Peter pointed me to these lovely stock illustrations from Ellen Lupton. I really like the textures and whimsical treatment of subjects.

“I honestly don’t know what selling out is supposed to mean anymore, the term is leveled with such regularity. I was under the impression that it meant that your principles were for sale, that an indeterminate sum had changed hands and now you were under command. … Now it appears to involve infractions of some impossibly austere, orthodox hipster code, complete with constant play-by-play analysis by psychic forum trolls and betrayed fans who gleefully plot the coordinates of your downward trajectory.”

From 2004, but strikingly relevant in the context of the iPad. From Penny Arcade, via Meg.

“Creativity is not design. Creativity has nothing to do with design. Creativity is bound by no laws, rules, or strictures …which is perhaps why it’s so intoxicating. Design, on the other hand, is based entirely on math, psychology, human perception, and a host of rigid rules and laws that can be broken by only a highly skilled few. Those unfamiliar with these laws and rules, and the associated sciences are by no definition designers.”

As usual, thoughtful and informed commentary from Andy Rutledge.

Besides being an amazingly well-executed app, Lose It! is free and has some social motivational features. So if you’re using the app too, add me at ahalsall@gmail.com… it’s always easier with friends!

A beautiful free icon set from P.J. Onori. Available in both PNG and SVG formats.

“When I think about the age ranges of people who fall into the Old World of computing, it is roughly bell-curved with Generation X (hello) approximately in the center. That, to me, is fascinating — Old World users are sandwiched between New World users who are both younger and older than them.”

A great article from Steven Frank about the iPad and the future of computing. Insightful and thought-provoking.

This past week was a crazy one for lots of people in the Mac & iPhone ecosystem, but I’m happy to finally be able to talk about what I’m working on: Inkling, a new platform for delivering interactive educational content to devices like the iPad.

If I can help spare even one student the back-breaking work of carrying 45 pounds’ worth of textbooks around, I’ll consider it a job well done.