Blog | Daniel Ogden

Graffiti Should Be Legal

Daniel — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:30:51 +0000

The legality of graffiti should be decided based on how good it is. Here, for example, are some that should be completely legal and acceptable.

Thanks for reading my post from your RSS reader! Graffiti Should Be Legal is a post from: Daniel Ogden’s Blog.

Thailand

Daniel — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 07:30:00 +0000

For a little over a week in December I went for a trip to Thailand, here are some of the pictures I took.

This was just down the road from where we were staying — complete poverty and all of the fancy hotels, houses and buildings were all mixed everywhere.

This is the view from the pool at our hotel, 33rd floor.

This is a good example of the ridiculous powerlines that were everywhere.

The Temple of Dawn we saw after going for a longboat ride.

I patted tigers at the Tiger Temple!

A long exposure shot at night — the view from a restaurant in Bangkok.

One of the shots from the footpaths along a river — shops and houses everywhere.

Plane trip on the way home.

So that was my trip, now off to my first day at a web design company! Exciting stuff.

Thanks for reading my post from your RSS reader! Thailand is a post from: Daniel Ogden’s Blog.

Nat Geo’s Photography Contest 2009

Daniel — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:45:29 +0000

It’s well-known for articles about scenery, history, and the most distant corners of the world, and National Geographic magazine has been recognized for its book-like quality and its standard of photography.

The magazine began to feature color photography in the early 20th century, when this technology was still rare.

In 2006, National Geographic began an international photography competition with over eighteen countries participating.

I’m going to show you some of my favourite entries in this year’s Nat Geo Photography Contest:

I was in the front car of the short subway between Pudong and the Bund, and was treated to the wonderful spectacle of an oncoming train in the tunnel’s changing light show. I put my camera up to the window and shot as fast as possible to get this image. (Photo and caption by Gail von Bergen Ryan)

When the wave conditions are right a wave appears, infrequently, as a result of the splash back off the cliff connecting with an incoming wave. This causes the incoming wave to pop up, creating fan-like shapes. On this particular day, over the two hours I spent on the rocks, this wave only appeared once. This is that shot. (Photo and caption by Aaron Feinberg)

Curious gulls on Sanibel Island, Florida. Meet my friend, “Gull-i-Bel”!!! (Photo and caption by Richard Rush)

Taken at Kwena Croc Farm in South Africa (Photo and caption by Wayne Holloway)

David Hanson crosses a fallen log beneath soaring trees and a lingering fog in Washington’s Olympic National Park. (Photo and caption by Michael Hanson)

So hopefully when I go to Thailand on Monday (7th December) I’ll be able to take a bunch of photos that can rival these (ha!).

I’ll post the good ones when I get back.

Thanks for reading my post from your RSS reader! Nat Geo’s Photography Contest 2009 is a post from: Daniel Ogden’s Blog.

Holidays!

Daniel — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:03:55 +0000

So the year of uni is over, and summer is coming!

I’m back and will be writing my blog once again with all the crap that I find interesting on the interweb.

In a related note, you probably know how typing a search in Google now gives a list of suggestions as you type.
Well typing “i like” produces some interesting suggestions, particularly the top two:

This also reminds me of a great web Twitter application — twistori — it basically aggregates all of the Twitter posts (in real time) that contain a particular word, like ‘love’ ‘hate’ ‘wish’ and stuff and just scrolls through them. I love just sitting and watching this — it sucks you in. Brilliant.

And they use helvetica as their typeface — I think it’s love.

Since I last updated the blog, I bought another t-shirt:

So that’s what’s new with me.

And this blog officially hasn’t sunk into the depts of the past, as many blogs tend to do after a few months. Woo! I’m ahead.

Thanks for reading my post from your RSS reader! Holidays! is a post from: Daniel Ogden’s Blog.

Sites I Like

Daniel — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:41:10 +0000

Haven’t made a post in a while, been too busy. Lay off, OK? The end of the uni semester is looming and the work is piling up.

But I have found some time to make a like of some really awesomely-designed websites.

I am constantly sifting my way through design blogs reading about good design, usability (also doing this at uni this semester) and some sites for inspiration. Here are some I liked.

Mutant Labs

They’re a group who do web & flash design and iPhone app development. Very cool vectors.

bfish.book

A flash web design portfolio site.

The NY Moon

Cool-looking typography design, interesting premise: “The New York Moon is an internet-based publication adhered to the lunar phases of the real waxing, waning moon. It is collection of experimental, reflective, and imaginative projects that unfold in any medium.”

Radium Labs

Brilliant vector-based design for an internet marketing agency, SEO and that kind of thing.

Hamish MacPherson

A portfolio site for a web designer / programmer. Cool grungy-look.

SOASdesign

Cool illustrations on this one.

atebits

atebits make really cool apps, and their website shows how cool they are.

I’ll get back to writing proper posts once uni’s done for the semester. I swear!

Thanks for reading my post from your RSS reader! Sites I Like is a post from: Daniel Ogden’s Blog.

Chuck Norris

Daniel — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:18:25 +0000

Googling Chuck Norris just got a little bit harder.

If you type in “Google Chuck Norris” into Google, then click the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button, a page shows up that says:

On first look, it seems that it’s just the people at Google flexing their humour muscles as they do from time-to-time (I’m thinking of their April fool’s jokes — Google Internet via a cord down your toilet, etc).

But turns out, it’s just someone who had a little spare time on their hands and created a website, http://www.nochucknorris.com/ that looks exactly like Google, and managed to get it to be the #1 result when searching for ‘Chuck Norris’; and everyone knows that the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button just takes you to the first result. Very clever.

[edit] Turns out that it has since been bumped to #2, so that’s a bit sad.[/edit]

Here’s a few more Chuck Norris jokes, just because they’re so good quality *cough*.

There is no ‘ctrl’ button on Chuck Norris’s computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.
Everybody loves Raymond. Except Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris got his drivers license at the age of 16. Seconds.
Chuck Norris’ first job was as a paperboy. There were no survivors.
There are two types of people in the world … people that suck, and Chuck Norris.

Thanks for reading my post from your RSS reader! Chuck Norris is a post from: Daniel Ogden’s Blog.

T-Shirts

Daniel — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:03:19 +0000

This comic is me in a nutshell.

I have far to many joke/witty t-shirts. It’s becoming a problem. Well, not so much a problem seeing as I don’t want to stop, but an addiction, at least. Keeps me off the streets.

This is yet another of my favourite Toothpaste for Dinner comics.

Thanks for reading my post from your RSS reader! T-Shirts is a post from: Daniel Ogden’s Blog.

Talk Nerdy To Me

Daniel — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:12 +0000

There is a lot of cool nerd-related design-y stuff on the internet at the moment.

A geek love poem on a t-shirt … does It get any better?

Signs You’re Becoming A Design Geek …

From The Crestock Blog.

You giggle whenever you use the colours F0CCED, EFF0FF and 44DDDD

You’re in the sun and you look around for a Drop Shadow to sit under.

Seing someone use Lens Flare or Comic Sans adversely affects your blood-pressure

You maintain a grid system for your refrigerator magnets.

You sit at work for eight hours straight just looking at your monitor, waiting for a spark of inspiration that doesn’t come.

You’re up ’til 5am because you came up with the best idea ever while brushing your teeth.

You know Lorem Ipsum by heart.

Your kid knows Lorem Ipsum by heart.

The preschool teacher complains your child won’t colour inside or outside the lines – only indicate colours on a separate sheet.

Activating your entire font collection makes your computer crash – and you’re running OSX.

You deliberately butcher your perfectly cross browser compatible site in IE by placing a “Too Cool for IE” banner on it.

You prefer a Layer Style of 50% Opacity (or less) on your wife’s Satin.

You spend $200 on a font for your personal website because “it’s the only one where the lower-case g is just right…”

Looking at a menu makes you go “hmmm, ITC Baskerville italic” rather than “mmmm, lunch!”

And when you finally order, you go for Layer Based Slices with Grain Texture…

You use words about fonts you dislike that other normal people reserve for fascist dictators and serial killers.

Apple+Z is the first thing that goes through your mind if you drop and break something.

You refer to colleagues as Strict, Transitional, Loose and the Future Unemployed.

You refer to your privates as “the Magic Wand”.

You actually understand this post and pass it on to your friends.

You giggle whenever you use the colours F0CCED, EFF0FF and 44DDDD
You’re in the sun and you look around for a Drop Shadow to sit under.
Seing someone use Lens Flare or Comic Sans adversely affects your blood-pressure
You maintain a grid system for your refrigerator magnets.
You sit at work for eight hours straight just looking at your monitor, waiting for a spark of inspiration that doesn’t come.
You’re up ’til 5am because you came up with the best idea ever while brushing your teeth.
You know Lorem Ipsum by heart.
Your kid knows Lorem Ipsum by heart.
The preschool teacher complains your child won’t colour inside or outside the lines – only indicate colours on a separate sheet.
Activating your entire font collection makes your computer crash – and you’re running OSX.
You deliberately butcher your perfectly cross browser compatible site in IE by placing a “Too Cool for IE” banner on it.
You prefer a Layer Style of 50% Opacity (or less) on your wife’s Satin.
You spend $200 on a font for your personal website because “it’s the only one where the lower-case g is just right…”
Looking at a menu makes you go “hmmm, ITC Baskerville italic” rather than “mmmm, lunch!”
And when you finally order, you go for Layer Based Slices with Grain Texture…
You use words about fonts you dislike that other normal people reserve for fascist dictators and serial killers.
Apple+Z is the first thing that goes through your mind if you drop and break something.
You refer to colleagues as Strict, Transitional, Loose and the Future Unemployed.
You refer to your privates as “the Magic Wand”.
You actually understand this post and pass it on to your friends.

“Due to an extremely high number of orders recently placed, please allow 7–9 weeks for us to fulfill your order.”

Thanks for reading my post from your RSS reader! Talk Nerdy To Me is a post from: Daniel Ogden’s Blog.

Miike Snow

Daniel — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:54:15 +0000

Miike Snow are Andrew Wyatt, Christian Karlsson, and Pontus Winnberg. Named after an acquaintance with an “i” added for extra flair, Miike Snow recently signed with Downtown records. Their self-titled debut was released May 12, 2009.

The music they make is electronic-chillax-sometimes-indie-rock-sounding tunes with really catchy melodies. My favourite song from their new album is probably, ‘Song For No One’.

“With its clever combination of hooky melodies, pretty piano stabs, and the deep, buzzing synth bursts which perfectly complement Wyatt’s whispery vocals, there’s not much to dislike about Miike Snow’s material.” — FasterLouder.com.au

“Most ‘proper’ bands would hack off their own genitals to get a sniff of the hooks Miike Snow piss away.” — NME.com

And apparently they’ve produced for a number of well-known pop artists:

“True, you expect good things from Swedish producers Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, who as Bloodshy & Avant produced Britney Spear’s indie-kid-converting 2004 single ‘Toxic’, among other tracks for the likes of Spears, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Rachel Stevens, and Sugababes.” — Pitchfork

While writing this post I’ve played their album in the background, and I have ended up just listening to the whole thing again. Very good relaxing music for doing homework and stuff, methinks.

They’re using the silhouette of a jackalope as their ‘avatar’:

And have featured it on the cover of their new album:

Definitely have a listen, I’ve got them on repeat.

Here’s their sweet brrrrrand new video for ‘Black & Blue’:

Miike Snow Links

Miike Snow’s MySpace

Tracks

You can listen to some of their tracks from these sites:

‘Plastic Jungle’ — Broken Silence Blog
‘Animal’ — Hype Machine
Peter Bjorn And John — ‘It Don’t Move Me (Miike Snow Remix)’ — Nightmagnets Blog

Thanks for reading my post from your RSS reader! Miike Snow is a post from: Daniel Ogden’s Blog.

Art vs. Design

Daniel — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:11:33 +0000

There is definitely, in my opinion, a difference between what is considered art and what is considered design. I feel that art is far more subjective (different people perceive different things from it), whereas design is very deliberately created to be perceived in a similar (if not the same) way for everyone.

The Webdesigner Depot recently published an article with a number of wallpapers with their ideas of what separates art and design. They are all very typographic, which I love. Here’s my favourite one:

You can download the whole set of these wallpapers (there’s 5 different ones) from the Webdesigner Depot blog post, ‘The Difference Between Art and Design’.

Thanks for reading my post from your RSS reader! Art vs. Design is a post from: Daniel Ogden’s Blog.