mark(guadalupe)

Service Blueprints by rachel.shadoan on Flickr.

Service Blueprinting: A Practical Technique for Service Innovation

This works well for me whenever I’m drafting a solution design for a client, this helps me understand well the service process.

I consider this one of the best practices or tools if you like, Service Blueprinting is really a practical technique for service innovation.

I highly recommend Service Blueprints a “Must have(MoSCoW)” for any start-up project.

iOS 5 Software Update

This update contains over 200 new features, including the following:

• Notifications

◦ Swipe from the top of any screen to view notifications in one place with Notification Center

◦ New notifications appear briefly at the top of the screen

◦ View notifications from lock screen

◦ Slide the notification app icon to the right on the lock screen to go directly to the app

• iMessage

◦ Send and receive unlimited text, photo, and video messages with other iOS 5 users

◦ Track messages with delivery and read receipts

◦ Group messaging and secure encryption

◦ Works over cellular network and Wi-Fi*

• Newsstand

◦ Automatically organizes magazine and newspaper subscriptions on Home Screen

◦ Displays the cover of the latest issue

◦ Background downloads of new issues 

• Reminders for managing to do lists

◦ Syncs with iCloud, iCal and Outlook

◦ Location-based reminders when you leave or arrive at a location for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4

• Built-in support for Twitter

◦ Sign-in once in Settings and tweet directly from Camera, Photos, Maps, Safari and YouTube

◦ Add location to any tweet

◦ View twitter profile pictures and usernames in Contacts

• Camera improvements for devices with cameras

◦ Double click the home button when device is asleep to bring up a camera shortcut on iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation)

◦ Volume Up button to take a picture

◦ Optional grid lines to line up shots

◦ Pinch to zoom in the preview screen

◦ Swipe to camera roll from preview screen

◦ Tap and hold to lock focus and exposure, iPad 2 and iPod touch (4th generation) only support exposure lock

• Photo improvements for devices with cameras

◦ Crop and rotate

◦ Red eye removal

◦ One tap enhance

◦ Organize photos into albums

• Mail improvements

◦ Format text using bold, italic, or underlined fonts

◦ Indentation control

◦ Drag to rearrange names in address fields

◦ Flag messages

◦ Mass mark messages as flagged, read or unread

◦ Customize mail alert sounds

◦ S/MIME

• Calendar improvements

◦ Year view on iPad and new Week view for iPhone and iPod touch

◦ Tap to create an event

◦ View and add event attachments

• Game Center improvements

◦ Use personal photos for your Game Center account

◦ Compare your overall achievement scores with your friends

◦ Find new Game Center friends with friend recommendations and friends of friends

◦ Discover new games with custom game recommendations

• AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S

• Multitasking Gestures for iPad

◦ Use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen

◦ Swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar

◦ Swipe left or right to switch between apps

• On-device setup, activation and configuration with Setup Assistant

• Software updates available over the air without tethering

• iCloud support

◦ iTunes in the Cloud

◦ Photo Stream

◦ Documents in the Cloud

◦ Apps and Books automatic download and purchase history

◦ Backup

◦ Contacts, Calendar, and Mail

◦ Find My iPhone

• Redesigned Music app for iPad

• Hourly weather forecast

• Real-time stock quotes

• Wireless sync to iTunes

• Keyboard improvements

◦ Split keyboard for iPad

◦ Improved autocorrection accuracy

◦ Improved Chinese and Japanese input

◦ New Emoji keyboard

◦ Personal dictionary for autocorrection

◦ Optionally create keyboard short cuts for frequently used words

• Accessibility improvements

◦ Option to light LED flash on incoming calls and alerts for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4

◦ Custom vibration patterns for incoming calls on iPhone

◦ New interface for using iOS with mobility-impairment input devices

◦ Option to speak a selection of text

◦ Custom element labeling for VoiceOver

• Exchange ActiveSync improvements

◦ Wirelessly sync tasks

◦ Mark messages as flagged, read or unread

◦ Improved offline support

◦ Save a new contact from a GAL service

• More than 1,500 new developer APIs

• Bug fixes

Products compatible with this software update:

• iPhone 4S

• iPhone 4

• iPhone 3GS

• iPad 2

• iPad

• iPod touch (4th generation)

• iPod touch (3rd generation)

* Normal carrier data rates may apply. Messages will be sent as SMS when iMessage is unavailable, carrier messaging fees apply.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: 

<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222>

CUTE! on Flickr.

who would ever say no to a cute face like this!

alanvanroemburg:

Apple iCloud icon golden ratio

Thanks to Takamasa! 

Edit: English version now available here; 

Who can argue with this logic?

1. It’s an incentive for staff to show up. 

2. It leads to more honest communications. 

3. It reduces complaints about low pay. 

4. Employees tell management what they think, not what they want to hear. 

5. It encourages car pooling. 

6. Increase job satisfaction because if you have a bad job, you don’t care when you are pissed. 

7. It eliminates leave time because people would rather come to work. 

8. It makes fellow employees look better. 

9. It makes the cafeteria food taste better. 

10. Bosses are more likely to hand out raises when they are drunk. 

11. Salary negotiations are a lot more profitable. 

12. Employees work later since there’s no longer a need to relax at a bar after work

13. It makes everyone more open with their ideas. 

14. Eliminates the need for employees to get drunk only on their lunch break. 

15. Employees no longer need coffee to sober up if they can stay drunk

credits: @dave

This definitely made my day, I recommend you watch this, and if you didn’t laugh after, means only one thing …your signal is very weak! :P

Here is my own version of baked salmon with Butter, Lemon, Orange, Salt n Peppa, Garlic Sprout and Tomato.

My kids love it, and said “Daddy, you’re a good cook!” =)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mak1e/sets/72157624911073463/with/5025607760/

So you need a typeface? - Julian Hansen

here kitty, kitty, kitty…

pgxn:

I’m making good progress on PGXN Manager. Hopefully I can start alpha testing it next week. As I mentioned previously, I had estimated 40 hours of work to create it, but was hoping to get it done in around 30 (because I spent 10 extra hours on the database design). So far I’m at 23 hours, so…

marsbot:

foursquare 2.0

When we started foursquare, we dreamed it would be much more than check-ins. We really wanted to build tools that would help people collect and share their real-world experiences.  Today we’re rolling out the 2.0 version of our iPhone app as well as a new way to connect it to the web.

I’m super proud of the new foursquare 2.0. We’ve added new functionality that turns foursquare into a real life ‘Instapaper’. Along with this new functionality we’ve also refreshed the UI. You’ll notice subtle styling updates and details throughout the app. Some of these are pure design changes and some of these changes will allow us for better scaling as we add more features in the future. This is just the beginning and it’s really exciting. Read all about the new foursquare 2.0 on the foursquare blog.

a chair!