in the ways I discussed above are underpaid. Unfortunately, it’s rare to find a teacher like this, but they’re definitely around and deserve more pay and recognition than any of the others. In fact, they should be replacing the others.
While there have been many proposed ideas on how to fix these problems, we have to remember that this world is full of idiots that will keep anything from happening.
It’s not the student’s fault if they aren’t being stimulated in school. It’s that teachers aren’t intellectually-stimulating students by applying concepts into today’s real world, which is a vital part of learning today.
A Better Interface Always Wins
I’ve switched back to Rdio from Spotify. It’s not because of the price differences nor is it because of the number of songs each service offers. It’s because of the better interface that Rdio has. And in the end, a better interface always wins.
Rdio excels in both user and social interface.
I’ve never been particularly fond on apps that rely on lists as their main navigation interface. My eyes end up crossing after scrolling for a little while, and it’s hard to be able to glance at a list and find what you need immediately.
In Rdio, songs are organized by album and presented in an organized gird of album art, making it really easy to find what you’re looking for. As well, there are notably less visual distractions in Rdio, versus Spotify.
The other area Rdio really excels in is social interface. Design isn’t the only factor that makes up an application interface, especially in today’s always-connected, online world. The social interface is very much a part of it.
You aren’t required to sign in or sign up with any other social (or for that matter, non-social) service other than it’s own to utilize Rdio’s features. Simply give a few details and you’re ready to listen to music. If you’re interested in sharing what you’re listening to on Facebook, you have that voluntary option.
To gain access to Spotify, you must sign up using your personal Facebook account. Yeah, right. I was lucky to sign up before that was a requirement, but no more than a few weeks later I was forced to connect my Facebook account to continue using the service. I then realized that every song I listened to was being automatically posted to my Facebook account via Spotify, without my known permission.
These gripes, amongst many other smaller, minor gripes which I can save for a later time, was ultimately the cause behind switching back to Rdio.
What’s On My Bookshelf (Spring 2011)
Every season, I gather together a list of books I’d like to read. I’ve never shared the list, but I figured why not since my readers have similar interests as me.
So here’s the spring 2011 edition of my reading list:
Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible
Johnny Ive, chief designer at Apple finds his inspiration from Dieter Rams, formerly a designer at Braun Electronics. Many of Rams’ principles and guidelines for design are prevalent in Apple products today.
I think the inspiration behind Apple products is fascinating, which makes this a great read for anyone that’s into this kind of stuff.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition
Writing this weblog requires me to be aware of what kind of content readers are interested in. It also requires me to be aware of the current content publishing standards of today. The Chicago Manual of Style covers exactly that, and more.
While I don’t know any more about the book than what I said above, I’ve been told it’s a valuable resource and is filled with great insight and ideas.
Patrick Rhone, author of Keeping It Straight is a writing genius. He’s the one behind Minimal Mac, one of my favorite weblogs to date. Like him, I believe in living a simplistic lifestyle. I’ve wanted to delve into the subject of simplicity and minimalism, and who better to learn it from than the author of one of my favorite weblogs?
I’m already about a third into the book, and I can’t seem to put it down. It feels like an extension of Apple, just another one of their iconic products. Even if you’re not an ‘Apple nerd’, this book is still filled with insight and wisdom from Steve Jobs that is relevant to almost any situation or circumstance.
If there’s one book you read this season, it’s this one.
And that’s my reading list…
As I start reading and completing these books, I’ll be writing about them on my weblog.
Mylo Xyloto
I discovered Coldplay via an Apple iTunes TV ad that featured their most widely-known song to this day, Viva la Vida.
The ad was innovative and unlike anything Apple had ever done. Likewise, the music featured in the ad was unlike anything I’ve heard before, and I liked it. Since then, my music library has been filled with every one of Coldplay’s songs, and their new album, Mylo Xyloto, is a great new addition to the collection.
I spent a good hour listening to the entire album today. It has indeed lived up to it’s hype, and is certainly worth your hard-earned nine dollars and ninety-nine cents.
In this last section, I was going to suggest a few of the best tracks on the album, if your music budget was a little tighter. But to honest here, I’m having trouble deciding what the best songs are on the album. They’re all great.
Side note: The meaning behind Mylo Xyloto I have yet to figure out, but see here for some interesting theories made by others.
Find My Friends
Instead of talking about what Find My Friends is, I want to discuss the rather controversial design of the app itself. It seems people just have a problem with apps that have leather accents. I’m sure you remember the backlash from the updated iCal interface in OS X Lion.
I for one, however, rather enjoy the leather accents of the Find My Friends app. I know many people that would keep an actual written journal of the people and friends they met. Like I discussed in an earlier post, Apple is designing so that their apps feel tangible and more real-life. Find My Friends feels more personal than other “friend-tracking” apps, simply because of its more personal design.
Foto: Starbucks
Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks are back for the season.
Refining My Projects
It was overwhelming how many projects and websites I had going at once just a few days ago. My readers were also at a disadvantage having to browse to multiple sites and locations to read my content.
Those days are now behind us. I’m announcing today that all of the content I produce online will be located right here at alexleiphart.com. This includes content from Print and Press, which will now simply forward to this web address.
I’ve also taken the additional step to thumb through all of the past posts on this weblog. I archived the posts that I felt had little value and didn’t properly reflect what I want this weblog to be.
Last, but certainly not least, I’ve re-designed my website. For real this time. I want the content—and only the content—to be the focus of my website. I’m pretty sure this new design accomplishes just that.
And since I know I’ll get the question, I’m using a modified version of the High Res theme, available in the Tumblr Theme Garden.
I feel like I now have a clean space, clear mind, and a greater motivation to continue generating quality content for you. It’s a great feeling.
The Ideal Apple Setup
I have a theory — it’s that Apple has an ‘ideal setup’ in mind for the average consumer. That ideal setup includes an 11” MacBook Air, iPad 2, and iPhone 4S. When you’re out running errands or at a brief meeting, it’s not exactly practical to carry around an iPad or MacBook. That’s when an iPhone most comes in handy. It’s a wonderful device for communication ((Unless you’re on AT&T and try to make a call.)) and especially with the new 4S, it’s an even better device to capture photos and videos with. With iCloud and Photo Stream, you’ll never have to sync with your computer again, which brings me to my next point. There’s a reason that the 11” Air has no SD card slot. If you’re using an iPhone for your primary point-and-shoot camera, there’s no need for an SD card slot. First, because the iPhone doesn’t use an SD card and second because all syncing can be done using Photo Stream. When you need more than just an iPhone, the MacBook Air is the perfect balance between power and portability. It’s Apple’s thinnest and lowest-priced laptop and comes standard with an SSD. It can do everything any other Mac can do. Even for pro users, the ultimate MacBook Air may still be suitable. For simple tasks, the 11” screen is just fine. When you’re working in Photoshop or Final Cut is when a larger display is appreciated. Apple’s new Thunderbolt Display is stunning in both size and quality, and also includes any ports you might be missing on your Air. It’s like having an iMac but with added portability. Lastly, the iPad. It’s probably the device I use the least, but it definitely has a place in the ‘ideal setup’. The iPad is used for consuming content when a laptop just isn’t practical. I’ve also written this entire post on the iPad because I’m on the road in Colorado right now. These three devices—especially with iCloud—work hand-in-hand with each other. It happens to be the setup I’m currently using, and it’s awesome.
