Social Networking Map from FlowTown. Click on the image to view the full image.

As a tribute to XKCD’s ‘Map of Online Communities’, we have decided to re-create our own, updated version of this map.

I hope it’s a living map and the online geography might change.

Not sure if some people would find it gross, but I totally love the idea. Great stuff from Mads Peitersen, Denmark. Via deviantART.

The State of the Internet is an interesting take on the growth of internet. No surprise, women outnumbered men in Social-networking site :)

JESS3 designed and animated this for the JESS3 lecture at AIGA Baltimore in Feb 2010.

Windows Phone 7 series, while it might be too early to see how it performs inthe real world the interface actually looks promising.

Catch the official site here
Windows Phone 7 Series

From Gizmodo:

they have created a beautiful user interface in which the data is at the center of user interaction. Not the apps—specific functions—but the information itself.

While the interest is buzz with the bads and goods of Phone 7, me… I just can’t wait.

A little video I made when I took a ride to the 103 floor of the Sky Deck at the Wills Towers (formerly Sears Towers). Music by Radiohead, There There.

Enjoy the ride!

Photo: stock.xchng

Recently lost all my blabbering blog data of two years, when I move to new hosting. Trying to kick start Haobam.com and get back some of the popular post and download online. Please watch this space for update.

For any info please email haobam.martin@gmail.com.

With all these new features, I guess it’ll be much harder for people to learn Photoshop. For upgrade freaks like me, counting day to release day.

Photo: ekosystem

My little family monthly grocery shopping is becoming more of an obsession for me rather than a ritual. I look forward to it every month and we normally do it the first weekend of the month. Considering Bangalore traffic & parking pain, we normally go in the morning off-peak period. And while my wife drags the shopping cart, I’m off to the top floor electronics department.

While DSLR is one in my radar, another piece of technology are the mini-laptop or the newly christened “Netbooks”. Tracking the evolution, first I heard about XO1 OLPC and I’m not sure if it actually benefited the poor & unprivileged children as intended. I’ve never touched one and it never looked serious enough. But I guess the form factor caught the fancy of many.

The first incarnation of Asus Eee PC powered with Celeron M with few Gig of SSD storage, came in later 2007 much later after OLPC, I guess the major brands were scared to test new territories. And till that time, people still couldn’t figure a perfect bracket to categorize this new avatar of laptop. hmm.. mini-laptop, ultra-portable laptop… I tried one of these machine during one of my shopping trips and at 8 inch, 800×640px screen, it was better than surfing the net using a cellphone. The user installed Win XP version was dragging though.

I heard about new player MSi Wind, never touched one, but when I saw the new Acer Aspire One, 9inch (1024×600px screen), Atom powered, 160 Gb HDD, 1 Gb RAM, with pre-installed Win XP OS phew… that’s pushing the limit to reach me, the consumer :)

Smaller than a tabloid, lighter than a hardcover. You can call this the paperback version of the laptop. We can’t call it Netbook, since tech company PSION claiming it owns the trademark of the term.

While Acer One doesn’t have bluetooth, some of the latest entree from Lenovo, DELL, HP comes bundled with bluetooth, while most config remains the same. And yes all devoid of a DVD drive. The latest entrant is the Sony VAIO P, costing an exorbitant estimated street price of Rs 50,000, while most netbook is around Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000.

Did you know: Psion Teklogix, a UK company, on 23 Dec 2008 reportedly claimed trademark rights to their discontinued product name ‘Netbook’.

Photo: Shot with my phone camera.

Have you got your 2009 Bad Usability Calendar. I’ve pulled down the 2008 calendar and got the new 2009 printed an up on my work area. The Bad Usability Calendar is brought to you by Netlife Research, Norway.

Photo: Sarit Arora’s photo posted with kind permission.

Just completed 6 days, 12 to 17 January 2009, two sessions conducted by Human Factors International.

• User-centered analysis and conceptual design
• The science and art of effective Web and application design

Thanks to Sarit Arora & Atul Saraf, trainer of respective courses. Besides, the tons of knowledge I’ve gained, glad to meet some amazing folks from all areas, sharing valuable experiences.

And 20 & 21 January, I’m again in another training for management. I feel I’m starting the year in the right step, that’s LEARNING.