Gloss & Gradients: Designing Intuitive Toolbar Icons for Mobile Interfaces by Considering Context and Metaphor Redundancy

taylorcarrigan:

Toolbar icons without labels are incredibly common in the mobile interfaces of today—and understandably so—the limited screen size1 of mobile devices means that the simplification and focus of interface controls is of the utmost importance. Because of this, the icon metaphors we as designers…

beautifullyengineered:

The McLaren MP4/4 is Beautifully Engineered

This is it. This is THE Formula 1 car. This is Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost’s car, the one that dominated all but one race of the 1988 F1 season. The one with the 900hp (in qualifying trim) turbocharged 1.5L Honda V6.

It was designed by Gordon Murray, who based the design on his lowline Brabham BT55 car of 1986, and American engineer Steve Nichols. 

Murray’s design philosophy revolved around placing all of the car’s weight as low as possible in the chassis. The ultra-low chassis meant that the drivers had to lie almost flat in the car, which was something Alain Prost initially objected to.

In addition to the obvious handling benefits, the low line also provided aerodynamic advantages. The frontal area was reduced by 10% and air could flow more cleanly to the rear wing, greatly improving its efficiency. Murray’s only compromise concerned the ride-height, which was not quite as low as it could have been to get . This made the MP4/4 more forgiving to drive and easier to setup. 

The TAG/Porsche V6 was replaced by the twin-turbo Honda V6, which had previously powered the Williams and Lotus teams. Even with the latest boost-restrictions, it was the most powerful engine on the grid. The V6 was mated to a three-shaft six-speed gearbox that was specifically developed for the MP4/4 in conjuction with Weisman in the USA.

Brazilian rising star Ayrton Senna had moved with the Honda engines from Lotus to McLaren. His raw speed complemented the then two-time World Champion Alain Prost. The French driver had earned the nickname ‘Le Professeur’ for his consistent and smooth driving style. The two best drivers on the grid, Murray’s ultra-low chassis and the most powerful engine made for an unbeatable combination.

In fifteen races during the season, the McLarens were unstoppable. The only blot on their record occured at the Italian Grand Prix when Senna ran into a back-marker and Prost was forced to retire due to engine problems. Senna had the edge with 13 pole positions and 8 victories over his teammate’s 7 wins when taking into account the 11 best results of the year. McLaren easily won the Constructor’s Championship with nearly three times as many points as runner-up Ferrari.

The remarkable MP4/4 had to be retired at the end of the season as for 1989 turbocharged engines were banned. Having proven his point in rather dramatic fashion, Murray was assigned to the new road car program. Under a new designer and with a new Honda engine McLaren’s dominance continued. The results and ultra-low appearance of the MP4/4 were however never matched. It remains as the best Grand Prix car ever built by McLaren.

MP4/4 Specification:

  • Configuration: Honda RA186-E 80º V6
  • Location: Mid, longitudinally mounted
  • Construction: aluminium alloy block and head
  • Displacement: 1.494 liter / 91.2 cu in
  • Valvetrain: 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC
  • Fuel feed: Honda Fuel Injection
  • Aspiration: 2 IHI Turbos
  • Power: 900 bhp / 671 KW
  • BHP/Liter:   602 bhp / liter
  • Chassis:   carbon fibre honeycomb monocoque
  • Front suspension: double wishbones, push-rod actuated coil springs and dampers
  • Rear suspension:  double wishbones, rocker-arm actuated coil springs and dampers
  • Brakes: carbon ceramic discs, all-round
  • Gearbox: McLaren 6 speed Manual
  • Drive:  Rear wheel drive
  • Power to weight:  1.67 bhp / kg


matthen: Benford’s law says that in many sources of real life data, the number 1 is the most common first digit, then 2, 3 etc.  For example, in non-fraudulent tax returns, the number 1 will be the most frequent first digit (otherwise it could be faked.) But why might this be? In the animation we are simulating a process where lots of random numbers are multiplied together, and drawing a histogram of the results- but on a log-scale.  Because multiplying numbers is just adding them on a log-scale ( log(a * b) = log(a) + log(b) ), the histograms look similar to what you’d get from just adding lots of random numbers- i.e. Bell-curve-ish shapes. The next thing to realise is that on the log scale, the first digits are not distributed evenly- but 1__ numbers (purple) take up the most space. So if the Bell-curves are broad enough, then they will be more likely to produce numbers which start with 1 than, say, 8 (orange). As time progresses in the animation, more and more numbers are being multiplied- so the curve moves up the scale.  A lot of data in real life comes from multiplying various random numbers or exponential growth- which behave like this example. [more] [code]
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matthen:

Benford’s law says that in many sources of real life data, the number 1 is the most common first digit, then 2, 3 etc.  For example, in non-fraudulent tax returns, the number 1 will be the most frequent first digit (otherwise it could be faked.) But why might this be? In the animation we are simulating a process where lots of random numbers are multiplied together, and drawing a histogram of the results- but on a log-scale.  Because multiplying numbers is just adding them on a log-scale ( log(a * b) = log(a) + log(b) ), the histograms look similar to what you’d get from just adding lots of random numbers- i.e. Bell-curve-ish shapes. The next thing to realise is that on the log scale, the first digits are not distributed evenly- but 1__ numbers (purple) take up the most space. So if the Bell-curves are broad enough, then they will be more likely to produce numbers which start with 1 than, say, 8 (orange). As time progresses in the animation, more and more numbers are being multiplied- so the curve moves up the scale.  A lot of data in real life comes from multiplying various random numbers or exponential growth- which behave like this example. [more] [code]

‘Open Science’ Challenges Journal Tradition With Web Collaboration - Thomas Lin via NYTimes.com

stoweboyd:

A great overview of how online, communitarian, open science sites are transforming the wold of science journals, and research.

Thomas Lin via NYTimes.com

The system is hidebound, expensive and elitist, they say. Peer review can take months, journal subscriptions can be prohibitively costly, and a handful of gatekeepers limit the flow of information. It is an ideal system for sharing knowledge, said the quantum physicist Michael Nielsen, only “if you’re stuck with 17th-century technology.”

Dr. Nielsen and other advocates for “open science” say science can accomplish much more, much faster, in an environment of friction-free collaboration over the Internet. And despite a host of obstacles, including the skepticism of many established scientists, their ideas are gaining traction.

Open-access archives and journals like arXiv and the Public Library of Science (PLoS) have sprung up in recent years. GalaxyZoo, a citizen-science site, has classified millions of objects in space, discovering characteristics that have led to a raft of scientific papers.

On the collaborative blog MathOverflow, mathematicians earn reputation points for contributing to solutions; in another math experiment dubbed the Polymath Project, mathematicians commenting on the Fields medalist Timothy Gower’s blog in 2009 found a new proof for a particularly complicated theorem in just six weeks.

And a social networking site called ResearchGate — where scientists can answer one another’s questions, share papers and find collaborators — is rapidly gaining popularity.

The web is subversive and corrosive to established power configurations, and now is the time for the scientific journal oligopoly to crash.