Blog

I have been blogging about digital technology’s impact on culture and our lives since 2007. I post when inspiration strikes as I’m working on various projects.

 

Ti-Ger.org 2.0

I felt it was time to redesign and rebrand ti-ger.org and take it to the next level. To recap: ti-ger.org promotes the fantastic Tiger Analogy of Stuttering Empowerment. I liked it so much when I first heard it that I immediately designed a tiger cartoon mascot and...

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PAB is the TED of social media content creation

As usual, PAB, held at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa this year, did not disappoint this year. And as usual, it topped the previous year. I feel there is no need for me to write up a summary when there are already fantastic posts describing the event;...

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Rebranding update: wireframing

As you can see from the photo, I’ve been sketching away at possible wireframes for the new design and branding of this website. It’s proving to be an interesting exercise (in a good way) as I have two important categories I need to spotlight yet both are pretty...

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I’m at BookCamp2010

Here I am at BookCamp Toronto 2010 learning, observing, sharing, discussing and such about the present and future of book publishing (oh the irony of writing this post with my iPhone). This is an area I'm looking to dip my feet into since 1) I really, really, really...

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Redesigning and rebranding danielerossi.ca

I’ll be rebranding and redesigning this website. Why? Because I feel it no longer accurately reflects what I’d like you to know about me. Oh, I’m still a web designer, illustrator , user experience, social media integration, character design… what? It doesn’t matter—...

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New website: snertohno.com

I was chatting with my friend from Indonesia one night when she told me of her shopping trip in a nearby city. One of her purchases was a stuffed turtle who needed a name. I suggested “Snert” You may recall way back when, I had designed an owl character named Snert. I...

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I’m going to Podcasters Across Borders 2010

Podcasters Across Borders is one of the conferences I never miss. I also spoke at PAB last year. Can't wait to go this year as it will take place at the National Arts Centre in the nation's capital, Ottawa. More info on the site (of course).

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More iPad Ux goodness

Came across this fantastic presentation given at PodCamp Nashville illustrating the vital user experience elements us designer and developers need to keep in mind when creating for the device. In a nutshell: no fold but use that space wisely.

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Designing for mobile device first

NICE! Three reasons why web apps should be designed for the mobile first. In a nutshell, designing for mobile apps forces you to prioritize the important features.

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I made an iPhone app for PodCamp Toronto

...with my good friend John Meadows who did a fantastic job with the back end development. You can view it at http://m.pcto.ca. You'll have to view it on an iPhone or iPod Touch - and any webkit based smartphone. More on this later. As of writing, the mobile app is in...

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Doing my bit for CrisisCamp

I'm participating in CrisisCamp today. It's a worldwide collaboration bringing designers, programmers, photographers, writers, translators, etc. coming together to build tools for NGOs helping in a crisis siutation. Today is for Haiti. I'm volunteering my skills in...

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The iPad experience

Following up from my previous post about my initial thoughts of the iPad, I'd like to elaborate on what I think is the most important quality of Apple's new device. Unfortunately, the iPad is too easily being overlooked as simply a bigger iPhone (there are lots of...

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Networking tips for conferences

I'm on the organizing committee for PodCamp Toronto 2010 and just published my first post for the blog. I share my networking tips n' tricks for conferences. It doesn't have to be intimidating to strike up conversation to perfect strangers!

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The unexpected iPad

Apple finally revealed the ill-named iPad yesterday to quite a lot of underwhelming reviews. Namely, “It’s just a giant iPod Touch”. I admit, at first I felt the same way. “That’s it?” Then I started to think about all the times I needed access to a computer - smaller...

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Hidden radio frequencies controlling our appliances

Now THIS is usability! Encoding coded instructions within FM radio signals to keep tabs on energy consumption of our appliances. Further, using the national radio network - in this case, the CBC - as a broadcast medium. No need to build an entirely new network and no...

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Social Media and the Self Help Movement

I've written an ebook version of my presentation at PodCamp London 2009, Podcasters Across Borders 2009 and PodCamp Montréal 2009 (update: and PodCamp Toronto 2011) about the benefits of using social media for self help and helping others. I gave it a long name; YOU...

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My day at ChangeMedium Toronto

The inaugural day of ChangeMedium at the beautiful and innovative MaRS Centre is coming to and end and in a few minutes, everyone is going to present the status of their hacking projects which they've been working on all day. In a nutshell, the day brought together...

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ChangeMedium Toronto

Today I'm at ChangeMedium Toronto in the beautiful MaRS Centre. It's a full day of collaborating on web projects that can really make a difference. First we hear from researchers who will tell us what they are looking for then we, designers, developers, techies at...

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I’ll be speaking at PodCamp Montréal

PodCamp Montréal will be taking place this weekend and I'll be giving a session on connecting with your podcast audience beyond blog comments and listener submitted audio. New social media tools have come into existence and ubiquity since podcasting first began way,...

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Wireframing with crayons

I came across this post today on 37Signals.com about sketching with a thick Sharpie marker. The gist of it is the thicker the marker, the less you'll be able to write down notes and such. And the less you do that, the more you focus on the big picture now and worry...

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