Total Contact...

Engineers from the University of Washington have designed some contact lens with imprinted ‘Circuit’ contact lens electronic circuits and lights to help vision-impaired people, for an alternative way to surf the web or holographic driving control.

Babak Parviz, a professor from the University of Washington stated that they’ve only made a small step to their goal, but it seems very promising, so they should manage to reach their goal.

Their technology will definitely have great use in the future and not only for contact lenses. If they use it in windshields drivers and pilots could get a lot of help and information about the roads and other cars directly on the windshield.

Also the contact lens could be used by video game companies for a new generation of virtual reality gaming. The options for this microscopic circuits are infinite both for usefulness and entertainment in many domains.

They have already tested them on rabbits for up to 20 minutes without them showing any adverse effects. It was a hard work for them building the lenses, because of the limited materials they could use to be safe for body use and also to be flexible.

Yet, the technology used in the contact lenses doesn’t correct the vision, but can be installed in corrective lenses.

Interesting Irrational Left vs. Right?

Check out the ‘Right Brain and Whole Brain’ articles at Jariscope

Jari Chevalier discusses a whole series of interesting aspects to our work in thinking and structure, emotion and attachment to ideas and empathy.

An extract: “Our educational system over-stresses the importance of logical, linear and verbal skills–all of these processed primarily by the left brain. In order to advance our capabilities now, to balance ourselves and come to wholeness, we need to regenerate our innate ability to tap into the irrational, metaphorical, symbol-making, intuitive, tonal and imaginative right brain.

Information Design Part 2

At the outcome of any meaningful conversation business or event there is often a record of the proceeding. Typically this record is used to explain to both those in attendance, or those not in attendance but with a wider interest, just what happened. In daily life the same is true. In all conveyance of knowledge or information between people the quality of this transfer is paramount.

We pay a lot of attention to how this works and how we maximise this facet of each assignment. We call the application of creativity and care to generic or specific content, visual and verbal - Information Design.

We all need reference and information in order to make decisions or learn new things. We are alive to new input as humans. We cannot avoid it either, 20,000 messages every day from every direction. The difference between a positive or negative, a valuable experience or otherwise is more often than not the care that went in to ensuring that the information was presented properly or relevantly. See more on this at Group Partners Wiki.

Information Design

As an example of how Infographics are finding their way into our lives take a look at this one. A really interesting way to explain complex information but in an entertaining way. Well subject matter may well be somewhat not to everyone’s taste but posted here in the interests of this study.

Graphic Extremes...

Here are a few examples of some screen-shots from this toolset.

A great development and some impressive output in my opinion. Visually compelling and almost unlimited in the detail or application to which it can be put.  Xara Xtreme for Linux is a powerful, general purpose graphics program for Unix platforms including Linux, FreeBSD and (in development) OS-X.

Formerly known as Xara LX, it is based on Xara Xtreme for Windows, which is the fastest graphics program available, period. The Xara Xtreme source code was made available open-source in early 2006, and is being ported to Linux. This process is almost complete and Xara Xtreme for Linux is available for download now.

The Beauty of Type...

One of the greatest joys of working in information design and conveyance of strategy is to be able to experience great typography. The beauty of it in visual terms and of course as it conveys meaning can literally be breathtaking. I came across this visually excellent blog The Ministry of Type and attach a couple of the images I have found there here. Enjoy.