Amazon released the third generation Kindle a while ago and I finally gathered up the courage to get one. After using it for a couple of days I’m positively surprised. Usually, I maintain an unfounded prejudice against digital over analog, but this time I’ll make an exception.
The first surprise came immediately after opening the package, when I saw the getting started tutorial on the screen. I thought it was a printed transparent sheet over the screen, as the device was turned off, but the way E Ink works is whatever you print on the screen stays there until you erase it, without consuming energy. It really looks printed on, instead of a screen.
I appreciate the fact that it’s technology that doesn’t feel like technology. It’s really natural to use and read, and the design is so neutral and boring that it doesn’t attract extra attention.
Electronic books seem to be in the same situation as digital music was years ago; The books have DRMs and they’re overpriced. eBooks are almost without exception more expensive than paperbacks and because they’re digital you can’t sell or give them away once you’ve read it. I hope that within a year publishers will realize that cutting the price and removing DRM will have a positive effect on sales.
Akateeminen Kirjakauppa has some readers for sale in Finland, but they are ugly and/or overpriced and their online store is horrible. Stockmann opened their new online store today, so hopefully Akateeminen will also be revamped soon. The biggest selling point for a Kindle is Amazon itself. They seem to be the only provider at the moment that is able to negotiate international rights for most of their books. Sony and B&N eBook stores, for example, are only available in the U.S.
Last month, me and Marko Rantanen went shooting around the Helsinki metropolitan area for Helsingin Sanomat omakaupunki.fi ad campaign. “Oma kaupunki”, which translates as “My city”, is a site where people can exchange tips, events, news and services. The campaign theme is “Greetings from the neighborhood. This is what Oma Kaupunki is made of.” All the ads show how people can collaboratively participate in documenting their home town.
I shot with my Pentax ME and Marko used his Hasselblad XPan. I wanted to use film cameras to get a casual feel to the photos, like they were shot by ordinary people, but still remain stylish enough to be used in advertising. The look is largely based on my personal snapshots and the handwritten, care-free typography by Jenni Juntunen plays an important part.
The print ads are comprised of short collaborative stories about Helsinki with thematically related pictures.
The campaign also contains two fridge magnet outdoor ads where people can arrange words that describe Helsinki. The magnets are free to take home with you. And if that wasn’t enough, we have a multi-user banner where five persons per banner can arrange virtual fridge magnets.
Composer and orchestrator Thomas Goss has a great video series on Youtube called Online Guide to Orchestration. He goes through the different elements and techniques of the craft in an interesting manner. He also has great score-reading videos in which he breaks down classical pieces, one of which I’ve embedded as an example below.
Yesterday, someone on Reddit posted a chip track they had made on MilkyTracker, a multi-platform Fast Tracker 2 clone for modern computers. Naturally, I had to try it out immediately. I still remembered most of the commands, but the interface was a bit hard to use after almost 15 years. For example, copy and paste are done with alt-F4 and alt-F5, respectively.
Chip music has a special place in my heart. They are small and elegant, and their limitations are the source of inspiration. Even Timbaland infamously agreed.
