Website registered

Just registed a website for myself, nothing much there yet but shouldn’t be to long at all before i get something on there. Keep an eye out ;).

http://www.agkdesign.net

Canon 400D with twin lens kit

I’m thinking about buying a Canon 400d with the twin lens kit, and if anyone has any feed back on the camera and how it goes i would to hear about it. I’m only looking for a mid range camera that will take a nice photo that i have a fair bit of control over… maybe take some nice stock photos and things to manipulate later on…

so if you have any feedback about your experience with the camera, would love to hear about it.

Stack Overflow Logo Competition

Just another design for the Stack overflow logo design comp at 99 designs.

If you want to check out the rest of competition goto: http://99designs.com/contests/6774

GTA IV - Driving mechanics

is it just me or are the cars in GTA really hard to drive? It’s incredibly frustrating becuase you cant turn a corner without bursting through a fence or somthing… So i just wanted to ask if it’s actually hard to drive or I’m just crap and missing something.

Any thoughts

99 designs logo competition for Stack Overflow

Entered a design competition at 99 designs for a website called stack overflow.com

XAML and silverlight start-up guide

here is a quick tutorial vid that shows you the very basics to making a silverlight site, it doesn’t go into detail on how to do anything really rech but its a great little starter on how to get a silverlight site started and what you will need to get going.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/b/f/cbf1583d-b933-4316-8c05-568a901dbd0d/WinVideo-Silverlight-MinimumSteps.wmv

check it out…

Silverlight, XAML and Expression Blend

So I have decided to delve into Silverlight, Microsoft’s latest in web and application development software, and man is it cooooool.

No idea what Silverlight and Expression Blend and XAML are?

ok quick overview:

well I will start with XAML - its pronounced zammel.

Extensible Application Markup Language by Microsoft is a declarative XML-based language used to initialise structured values and objects. So, what this means is (in a very simple explanation) is:
When they made HTML it had preset tags, all you could do with HTML code was use the tags that the creators thought you might need, over the years we have made work around’s and things to be able to make much richer web pages but it was still restricted. XAML on the other hand has the ability for people to create new libraries of tags that people can use, so this means there can be endless possibilities to what you can create in XAML.

so what do I do with it?
Well using the Silverlight engine, you can create rich applications for use on the web that you have just created in XAML. It’s kind of like the Adobe Flash engine on steroids. You can have all your flash style things like cool buttons that move when clicked and what not, but the best part is having the power of the .NET framework behind your web page.

Expressions Blend:

Although this isn’t finished yet (still in betas) is the program used to bring the design of the web page or application and programming behind it together, it allows graphic designers and programs to work more closely together to create amazing stuff. Giving designers the ability to create great looking web-pages and other user interfaces and can be feature rich. some great examples of things you can draw within expressions blend in the Silverlight Pad demo. Make sure you zoom in on the vector images (roll your mouse wheel), because that are still actually vector images!!! HOW COOL!

Its still in very early stages at the moment, but its coming along very quick and will be very big…. very soon….

check out the power of this new platform with these demos:

Grand Piano: (use your 2 bottom rows to play it. ASDF and ZXCV)
http://silverlight.net/samples/1.0/Grand-Piano/default.html

Physics simulation: (hit the little Blow, wind, blow button to make it swing more)
http://odetocode.com/aimages/200705/verlet/default.htm

Silverlight Pad: (wait for the things to load at the side and then select them)
http://silverlight.net/samples/1.0/Silverlight-Pad/default.html

Deep Zoom Application: (zoom right in on the images also when you click an image it can have all the details of it and even video footage and things)
http://memorabilia.hardrock.com/

Want to have a crack at it?

Where to get started:

http://silverlight.net/GetStarted/

Good spot for some tutorials:

http://www.microsoft.com/Expression/kc/product.aspx?key=blend
Deep zoom tutorial: http://silverlight.net/learn/learnvideo.aspx?video=45278

SDK Download for Silver Light.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=4E03409A-77F3-413F-B108-1243C243C4FE&displaylang=en

Other good stuff to sink your silverlight teeth into:

http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/tags/Silverlight/default.aspx

This is all very new to me and I am in no way an expert on the subject, this is what I have learnt in a very short amount of time, so if anything is misleading or wrong, please let me know and I will fix it up asap.

Lol cats and other funny things that get lots of hits.

So i logged into wordpress this morning and right in the middle of the page on the “HAWT POSTS” advertisement is a post called innovative design, so i think, cool, a blog with some sweet design ideas, sounds good to me.

so i click on it to find a humourous picture of a light switch where the switch is ment to be a penis.

now dont get me wrong… im all for funny pictures and having a laugh… but does it really deserve front page of wordpress.com?

so i am going to post a funny picture of a cat with some text on it, with the appropriate tags and see how many million hits i get for it and maybe even a front page post of wordpress….

Ins and Outs - Designer Vinyl Toys

Because I have been out of the game for a little while I haven’t posted anything of real value but during my recovery my lovely girlfriend baught me a fantastic book called “Vinyl Will Kill” by Jeremyville. (also I must thank her for being so helpful while I was getting back on my feet). After reading, I have been incredibly inspired by the concept and I wanted to post a bit of an overview of the phenomenon that is Designer Toys.

What are Designer Toys. 

I guess the easiest way to describe a Designer Toy is simply a piece of art in the form of a toy. The medium of choice is generally vinyl but they can also be plush dolls, injection molds, wood or any other material that an artist chooses. Created in limited numbers, these toys are targeted at collectors.

 
Dunny Series 3 by Tokidoki 

This is by designer Tokidoki, using a preset mold called the Dunny Series, its 3 inchs high.

Artists have the choice to use the preset molds like the Dunny Series, Qee or Kubrick, or to simply create a toy from scratch of course, but these preset molds play host to some of the best artists and designers across the world, creating a series of toys with the artist own take on the concept.  

 

Ok, By why would I spend my hard earned cash on toys?

Well I will admit that they are not for everyone, and seeing as these toys can cost up to $150 or more, they can be a little pricey.

I guess the key to it is to think of it as artwork, artwork you don’t hang on your wall but you sit on your desk. There is only a limited run on the pieces so its kinda cool to have #236 of 500. Their unique number is usually written on the foot of the toy.

The price of the toy is usually attributed to the uniqueness of the toy, seeing as there are only a limited number of pieces, it pushes the price up because of the need to automate the process of making the toys, if they were mass produced it would bring the price down a lot, but in doing that, take away for the unique feel of the toy and instead of being art, it would simply just be another toy.

And to be completely honest, they are just really cool!

 
Knuckle Bear, Rebone Edition by Touma
get it from www.kidrobot.com - its in the vinyl toy section (remember though, only 500 produced)

How can I get my hands on some?

A good place to start would be Kidrobot.com, their store has works from heaps of different designers and artists and even have a series that allows you to paint your own! Rotofugi is another great place to get your hands on some of these awesome toys, they have a huge selection to choose from.

Some other designers and artists to keep your eye out for are:

Colette

Bonus Toyz

Devilrobots

Frank Kozik

Just to name a few

But just remember, if you see something cool that you want, grab it while you can, usually the story goes, if you miss out from buying it off the shelf, you might be able to pick one up from Ebay at a massively inflated price. 

If you want a way more in-depth look at Designer Toys, I strongly recommend you check out “Vinyl Will Kill” by Jeremyville.  oh and also check out his work, its real sweet.

Cheers

Alex

On the mend

So i guess most of you have noticed i haven’t actually posted anything in a few weeks. Well there is good reason, I have just had a bit of operation on my stomach coz it wasnt working so great.. on the mend now tho as the heading states…

so i should be out of the hospital in the next few days and be back into the game in a couple of weeks i hope.

Hope everyone is well!

thanks for every-ones support as well through all this! its been great