September 2006
Definition of a Designer
Mon, 09/11/2006 - 12:56 — AnonymousWhy is the design field so curiously self-obsessive?From AIGA's Communique newsletter:Promoting a new standard definition for “designer”AIGA testified this month before the commission on redefining the standard occupational classifications for “designer” used by the U.S. government in its economic research. This is another step in an effort that AIGA has pursued consistently for ten years. The occupational classification for designer is at least two decades old and captures the functions of a designer prior to the introduction of the Macintosh and securely anchored in the realm of commercial artist.Stated definition: "Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects." (Last updated in 2003).Again from AIGA:The U.S. Department of Labor’s contractor for the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), the government’s database on oc...
More Maturity Seen on SOA Projects
Fri, 09/08/2006 - 04:21 — AnonymousAfter quite a lot time of blog-draught for me, travelling frenzy overtaking me, as I travel to my clients and to share best-practices on SOA with my colleagues around the world, I find that we are indeed reaching a new phase transition in SOA. Last year I saw many look for solutions that called for the first phase of service modeling, namely what I call Identification. The latter part of last year and this year has been more of the next phase: Specification (design of services components and flows). Now we are beginning to see more of Realization of SOA; including prototypes that are expanded and strengthened into gradually more robust and production systems that support service level agreements...
...Variation-oriented Analysis and Design: Variations on a Theme
Sun, 09/24/2006 - 06:49 — AnonymousAs the need for IT to absorb variations increases, with the demand for greater business flexibility,we are confronted with some basic questions: how do we design simple for today, to get the current job done, but not "box " ourselves in a corner so we can support the required flexibility ?I think one major answer to this problem is Variation-oriented Analysis and Design (VOAD). VOAD consists of three main types or axes of variation: structural (type|data), process and policy/rule variations. Structural variations are often based on the identification of Types: Customer Type has variations like Gold Customer, PLatinum Customer and Normal Customer. Often this relates to variations in the structure of the class, or of attributes and data associated with the entity (looking from both OO and Data views).Process variations are when you recognize that a Gold Customer may start from a common base, but branch out into a different set of activities for registration or loan processing, for example. Policy or Rule Variations relate to the Rules and Policies (Rules about rules) that apply for each Type of Customer, for example.Clearly these three aspects of VOAD are related and complementary. It is often useful, in practice to distinguish and treat these three axes of variation.Once...
More Maturity Seen on SOA Projects
Fri, 09/08/2006 - 04:21 — AnonymousAfter quite a lot time of blog-draught for me, travelling frenzy overtaking me, as I travel to my clients and to share best-practices on SOA with my colleagues around the world, I find that we are indeed reaching a new phase transition in SOA. Last year I saw many look for solutions that called for the first phase of service modeling, namely what I call Identification. The latter part of last year and this year has been more of the next phase: Specification (design of services components and flows). Now we are beginning to see more of Realization of SOA; including prototypes that are expanded and strengthened into gradually more robust and production systems that support service level agreements...
...Variation-oriented Analysis and Design: Variations on a Theme
Sun, 09/24/2006 - 06:49 — AnonymousAs the need for IT to absorb variations increases, with the demand for greater business flexibility,we are confronted with some basic questions: how do we design simple for today, to get the current job done, but not "box " ourselves in a corner so we can support the required flexibility ?
I think one major answer to this problem is Variation-oriented Analysis and Design (VOAD). VOAD consists of three main types or axes of variation: structural (type|data), process and policy/rule variations.
Structural variations are often based on the identification of Types: Customer Type has variations like Gold Customer, PLatinum Customer and Normal Customer. Often this relates to variations in the structure of the class, or of attributes and data associated with the entity (looking from both OO and Data views).
Process variations are when you recognize that a Gold Customer may start from a common base, but branch out into a different set of activities for registration or loan processing, for example.
Policy or Rule Variations relate to the Rules and Policies (Rules about rules) that apply for each Type of Customer, for example.
Clearly these three aspects of VOAD are related and complementary. It is often useful, in practice to distinguish and treat t...
Q+A: Alasdhair Willis
Sat, 09/09/2006 - 01:00 — AnonymousEstablished & Sons first appeared on the London scene in September 2004, helmed by founder ALASDHAIR WILLIS, former publisher of Wallpaper.
...A Breath of Fresh Art
Fri, 09/01/2006 - 01:00 — AnonymousThe graphic design duo called Yokoland just published their first monograph. And you thought Mozart was a prodigy.
...Please Hammer, Hurt 'Em
Fri, 09/01/2006 - 01:00 — AnonymousReview: Stanley Tools Fubar
Stanley revamps a classic construction tool and nails it.
The Vermont Report
Sun, 09/17/2006 - 17:13 — AnonymousTrue to its name, Vermont is both mountainous and green. Well, for part of the year, anyway. Early September defines the nick of time for catching the very first of it: one flickering flame poetically painted onto the thick green of the mountainside. From afar, the changing leaves look like they’ve been laid onto the green canvas by spongeprint. If the child artist within Mother Nature is anything like the child artist within me (the one that really loved cutting Barbie's hair) she will admire the lone red tree for a while, knowing somewhere in her consciousness that it’s perfect in its minimalist simplicity. But then she will add one more, and, okay, just ONE more. And then it’s all over. Before you know it, Barbie’s got hair plugs and the mountainside is completely ablaze.Here is where the comparison fizzles, though, because while Barbie loses all her garage sale resale value, Mother Nature gets it right in all of her zealousness. And that’s why I’m here at Yestermorrow, nestled within the Mad River Valley, still on my quest to learn from the Big Mama’s righteous ways.What I did...
