Periodicdesign

Kyle made an amazing statement this morning over Google Talk about an interesting topic:

Kyle: no longer .Mac your “.ig” account would have everything you need where ever you go.

I think he makes a very interesting realization about the direction that Google and really the rest of the web should be heading. Of course, I’ll keep this post short and not focus on the collective of the web, but what the folks over at Google are doing.

Kyle pointed out an article this morning about a very high profile (at least I think so) web celebrity that is joining Google as their CIE. Vint Cerf, one of the pioneers behind the internet, will join their executive team on October 3. This is actually quite monumental, considering Vint’s background and the other highly intelligent and high profile individuals that they have coming into their ranks or are already there. Some include the following:

• Louis Monier; director of eBay advanced technology research
• Kai-Fu Lee; researcher at Microsoft

Now, some people are scrambling around saying the tech boom is upon us again! I really don’t think that’s the case, but I do think there are good things brewing in the technological pipelines. Google is one of those at the forefront, as is Yahoo! (which is another post at some point), that is pushing the technology envelope like never before. Of course, Google is in a position to do great things. Their stock price is soaring and investors want to see a return on their investment. This is good for growth, at least for thinkers in the tech sector. Those loan rangers that stuck around for the past five years or more and practiced their craft behind closed doors, or what little they could in their work environments, are the ones to shine in the not so distant future.

From speaking with colleagues in the last few weeks about things to come, the future is bright for all those passionate about tech. The idea of a Google “.ig” or GooOS was in the back of my brain six months or so ago. I approached some friends and colleagues in the field about the idea, only to be shot down, saying it’s too difficult, that no one would use it or what’s the point. Well, obviously someone wants to use it, because Google is heading in this direction. The point is that the web is changing and how we interact with information in front of us is changing as well. Whether we like it or not, how we interact with each other and our personal computers is beginning to change, and for some, already has.

I’m not the first to post about this, but one of many who have and will. I love how Google announces all of their new and cool tools so secretly. It’s almost like they don’t care. They just kind of toss a nifty tool out here and there with the comment, “Here you go; give this a try.” The same is true, to some extend, with their new tool, Google Earth. Now this isn’t new to some, as many geeks and techies know, Google Earth game from the software application Keyhole, which Google purchased and was strictly selling as a retail version for some time. Now they have split the product into a few different versions: Google Earth, Google Earth Plus, Google Earth Pro, and Google Earth Enterprise. All of these versions have the same basic features such as building rendering, typography, places of interests, roads, etc. The difference is scalability and added features such as faster streaming of imagery and database integration features.

I captured some screen shots of various places I have been, lived and would like to go. I downloaded the application a couple of days ago, so I’m still tinkering with it. It’s more or less, hit or miss when it comes to downloading. They only allow downloads at certain times. Just keep your eyes peeled, or if you’d like, for close friends, I have a copy on my machine that I can toss your way (10 MB). I decided to open the application, pick a few points of interest and then let it stream for an hour or so while it built some of the 3D modeling and typographic features of certain areas. I still have not caught on to how the application streams, what it streams and what, if anything, it stores, but it’s pretty efficient.

I really think Google is doing things right and pushing technology in a direction that it has not moved in for some time. Just think about it, five years ago, we were excited about rollovers, Flash intros, MP3’s and Pentium III chips running at 500 MHz. Now we can take our entire music library with us on a device the size of a deck of cards (with high resolution digital cameras coming in at the same size); desktop computers with dual core chips allowing for, theoretically, four processors in a home computer; mapping the globe and visiting anywhere in the world without leaving your seat; and many more services I can’t even begin to name. I use to say, “What will the next five years hold?” Now I ask, “What will the next month or this year hold?”

Not that I’m actively looking for a new job or anything, but I like to hit the boards on various job sites and just see what’s floating around out there. I’ve come across a rather interesting bit of information that seems to be creeping into the prerequisites of companies seeking designers. Now, when I say designers, I don’t mean your average “Web Producers” that get paid $15 USD/per hour, I mean someone that knows what Information Architecture and Information Design (just to name two) is and how to at least implement these practices from a technical standpoint and has read literature on the facts and nuances behind these young fields. I’m talking about the people who bill more than an administrative assistants wage and know there is more to life than WYSIWYG and Front Page.

I’m talking about those that know what SEO is, the basics of implementing and why this is becoming an ever evolving piece of information to have on your resume and engrained into your skulls. For those smart ones out there that know what I’m talking about and have been looking for gainful employment, you can add another thing to your resume that recruiters will understand. Fortunately, I’ve worked for two organizations that know what I’m talking about.

So the other day I was talking to a friend of mine who works in the realm of staffing. She asked me to describe in a few words what I thought my ideal place of employment would be. I reciprocated “Fun,” “Energetic,” “Growth” and “Creative.” Here was her response:

“Why in God’s name are you working in this town then?”
Recruiter - Unknown Staffing Agency

Nuff said!

I can’t believe I’m posting this, but I need a new job. I like the people I work with, but the process in order to get the job done is one large circle. Of course, when I say circle, I mean a huge circle.

First we develop, then the client wants something different, then we develop again and then the client wants something different. Round and round we go, where it stops, nobody knows. For some reason, I cannot impress my views where I work to stop this endless cycle. Now granted, I’m not saying I’m some Jeff Veen / Thomas Vander Wal / Jesse James Garrett / Doug Bowman / Dr. Jakob Nielsen / Information Architect / Information Designer / Interaction Designer / Usability Analyst / Accessibility Analyst / Section 508 Guru, but I do believe in process and a way to do things right.

I believe in one small phrase; “Keep content separate from structure and structure separate from presentation.” Mixing these together ends in disaster, as I‚Äôve seen time and time again. It makes my job near impossible to complete in a timely fashion, and when a redesign of a redesign falls apart, they ask why. Of course, do you point your finger back to your superiors and the client? Ethically the answer is NO! In order to keep your sanity, the answer should be YES!

To end this somewhat unorganized post, if anyone knows of a place that wants “out-of-the-box thinkers” and someone who wants to learn, please drop me an email or leave a comment. I‚Äôm not picky about pay or relocation; I just want a decent and fun working and learning environment.