Music for Wireframing

The right music can really help me get into flow while on working on something, especially when wireframing. Here's some of the stuff I listen to the most when wireframing, hand-picked to be less intrusive, but not all of it falling into ambient territory. Somewhat verified by my Last.fm profile. And in no particular order ...

1. Burial
2. Brian Eno
3. Hans Zimmer - Inception Soundtrack
4. Underworld
5. Cinematic Orchestra
6. Massive Attack
7. LCD Soundsystem
8. James Newton Howard - Michael Clayton Soundtrack
9. Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
10. Sigur Ros

Also: Fujiya & Miyagi, Hot Chip, UNKLE, Four Tet, Boards of Canada, Free Association - Code 46 Soundtrack

What are some of your favorites? Add 'em in comments.

Manned Cloud

This gorgeous, cetacean-inspired flying hotel by Jean-Marie Massaud is just one the new blimp projects apparently under way, which may usher in another Age of Zeppelins.

(Via Kayne West. Yes, that Kanye.)

Green Computing

Just watching The Wall Street Journal Report describe Fujitsu's new laptop casing as biodegradable. They further described it as made from corn, instead of petroleum products. It took a 30 second Google search to determine that the new casing isn't any more biodegradable than regular laptop casings are (so you can't just take it out your garden as bury it as the WSJR anchor joked), but the corn component is more biodegradable *after* it's been extracted from the petroleum-based plastic it's mixed with through a recycling process. Any guesses as to how many laptops will actually go through that process versus going straight to a landfill ... where they will take just as long to degrade as any other laptop?

A spokesman for Fujitisu on WSJR says producing the cases does save 15% in CO2 emissions, and that you'll also need to pay a little more for your corn-based laptop. Additionally, not all Fujitsu laptops will use the new component.

The Associated Press: Gadgets to Go Green at Electronics Show

Helvetica!

I love documentaries which focus on obsessions or which focus on one thing to the point of obsession (think Grizzly Man or Fast, Cheap and Out of Control), so I knew I was bound to love Helvetica. This enormously absorbing and amusing documentary traces the history and impact of the Helvetica font, interviewing both fans and caustic critics. It's surprisingly funny and features a great soundtrack, to boot.

I read an article a year or so ago about the psychological reasons behind why men wear khaki pants, and it occurred to me during the film that Helvetica is the khaki pants of fonts. It's a work horse, yes, but it's also eminently safe, it blends in doesn't take any chances. Which explains both why it's become so ubiquitous, but also why some designers despise it. There's a sense in which it's elegant in its simplicity, but it's also a default, when you don't want to ruffle any feathers - or, perhaps, when you aren't creative enough to use more elaborate fonts with confidence. A slew of designers make these points in the film, though, and in far more articulate a fashion than me. They also point out that designers can take using Helvetica as a challenge, taking the limitations it imposes and seeing how they can create something creative within them.

Great points on both sides of the argument. And a documentary well worth your attention if you're a writer, a designer, or a font aficionado.