Home Services Clients Contact About Us Blog

Archive for December, 2006

ChittahChattah Quickies
Saturday December 30th 2006, 11:20 pm by Steve Portigal





Let’s call the whole thing off
Saturday December 30th 2006, 7:55 pm by Steve Portigal

hisaids.jpg
online

print

The New York Times Magazine has an interesting summary with typo in the blurb for this week’s Consumed column.
His aids were followed…
should be
His ads were followed…
but of course, this type of thing passes spellcheck, since the error is still a valid word. Just not what the author wanted to say.



Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,




Farm Living Never Looked So Good!
Friday December 29th 2006, 4:34 pm by Steve Portigal

64th-ave-entrance.jpgPrairie Winds is a new development in Western Michigan, a planned community (isn’t that the term?) that offers a faux version of simpler times, a vicarious farming experience. Without, presumably, the back-breaking labor, poverty, foreclosures, livestock, etc. They’ve already put up the barn, visible from the freeway, with a sign reading “Farm Living Never Looked So Good!”

I was immediately reminded of the previously blogged Karrie Jacobs piece about loft subdivisions in Colorado, manufacturing a ridiculously inaccurate buildings that are associated with a lifestyle. Contradictions? Only if you choose to see it that way, I guess.



Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,




ChittahChattah Quickies
Thursday December 28th 2006, 11:21 pm by Steve Portigal





Familiar categories; different context
Wednesday December 27th 2006, 2:02 pm by Steve Portigal

100_0160.jpg

In California, gas stations usually show three prices: regular, mid-grade, and premium. Sometimes diesel is shown. Even if there is small text to explain what those prices refer to, we mostly go off of familiarity, knowing what each box in sequence is telling us.

This sign from a Speedway station in western Michigan uses a fourth slot to indicate price for another item: cigarettes. Gas stations and smokes seem to go together better in MI than in CA.



Tags: , , , , , , , , ,




Auditory Display: Hear Me Giggle
Tuesday December 26th 2006, 2:35 pm by Steve Portigal

im000440.jpg

An in-store display for Pillsbury products. Press the button on Pop’n'Fresh’s belly and he emits his signature giggle. A nice and simple touch that extends the brand; links the merchandising to the ads. And is fun, of course.



Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,




Spam attack
Monday December 25th 2006, 1:23 pm by Steve Portigal

Our ISP, and especially this blog, is under some sort of comment spam attack, substantial enough to hamper system performance and making this site and others at the same host difficult to reach and use.

The ISP has forcibly shut down comments to this blog. I will expect this to be a very short-term measure, otherwise I’ll have to look for other hosting.

Update: despite being told they had done this, they now say they have not done this but will temporarily do so during attacks. So confusing! At least if you see things behaving weirdly here you’ll have some idea why…



Tags: , , , , ,




ChittahChattah Quickies
Sunday December 24th 2006, 1:10 am by Steve Portigal





ChittahChattah Quickies
Friday December 22nd 2006, 11:19 pm by Steve Portigal





Should you?
Friday December 22nd 2006, 10:16 am by Steve Portigal

Granted, the blog is called Outside Innovation but stuff like this cracks me up…

As we move towards the close of 2006, you should be asking yourself “How can we take better advantage of user-generated content in 2007?”



Tags: , , ,




ChittahChattah Quickies
Thursday December 21st 2006, 11:24 pm by Steve Portigal





Say What? An example of “untended” design failure
Thursday December 21st 2006, 8:20 am by Steve Portigal

100_0149.jpg
Missing Letters, Holland, MI

I’m intrigued by stuff in the urban ecosystem that is deployed but untended. Consider this sign at the edge of a shopping plaza on a busy busy street. How long has it been like that? Has anyone who is accountable for the sign noticed? Is someone paying for advertising that they aren’t getting?

Compare with computer displays in airports showing a Windows error, or the piece of gum left on a realtor’s “about this property” display after the owners have moved out. Entropy, man.

(and probably some analogies with semi-smart automated systems that don’t get context 100% of the time)



Tags: , , , , , , , , ,




ChittahChattah Quickies
Wednesday December 20th 2006, 11:26 pm by Steve Portigal





ChittahChattah Quickies
Tuesday December 19th 2006, 11:21 pm by Steve Portigal





What’s in a name?
Tuesday December 19th 2006, 8:58 pm by Steve Portigal

ovc1.jpg
Midnite Sun & Cruise? What the heck does this business do? It’s not a travel agent, or a place to take a cruise. It’s a tanning salon. A place you visit before you take a cruise? And what kind of sun is Midnite anyway? Very confusing.



Tags: , , , , ,