40 ONLINE GENERATORS FOR WEB DESIGNERS (and WEB DESIGN STUDENTS)

TRIPWIRE has assembled a collection of some of the slickest, most useful "generators" for web. Online Generators can make creating cool stuff take minutes instead of hours. CHECK IT OUT.

DESIGNUS COOLUS

Super cool design ideas (mostly product design) to inspire you. Check it.

LIFE-ENHANCING THINGS YOU CAN DO IN 10 MINUTES OR LESS

Thanks to PSYCHOLOGY TODAY magazine and Doctor Barton Goldsmith for this list on how you can "enhance your life in ten minutes or less."

It usually takes us much longer to change our moods than we’d like it to take. Here are ten things you can do in ten minutes or less that will have a positive emotional effect on you and those you love.

1. Watch "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. See it online at Oprah.com. This is a deeply moving segment that may be the best ten minutes you've ever invested in front of a computer.
2. Spend a little while watching the sunset with your mate. Nothing extra is necessary. Just sit and take in the natural beauty of the sky and appreciate being able to share it with the one you love.
3. Sit quietly by yourself. It doesn't really matter where or when. Just let your feelings bubble up and then experience the thoughts flowing out of your mind. Clearing your head and heart will give you extra energy to get through the rest of the day.
4. Write a thank you note to your mate. When was the last time you thanked your partner for just being who he or she is and being with you? Doing this in writing will give your partner something to cherish for the rest of his or her life.
5. Take out your oldest family photo album and look through it. The experience will fill you with fond memories and perhaps make you a bit wistful for days gone by.
6. Play with a child. Most kids have short attention spans; ten minutes of quality time from a loving adult can make their day. It will also help you stay in touch with the child inside of you.
7. Visualize or imagine a positive outcome for any issue. Medical doctors recommend visualization to patients with chronic and potentially fatal illnesses. If it can help them, it can do the same for you. 
8. Go to bed with the one you love ten minutes earlier than usual. Then spend that time just holding each other. Let the feeling of warmth from your mate move through you.
9. Hang out by some water. Studies show that hospital patients who can see a natural body of water from their beds get better at a 30 percent faster rate. If you're not near the coast or a lake, try taking a bath. Doing so is also healing.
10. Get your body moving. Shake, twist, and jump around. Let yourself feel the joy of moving to your favorite music, or just the sounds in your head. Run, walk, and bike to your hearts content. You will live longer and love it more.

Sadly, many people measure happiness by how long the experience lasts. The truth is that a few minutes of joy here and there can make a big difference in what you get out of life.

By Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D.

Created Apr 17 2010 - 8:48am

GREATEST SITE FOR DESIGNERS (REDUX)?

This is one of my favorites. It has expanded since its last mention on the blog, but is still a wonderful resource for graphic design students. This specific link has some really great photoshop tips, but if you are into anything in the world of visual communications...this has to be a 'go to' site.

SMASHING MAGAZINE

Cool Site: The Patent Room

Take a look at this very cool site! It has a bunch of items that have been designed (primarily Industrial Design) that have been submitted over the years. While I am not pushing anyone to reinvent the flying car, or the porta-diner, this site is immensely entertaining and can serve as creative inspiration across design disciplines.

Saving some Cash!

A while ago someone passed on to me this blogsite. It has some coupon sites that can help to save you some $$$. Having once been a student, and the father of a college student (soon to be more) I know it can really make a difference.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD LOGO?

This is a timely question for any design student, as identity mark project season has likely descended upon us all. I have always answered this question with the observable commonalities:

• it is processed as a single unit (typically with altered kerning and leading, or other 'binding' elements to achieve this), 
• it communicates a necessary message/idea about the client/product/service, 
• it is simple--ala the chinese artist seals or chops
• it gets extra points for being clever

That short list is by no means all-inclusive or authoritative. 

That's probably why I so much enjoy hearing others' views on the topic. The link below is from a blog where the author has presented his own simple view of what constitutes a great logo.

Jacob Cass's view on logos

YAKISOBA...

I recently revisited the "50 Ways to Serve Ramen" post, as the original link I posted had been taken down. Rasmussen college had the original article posted on their  blog, so I relinked that original post. It got me thinking to a product thats been around for a couple years now that is tasty and cheap (69 cents at Woodmans). Add water, microwave zap and...voila... noodle dish ala Japanese Soba or Chinese Mein.
My personal fave is the Teriyaki (a great blend of sweet and salty). I wasn't crazy about the cheese or tomato basil (although I LOVE those both as traditionally prepared pastas).
The pic on the left adds some sliced pork, pickled veggies, and chopped chive and cabbage (it does still taste great by itself though!)
Give it a whirl.

RIP Steve

Steve Jobs was an innovator.

I can't polish that sentence up much more without appearing somewhat self-indulgent in simplistic praises for a really complex guy. Instead, my brain winds up expelling a series of facts about him that, on screen, look like ravings ala non-sequitur 'dick-and-jane' prose.
He was half Egyptian. He was raised by the Armenian family who adopted him. He demanded perfection. He could be a tyrant. He sometimes came off as condescending. He helped found the company that brought the first commercially viable personal computer to the market. The iPod. The iPad. The iPhone.

Dust off a DVD of 'Triumph of the Nerds" (that's the Robert Cringely PBS documentary about the rise of the Personal Computer--not the ridiculous 1980's comedy franchise Revenge of the Nerds, which was about formulaic moviemaking) and remember the real Steve.

REALLY GOOD CHIPS

Potato chips are definitely not on the "healthy eating" list, but in moderation they can be OK. Problem is, with a really good potato chip (as the ol' jingle goes) you can't eat just one ...so moderation is the challenge. It gets much harder when you find a really awesome tasting chip.

So one of the things I do here is share with family friends, associates, and students awesome 'college grub.' [see the pizza, hotdog, and ramen entries]     On a recent hardware junket (yes hardware) to Menard's, I cam across Herr's Ketchup Chips. Dipping potato chips in ketchup has long been a favorite of Mrs. Pham, and I have tried other brands of ketchup chip, so I was in.

I find these chips more flavorful than competitors version, and definitely have trouble with the one serving rule. They are also available at other retail and grocery stores.  One of my kids is a huge fan of the Baby Back Rib chips by Herr's; beyond just BBQ, they taste like BBQ RIBS in all their ribby goodness. Flavorful stuff!

UPDATE: 3/12...Herr's has added a bunch of new flavors...two of the family favorites: Sweet Onion and the Fire-Roasted Sweet Corn! My kids' review: "Holy cow! How do they get the chips to taste exactly like roasted sweet corn?!?