BarCamp, according to Wikipedia, is an unconference that “open sources” the organizational process of FooCamp by codifying it in a wiki and evangelizing it through a Web 2.0 tool kit. FooCamp comes from the term Foobar, which (oh, duh) is exemplified in…

// PHP code
$foo = ‘Hello’;
$bar = ‘World’;
$foobar = $foo . ‘ ‘ . $bar;
// $foobar now contains the string “Hello World”

Web jargon overload?

Hopefully I didn’t loose you, but the truth is… I lost me. I followed that explanation right up until the “PHP” and then my eyes glazed over and I uncomfortably giggled because it sounded funny, but I really had no idea what it meant. Regardless of what your web-geek-o-meter reads, if you have an interest in sharing and learning about the World Wide Web, BarCamp is for you. Keep your eyes peeled for info emerging from this weekend’s Washington DC BarCamp “unconference”.

Barcamp is a gathering of minds in the web industry who come together to participate in sharing ideas. Participants are encouraged to take photos, blog and cover the event via the web. I love the fact that it promotes the idea that everyone has something to contribute, and everyone can have access to the event’s information via the web.

I have never been to a Barcamp, but what I have read so far gets me very excited. From what I can tell the concept of the event is in the same vein as a wiki. Rather than an “online collaborative website in simple form” it is a real life gathering of minds eager to share their input that takes place in a casual, very non-complex atmosphere. Topics to be discussed at the DC BarCamp are expected to include social media, blogging, design and development.

My presentation/ discussion is going to be focussed on the “Why” behind design for the web. There are a lot of interesting visual trends in interaction design and the user experience that I would like to explore and hopefully even stumble upon cognitive explanations for them. I would love to see participants sharing their personal design approaches in a conversation exploring how much is based on psychology, data, and pure design intuition.

With my incredibly hectic week hopefully slowing down I hope to enjoy some web-geekery and meet some locals this Saturday. Check out Barcamp online and see if there is one in a town near you or stay tuned to see coverage from this weekend’s Washington DC BarCamp.

[tags]barcamp, barcampdc, barcampwashingtondc, unconference, webdesign, interactiondesign, userexperiencedesign[/tags]

Some people see the internet as a means to set up shop and make money. Other people post to MySpace and make friends they don’t know in an effort to become internet famous. Whichever you prefer, it doesn’t happen over night… or does it? My friend Keith posted this photo to Digg at roughly 10 am on Friday August 3rd. By midnight the image had 5,965 Diggs and had been viewed 173, 823 times.

The image is of a paper clip that was nicely packaged with an instructional insert and sent from Apple’s service department to Keith’s coworker, Matt for use with iPhone.

At about 3pmish Friday Matt listed the paper clip on e-bay. Some may see this as a ridiculous stunt to capitalize on Apple’s ironic packaging of a paperclip, and it is. As of midnight, the paperclip had racked up 31 dollars and more than a dozen funny-ass questions with awesome responses.
Some choice cuts:

Q: Is it available in other colours or sizes? I’ve been hearing a lot lately about a “paperclip shuffle”. Aug-03-07
A: Silver is the only color it is available in. However it will discolor under sustained use. The rumors of a clip shuffle are as made up as Al Gore. There is no such thing as Al Gore!

Q: Why would apple put clippy in a bag? Aug-03-07
A: Good question! A better question would be; why did Microsoft put him in office?

Q: Would you ship this item to the UK? We are currently experiencing a paper clip shortage. Thanks ;o) Aug-03-07
A: I’m sorry, under the latest NAFTA regulation it is unlawful to ship sensitive corporate technology out of the continental United States. But have you considered using a staple?

This super- geeky stunt has amused me, awarded Keith his 15 minutes of internet fame, and may prove to make Matt rich with 9 more days left on his-ebay auction. The internet can make dreams come true.

[tags]iPhone, Apple, Mac, iphone paperclip, iPhone Paperclip on Digg, MacGyver iPhone paperclip, iPhone paperclip on e-bay [/tags]

Every 4 years the world gathers to celebrate the spirit of camaraderie and promote peace through competitive athletic competitions during the Olympic games. I barely raise an eyebrow. Its not that I don’t agree with or relate to values promoted in the Olympic spirit, I just have every little to relate to in the games themselves. The Olympic committee for the 2012 Games is trying to change that, and they kicked it off with the unveiling of the ugliest logo ever imaginable.

You may be thinking that me referring to the logo as being “ugly” is hardly constructive criticism. You are right. But it is how thousands of people around the world are referring to it, not just on major network news programming but on blogs and in e-mail lists. One of the defining differences in a logo versus a piece of art work is that it should communicate a common message to be effective. It seems to me based on my research the message this logo is carrying is “Look at me, I am an ugly Logo”.

I am on the Art Directors Club of Metro Washington DC’s mailing list. For about 2 days straight this logo was the topic of lots of conversation. Most of it revolving around the possibility that this logo was developed to appeal to a younger audience. A younger audience not represented on the list. Others carefully critiqued it’s ability to remain timeless and how with different renderings of the number “2″ it does not have a consistent visual vocabulary. While I agree with a lot of this criticism, the comment that struck me most was…

“What we should be discussing is how the firm that put that together was able to sell it to those writing the check. Yes, it’s bad design, but boy is it great salesmanship!”.

This got me thinking about the idea that the studio behind this logo possibly sold a lot more than just a a visual mark or even brand. It sold the idea that making such a non traditional visual representation of the Olympics would stir up talk about the Olympics, and what the Olympics mean. What if the studio behind this brand wanted to leverage word of mouth to reach those who hardly raise an eyebrow to the Olympics. Those who are so deeply submerged in their daily lives that the traditional media coverage and broadcast television is just background noise to them. Creating a stir through a non-traditional brand would be a very effective way to reach this audience.

I purposed this idea to my mom, who saw a segment about the whole stir on a morning show. She thought it highly unlikely that a group of people at a studio were sitting around thinking that deeply into this scenario. I told her that I had no way of knowing, but isn’t it interesting that her and I were having a conversation with the word “Olympics” in it for the first time since I was 10 years old.

[tags]London Olympic Logo, 2012 Olympics, ADCMW[/tags]