Google drive has officially launched as of April 24th, six years in the making. Google Drive is Google’s latest cloud storage and collaboration service. Users receive 5GB of free storage with the option to upgrade to 25GB for $2.49 a month, 100GB for $4.99 a month, and a 1TB of storage space for $49.99 a month.

Users are able to easily sync information in their google account across several platforms including windows, mac, android. An iOS is expected to be soon released.

An article found at http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/24/2971025/google-drive-official-launch-features states that, “Google Docs functionality within Google Drive will allow users to work with others in real-time (as you can currently do in Google Docs), and includes the ability to share content with others, add and reply to comments, and receive notifications for new comments on documents or files. Google says you can also search everything in Drive by keyword, or filter by file type, owner, and other criteria. The service can also recognize text in scanned documents.”

Google continues to be one of the top driving forces in technology, continually pushing their competitors to think of new ways to stay ahead.
Dropbox, for example, has announced their latest feature – a simple link that can be send to non-dropbox users so they can view a file or folder. Non-dropbox user are not able to edit or change the file, however, the user does have the option to download the file that they can then re-upload to their own cloud storage or to keep the file locally. Dropbox also offers their users 3GB of storage.

Microsoft is also trying to gain an edge on Google by updating its SkyDrive cloud service to allow for users to stream video, a feature that dropbox nor Google Drive has. SkyDrive offers 7GB free with the option to upgrade to 50GB for a reasonable 25 dollars a year.

I, personally, am a big fan of Google Drive. Though Dropbox and SkyDrive are strong competitors, I am a huge fan of Google’s cross-platform integration and their user interface. Google tends to keep things clean and simple while still providing all of the features I would want in a cloud service. Google Drive is also soon to be compatible with Google Plus, allowing users to upload photos and videos to their g+ account. I’m interested to see the next innovative feature Google is to release.

Skillshare: A unique learning environment

Skillshare is an online community that allows anyone the opportunity to teach a class while giving others the opportunity to sign up for that class at a very low cost.
By breaks up learning into the five categories of creative arts, culinary arts, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and technology with many different topics that have a plethora of skill levels bellow them allowing for a wide range of cost. Cost can rang from 25 dollars for a single class to 100 dollars for a skill that has a couple of classes that need to be attended. Learners then have the ability to pick and choose what they want to learn.

All this is being facilitated thru Skillshares website while the classes themselves are in fact face to face class that are being held live in the real world. Instructors take in 85% of the fees paid for the classes while Skillshare takes in the remaining 15% to cover it’s running costs. Skillshare uses a community-based student led learning model where the community uses the website to evaluate, suggest, and rate the instructor and class. This provides students and the community as a whole a useful insight and knowledge about the classes being offered while building a sense of community among the participants.

Skillshare’s unique learning community has recently earned them 3.1 million in funding since their launch in April 2011. Currently they can boast large active communities in cities like NYC, San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles. And with having just hosted their first conference (Penny Conference) in New York on April 20th Skillshare is poised to bring it’s consumers focused unique learning experiences.

Overall Skillshare is an interesting and promising example of crowd-soured learning that seams to be working. With 3.1 million in growth, active communities in four major cities, and the growth of their first conference the likelihood of success for this particular learning system seems promising. Marry that with the ability for social connection that most consumers are calling for and this product seems to be set for a modern socially hip learner bent on learning what they are interested in and not what academia is pushing.

It’s live but it’s not perfect … yet.

Thank you,
Dhila

In my opinion, I’m not a fan of Google+, but I haven’t given it much of a shot. I have a feeling I’ll be sticking with Facebook for a while. If Facebook could come up with a browser as good as Chrome, it would be even more of a competition. Honestly, as much as I love Chrome and Google in general, it is kind of creepy how much they know about people.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-33617_3-57414140-276/why-facebook-needs-to-build-a-browser/

When Typography Speaks Louder Than Words by Carolyn Knight & Jessica Glass

The article I read talked about typography and the main differences between visual language and verbal language. Visual language dominates verbal meaning, while verbal language inspires and shapes visual treatment.

The first example given was a photo of an ad campaign by Greenpeace to raise awareness about deforestation. The image mimicked the Kit-Kat logo, except instead of saying Kit-Kat it said “Nestle Killer”. This is an example of visual language because it’s using the same type style, shapes, colors, and visual ornaments that are seen in the Kit-Kat logo. It’s using the audience’s familiarity with the brand and its logo to draw a reaction and engage their attention.

Another example given, used the word “hello”. The first example used the word with bold, slab-serif typeface and it covered almost the entire page. The other example used a smaller, italicized, sans-serif typeface and the word was placed at the bottom-right corner of the page. This is also a model of visual language because even though the words are the same, how the words were placed on the page and how they appeared gave the readers different emotions. The first example draws a happier, more enthusiastic reaction to its readers, while the other one is cooler, more composed and less inviting.

The example given to show verbal language is a typographic poster by Herb Lubalin. The poster was of a quote by a man named Caskie Stinnett that said, “A diplomat is a person that can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip”. In this design the words “go to hell” were written with a nice calligraphic typeface, while the other words were written with thick slab-serifs. This is an example of verbal language because the words or the quote itself is what inspired the typographic treatment for the poster and not the other way around. The words “go to hell” is the main point of the statement and being in a nice font makes it look like it had a nice meaning, something you look forward to, which is also what the quote was about.

I think this article is great even though it wasn’t really about technology. As a graphic designer I appreciate it because it helps me understand how I should communicate my ideas the right way with the use of good typography. Most people undervalue the importance of typography but it really does make or break a good design piece. I think this article also helps with what we’re doing now, because poor typography may determine how a person will interact with a website; whether they would want to stay on your page or not.

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This probably won’t help me get back up on Google, but still, you guys should check out my blog. http://hydropackulicity.tumblr.com

With the somewhat underwhelming announcement of the 5D Mk III just a few short weeks ago, the DSLR filmmaking community realized that Canon still had a few tricks up their sleeve for later in the year. True, there had been rumors about a “cinema DSLR” floating around after the release of the C300, but the impressive feature set of the new 1D C has something to please everyone. As the first 4K 4:2:2 DSLR, it certainly has the power to please the low-budget filmmaker with impressive images and exceptional low-light capability. However, one would wonder why the Mk III was not also given the capability to record in the 4:2:2 codec, a feature that would have caused a much warmer reaction to its recent release.

Regardless, both cameras are now overshadowed by an unexpected addition to Canon’s cinema series: the C500. When the C300 made its grand entrance back in early November, it was widely hailed as a solid competitor to the Red One. However, due to the long-expected release of the much higher-powered Red Epic the very same day, the C300 instantly became less relevant, due to its high price tag, as well as it’s not-quite there feature set. It alienated both the high-budget market known for purchasing Reds, and the indie market who continued to stick with the DSLR lineup. Canon’s quick-thinking has saved the day, as they brought the C500 to bear against the game-changing Red Epic. With 4K uncompressed output, as well as a comparatively low $30,000 price tag (only 60% of what the Red body goes for), Canon has made a splash in the professional cinema world.

The final obstacle that must be overcome before the C500 can topple the Red empire is adoption. As Red has been around for years, and has built up a strong reputation in the digital cinema industry, cinematographers have grown attached to its usage and workflow. To switch to Canon is not going to be an immediate option for many professionals, so it will most likely be new entrants to the field who decide to go with the C500’s cutting edge technology. As cameras approach the barriers of discernible resolution and push the capabilities of low-light imaging, one can only guess whether Red will be able to continue to emerge with new innovations to counter Canon’s bold move.

“What are you doing?” is a common phrase that is used heavily in our culture but they is another phrase that should be asked as well; “What do you want to do?”. The author goes into about how someone commonly labels himself or herself with stuff they buy, the brands they purchase or even the TV they watch. The problem with this mindset is that a person is only stuck in the present without any outlook on what may be coming next. The article suggests that you stop thinking solely on where you are now and invest in some time in what you want to do.

Even the common reply of your profession doesn’t seem to satisfy is inquiry. This response could be more informative about what you could do but then again it’s very narrow. It gives you a path but it doesn’t say anything about the direction you want to head. What if you want to get into another area or grow outside your current field?

It even brings up what to do if you don’t know what you want and the simple answer is; make it your goal to find something and start experimenting. Even if the topic is very unknown to you, there is a chance that you will find something to apply to your professional or at least your personal life.

The plan is to make To Do Lists. Set out these goals for yourself and always have something to go do when you’ve got spare time. Don’t just be siting around hoping for lighting to strike go out there and make an effort. The advantage of this plan is that you get to set the curriculum and you decide what is interesting and worth discovering.

I feel this is the heart of the article. Trying to get someone to set a goal to explore something new. It can be as simple or complex but make sure that you have stages to get to that goal or else you’ll be floating around in empty space.