Monday 19 September 2011

Opinion: Internet Explorer - Infographics




Opinion: Internet Explorer - Other browsers



About

Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google that uses the WebKit layout engine. It was first released as a beta version for Microsoft Windows on September 2, 2008, and the public stable release was on December 11, 2008. The name is derived from the graphical user interface frame, or "chrome", of web browsers. As of August 2011, Chrome is the third most widely used browser with 23.16% worldwide usage share of web browsers, according to StatCounter.

Public Release

The browser was first publicly released for Microsoft Windows (XP and later versions only) on September 2, 2008 in 43 languages, officially a beta version. Chrome quickly gained about 1% market share despite being only available for Microsoft Windows at that time. After the initial surge, usage share dropped until it hit a low of 0.69% in October 2008. It then started rising again and by December 2008, Chrome again passed the 1% threshold. 

In early January 2009, CNET reported that Google planned to release versions of Chrome for Mac OS X and Linux in the first half of the year. The first official Chrome Mac OS X and Linux developer previews were announced on June 4, 2009 with a blog post saying they were missing many features and were intended for early feedback rather than general use. In December 2009, Google released beta versions of Chrome for Mac OS X and Linux. Google Chrome 5.0, announced on May 25, 2010, was the first stable release to support all three platforms. Chrome was one of the twelve browsers offered to European Economic Area users of Microsoft Windows in 2010.



Here's a pretty cool interactive infographic showcasing the evolution of the web: http://evolutionofweb.appspot.com/







About

Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. As of August 2011, Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 30% of worldwide usage share of web browsers. The browser has had particular success in Germany and Poland, where it is the most popular browser with 55% usage and 47% respectively.

The Firefox project has undergone several name changes. Originally titled Phoenix, it was renamed because of trademark issues with Phoenix Technologies. The replacement name, Firebird, provoked an intense response from the Firebird free database software project.



Features include tabbed browsing, spell checking, incremental find, live bookmarking, a download manager, private browsing, location-aware browsing (also known as "geolocation") based exclusively on a Google service and an integrated search system that uses Google by default in most localizations. Functions can be added through extensions, created by third-party developers, of which there is a wide selection, a feature that has attracted many of Firefox's users.






Usage Share


As of August 2011, Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 30% of worldwide usage share of web browsers. Downloads have continued at an increasing rate since Firefox 1.0 was released in November 2004, and as of July 31, 2009 Firefox has been downloaded over one billion times. This number does not include downloads using software updates or those from third-party websites. They do not represent a user count, as one download may be installed on many machines, one person may download the software multiple times, or the software may be obtained from a third party. According to Mozilla, Firefox had more than 400 million users as of November 2010. In July 2010, all IBM employees (about 400,000) were asked to use Firefox as their default browser.








About


Safari is a web browser developed by Apple Inc. and included with the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. First released as a public beta on January 7, 2003 on the company's Mac OS X operating system, it became Apple's default browser beginning with Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther". Safari is also the native browser for iOS. A version of Safari for the Microsoft Windows operating system, first released on June 11, 2007, supports Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. The latest stable release of the browser is 5.1, which is available as a free download for both Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. As of 2011, Safari is the fourth most widely used browser in the US, following Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome.



Safari on Mac OS


Safari on the iPod touch (also on the iPhone).

Opinion: Internet Explorer - Downfall

The following chart clearly shows that the usage of Internet Explorer was on the rise between 1995 and 2003 but has hit a steady decline ever since. This is partly due to the modern, more up-to-date browsers such as Firefox, Chrome and Safari (which comes as part of Mac OS).



However, a researcher claims other browsers are at more of a risk than IE, "People who say those kinds of things simply don't have a grasp on the internal organization of enterprises, or the bureaucracy of companies. Until enterprises flush out the internal applications that rely on IE, that use unsupported and undocumented layout commands, IE isn't going anywhere. And those dinosaur applications are almost impossible to get rid of."

Opinion: Internet explorer is the worst web browser

Internet Explorer

Windows Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer, commonly abbreviated IE or MSIE) is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year. Later versions were available as free downloads, or in service packs, and included in the OEM service releases of Windows 95 and later versions of Windows. Internet Explorer has been the most widely used web browser since 1999, attaining a peak of about 95% usage share during 2002 and 2003 with Internet Explorer 5 and Internet Explorer 6.

Since its peak of popularity, its usage share has been declining in the face of renewed competition from other web browsers, and is currently 40.9% as of June 2011. It had been slightly higher, 43.55% as of February 2011, just prior to the release of the current version. Microsoft spent over $100 million USD per year on Internet Explorer in the late 1990s, with over 1000 people working on it by 1999.

The latest stable release is Internet Explorer 9, which is available as a free update for Windows 7, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2. Internet Explorer was to be omitted from Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in Europe, but Microsoft ultimately included it, with a browser option screen allowing users to select any of several web browsers (including Internet Explorer).



Internet Explorer 1



Internet Explorer 9 on Windows 7

Places: Cinema - Outdoor/Open air cinema

Definition courtesy of Wikipedia

An outdoor cinema (also called open air cinema) consists of a digital or analog movie projector, scaffolded construction or inflatable projection screen, and sound system.   Example of an outdoor cinema using an inflatable screen Viewers usually sit on camping chairs or blankets. Some Hollywood world premieres were screened in outdoor cinemas – sometimes with the stars in attendance. Most screenings are free with some raising money for charities.



My local outdoor cinema

There was an outdoor cinema as part of the Stockton Heath festival (where I live) which I attended. They played the film, Up (Pixar), catering to a broad number of visitors. Despite being shown on TV and easily available on DVD, there were hundreds of people willing to pay a small fee for charity and sit on the field.

Film4 Summer Festival

A highlight of the city’s summer calendar, Film4's annual summer festival of films features everything from UK premieres to cult action thrillers, romantic comedies to film classics – all showing on a state-of-the-art screen with full surround sound.




Places: Cinema - Chains



History

Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners. Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch. Odeon publicists have claimed that the name of the cinemas was derived from his motto, "Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation", but it had been used for cinemas in France and Italy in the 1920s, and the name is ultimately derived from Ancient Greek. The name "Nickelodeon" was coined in 1905 and was widely used to describe small movie theatres in the United States during that era.

By 1930, "Odeon" was a household name and the cinemas known for their maritime-inspired Art Deco architecture. This style was first used in 1930 on the cinema at Perry Barr in Birmingham, which was bought by Deutsch to expand the chain. He liked the style so much that he commissioned the architect, Harry Weedon, to design his future buildings. George Coles was also one of their principal architects, remodelling a partially complete assembly hall in Portslade and designing his first purpose-built cinema in Upper Wickham Lane, Welling, Kent which opened on 22 October 1934 and closed on 22 October 1960. It is presently a bingo club in the Mecca chain. It featured central linear lighting, a feature that became characteristic of his work.

Each Odeon cinema had a character different from most other cinemas in the UK, often having a unique and spectacular interior. They also ran their own advertising company, called Rank Screen Advertising, in competition with the UK market leader Pearl & Dean, which it eventually overtook. A smaller number of Odeon cinemas opened in the post-war years (Odeon Marble Arch and Odeon Elephant & Castle being notable instances), but many single-screen cinemas either closed, sub-divided into smaller screens or were converted into other uses, such as bingo. The flagship cinema, the Odeon Leicester Square, is one of the largest cinemas in Great Britain and host to most of London's West End film premières, retaining its large screen and circle & stalls layout.

Controversy

In 2008, Odeon made a controversial move by refusing to screen Rambo (film) on any of its UK screens, blaming it on "commercial differences". In 2010 Odeon and a couple of other multiplex cinema chains attempted to boycott Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010 film), but after negotiations with Disney, Odeon and the other cinema chains backed down.





History

Vue Entertainment (stylised as vue), formerly known as SBC International Cinemas, is a cinema company in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC acquired 36 Warner Village cinemas. There are now 69 Vue cinemas, with 654 screens totaling 140,500 seats, including the rebranded flagship Warner Village cinema in Leicester Square. In April 2005 the chain acquired the Ster Century chain from Aurora Entertainment; this included the highest grossing cinema in the UK or Ireland at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in Dublin, Ireland.



History

Cineworld Group plc is a cinema chain operating in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Jersey. The chain consists of 78 cinemas; 76 of which are located in the UK and one each in Ireland and Jersey. It is the second-largest cinema operator in the UK with 801 screens, and the owner of the single largest multiplex by screens and customer base in Ireland. Cineworld Glasgow Renfrew Street is the tallest cinema in the world and the busiest, by customer base, in the UK. Based on the number of screens, the biggest Cineworld cinema is at Valley Centertainment in Sheffield with 20 screens.

Subscription service

Cineworld offers a subscription service using a membership card - the "Unlimited Card" - which provides subscribers with unlimited entrance for a set price per month. It is the only type of cinema subscription service available in the UK, Ireland and Jersey. The card has a minimum subscription period of 12 months. Admission to 3D features incurs an additional fee of £1.50, and does not include the cost of 3D glasses. Tickets can only be acquired using the unlimited card on the day of the film is to be shown. During the summer of 2011, new customers who signed up to the unlimited card would receive the 13th month of subscription free.

Controversy

Cineworld is the only cinema chain in the United Kingdom to operate a 'strict no food and drink policy'[9] on items that have been bought elsewhere. In 2008, a customer was thrown out of a Cineworld cinema after being searched by a security guard who found a bag of sweets.Consequently customers have to buy food and drink at the cinema despite price of food and drink items have been found to be four times higher than elsewhere at Cineworld.

In 2011, falling cinema revenue was attributed to fewer purchases of food and drink due to pricing being so extortionately high, that cinema goers cannot afford it. Other criticism towards the chain is it's unwavering support of 3D technology and in some sites it has been noted that for a whole week there is no option of 2D versions of films, forcing customers who either cannot or don't want to watch 3D films being forced to avoid screenings. Due to the general public starting to turn it's back on 3D films because of the huge price of tickets and general poor quality of 3D technology,  commentators have voiced concerns that Cineworld jumped on the 3D bandwagon too soon.

Concept: Nostalgia - Advertisements

Hovis Bread

Staple British bread brand Hovis have released a new advert showcasing over 100 years of the nations history. Part of Hovis huge relaunch campaign, the ad is a mammoth 122 seconds long celebrating the 122 years since Hovis was established.  Filmed in Liverpool, with a cast of over 750 extras many of whom are ordinary Brits cast off the streets, the ad depicts the highs and lows experienced by Britain during Hovis existence - including World War I, the suffragette movement, the first motor car, World War II, the 1953 coronation, the swinging sixties, England winning the World Cup, the 1980s miners strike and the Millennium celebrations. It ends with the poignant message: 'As good today as its always been' reinforcing Hovis strong brand heritage and marking the beginning of a new Hovis era.





The following was broadcasted in 1973 but has been recently shown on TV alongside the previous advertisement. This indicates that advertisers often use familiarity and nostalgia to promote their products rather than the product themselves.

Concept: Nostalgia - A good medicine

Nostalgia promotes psychological well-being  

When people wax nostalgic, they become happier. For example, in the laboratory, when people are asked to reflect on experiences, objects, or songs from the past that they are nostalgic about, positive mood increases. This makes sense because when we analyze the content of people's nostalgic episodes we find that they are mostly positive. It is true that nostalgia can be bittersweet (happiness with a tinge of sadness). However, the net result is positive. Nostalgia simply makes people happy.  Nostalgia is more than just a mood boost though. It also increases self-esteem and perceptions of meaning in life. This explains the championship game story phenomenon. Many nostalgic experiences are connected to personal accomplishments and momentous life events. Life is not one great success after another. Our daily existence can often be tedious and sometimes depressing. Using nostalgia, we can inject some meaning and excitement into life. Nostalgia involves conjuring up the experiences that stick out as worthwhile and fulfilling.

Nostalgia fosters feelings of belongingness  

Nostalgia isn't just about the self. It is also about our relationships. When people engage in nostalgia, they feel more connected to others. For example, our studies find that most nostalgic episodes are social and having people engage in nostalgia makes them feel close to and loved by others. The past experiences, objects, movies, and music we love are often anchored in social contexts and thus remind us that we are able to form and maintain relationships and that people do care about us.  

So when are we most nostalgic?  

Based on the research I just described, it may not come as a surprise that people turn to nostalgia in situations that cause negative mood, loneliness, and life meaninglessness. Marketing and consumer research demonstrates that nostalgia can be directly induced by providing consumers with products they are nostalgic for (e.g., 80s-inspired clothing, music, and toys). However, it is when we are psychologically vulnerable or threatened that we naturally turn to nostalgia. So next time you feel a little down and alone, try nostalgia. It may be just what the doctor ordered. And don't be ashamed of keeping that championship game story in heavy rotation or the fact that you just dropped half of your monthly rent for prime Bon Jovi tickets. You may be reaping the psychological rewards of being in touch with your past.

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/death-love-sex-magic/200908/nostalgia-is-good-medicine

Concept: Nostalgia - Advertising

The power of nostalgia in advertising

Marketing experts tell us again and again that the key to sales is to make a connection to the customer. Clearly it’s easier and faster to co-opt our fond memories than create a brand new positive association with your product. Two giants of advertising, Pepsi and Coke, appear to be masters at tapping into our fake nostalgia with many of their commercials vividly displaying their generational history. At its heart, their message is “Remember way back when you were young? Well, we were there with you”.

As we age our nostalgic yearnings grow, making us more receptive to advertisers and marketers use of what researchers call "a longing for positive memories from the past." In addition to time's arrow, this desire for nostalgia is further intensified by society's present circumstance of receding predictability and opportunity. While science is still struggling to unravel the neuro-dynamics of nostalgia, studies have identified some nostalgic cues that can be exploited and how images and sounds from the past can create favorable attitudes about products. Despite being obvious, this strategy taps into something fundamental about the human mind and consciousness. Every time we remember a past event it not only evokes the earlier memory, but can re-cast the past into a more pleasing "remembered" version. Memory, thinking and feeling are an active, shaping process.

What makes us nostalgic?

The music, cars and movies you identified with when you were young stick with you throughout your life. Take music, recordings that were released when we were teenagers or young adults, are locked into our memories forever, to release a flood of vivid memories and emotions when replayed, especially in ads. For example, people who were 23 in 1964, when the Beatles appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show," will turn 70 this year, are a prime target for nostalgic marketing appeals.

(The feeling of nostalgia varies from age to age therefore advertisers need to think of new and innovative ways of appealing to a broad target market.)

For marketers, the key is finding the right music and images, which do not even need to directly relate to their products, as long as warm feelings are stirred up. It is the emotion generated from that good feeling that influences people's evaluation of the advertised offer. Recollection provides context and context impacts on how we evaluate things. Moreover, nostalgia can make us feel that not so much time has passed between then and now, making us feel young(er) again and that we still have a long ways to go and have the time to make it "there." Nostalgia telescopes time and brings it more under our emotional orchestration.

Places: Cinema - Primary Research

How often do you go the cinema a month?
Do you watch 3D films?

Sophie Wilson
1) Would usually go about 3/4 times a month, bit of a film geek :D
2) Not all that keen on 3D...seems like it's milking the corporate cash cow a bit too much.

Beth Yates 
1) I used to go to the cinema about once a month with orange wednesdays cause it was cheap, but i haven't been in ages.
 2) Some 3D films are awesome but others are pants- depends on how the films made- the best way to see one by far is the imax.

Lisa Whitaker 
1) Probably five times a year.
2) Watched Transformers in 3D(because it was Isaac's Bday) which was pretty amazing, will have been pick and chose cos costs more!

Matt Tucker 
1) once in the past 2 years.
2) not yet but planning on doing so some time soon.

Kirsty Alderson 
1) once a month at least
2) im not keen on 3D films because the glasses irritate me with having to wear them over my normal glasses & its expensive!

Max Gregory 
1) I very rarely go to the cinema
2) 3D films are great

Object: Cardboard - Collection

Images of different cardboard here

Friday 16 September 2011

Places: Cinema - 3D

Definition courtesy of Wikipedia

A 3-D (three-dimensional) film or S3D (stereoscopic 3D) film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception. Derived from stereoscopic photography, a regular motion picture camera system is used to record the images as seen from two perspectives (or computer-generated imagery generates the two perspectives in post-production), and special projection hardware and/or eyewear are used to provide the illusion of depth when viewing the film. 3-D films are not limited to feature film theatrical releases; television broadcasts and direct-to-video films have also incorporated similar methods, primarily for marketing purposes.

Anaglyph (red and cyan glasses)

Anaglyph images were the earliest method of presenting theatrical 3-D, and the one most commonly associated with stereoscopy by the public at large, mostly because of non theatrical 3D media such as comic books and 3D TV broadcasts, where polarization is not practical. They were made popular because of the ease of their production and exhibition.



In an anaglyph, the two images are superimposed in an additive light setting through two filters, one red and one cyan. In a subtractive light setting, the two images are printed in the same complementary colors on white paper. Glasses with colored filters in each eye separate the appropriate images by canceling the filter color out and rendering the complementary color black.

The new era of 3D

In a stereoscopic motion picture, two images are projected superimposed onto the same screen through different polarizing filters. The viewer wears low-cost eyeglasses which also contain a pair of polarizing filters oriented differently (clockwise/counterclockwise with circular polarization or at 90 degree angles, usually 45 and 135 degrees, with linear polarization). As each filter passes only that light which is similarly polarized and blocks the light polarized differently, each eye sees a different image. This is used to produce a three-dimensional effect by projecting the same scene into both eyes, but depicted from slightly different perspectives.



Since no head tracking is involved, the entire audience can view the stereoscopic images at the same time. Additionally, since both lenses have the same color, people with one dominant eye (amblyopia), where one eye is used more, are able to see the 3D effect, previously negated by the separation of the two colors.

Christopher Nolan criticised the comparison of apparent '2D films' with emerging '3D films': "I think it's a misnomer to call it 3D versus 2D. The whole point of cinematic imagery is it's three dimensional... You know 95% of our depth cues come from occlusion, resolution, color and so forth, so the idea of calling a 2D movie a '2D movie' is a little misleading."

Why I think 3D films are good

In my opinion, 3D films immerse you even moreso into the film and despite the gimmicky and cliche tactics used by film makers (such as a hand 'coming out of the screen') the effect is usually subtle but engaging. As the 3D glasses reduce the brightness slightly, it may work better with some movies than others therefore it changes with whatever 3D movie you see.

Thursday 15 September 2011

Concept: Nostalgia - What makes you nostalgic?

In order to gather evidence that 'Nostalgia' is infact, good, I set about asking as many people as possible, what makes them nostalgic. I had many positive responses, with people discovering childhood memories that they have never recalled before.

The following was posted on my Tumblr blog:




Kath Warburton
Kim & Jessie - M83 reminds me of last autumn/winter
Electric heater reminds me of my nana' house

shevketdesigninspiration
Music I used to listen to when I was young, or looking through my photo albums ( not Facebook photo albums, the real ones )

Christina Massam
Gardeny/sheddy smells make me nostalgic. And the smell of fresh mint, and a certain bird call but I don't know which bird makes it, but whenever I hear or smell these things I always think of my great Grandad, and how Emily and I would play in his Garden while he would do the Garden work.

maxplusmira
carousels

7sobm
Original transformers movie & the cheesy music that went with it, small footballs, david beckham, toy story, screams of kids at playgrounds, ps1, home alone, tom and jerry, non alcoholic beer, flake 99, getting up early in the morning to watch tv, first nike jacket, steps, spice girls lol, school dinners, custard & apple crumble, school uniforms, colour blue. All i can think off the top of my head!

Sophie Wilson
The smell of roses reminds me of home

crazymadsad
some specific smells. some songs that will bring you back at a very specific moment. movies you used to watch as kids and you watch back now.

emits
old photos, old sweets, pokemon cards, toys and dinosaurs (cos i lived in that era obviously lol

Beth Yates
songs definitely! when i hear really cheesy bad songs from the nineties i'm always like 'god i remember this coming out!' then i feel seriously old haha :D and theres certain songs that make me think of specific events aswell - like the time warp from the rocky horror show, me and some friends started singing it in the middle of a random street in new york while on a school trip :D it was pitch black and the teachers were lost and i always remember these 2 guys pulling up in a car and having a right giggle at us :D

Kirsty Cave
febreeze apple spice reminds me of home and in a way comforts me (bit weird lol) and songs always remind me of things, i heard lou bega's mambo number 5 on the way back to leeds today and it just reminded me of being a kid :) really cheered me up

James Flanagan
The smell of perfume on my pillow after she has left.

Lisa Whitaker
I have got a glass jug that was my Gran's and I think of homemade Apple pie and cream and her kitchen every time I use it!

lisaverdin
christmas, disney, old sweets, the smell of cut grass

pillaidesign
Music and food

luciamorettidesign
Autumn

linutile
tv shows or movies that are about High School or 90s tv shows I used to watch as a kid

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Places: Cinema - Box Office


Box office


A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket. The term is frequently used, especially in the context of the film industry, as a synonym for the amount of business a particular production, such as a film or theatre show, receives. The term can also mean factors which may influence this amount, as in the phrases "good box office" and "bad box office"

Highest grossing films

All of the films from the top 10 (excluding Titanic) were released in the last 10 years and 3 of these in 2011. There have been many reports that cinema-goers are on the decline due to the growing popularity of HD television sets and HD and Blu-ray DVDs and the increase in ticket prices. However, it is clear to see that it is the complete opposite.

Rank↓
Title↓
Worldwide gross↓
Year↓
Ref
1
$2,782,275,172
[# 1]
2
$1,843,201,268
[# 2]
3
$1,321,104,684
[# 3]
4
$1,119,110,941
[# 4]
5
$1,115,800,077
[# 5]
6
$1,066,179,725
[# 6]
7
$1,063,171,911
[# 7]
8
$1,039,418,960
[# 8]
9
$1,024,299,904
[# 9]
10
$1,001,921,825
[# 10