You did something interesting recently.
I wanted to share a few links to things that are related to Screenshots of Despair, as well as to the general idea behind this blog.
-This Nevolution post, titled “Mood-board of Unknown Tumblrs” says some interesting things about emotion and the New Aesthetic, name-checking Webcamtears (a project whose editor also runs La Gazette du Mauvais Gout), Rich Kids of Instagram and Rob Walker’s Pergoogle. (Close readers will recall that Mr. Walker gave this site a huge boost when he wrote about it for Design Observer.)
About SoD, Nevolution says: “It’s the most interesting of the bunch, but it’s the one I feel least comfortable writing about. It’s the smartest of the bunch but also the one I feel least able to articulate.” This is pretty much what I’ve been striving for in every aspect of my life (yay, total inscrutability!), so it’s wonderful to read.
-Screenshots connoisseur Hayley Pearce sent in this article about skeuomorphic design, and the interaction and tension between the physical world and the digital one. Mr. Walker (cited above!) has also tackled this topic, and very well.
-Screenshots also got a little mention on Lost at E Minor.
-Panacea: A Screenshots reader submitted this site. It has a MAKE EVERYTHING OK button. Maybe it will make you feel better?
As always, PLEASE submit stuff via the Submit button on this blog or by e-mailing me at josh.kimball@gmail.com. All submissions are appreciated!
The Truth About Cutting the Cable TV Cord
The Truth About Cutting the Cable TV Cord
For better or worse, television requires very little effort on the part of the user. Aside from changing the channel or looking at the onscreen TV guide, television is just “there.”
Connected devices, on the other hand, demand a lot more user effort. Viewers have to make conscious choices about what content they want to watch. This is fine if someone wants to watch a specific movie or TV show, but it can be less satisfying for the channel surfer. There is much less serendipity built into the current generation of connected devices.
As someone who has never had a satalite contract and has not had ‘TV’ for nearly a decade I am fascinated to see where ‘connected TV’ (as the article refers to it) goes over the next 5 years.
Ironically in the last 6 months I have moved back to FreeView and largely away from ‘connected TV’ due to various issues with broadband speeds, contracts and prices. Currently I am using a mi-fi unit – a very exciting piece of technology that I think may well change the face of Wi-Fi – and allthough the speed is fine the data cap is prohibitive.
I hate FreeView though because of everything ‘TV’ that it brings with it – the constant shouty adverts, the osmosis dripfeed of things and people I really don’t care about and the inherent lazy channel surfing that despite my best intentions I still end up doing.
It does sound however that for ‘connected TV’ to succeed it will end up taking on most of the characteristics (and evils) of regular TV – but that will only hold true I suspect of the major services like Hulu and integrated solutions like Google TV. I hope there will still always be those oasis’ of calm like the BBC iPlayer and 4OD out there.
As soon as I can afford to increase my Wi-Fi package I will gleefuly ditch the little black box and in the meantime try my very hardest to Switch Off My Television Set and Go Do Something Less Boring Instead..