Jorge Quinteros

Who hasn’t entertained the thought of being their own boss one day? Whether it’s a one-man team or crew of creative geniuses, Andy Rutledge provides an exceptional caveat for those yearning to develop a healthy design agency:

No matter how much you enjoy design, no matter how good a designer/developer you are, no matter how much you want to own your own agency, do not attempt it unless you are wildly enthusiastic about business. If running a business is not your first or second love, do not waste your time; you will fail. Love the business or don’t go into business for yourself.

Once that’s been established, the attention goes to constructing an awesome passionate team. This is not to be confused with a clump of people who just happen to be linked because they work in the same studio each with their own agendas. It really lies on hiring the right people.

May 11, 2009 |   Tags: design links

Tilt-shift photography is a creative style of photography in which a image of a life-size location or object is maneuvered by the camera to give the optical illusion of a miniature scale model. The key to achieving this effect is to shoot from high viewpoints with a specialty tilt-shift lens or editing a suitable image in software such as Photoshop.

A more pragmatic approach would be in using Takayuki Fukatsu’s latest lab creation, Tilt-Shift generator, which adds the same desired effect to your pictures on the fly and funtions via an Adobe AIR. In addition to tilt-shift, the app also supports vignetting, color balance controll, drag & drop, and read & write file. It’s a simple groovy app that does what its name implies.

Here’s my attempt at it.

May 10, 2009 |   Tags: photography links

Have you ever been so admiring of a sport that you may not particularly practice? For me that sport is boxing, which the closest I’ve ever gotten to it is via Xbox and so EA’s exceptional realistic trailer of upcoming Fight Night Round 4 has me further enthusiastic about the prospect of its release and success. Added characters, more refined graphics and true inside fighting just to name of few of it’s features which seems like it’s going to outshine its predecessor away, which I would expect nothing less from the great folks at EA.

Why boxing? Because in no other sport is mental toughness so vital especially when the build-up towards the final fight plays an equally pivotal role. Boxers have to endure months of training, press conferences, countdowns, predictions and weigh-ins as a preliminary towards a fight, so in essence the combat has already begun way before the sound of a bell. James Rall best describes the unpredictability that I love about the sport and why I follow it religiously:

In no other sport can a person or team be losing badly and then, a second later, be victorious. In football, if a team is losing by three scores, they need four scores to win. In boxing, if a man is losing nine rounds he needs only one punch, a knockout, to win.

May 8, 2009 |   Tags: games

Sometimes it’s difficult not to be impressed with Apple, especially with their streamline of products, the satisfactory experience in their stores and their press on always being different but something else to endorse is the the stature that accompanies owning a Mac. Jon Buys best describes this feeling following a purchase and why all the buzz:

When you buy a Mac, you join a club. It’s more than simply owning a computer, it’s being part of the entire Apple ecosystem. Each part of each product is tied together to provide a seamless experience that brings together your electronics so you can get on with the business of living your life. Take photos, make movies, write a book, and do it all without worrying about how. This is the real reason for Apple’s customer satisfaction. Apple is a success story, and when you buy a Mac, in a small way, you become part of that story, too.

May 7, 2009 |   Tags: apple links

Today Amazon has added a new member to the Kindle revolution with a model termed Kindle DX. The newer version bares the same aesthetics as the previous model with the exception of a larger screen (9.7” compared to 6”) which makes it even more fitting for the textbook, newspaper and magazine market.

If you’re an iPhone user, the new auto-rotating screen feature make come as second nature and the presence of a native PDF reader sweetens the missing piece for embracing the ever growing format in which we share files.

The price for the Kindle DX? $489. The price for the previously released model? Unchanged ($359). In a large city as New York, I’ve yet to see absolutely anyone sporting a Kindle and I think the report of a newer Kindle being released was not that we would have a larger screen to pore over but in hopes in that the price-tag on the previous model would be brought down to an affordable price. That’s yet to happen.

Apple has customarily followed this strategy and you would think Amazon would assume similar tactic to woo those customers (including myself) that have had second thought about purchasing a device they indeed want.

Along with a lower price, anyone of Seth’s recommendations in regards to reinventing the Kindle would be greatly appreciated as well. For now, I appreciate the capability of the device from afar but not enough to invest in it yet.

May 6, 2009 |   Tags: kindle links