Tag: SXSW2011

Yesterday, we sat in on the excellent 'Made it So (Interface Makers in Movies)' panel at SXSW with Chris Noessel, Mike Fink, Mark Coleran and David Lewandowski, some of the designers behind the on-screen interfaces in movies ranging from '80s classics 'Blade Runner' and 'WarGames' to modern day blockbusters 'Avatar' and 'Tron: Legacy.' The panel followed a simple question and answer format, ...

Sound goes a long way to selling futuristic interfaces. Especially with the new graphical interfaces -- they are non-tactile. No more clicking switches, turning things over that go 'clunk', little motors aren't turning gears to make needles move, nothing makes noise anymore. So you really have to add a sound component to give a tactile sensation to the audience. One of the first names in ...

Interactivity is a much better way to learn than passive reception. Studies have shown that. But knowing that, we must also be wary. In games, it is very easy to hide our own perspectives. It is very easy to incentivize people for agreeing with us. There is a danger to us all when we make propaganda, instead of actual proper experiences. At a South By Southwest panel on using games as agents ...

We bring out the costume a lot. I think we wear it once a year, for Halloween. But I think this might come as a shock, but I don't think dogs like wearing clothes. I think they hate it, actually. It may be wrong to do it, but I love my dog, and if she really didn't like it, I wouldn't put her through it. We have done a hot dog. The dog's aspect ratio is 7:1, so you get all these cool costumes ...

Tumblr and Twitter may be the hot sharing sites in 2011, but millions of bloggers got their start on Google's free Blogger, a site that hasn't had major visual refresh since 2004. Google previewed Blogger's redesign at SXSW, and it looks like the classic blues and oranges are out in favor of whiter and wider writing tools. No word on launch date, but Google says it's coming in 2011. ...

In what must be one of the most gratuitous moves ever made, Apple will open a 5,000-square-foot store smack-dab in downtown Austin, built to last only slightly longer than the duration of the South by Southwest Interactive Conference. What could Apple possibly sell to the SXSW crowd that they don't already own? Why, official Steve Jobs tattoos, of course. Well, that or iPad 2s. But we bet Apple ...

Foursquare fanatics at SXSW may want to start following Big Boi before heading out on the town and checking in from absolutely everywhere. The less-eccentric half of Outkast is running a promotion with the location-based social network, and handing out "golden tickets" to his Austin show. It appears the ticket-winning badges will be awarded randomly to Big Boi followers in Austin -- but only ...

Foursquare has released an update for Android and iOS, bringing search functionality and a new Explore feature to the location-based service. Released just in time for SXSW 2011, Foursquare 3.0 offers recommendations to users via the new Explore menu. The suggestions are based on a variety of information, including places where they and their friends have checked in, locations that are popular ...