Google has just launched a new video feature to its Google Chat client - so now you can look your chat-mate in the face as you're talking (putting the client on par with Skype and MSN Messenger). Check out the write-up from Webmonkey here.

(from CNN) Ever wonder what information Google knows about you? With a click or two, now you can find out. Google released a feature Thursday that lets users see and control data that the Web giant has collected about them. Called Google Dashboard, the service provides an online summary of a user's Google files -- Gmail, Google Docs, Picasa photos and so on -- by collecting pre-existing privacy controls in one place. More »

Finally, something for us [few] PC users [left] out there to get excited about! The Beta version of Google Chrome has launched today, and it's only available for those of us fortunate enough to be running Vista. My initial test run of it here is looking pretty good so far - I'm loving the visual representation of your most visited websites as the default homepage. Check it out here!

Jacqui Cheng over at Ars Technica writes...

"How many times have you stumbled home after a long night out with
friends, only to plop down in front of the computer and start sending
e-mails that you would wake up regretting the next day? ..."

"Called "Mail Goggles," the Gmail add-on makes sending e-mail from Gmail
more difficult during certain times that you can set manually (while
sober, that is). How does it do this? If you have Mail Goggles
installed—which you can do by going to the "Labs" tab under your Gmail
settings and turning them on—it will force you to answer a series of
math questions before sending out any new messages..."

Read the full article here.

Canon launches the new DSLR with full HD Video. The camera stands to re-define an industry that seems to be ever-developing at a break neck pace. I can't wait to test drive this one!

Read the full article in Gizmodo »»

Not sure what to do when you're feeling chill? Sophisticated? Energetic? I Feel NYC is one of the most clever (and funny/useful) Google Maps application that I've come across. Also available for London.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if fonts were people? Probably not? Well... someone over at College Humor did.

Tee-hee. Enjoy.

Font Conference.

We hear a lot about how the communications community is changing and we see more and more interactive applications, streaming media and social interactions, but services that specialize in entertainment seem to grow faster than the sector as a whole. This growth is definitely led by online video, but it isn't just about watching. Users now want to interact with video. Check out "BigStage". BigStage's software was originally funded by the CIA, which wanted 3-D computer models of suspects' faces to match against images in a database. The company's commercial customers take three digital pictures of themselves and upload them to BigStage's servers, and in about 50 seconds, they have a digital avatar that they can insert into videos or photos. Users will be able to post the ­videos to their ­Facebook pages or e-mail them to friends; eventually, they should also be able to purchase brand-name virtual accessories for their digital selves.

From former Google employees comes Cuil, the newest super engine to hit the net. I took a quick look around, and so far I really like what I see. It has a great clean design (including the option to view your search results in 2 or 3 columns), and great smart options for sorting your data (a search of the term "Olympics" presented me with tabs for Winter Olympics, Special Olympics, Summer Olympics, and categories such as "2012 Summer Olympics" and "IOC Members"). Cuil also presents a much cleaner summary of each page (in a small paragraph) than its competitors. I wonder if this will prompt enough people to make the switch over from Google...I think I'm convinced.

Last Saturday ,  there was an opening of a group exhibition featuring commissioned works by 130 something artists at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Chelsea.

I didn't want to go because it was storming like crazy!!  However, the gallery was packed with so many people.

All the artists got a 7” x 5” wooden panel, and those artworks created a single continuous work. I liked some paintings a lot. But some were just crappy things and the price were like $600....?!  I don't know what Art is!

At least, I got free beer-.

http://jonathanlevinegallery.com/?method=Exhibit.ExhibitDescription&ExhibitID=FB86C9CC-19DB-5802-E0C4211518300C5B

This morning I came across a really fascinating article covering the debate over inexpensive online logo & "branding" companies by Doug Bartow (id29) via the Under Consideration design discussion blog Speak Up.

It highlights the ongoing debate of accessibility of design for all (income brackets) versus "...the devaluation of the design process altogether, particularly in brand development and identity design, which many consider the pinnacle of our field." – by cheapening the proverbial playing field.

In his field study of this issue, Doug commissions 4 different online companies to come up with logo options for a fictitious project and then analyzes and critiques the results. It is a good exploration of what you really get from these types of logo chop shops.

The Challenge: Hire four online logo design companies, give them the same visual identity problem to solve, then critique the results.

Take a look here.

...when it's good, it's good. But when it's bad, well...not so great, according to the NYT.

Some examples:

A Chevrolet billboard that used real pennies lasted only 30 minutes as people picked it clean.

In London, Right Guard sent a team of people onto subway trains with tiny video screens in the armpits of their shirts.

Either way, we're still talking about it...so maybe the point is getting across anyway?

I love stumbling across creative applications of Google Maps, and TripWolf incorporates one of the coolest. It combines the GMap with Q&As (think Yahoo Answers), social networking (integrated with Facebook), and a wide breadth of information to create one of the coolest travel advisor sites out there. Just a quick look around gets great suggestions from users on sites all over the world, including tips from a destination's primary user (or "guru"). Check it out here.

No need to fret - turns out all that time spent trawling the search engines for the latest and greatest gossip...er...important news items is in no way detrimental to your brain functionality. On the contrary, a recent study shows that this activity among seasoned internet users actually promotes brain activity. Check out the full article at USA Today.

A little while back, AOL site Spinner.com, posted the top 25 band logos "of all time" (personally, which I think is still up for debate).

Which reminded me of another site, http://pictograms.blogspot.com/ which has been archiving a huge collection of band logos, fonts, and iconography as well.

Just in case you were wondering whether the Hadron Collider being tested right now at CERN has destroyed the world yet, you now have a handy website to go to check it out: http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/

Twitter just launched a new architecture to help streamline some of their navigation, featuring a simplified top nav, and a tab-base right navigation for moving through tweets. Not sure how I feel about it yet, but check it out at Twitter!

The designs for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing have been revealed, called "Fuwa" (below). It's being reported in the WSJ that even the mascots' designer doesn't want to take responsibility if these don't go down in history as iconic Olympic mascots.

Not that the Fuwa have been the only controversial mascots; since its inception at the Munich games in 1972, the Olympic mascot has always been a source of debate (more mascots below after the jump). The article goes on to state how the Fuwa may be the result of "Too Many Chefs" syndrome and a bureaucratic backlog, a challenge in trying to create an iconic image representing 1.3 billion people and their history - the five Fuwa were pared down from over 1,000 sketches submitted by the artist.

Not sure what I think about them...any thoughts?

Continue reading to see some other mascots from past Olympics...

The first Olympic mascot - Waldi (Munich 1972)

Cobi (Barcelona 1992)

Izzy (Atlanta 1996)

Syd, Ollie, and Millie (Sydney 2000)

Athena and Phevos (Athens 2004)

I am a member of AIGA!! (The Professional Association for Design)
I got an invitation for the exhibition, " 50 books/50 covers of 2007". Since I am designing the 4corners new book i felt these book covers might help me to get inspiration.

This exhibition showcases selections from the “AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers” competition, which aims to identify the 50 best-designed books and book covers of the year. Selections were made by a distinguished jury and become part of the AIGA Design Archives, where images, full credits, project statements and jurors' comments for all selections are available.

Gallery hours:

Monday through Thursday: 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Friday: 11:00 a.m–5:00 p.m.

...you get the Most Innovative Celebrities in Digital Media, or, the Econoclast10.