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  • 2015
    • February
      • Dine Out Vancouver v2.0.15
        15/02/12
        Last year I had created a restaurant tool for myself for Dine Out Vancouver, an annual food festival in Metro Vancouver. I was frustrated in choosing a restaurant to go to with my friends for the last few days of the event. I just wanted to see which restaurants were near the area where we were meet

  • 2014
    • February
      • Dine Out Vancouver 2.0
        14/02/02
        In Vancouver, we have an annual festival called Dine Out Vancouver. It's a foodie festival of a few hundred participating restaurants, offering special menus just for the festival. It's a great opportunity to try out new restaurants or go to some restaurants you would otherwise have not go

    • January
      • Another observation, Compass farecard readers UX
        14/01/18
        On observing a senior use a Compass Card on one of the bus readers. She couldn't tell or did not notice if the tap worked. She held it up to the reader, slid it around a bit, waiting for something. She then assumed that it must be fine and just continued onto the bus.

        One reason she

  • 2013
    • September
      • Translink Compass Farecard Beta Feedback
        13/09/05
        1)
        It is unclear if we have to tap in then out again on a bus, or if one tap is enough. What difference does it make if I only tap in? If I were on a pay as you go credit on the card rather than a monthly pass, could I possibly be charged more for tapping twice vs once? These are questions I wo

    • August
      • Sze Yun Lo - "Release the Butterflies"
        13/08/15
        So this summer I had the pleasure of helping organize for a friend, an amazing Canadian artist, her first solo art show, showcasing 18 years of artwork!

        Sze Yun Lo's body of work experiments with a variety of mediums, from the traditional watercolors of the Lingnan style, to more wes

    • March
      • Telescope Music Video
        13/03/01
        Over the past two weeks I had a great time working on a music video for upcoming Canadian singer, Shalini.
        Working with first time director Vik Prasad, I was consulted on most aspects of the production as well as being behind the camera.

        The video has a strong anti-bullying message,

    • February
      • Vancouver, Fund Transit with Property!
        13/02/28
        If they are serious (and at all smart) about alternative funding sources for transit (if people can get their heads out of taxes as the only funding source), then the Metro's cities and TransLink should start buying up some property and developing currently held property.

        We need to

  • 2012
  • 2011
    • October
      • Business Models for Transit
        11/10/07
        In Japan "Private railways run variety of other businesses such as dept stores & real estate" (Wikipedia). I witnessed this everywhere in my time spent in Japan. Most train stations were well connected to shops, businesses, entertainment, and residences. Everything was highly accessibl

  • 2010
    • October
      • Revenue for Transit from corporate sponsorship
        10/10/17
        So recently Translink has been asking for input on where funding will come from for future transportation infrastructure for Metro Vancouver. It seems like the only options they are giving is getting more money from property taxes. Their "options" are just to increase taxes and fees or inc

    • September
      • A word of advice: TED talks
        10/09/26
        When watching videos of TED Talks or other great lectures/talks, have a notepad handy and take notes of the ideas that intrigue you.

      • Bjarke Ingels Scandinavian 'Loop City'
        10/09/17
        The 'loop city' proposal builds on the famous '1947 finger plan', which focused on connecting the suburb to the center. BIG proposes to continue to connect the area around the øresund strait in a sustainable spine of public transport, energy exchange and electric car infrastructu

      • Frank Ghery helps Arthur design a tree-house
        10/09/17

    • July
      • Scent Branding
        10/07/26
        As a general observation, 'Scent Branding' is increasingly common in retail design.
        Consider:
        -The 'Subway smell' - a byproduct of their fresh ingredients and baking of their bread, but very recognizable.
        -Distinctive Lush smell coming out the front doors of Lush s

      • Airquarium!
        10/07/07
        Over the past year or so, I have worked on an airship project (weBlimp - a social, crowd controlled blimp). In the process of research and what-not I have come across some other very cool projects and flying things. After seeing some cool animal airship videos:

        Air Manta Ray, Air Jellyfis

    • June
      • Retrofitting Suburbia
        10/06/30
        A TED Talk by Ellen Dunham-Jones, speaking about updating and 'retrofitting' suburbs to more sustainable, walkable, and livable centres.

      • PC inside a keyboard
        10/06/20
        Here is a cool concept from Asus for a portable Media PC. Its a computer stuffed inside a keyboard. It has a small attached screen that can be used for multiple functions, such as a control panel, touch input device, and of course a display screen.
        The idea is to be able to carry this little k

      • Fullscreen on Facebook
        10/06/15
        So I just wrote a new script:

        Fullscreen Youtube & Vimeo on Facebook for Greasemonkey
        After waiting a very long time for someone to do a script like this, I finally went ahead and made one myself. This script will enable the fullscreen ability/button on Youtube & Vimeo videos

      • Dyson
        10/06/08
        Came across this GREAT video James Dyson talking about his technological innovations! Starts off slow, but once he gets into talking about his current tech it gets pretty interesting

      • It's a Beautiful Life
        10/06/08

    • May
      • IE6 almost dead; But is the life of a web dev any easier?
        10/05/28
        So at long last, this year Internet Explorer 6 is finally dying!
        At the moment, with only about 8% market share remaining, the long awaited death of IE6 shall be heralded by all web designers and developers out there. Major web services have already stopped supporting them (such as Vimeo and Yo

    • March
      • Fed up! So i made my own Open_external fix
        10/03/26
        Back in the latter half of 2009 when Firefox 3.5 was released, I was quite disappointed that the backend 'about:config' feature known as 'browser.link.open_external' was removed from Firefox. Open_external is a preference that specifies how webpages should be opened if an externa

    • February
      • weBlimp update
        10/02/07
        So back in April, I wrote about a body interface project that I worked on called weBlimp. So in the time since then, the weBlimp team has brought it from a final project in a class, to an academic conference presentation, and now to an Olympic event!

        So to update, in October, we were at U

  • 2009
    • December
      • Link Scraping for my Blogging
        09/12/20
        So in an effort to make it easier for me to blog, I have been thinking about scripting some automation. Facebook allows you to easily 'share links'. FB's method of link sharing actually takes the content of the URL you are sharing and creates a preview or thumbnails of that content. T

    • November
      • Finally! Fix for FF3.5 removal of open_external
        09/11/26
        The upgrade to Firefox 3.5 was a huge and welcome improvement, especially with its new faster javascript engine. However, one of the most annoying things about the upgrade was the inexplicable removal of the browser.link.open_external option.
        open_external Background:
        Other applications w

      • Totally a fan of BRT
        09/11/23
        The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy has an amazing planning guide for Bus Rapid Transit systems.

        BUS RAPID TRANSIT PLANNING GUIDE
        Link: http://www.itdp.org/index.php/microsite
        It is the culmination of over five years of efforts to document and improve the sta

      • Lessons from Curitiba: Bus Rapid Transit
        09/11/23
        Curitiba: BRT is not just a transportation plan, but a way of urban planning ...

        Streetfilms | Curitiba’s BRT: Inspired Bus Rapid Transit Around the World
        Link: http://www.streetfilms.org/curitibas-brt/
        Curitiba, Brazil first adopted its Master Plan in 1968. Since then, it has

      • Parking: a key to traffic and congestion
        09/11/23
        A San Francisco study on how to deal with parking problems. They suggest better pricing models to curb driver behaviors, instead of building more parking.

        Worldchanging: Bright Green: Parking Done Right
        Link: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010687.html
        Decrease the price o

      • <3 streetfilms
        09/11/23
        I love StreetFilms.org! They do an amazing job covering ideas (in practice or in process, past and present) on making urban spaces more livable.
        Streetfilms | Documenting Livable Streets Worldwide
        Link: www.streetfilms.org
        It's not everyday that you get to ride bikes in a big me

      • Surrey: "The Future Lives Here"
        09/11/23


        [Update]: Looks like the video got revised - updated the embed link.

      • 5 MS Multitouch mice
        09/11/23
        Microsoft Research shows off five different multi-touch mice, each using different methods of multi-touch input
        Microsoft Research shows off multitouch mouse prototypes
        Link: www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/microsoft-research-shows-off-multitouch-mouse-prototypes/
        Rather odd timing, given

      • Content-Aware-Scaling in Photoshop
        09/11/23
        How to Use Content-Aware-Scaling in Photoshop CS4 - Psdtuts+
        Link: http://fbshare.me/HMuj
        The latest version of Photoshop CS4 offers a variety of new features that save time and work. One of them is the newly added Content-Aware-Scaling feature...

      • The Trick or Treat index
        09/11/23
        The Trick or Treat index... Index of neighborhoods that will provide the most candy, with the least walking, and are the safest.
        Trick or Treat for a Community | All About Cities
        Link: http://allaboutcities.ca/356/

      • Middle-man, Time for new business models
        09/11/23
        Time for new business models in the post-modern era.
        The middle-man is failing because they have turned it into a war

        The Disintermediation Era | HPC
        Link: http://www.horsepigcow.com/2009/11/the-
        It must suck to be the middle-man today. Everywhere they turn, it's bad

    • September
      • Surrey Needs A MasterPlan
        09/09/01
        Surrey is a developing city with a huge potential.
        Surrey should develop an awesome masterplan to guide it in its development throughout the coming years, decades, and centuries.
        Some great examples of masterplans that I have looked over in the past year include Curitiba, Brazil; Greensbu

    • August
      • yellowBird 360° Video
        09/08/07
        Pretty sweet technology allowing 360 degree, navigable, video. Similar to Quicktime3D, but with video. I'm interested to see what the possibilities will be. Live 360 degree streaming web broadcasts? It would be like you were right there at the show~



        www.yellowbirdsdonth

    • July
      • Greasemonkey for Prism
        09/07/23
        For those of you unfamiliar with Prism, I will keep it short and let you read the rest on their website. Mozilla Prism is a piece of software (based off Firefox and which is also available as an Addon to Firefox) that allows you to create a desktop web-application of your favorite web service.
      • Bill Verplank's IxD
        09/07/19
        Bill Verplank's definition of Interaction Design

      • Augmented Reality Apps
        09/07/19
        After seeing some examples of Augmented Reality Applications, most using the new iPhone 3GS, it has gotten me excited.
        Here is an example of a shooter game and a real-world subway navigation system:


        These are amazing! I would really love the chance for me to be able to create a

      • HOME
        09/07/19
        HOME is an amazing film of our home, Earth, with absolutely beautiful panoramas and cinematography! ... its amazingly beautiful, and with a message too~
        The full HD video is used to be availble on youtube, but not anymore. Please check out the trailer - in HD!


        For more, check o

      • Node Powerbar Design
        09/07/19
        The Node is a pretty cool power bar / power outlet design.
        Node Power Outlet Makes Power Strips Almost Useless
        Node—a power outlet that can accept several cables safely—may be the power outlet of tomorrow

      • Feedback
        09/07/19
        Heres a blog post all about dealing with feedback as designers.
        http://sixrevisions.com/project-managem

      • The NYC High Line Park
        09/07/19
        In New York, a former elevated railway gets turned into a park! : High Line Park!

        An awesome example of urban re-purposing of derelict or unused space. Turning an overpass or existing structure into something new can be amazing feats of urban design.

      • Ikea Nail Holding Tool
        09/07/19
        Cool Tools: Ikea Nail-Driving Utensil
        A review of Ikea Nail-Driving Utensil (Brilliant free knickknack), a Cool Tool

      • Ingenious rethinking of existing structures
        09/07/19
        Harvesting the Wind
        Three young French designers hatch an ingenious plan to use existing infrastructure to create clean energy
        A great design concept of modifying existing towers that hold up high voltage power lines to make clean, sustainable, wind electricity!

      • Prolong lithium-ion based batteries
        09/07/19
        This is for everyone who has a laptop.
        If your not interested in details, scroll to the bottom for the simple guides for prolonging your battery.
        I would kinda ignore the recalibrating one (esp with Asus). But I'd add this one: Don't discharge the battery past 30% (at most 20%).<

      • FAQ
        09/07/06
        Here are some answers - Some peeves that I must point out, things I must clarify to you, or answers to questions that are often discussed around me. I will periodically add and update to this list over time.

        + The word you should be using is Contemporary, not Modern. 'Modern' de

    • May
      • Interaction'09 Videos
        09/05/13
        Huzzah.
        I posted earlier, a few months ago, some slides from presentations at the Interaction'09 conference put on by the Interaction Design Association (IxDA). They have recently uploaded their videos of the talks from the conference online. Check them out at http://library.ixda.org/ or o

      • Objectified
        09/05/06
        Today I watched a screening of Gary Hustwit's film Objectified about industrial design and the design of everyday objects.

        First thing I learned:


        Japanese toothpicks are an amazing piece of etiquette design!
        In the movie, Andrew Blauvelt revels that the ends of

      • There isn't a problem in the world, that a great designer can't solve
        09/05/02
        That says it all!

    • April
      • weBlimp
        09/04/20
        One of my Body Interface projects is the weBlimp. weBlimp is a social, crowd controlled flying airship. It conceptually miniaturizes participants and places them inside the gondola of a remote controlled blimp.
        Completion of our weBlimp project video, as well as the conference paper, is now don

      • Customizing your Keyboard
        09/04/20
        Map your seldom used function keys to something useful!
        using this tool, RemapKey, you can remap any key on your keyboard to be anything you want. On my laptop, I have to press Fn+F11/Fn+12 in order to adjust my volume. This is quite an annoying hassle, as a repetitive task, to have to use two

      • Economic Crisis Explained in info-model-motion-graphic
        09/04/06
        Awesome info-model-motion-graphic explaining why the economy is so crappy and whose fault it is:

    • March
      • Siftables
        09/03/17
        Awesome human-computer-interface!
        Its a set of small blocks, with screens, audio, accelerometers, and wireless communication. With these little blocks, very intuitive and interesting applications are being developed.
        Check out the Siftables TED talk here.

      • Experience Design is a Bunch of Horse-Shit + ixda|09
        09/03/10
        ... or so Frog Design's Jon Kolko's presentation at SFU was trying to explain. Check out his presentation.

        Further to this, there was the Interaction|09 conference, an interaction design conference, that happened just over the weekend. Unfortunately, I did not make it to the con

      • SF Lessons: Removing a Freeway
        09/03/01

        This is a good vid; Freeways are in the way. This is similar to my past Seattle project, where we removed the Alaskan Viaduct and developed interesting programmes in its place.

    • January
  • 2008
    • September
      • Nano Vent Skin
        08/09/23
        This is an awesome new green concept for building exteriors! Check out the Nano Vent Skin for buildings.

      • No more gum marks
        08/09/12
        Finally! After years, they finally power washed the ground at Surrey Central Station bus loop!
        It just looked unsightly with all the dark blobs all over the ground from people who spit their gum out and it gets mushed in to the ground tiles with dirt.

        This goes a long way in making p

    • May
      • Multi-Centre Cities
        08/05/30
        'Option of Urbanism' -> Multiple Community Centre Cities (With dense urban centres, spread out by nearby sparse lower density areas - residential, suburban or otherwise)

        [August 2008 followup]:
        In a City of Surrey open forum on future city planning about a year ago, peop

      • Perfect bench for Vancouver - Because we need more places to sit
        08/05/29
        Everyone knows it RAINS in BC. The lower mainland is in a rain forest after all, what do you expect. Besides, living here, you learn to love the rain.

        With that said, this 'Rolling Bench' would be a perfect adaptation to this environment. When it rains, one side of the sitting s

      • Paul Hillsdon + Counterflow the Portman Bridge
        08/05/26
        Paul Hillsdon is the 18 year old who wants to run for Surrey city council, and is swirling in ideas of sustainability. From the brief look at what he has to offer, it is very surprising to me just how much he knows. Sustainability, successful urban design, building vibrant communities and cities, ex

      • Been Thinking About This For A While Now
        08/05/17
        So I am starting this blog...
        I am usually a person who doesn't find much time to be able to sit down and write a journal, or willingly expose my thoughts to the universal intraweb public. However, as I venture on im my academic career, the things that I have learned collide with the thing