David McCandless turns complex data sets (like worldwide military spending, media buzz, Facebook status updates) into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut — and it may just change the way we see the world [...]

Tom Wujec presents some surprisingly deep research into the “marshmallow problem” — a simple team-building exercise that involves dry spaghetti, one yard of tape and a marshmallow. Who can build the tallest tower with these ingredients? And why does a surprising group always beat the average? [...]

Rather than demo another new technology, Tom Wujec reaches back to one of our earliest but most ingenious devices — the astrolabe. With thousands of uses, from telling time to mapping the night sky, this old tech reminds us that the ancient can be as brilliant as the brand-new [...]

Information designer Tom Wujec talks through three areas of the brain that help us understand words, images, feelings, connections. In this short talk from TEDU, he asks: How can we best engage our brains to help us better understand big ideas? [...]

Would anybody care to share a quote (shall I call it “citation?) for referencing the interaction design process for a paper I’m writing? # reading “IDEO Method Cards”, different techniques for inspiring design, gaining insights into user’s goals, and generating alternatives … # [Technology] Nokia’s Point # [Graphic Design, Digital Art, Architecture, Data Visualization] Data [...]

Monthly groceries at Metro: frozen bagles, panninis, and laffa! Thank you, Lord! # [China] Chinese president meets Brazilian leader in London: Chinese President Hu Jintao met his Brazilian.. http://tinyurl.com/cd6jd2 # [Interaction Design] Music That Makes You Dumb: Virgil Griffith, a CalTech graduate student,.. http://tinyurl.com/cgbw7j # [Technology] Report: Google in Talks to Buy Twitter?: Google is [...]

[Design Business] Newspapers and thinking the unthinkable (Clay Shirky post on newspapers in the digital age.) http://tinyurl.com/armlj7 # Don Norman’s “The three ways that good design makes you happy” talk at TED http://tinyurl.com/cdrl27 # [Design, Interaction Design] “The tiny things matter”: a UX story (What a great story about what tips the favor!) http://tinyurl.com/b3wv4y # [...]