The steel, white concrete and glass house, with a symbolic opening in the roof, will be ready to receive visitors next month, said the World Toilet Association in a statement. The house is a 419sq m structure with two bedrooms, two guestrooms and other rooms, the two-storey house of course features three deluxe toilets. Unlike the giant “toilet” in which they are located, they will not be see-through affairs. If you would like to visit this house you can go to Sim Jae-duck native city of Suweon, 40km south of Seoul.

TAKEN FROM freshome.com 

TAKEN FROM toptram.com

Click images to enlarge & open gallery

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is one of those things that breathes air so rarefied, one’s imagination runs wild. It’s not hard to envision a factory perched atop Mount Olympus that’s staffed by gods turning solid blocks of unobtanium into these individualized rolling spectacles. Remarkably, the Phantom is actually the work of mere mortals. Some are in Germany, the rest in England at Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood factory where these cars are hand-assembled with an incomprehensible attention to detail. Massive in form, decadently appointed, stratospherically priced and absolutely, positively unmistakable, each Rolls-Royce exiting this facility is an event in and of itself. The experience is reserved for the select few who can cover the significant cost of entry, but sometimes there are exceptions. Like me, for example. The Car Gods (and the good people at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars North America) saw fit to place a two-tone silver Phantom in my care for a weekend. When it pulled into my driveway, I couldn’t help thinking my life had turned into a rap video.

Gallery: 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom

All photos ©2007 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

Okay, maybe an otherwise very boring rap video. After all, I have no entourage of yes-men and bikini-clad dancers, no motorcade of Escalades and G-Wagens on standby, and no paparazzi giving chase. Nor are any of those things required. The Phantom transfers instant demi-celeb status to its driver and passengers. A car longer than a Chevy Suburban with a sticker price equal to a substantial mortgage tends to have that effect. Plus, the Phantom is awesome to behold, carrying with it a unique road presence, to say the least. If someone were to say that it had its own gravitational pull, we’d simply nod and avoid driving near shopping carts. Then, for kicks, we’d head to the seashore and investigate whether we could alter tidal patterns with a few drive-bys.

As mentioned earlier, ours was decked out in a classy two-tone silver finish — dark on the bottom, lighter on top, with subtle contrasting pinstripes running along the coachwork’s upper swage line. The car’s mammoth physical proportions are best appreciated in profile. Despite a hood that looks expansive enough to support naval flight operations, the car’s front overhang itself is actually very short. A rakish windscreen climbs up to a roofline that’s taller than the angled side glass would suggest, and it arcs back down into the Phantom’s signature, ultra-thick C-pillar. A longer rear overhang accommodates a spacious trunk, which RR says will swallow four golf bags. There are no unsightly antennae marring the Roller’s bodywork — they’re all hidden beneath the radio-transparent composite front wings (that’s “fenders” to you, my fellow Americans). The chrome 21-inch wheels’ always-upright “RR” center caps are spaced 140 inches apart. Let that sink in for a moment, and then realize that this is the “short” wheelbase Phantom.

Moving forward, the car’s expressive front end coolly sizes you up through its narrowed “eyes,” which actually house the high-beams and turn signals. The round, low-mounted lamps are the Phantom’s Xenon headlights, and they flank the iconic, Pantheon-shaped radiator grille. That highly-polished edifice is topped, as always, by the Spirit of Ecstasy, and when the sun hits it straight on, playing off the vertical slats and that flying lady, we’re pretty sure it’s visible from the International Space Station. The car’s uncluttered rear is the only area that can be accused of coming up short in terms of visual drama. Aside from a substantial chrome trim plate on the bootlid, there’s little flash to be seen back there, and the subtly detailed taillamps look small against the rest of the package. That stated, it doesn’t matter. There are cars that make an impression when they arrive, and then there’s this. This, dear friends, causes a commotion. And if the outside isn’t impressive enough, opening the doors to the cabin introduces you to new, absurdly fabulous levels of luxury.

If you’re the driver, a pull on the front door’s chrome handle grants you entry into a cockpit that is a visual and tactile feast. Sliding into the the Consort Red leather seat, the first thing to cross my mind was, “so this is what ‘no expense spared’ looks like.” How else can one react to the ambiance Rolls-Royce has created? Before you, the instrument panel is finished in splendid, warm Elm, which also dresses up the wide spokes on the thin-rimmed multifunction steering wheel and the lid to the front seat cupholders. Three round white-on-black gauges tell you what you need to know. In lieu of a tach, Rolls-Royce uses a Power Reserve % gauge. At idle, the needle sits at 100%. Give the car gas, and it creeps leftward as the engine uses more of its available power. You quickly learn that the Phantom always has a healthy power reserve available. It never breaks a sweat.

A 160-mph speedometer sits front and center, and to its right is a combination fuel/temperature gauge. A pair of small rectangular displays house the warning light cluster and the digital multifunction readout (fuel consumption, trip odo, etc.), completing the set of primary instrumentation. A handsome analog clock takes up the middle space, and tumbles out of sight to reveal the main LCD screen if the hidden iDrive controller is popped open (a nice touch) or if the “organ pull” located to its left is pressed. More often than not, I kept the LCD screen tucked away, preferring the classic look the clock bestows. The nav display isn’t the only thing that’s hidden, either. The power seat controls are placed out of view under a front-hinged leather lid in the center console.

While iDrive is required for a number of the car’s myriad techno features like the navigation system and Tomahawk missile launcher, the things you’re most likely to adjust while underway can be set with old-fashioned dash-mounted controls. (We’re kidding about the TLAM, by the way. It’s not standard, but we’re sure Rolls can accommodate you via the Bespoke program.) The controls at hand (or on the steering wheel) let you tune the radio, change audio sources and manage the HVAC system without delving into a menu. Oh, and all that switchgear is high quality, too. Everything from the little “violin key” nubs used to control a variety of different functions (window lifts, radio presets, sunroof — the list goes on), to the fan-control dials and HVAC temperature selectors have a robust feel. The same goes for the round air vents, which are heavy to the touch and, like everything else in this rolling salon, simply ooze sybaritic quality.

Now that we’ve established that the front seat’s a nice place to be if you’re driving, let’s head to the back. Entering the rear passenger cabin is inherently dramatic. Tug the handle and the rear-hinged coach door opens wide. Light spills into the compartment and exposes the gorgeous, curved rear lounge. If you know to look for it, the “RR”-embossed handle of the Phantom’s standard-issue umbrella sparkles at you from its in-door holster (there’s one for each side). The contrasting black leather trim on the door panel itself accentuates the red primary leather beautifully, and a chromed lid hides a substantial ashtray. In a Rolls-Royce, your vice is accommodated without having to check an option box and give up a cupholder.

The reasoning for the “suicide” doors in back is obvious the moment you step into the car. That’s because you really do just step into the cabin. There’s no need to maneuver around the door once you open it, so entry is easy. After your tush is planted on the rear seat, you can take a moment to appreciate your surroundings. Your feet rest on an impossibly thick lambswool rug. It’s so lush, in fact, that friends and passengers instinctively kick off their shoes to better appreciate it. It’s easy to get lost in the moment at this point, when you realize that you forgot to close the door. From the rear lounge, this would be a long and inelegant reach, massive door pulls notwithstanding, as you’re positioned behind the doorframe when seated comfortably. No worries. There’s a button on the window pillar beside you. Hold it down and the motorized door glides shut with a satisfying thud. This is usually followed by surprised laughter and exclamations of “No %$#@ing way!” from the rear occupants.

Pulling up on the front seatback reveals an exquisitely detailed snack tray. When it’s stowed, the part facing the passengers is the same red leather as the seat. When opened, it’s presented in the same veneered wood finish as the rest of the interior trim, and it’s held up by sturdy, highly-polished hinged supports. The pièce de résistance, however, comes when you then lift the front edge of the snack tray and it slides up, revealing a 12″ LCD display (one of a pair — each seatback has one). This impresses folks as much as the power rear doors. The screen automatically blinks to life, briefly displaying “Rolls-Royce - Goodwood” and then defaulting to the onscreen menu and currently-selected entertainment source. An iDrive controller built into the hideaway center armrest lets the passengers choose what they want to watch or listen to. Those options include AM, FM, Sirius, TV (there’s an OTA antenna built-in), CD or DVD. The audio is delivered through the fabulous fourteen-speaker Lexicon audio system, which makes the opening theme from “Shaft in Africa” sound particularly awesome with the volume cranked.

With the interior tour complete, lets talk about how the Phantom drives. Dock the Bimmer-style fob in its slot to the left of the steering wheel, apply the brakes, press the white Start/Stop button above it, and the 6.75L V12 awakens with a muted thrush then instantly settles into a quiet idle. Pop the car into gear via the column-mounted shifter and you’re off. The first thing you notice when underway is the almost total silence that envelops you. Rolls-Royce didn’t play around, and the occupants are ensconced behind double-pane glass in a compartment surrounded by sound-deadening materials. The attention to detail here shouldn’t be overlooked. The wheel wells, for example, are fully-carpeted. Preserving the serenity of the cabin environment was clearly a top priority, and the Rolls-Royce engineers did a predictably good job. Around town, all you’ll hear inside is the occasional thump from a pronounced road imperfection. What you won’t do is feel it, as the Roller’s suspension sucks up just about everything thrown at it. Get out on the highway, and the car remains quiet despite its blocky shape. You do get some wind noise around the rearview mirrors when you get the car’s speed up, and it’s probably exaggerated by the fact that everything else is so damned quiet. A flick of the stereo volume will blot it out entirely, and the rear seat passengers won’t even notice it to begin with.

The car’s 450 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque conspire to make driving at any speed a completely relaxed endeavour. Most of that torque is available at 1000 rpm, and unless you drop the hammer from a stop, the Phantom will launch in second gear, floating away gently, leaving its passengers unruffled. If you’re cruising on the highway and dig into the throttle to put some space between yourself and the unwashed masses, the V12 responds instantly and effectively. Don’t pay attention, and you’ll find yourself humming along at speeds where the explanation, “Seriously officer, it only felt like I was going around 70″ will likely be met with great skepticism and a hefty fine — one the local constabulary will assume you’ll have no trouble swallowing, at that. (Fortunately, I don’t report this from experience.) Oh, and fuel economy? Not that the Phantom owner cares, but we observed between 9 and 10 mpg over the 4 days it was with us.

Behind the wheel, the 50/50 weight distribution lends a real sense of balance, the steering effort is light but never feels overassisted, and the big Roller goes where you tell it to with no unwanted drama. Comparisons to Aladdin’s magic carpet are apt, only the Phantom’s a lot better-equipped. The tradeoff for this almost complete lack of road-induced cabin turbulence is some notable body roll if you try and fling it into a turn too aggressively. Of course, if you expect the handling of an Elise in a 19-foot-long, 5,500-lb car appointed like the Queen Mary 2, you’re really not being a very reasonable person. At a relaxed clip, the Phantom glides through those corners in the dignified manner an owner would expect. Brakes that could halt a locomotive corral the Phantom with ease and complete the overall dynamic package.

Forward visibility is good, but getting used to the long hood might take a little time for some. Rear visibility is obviously impacted by the massive c-pillars, but if you use your mirrors like they taught you to in driver’s ed, you won’t encounter any problems. Still, the car’s length can create situations that are initially vexing. For instance, while taking my Dad for a ride, I came to a stop sign where the quiet local road I was on intersected with a busier, more-trafficked route. Even though I had the car’s nose lined up with the sign, I was set so far back, I couldn’t get a clear read on what was coming from either direction. This was slightly unnerving, as blindly driving a car that cost more than my house into oncoming traffic didn’t seem like such a hot idea. My dad, riding shotgun and thinking he had discovered a weak spot, weighed in with, “Aww, come on. You can’t see the road.”

“Watch this,” I replied, knowing something he didn’t. I flipped the clock back, bringing the LCD display into view. Then I pulled back on the short stalk poking out of the steering column’s left side — the same one used to flash the high-beams. In this case, however, that action activated a little dual-lensed camera mounted in the center of the front bumper. A split-screen image showing me views up the intersecting road in both directions popped onto the display. With this extra assistance, I was able to easily judge when it was safe to pull out of the side street. My Dad’s jaw has yet to return to a fully-closed position. It’s the littlest details that blow people away.

Dropping jaws are a common sight outside the Rolls, too. You see, in-the-wild sightings of Phantoms are kind of rare for the average Joe, and while you might be able to slip by quietly if no one’s looking, the Rolls is a commotion-in-waiting for those whose field of vision it does cross. It’s not something you miss when it comes into view, and be prepared to host impromptu Q&A sessions if you’re ever fortunate enough to have one for a spell. A routine trip to Starbucks became a lengthy affair, as it took me an extra 10 minutes just to walk into the shop while I chatted with folks sitting at the outdoor tables. As this went on, a steady stream of people in the shopping center approached the parked Roller, peering into the windows and giving it a thorough walkaround. I think the entire kitchen staff of the local pizzeria came out before it was over. A nighttime trip to Dairy Queen saw several local kids’ eyes turn into saucers as they comprehended what just cruised into their hangout. And after a trip to pick up some sushi, the denizens of a local cruise night — and these were people with some seriously nice cars themselves — all tracked the Rolls as it drove out of the shared parking lot, heads on swivels. Everywhere the car went, it became the focus of attention. People stopped me. They asked questions. I let them check things out. They smiled at the peek-a-boo hood ornament when she ducked into the grille on command, and walked away happy. Sometimes astonished. Mostly delighted.

There’s a reason for that. The Rolls-Royce Phantom is rare and special. There are, at this moment, around 1500 of them in the United States. In most neighborhoods, you’ll never eyeball one. You cannot buy one (a new one) without spending upwards of $330,000. That figure, gaudy though it may be, is perhaps its most irrelevant statistic. For the shopper considering a Phantom, our tester’s $372,600 sticker might as well read $3,726. The Phantom shopper has the money — it isn’t even a consideration. For example, I had a Phantom for a weekend, but there are plenty of Phantom owners who keep a spare one at their weekend homes. Now, I now know why. The Rolls-Royce Phantom is one of the best cars in the world — some would say it’s the best. Exquisite detail, an effortless but rewarding drive, and an unparalleled, magnetic street presence make the Phantom unique, giving credence to that point of view. People often asked if I was intimidated by it. The answer is no. I embraced it for what it is and drove it everywhere I would drive my own car.

Four days later, I wasn’t intimidated. I was impressed.

TAKEN FROM /www.autoblog.com

 First, let’s see what I used: a white textile (canvas or so) and not a paper. Why? Because I want the result to be realistic and not plane. Also, it’s important that the background surface should not be glossy.
Natural light plus a tungsten light (two of them would be even better) and fill flash. Because the flash might overexpose some ares of the photo (usually the central area), I use a diffuser made from a very transparent soft plastic or canvas piece.
Usually this kind of thing refers to macro shots, so you may want to shoot in macro mode or manual.

Now let’s see the tips:
1. Use a textile background that makes a few soft “natural waves”
2. Use one little colored piece in your white composition as a reference
3. Use lights from all sides to avoid big dark shadows
4. Use fill flash (better with diffuser on it) to naturally brighten up the scene and reveal the details
5. Use custom white balance to ensure real white
6. Only use matrix light metering
7. Do not overexpose the picture in the attempt of getting pure white
8. Use manual focus if the auto does not find the desired focus point
9. Do not completely remove the shadows - let the shapes be visible
10. Use a software to remove dark corners that may form

Sometimes, even if I use custom white balance, I still need to cool the picture a bit later. The whole task of photographing white objects on white background can be very difficult and require allot of practice. On the other hand, shooting in RAW format may let you change the exposure even after the shot was taken.

TAKEN FROM www.photoaxe.com

  

Typography is a significant issue for designers. On many projects, finding just the right font, size, spacing, etc. can require considerable time and attention. In addition to typography, color is also a major factor in the success of the design. What is sometimes overlooked is the combination of color and typography and the effect that it has on the overall project.

Font Size, Line Height & Contrast

Before we even get to the color and contrast elements of typography, we first should look at how dramatic a small font increase and line height increase can improve readability and reduce eye fatigue. The first example below uses 11pt font with matching 11pt line height. The second example uses 12pt font with 13pt line height. Example two is significantly easier to read.

Example 1: (11pt Font, 11pt Line Height)
The next moment a hideous, grinding speech, as of some monstrous machine running without oil, burst from the big telescreen at the end of the room. It was a noise that set one’s teeth on edge and bristled the hair at the back of one’s neck. The Hate had started.

(12pt Font, 13pt Line Height)
The next moment a hideous, grinding speech, as of some monstrous machine running without oil, burst from the big telescreen at the end of the room. It was a noise that set one’s teeth on edge and bristled the hair at the back of one’s neck. The Hate had started.

Even with well sized type and line heights, choosing a font color and background color with low contrast can make reading difficult and stresses the eyes of the reader.

(12pt Font, 13pt Line Height - Low Contrast)
The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours.

More Bad Contrast Examples:

Example 2: (12pt Font, 13pt Line Height - Low Contrast)
The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours.

Example 2: (12pt Font, 13pt Line Height - Low Contrast)
The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours.

Bad Color Choices:

Example 2: (12pt Font, 13pt Line Height - Low Contrast)
The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours.

Example 2: (12pt Font, 13pt Line Height - Low Contrast)
The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours.

Together, color and typography can create a strong visual impact that either subtly or strikingly contributes to the design and cues the reader. Different colors and strategies can cause different reactions from readers and lead them to see the same text in different ways.

Color can be used to make certain text stand out or draw the attention of the eye. Of course, we’re all familiar with examples where a different color is used to make a particular word or phrase stand out (similar to the affect of bold text), but there are other possibilities here.
 

Contrast:

When choosing colors for typography contrast should be one of your major considerations. Contrast applies to the font in comparison to the background as well as in comparison to the other font colors. If you are using contrast between two font colors, using the one color sparingly will have stronger impact by drawing attention to fewer words.

The image to the right is an obvious example of color causing text to stand out. The red text on white background jumps out from the screen due to the strong contrast, while the gray text seemingly stays quietly in the background. If the text was all one color, of course nothing would stand out and draw the eye. The next image is a great example of the power of simply changing font color. Matt Webb is a freelance designer whose homepage has a short message.

Original image

By changing the color of 5 words to a color that contrasts the other gray text, he causes that statement to catch the attention of visitors. Even better, he proves his point that simplicity is a good thing since he catches your eye with a very simple design/color element.

Visual Appeal Without Pictures:

Typography and color combined have the potential to give a design an attractive and interesting look without even using pictures. Below is an example from DannyBlackman.com. He uses three different, vibrant colors to create a nice visual appeal to a simple design.

Enhance Your Message:

With the combination of typography and color there are endless ways to display your message, and obviously some will be more effective than others. As I was recently surfing the example below really stood out to me.

The homepage for Acsys uses a script to display a random image and message. The one shown above uses a large font size to cause the one-word statement “inspiring” to stand out. This is a great example of using typography to create a powerful message in the mind of visitors that you want them to associate with your business.

Readability:

When dealing with contrast and color decisions, readability is important. Whatever design you decide on should allow for the text to be easily read. Each design medium is a little bit different. For web design a common example is the contrast between link colors and background colors. Most websites make use of color to style links, and many times also style them with a different color on hover, but the link color should always be readable for visitors. If the colors and contrasts interfere with the readability it will be a negative impact instead of a positive impact.

For web designers, different browsers can also cause readability issues. The example below is taken from InviteShare.com. In Firefox the page displays with no problems, but in IE 6 gray boxes appear behind the text that makes it nearly impossible to read.

Another similar example comes from a weightshift.com. The first picture shows the page as it appears in Firefox. The dark background that lays on top of the image and behind the text makes it readable.

In IE 6 the dark background is gone, leaving the reader with a very difficult time. The text is no almost unreadable.

Conclusion:

Next time you are working on a design of any kind, think about the typography and colors and how you can create the reaction that you want. Experiment with different combinations and see if you can find the right one.

This is a guest post from Steven Snell, who maintains a blog at Vandelay Website Design. Steven updates his blog frequently with articles on web design, marketing, social media and blogging

TAKEN FROM /www.colourlovers.com

Photography: Peter Faretra

It’s happening. In fact, it’s been happening for a while. But it’s happening quietly, and outside a few forums on Flickr, people aren’t really talking about.Photo users are browsing Flickr and they’re not just taking Creative Commons-licensed images (or stealing protected photos). They’re contacting photographers and offering to pay usage fees.The amounts might not be huge, which is probably one of the reasons that the sales aren’t making headlines, but they are being handed over at the end of email offers and modest negotiations. Taylor Jones, a relatively new band photographer, mentioned to us in an interview recently that:

“I’ve sold a few images thanks to the site…”

then added:

“…nothing serious though.”

as though having someone hand over cash for images they’ve uploaded to Flickr happens all the time.

Upload to Flickr, Get Published
Photo users are buying images for all sorts of reasons but perhaps the most common is the one that photographers tend to find the most satisfying: they need pictures for books and publications.

Terry McCormick’s image of the world’s largest steam train, for example, was bought by a manufacturer of model railways and appeared on the cover of the company’s catalog; Peter Faretra’s photo of diving gannets (shown above) was bought by the publisher of a wildlife book. Denis Callet’s picture of a lake was used by a media company producing a history book.

The ingredients in all of these sales include:

• Careful tagging so that buyers can find what they’re looking for;

• Clear descriptions so that they know what they’ve found;

• And, of course, a professional quality picture shot at a high enough resolution to be reproduced commercially.

It might help too if the photographer’s photostream includes a few Creative Commons-licensed photos to bring in users looking for free images. The lower-quality shots they can have for nothing; professional quality images they would have to pay for.

Selling Photos as Prints
Of course, it’s not just publishers who are reaching into their wallets on Flickr. The site’s forums occasionally include questions from buyers asking how they can purchase prints from Flickr members.

Again, it’s clear that you’ll need to display the sort of images that people would actually want to own, but it’s a good idea too to indicate that the images in your photostream are available for purchase.

Flickr doesn’t want big “For Sale” signs everywhere, and unlike many photography sites, it doesn’t have its own click-button print-ordering service. So just mention in your profile that your images are available as prints and suggest that anyone interested in buying them should drop you a line.

As long as the photos are good enough, you’ll be in with a chance of making a sale.

Marketing the Flickr Way
But to increase the chances of making a sale, you have to market. Like anywhere, it’s not enough to put your goods on offer — however good your photos might be — and hope that photography-lovers with bucketloads of money spot them. You have to let people know they’re there.

On Flickr, that doesn’t mean spending vast sums on pay-per-click advertising.

It means investing time in networking. As Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir, probably Flickr’s most successful member, put it:

You can’t just put your pictures up and leave them there. You have to drag people back to your photostream.

That happens by leaving comments on other members’ photos, joining groups and participating in forums. It means doing all of the things that Flickr was created for: being part of a community and exchanging information and advice as well as image views.

Become a popular Flickr member, and your name will become known among buyers as well as other photographers.

There is still a tendency among photo users on Flickr to expect photographers to hand over their images for free — and a more worrying tendency for photographers to agree. But shoot good images, upload them to Flickr and let lots of people know that they’re there and available, and your Flickr popularity can translate into sales.

Check out our interview with Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir here and tell us whether you’ve sold a photo on Flickr.

TAKEN FROM blogs.photopreneur.com

We are all well aware that web design is not an easy task. There are many variables to consider, some of them technical, some of them human. The technical considerations of designing for the web can (and do) change quite regularly, but the human variables change at a slower rate. Sometimes the human variables change at such a slow rate that we have a hard time believing that it happens.
This is happening right now in web design. There is an astonishing amount of disbelief that the users of web pages have learned to scroll and that they do so regularly. Holding on to this disbelief – this myth that users won’t scroll to see anything below the fold – is doing everyone a great disservice, most of all our users.
First, a definition: The word “fold” means a great many things, even within the discipline of design. The most common use of the term “fold” is perhaps used in reference to newspaper layout. Because of the physical dimensions of the printed page of a broadsheet newspaper, it is folded. The first page of a newspaper is where the “big” stories of the issue are because it is the best possible placement. Readers have to flip the paper over (or unfold it) to see what else is in the issue, therefore there is a chance that someone will miss it. In web design, the term “fold” means the line beyond which a user must scroll to see more contents of a page (if it exists) after the page displays within their browser. It is also referred to as a “scroll-line.”
Screen performance data and new research indicate that users will scroll to find information and items below the fold. There are established design best practices to ensure that users recognize when a fold exists and that content extends below it¹. Yet during requirements gathering for design projects designers are inundated with requests to cram as much information above the fold as possible, which complicates the information design. Why does the myth continue, when we have documented evidence that the fold really doesn’t matter in certain contexts?

Once upon a time, page-level vertical scrolling was not permitted on AOL. Articles, lists and other content that would have to scroll were presented in scrolling text fields or list boxes, which our users easily used. Our pages, which used proprietary technology, were designed to fit inside a client application, and the strictest of guidelines ensured that the application desktop itself did not scroll. The content pages floated in the center of the application interface and were too far removed from the scrollbar location for users to notice if a scrollbar appeared. Even if the page appeared to be cut off, as current best practices dictate, it proved to be such an unusual experience to our users that they assumed that the application was “broken.” We had to instill incredible discipline in all areas of the organization that produced these pages – content creation, design and development – to make sure our content fit on these little pages.

AOL client application with desktop scrollbar activated

As AOL moved away from our proprietary screen technology to an open web experience, we enjoyed the luxury of designing longer (and wider) pages. Remaining sensitive to the issues of scrolling from our history, we developed and employed practices for designing around folds:

• We chose as target screen resolutions those used by the majority of our users.
• We identified where the fold would fall in different browsers, and noted the range of pixels that would be in the fold “zone.”
• We made sure that images and text appeared “broken” or cut off at the fold for the majority of our users (based on common screen resolutions and browsers).
• We kept the overall page height to no more than 3 screens.

But even given our new larger page sizes, we were still presented with long lists of items to be placed above the fold – lists impossible to accommodate. There were just too many things for the limited amount of vertical space.
For example, for advertising to be considered valuable and saleable, a certain percentage of it must appear above the 1024×768 fold. Branding must be above the fold. Navigation must be above the fold – or at least the beginning of the list of navigational choices. (If the list is well organized and displayed appropriately, scanning the list should help bring users down the page.) Big content (the primary content of the site) should begin above the fold. Some marketing folks believe that the actual number of data points and links above the fold is a strategic differentiator critical to business success. Considering the limited vertical real estate available and the desire for multiple ad units and functionality described above, an open design becomes impossible.

And why? Because people think users don’t scroll. Jakob Nielsen wrote about the growing acceptance and understanding of scrolling in 1997², yet 10 years later we are still hearing that users don’t scroll.
Research debunking this myth is starting to pop up, and a great example of this is the report available on ClickTale.com³. In it, the researchers used their proprietary tracking software to measure the activity of 120,000 pages. Their research gives data on the vertical height of the page and the point to which a user scrolls. In the study, they found that 76% of users scrolled and that a good portion of them scrolled all the way to the bottom, despite the height of the screen. Even the longest of web pages were scrolled to the bottom. One thing the study does not capture is how much time is spent at the bottom of the page, so the argument can be made that users might just scan it and not pay much attention to any content placed there.

This is where things get interesting.

I took a look at performance data for some AOL sites and found that items at the bottom of pages are being widely used. Perhaps the best example of this is the popular celebrity gossip website TMZ.com. The most clicked on item on the TMZ homepage is the link at the very bottom of the page that takes users to the next page. Note that the TMZ homepage is often over 15000 pixels long – which supports the ClickTale research that scrolling behavior is independent of screen height. Users are so engaged in the content of this site that they are following it down the page until they get to the “next page” link.
Maybe it’s not fair to use a celebrity gossip site as an example. After all, we’re not all designing around such tantalizing guilty-pleasure content as the downfall of beautiful people. So, let’s look at some drier content.
For example, take AOL News Daily Pulse. You’ll notice the poll at the bottom of the page – the vote counts are well over 300,000 each. This means that not only did folks scroll over 2000 pixels to the bottom of the page, they actually took the time to answer a poll while they were there. Hundreds of thousands of people taking a poll at the bottom of a page can easily be called a success.

AOL News Daily Pulse with 10×7 fold line and vote count

But, you may argue, these pages are both in blog format. Perhaps blogs encourage scrolling more than other types of pages. I’m not convinced, since blog format is of the “newest content on top” variety, but it may be true. However, looking at pages that are not in blog format, we see the same trend. On the AOL Money & Finance homepage, users find and use the modules for recent quotes and their personalized portfolios even when these modules are placed well beneath the 1024×768 fold.

Another example within AOL Money & Finance is a photo gallery entitled Top Tax Tips. Despite the fact that the gallery is almost 2500 pixels down the page, this gallery generates between 200,000 and 400,000 page views depending on promotion of the Taxes page.

It is clear that where a given item falls in relation to the fold is becoming less important. Users are scrolling to see what they want, and finding it. The key is the content – if it is compelling, users will follow where it leads.

When does the fold matter?

The most basic rule of thumb is that for every site the user should be able to understand what your site is about by the information presented to them above the fold. If they have to scroll to even discover what the site is, its success is unlikely.
Functionality that is essential to business strategy should remain (or at least begin) above the fold. For example, if your business success is dependent on users finding a particular thing (movie theaters, for example) then the widget to allow that action should certainly be above the fold.

Screen height and folds matter for applications, especially rapid-fire applications where users input variables and change the display of information. The input and output should be in very close proximity. Getting stock quotes is an example: a user may want to get four or five quotes in sequence, so it is imperative that the input field and the basic quote information display remain above the fold for each symbol entered. Imagine the frustration at having to scroll to find the input field for each quote you wanted.

Where IS the fold?

Here is perhaps the biggest problem of all. The design method of cutting-off images or text only works if you know where the fold is. There is a lot of information out there about how dispersed the location of fold line actually is. Again, a very clear picture of this problem is shown on ClickTale. In the same study of page scrolling, fold locations of viewed screens were captured, based on screen resolution and browser used. It’s a sad, sad thing, but the single highest concentration of fold location (at around 600 pixels) for users accounted for less than 10% of the distribution. This pixel-height corresponds with a screen resolution of 1024×768. Browser applications take away varying amounts of vertical real estate for their interfaces (toolbars, address fields, etc). Each browser has a slightly different size, so not all visitors running a resolution of 1024×768 will have a fold that appears in the same spot. In the ClickTale study, the three highest fold locations were 570, 590 and 600 pixels—apparently from different browsers running on 1024×768 screens. But the overall distribution of fold locations for the entire study was so varied that even these three sizes together only account for less than 26% of visits. What does all this mean? If you pick one pixel location on which to base the location of the fold when designing your screens, the best-case scenario is that you’ll get the fold line exactly right for only 10% of your visitors.

So what do we do now?

Stop worrying about the fold. Don’t throw your best practices out the window, but stop cramming stuff above a certain pixel point. You’re not helping anyone. Open up your designs and give your users some visual breathing room. If your content is compelling enough your users will read it to the end.
Advertisers currently want their ads above the fold, and it will be a while before that tide turns. But it’s very clear that the rest of the page can be just as valuable – perhaps more valuable – to contextual advertising. Personally, I’d want my ad to be right at the bottom of the TMZpage, forget the top.

The biggest lesson to be learned here is that if you use visual cues (such as cut-off images and text) and compelling content, users will scroll to see all of it. The next great frontier in web page design has to be bottom of the page. You’ve done your job and the user scrolled all the way to the bottom of the page because they were so engaged with your content. Now what? Is a footer really all we can offer them? If we know we’ve got them there, why not give them something to do next? Something contextual, a natural next step in your site, or something with which to interact (such as a poll) would be welcome and, most importantly, used.

TAKEN FROM www.boxesandarrows.com

Check out the work of 10 professionals working at the very edges of their disciplines in order to redefine their industries

Today, many designers—including graphic designers, interaction designers, architects, and brand mavens—would say that their job is to synthesize, to take into account the experience of business, technology, and users, as well as aesthetics, when creating a solution. So you could say that all designers work at a nexus of disciplines. Still, some manage to push the envelope in ways that expand the realm of design, move beyond well-accepted wisdom, and transplant knowledge from one field to another to solve a problem or create new opportunities. That is what the following architects, furniture makers, transportation visionaries, and other designers are doing. Read on to see projects by 10 professionals working on the cutting edge.

TAKEN FROM /images.businessweek.com

A panel of experts consisting of car designers, robotics specialists, Art Center faculty and (presumably) Stephan Hawkings’ wheelchair looked at all the entrants and decided that the Slipstream is the coolest dog in the window. To refresh your memory, around town the Slipstream rides upright on two wheels and occupies 1/5 the space of a conventional car. Once on a specially built freeway (also called Slipstream), the Slipstream lays down like a regular car, deploys rear fins and can hit speeds exceeding 250 mph. Jalopnik would like to point out that the Slipstream’s top speed is a full 50 mph slower than the Vector A-WX-8. Just sayin’. In conclusion, Mercedes-Benz was robbed! congratulations to the VW team of Derek Jenkins, Ian Hilton and Patrick Faulwetter.

TAKEN FROM jalopnik.com/car

We see the Omni GLH has pulled ahead of the Porsche 924 Turbo by a 60-40 margin in yesterday’s Choose Your Eternity poll, but what we aren’t seeing is the big picture. As in, holy crap, the oil is running out! Yes, the wells were pumping, pumping, all thatcha like, but now we need to start thinking about what we’ll be driving in a post-global-socio-econo-nihilo no-more-cheap-oil sorta world. We don’t want to give up on internal combustion, and we just gotta have forced induction, so it would seem the easiest choice would be turbocharged diesel cars made to run on vegetable oil and/or animal fat (you killjoys who want to gripe about how you still need the petroleum-fueled gears of society to keep a-spinnin’ to produce such oils can just go suspend your disbelief, in the same way you need to suspend your disbelief about the impossibility of actually finishing a Hell Project).
Many of you are probably thinking you’d go with a Mercedes-Benz turbodiesel for your bacon-grease-powered machine, and others would suggest a big ol’ Detroit truck. Nuh-uh… those thangs ain’t available in Hell! Besides, they’re boring, and you’re a trendsetting stylemaster- that’s why you need this 1983 Peugeot 505 Turbodiesel! Now, before you go clutching your head in both hands and moaning about French cars and their totally undeserved rep for reliability problems and part-obtainment woes, just take a look at this car. See how nice it looks? Why, the interior looks great, and the body is straight (well, the parts we can see in the photos, anyway). Any car this well-preserved is probably in tip-top mechanical condition, and a diesel with 177,000 miles is just getting started! And man, just $1500? Sold! So, you rig up a heated tank in the back to keep the bacon grease liquid, add some big filters, and tell Big Oil to kiss your Peugeot-drivin’ ass!

Have any Americans ever seen, or even heard of a turbodiesel Toyota Camry? No? Well there ya go- simply by peeling 1500 frogskins off your roll, you could have this 1985 Camry Turbodiesel, thus becoming the only person in your time zone to have one. And the mid-80s Camrys actually have some character, unlike the soporific appliances they became later, so you won’t suffer from Camry Ennui as you roar past all the stranded dinosaur-juice machines with your tank full of hemp oil (and your head full of another hemp product). The good news about this car is that everything other than engine-related stuff is easy to find in the junkyard (and Toyota quality as well). The bad news is… well, where the hell you gonna find Toyota diesel engine parts? Yes, Europeans, you got plenty of ‘em over there… but this car’s in California! The seller says the timing belt needs replacing, the injector timing is bad, and the turbo might be bad (probable translation: engine is on its last legs). But hey, nobody needs to know about it if you go swap in a Mercedes turbodiesel engine, do they? That should be, oh, about a one-weekend project, right?

TAKEN FROM jalopnik.com/cars