We’ve reached the part of summer break where one of my kids has decided they want to learn how to make bread.
Embracing old tools in new ways + two new Fontstruct designs
Recently, I started playing around on Fontstruct again. The tool has evolved massively in the 17 years I’ve used it, but I interacted with it largely the same way — placing blocks on grids. I’ve been thinking about how I use design tools lately. I use apps like Photoshop and InDesign the same way I used them a decade ago. In general, this works fine, but I don’t really take full advantage of the advancements in the software. I’ve been trying to explore new features in Photoshop and Glyphs lately, and I decided I wanted to try out some of the features I haven’t used in Fontstruct, too. I just made two designs public: SbB Vertica and SbB Roundabout.
SbB Vertica. A bold all-caps display font consisting of vertical bands. I used the brick size and grid spacing filters to create the banding effect through the letters. To get...
Happy Bobby Bonilla Day! Yep, the Mets are still paying him and will be until 2035.
Enjoyed this beautifully art directed and illustrated meditation on AI and art. Take a few minutes and spend some time with it.
My son wanted to play video games with me, so we pulled out the Sega Genesis Mini. All these years later, it’s funny how much I remember from playing Sonic and Streets of Rage II.
This restaurant doesn’t look crowded, but the number of Door Dash drivers coming in and out is substantial. It’s amazing how much these delivery services have changed the restaurant business.
Playing around with Adobe’s Project Indigo camera app. It’s interesting. Similar in goals to Halide’s Process Zero.
Artificial intelligence with a side of seasoned fries
A brief “review” of Bo-Linda: Bojangles AI-based drive-thru ordering system
Bojangles is a fast food restaurant chain in the Southeastern United States that serves chicken and biscuits. Last year, I drove up to a Bojangles drive-thru in downtown Columbia, South Carolina and was greeted by a computerized voice. There were no signs indicating that they were using a new system, but it was clear that the voice wasn’t a human. I placed my order, the system asked for the drink on my combo, confirmed my order, told me my total and asked me to move forward. Quick and efficient.
A few months later, the Bojangles in Chapin near my daughter’s school switched to the same computerized system. I’d stop there occasionally to grab breakfast after dropping her off. This time, the system informed me that there was a 5-minute wait on my steak...
Just finished my last assignment for my six-week summer class, which means that I only have a couple of independent studies and my dissertation left until I’m Dr. Bob.
Kia’s new EV2 is an adorably small electric SUV. Too bad it’s not coming to the US market. I hate the global perception that US consumers don’t want smaller vehicles.