Minimal Universe

Minimal Universe collect posts from our favorite minimal-related blogs listed on the right.
  • Minimal | Simplifying the experience

    Minimal | Simplifying the experience:

    Apple makes it easy for people like my mother to buy a computer without feeling stupid. They make it easy by having fewer products (quality vs quantity), having products names that are easily recognizable and easy to remember (do you know what the Dell Latitude E5400N is?) and finally they have a website that makes it easy for you to understand the differences between the models and pick the one that is best for you.

    Good rant about the differences in buying a computer from Apple’s website and buying it just about anywhere else. I’m currently researching PC laptop options for a client and it is a nightmare. They just need a basic business laptop that will soldier along reasonably for four years (the term of their replacement cycle. The only special requirement is that it needs to have a docking station. Every time I go looking I’m lost in a mess of models and options.

    If not for the docking station I would have already recommended a couple of Macbook Pros and thrown Windows 7 on them. It’s like the PC guys actually work hard not to take the money. How do they manage to make any?

  • Simplifying the experience

    This is one of my rants. It’s going to be about how companies name their computers and how simplifying that naming is the way to go. It is also about how their websites should present the products. Yes, it’s pro Apple because they make the most sense with the names they picked for the Macs and no, I don’t care if you don’t agree. If you don’t like it you can stop reading now.

    For most users buying a computer is a big deal. They don’t know about processors and the differences between them, they don’t care whether you have an Uber_XYZ_3d_super_buffer_output sound card or if the computer has a BIOS access program that lets you set the RPM of the HD per minute per hour of the day. They just want to buy the computer so they can go online and email, write in their blog, watch a movie or listen to music.

    So, if I am an average user and I go to dell.com this is what I get when I check for laptops:

    • For Home
    • For Small and Medium Business
    • For Public Sector
    • For Large Enterprise

    OK… whatever. Lets assume I am a private user so I chose For Home and then Laptops because that’s what I want to buy. I am presented then with:

    • An infinite list of stupid marketing buzzwords and not actual laptop information.

    Oh, wait! On the menu on the left, with the small font I can see the options:

    • Inspiron laptops
    • Studio laptops
    • Alienware laptops (beg your pardon?)
    • Studio XPS laptops
    • Mini netbooks
    • Adamo

    Right. OK. What is what? Which one is the best for me? How do I know where to even begin?

    Since I am clever, I will click on Inspiron. It’s the first in the list, that’s a good place to start, right?

    I am presented with a “Showing 1-12 of 22 Results. Select a product or use the checkboxes to compare products.” followed by the list of laptops with all the technical information. Hmmmm…. but… are these OK? what’s the difference with an Alienware laptop? What the fuck is an Alienware laptop?

    I then check the Alienware laptops.

    Nothing happened. It shows me the same list. No comparisons… Oh, I had both Inspiron and Alienware checked… Silly me… OK, I unchecked Inspiron and I get: “No configurations are valid for the chosen filters”. So, why do you even show me that as an option then?

    Anyway, after browsing each an every model on for home I am still clueless as to what I want, so I checked small and medium business, since these are for business they might be better organized and with better names. Nop.

    • Latitude
    • Vostro
    • Inspiron Laptops
    • Studio Laptops
    • Precision Mobile Workstations
    • Gaming Laptops
    • Studio XPS Laptops
    • Mini Netbooks
    • Adamo

    Gaming laptops? For business? At least I know what they are for…

    So after a couple of hours of browsing I still don’t know what I want. So I went to Google and I search Dell reviews. 1,800,368 hits. Ha! Whatever!

    Now let’s see Apple. I go to apple.com and I can see a menu at the top that says Mac. I know Apple computers are called Macs so I click that. What do I see?

    • Macbook
    • Macbook Pro
    • Macbook Air
    • iMac
    • Mac Mini
    • Mac Pro

    All of them with a clear picture of what they look like and what they are. So, since I am looking for a laptop I check the Macbooks. What can I notice right away? Pro. I know that anything called pro is better than anything not pro and hence more expensive so I go for the Macbook since I want a simple laptop. I click on the image and I get a webpage that clearly shows me what the laptop looks like, what it does, the features in non techie terms and the ways to buy it. If I want to see more details I can click on tech specs and there they are.

    Just out of curiosity I check also the Pro so I know what the difference is. So I go to the compare page and right there, without having to read the tech specs I get a clear view of the differences and the prices. Simple.

    After 10 minutes on the website I bought a Macbook.

    Apple makes it easy for people like my mother to buy a computer without feeling stupid. They make it easy by having fewer products (quality vs quantity), having products names that are easily recognizable and easy to remember (do you know what the Dell Latitude E5400N is?) and finally they have a website that makes it easy for your to understand the differences between the models and pick the one that is best for you.

    Sony is a bit better at this than Dell (they are all called Vaio but they are Z, N, XX), but Toshiba is a bit better than Sony, but LG? More confusing that Dell. What is an LG R560-L.ARC3BA9? What’s the difference with an LG R580-U.ARC3BA9? Will I even remember the model tomorrow? Damn…

  • "In the hopes of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet."

    “In the hopes of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet.”

    - Albert Schweitzer

  • Funny Road Signs

    Funny Road Signs:

    A very good friend’s new blog. It’s hilarious.

    (this link will be gone by the end of the day)

  • You can buy the pads here.



    You can buy the pads here.



  • TOPS Baghdad Box Cutter. A super minimal, tactical and useful...



    TOPS Baghdad Box Cutter.

    A super minimal, tactical and useful knife.



  • What's new in Notes 2 (latest beta)

    What’s new in Notes 2 (latest beta)

  • "There’s a new kind of clutter littering Web pages. It’s not just the obnoxious ‘Refinance your..."

    “There’s a new kind of clutter littering Web pages. It’s not just the obnoxious ‘Refinance your mortgage’ ads plastered atop and alongside articles. It’s also not just the animated nonsense that floats by as you’re trying to read.

    It’s the article itself.”

    - Richard Ziade on the increasingly prevalent disposable content. (via marco)



  • Pillar

    Brad Ascalon has designed Pillar for Bernhardt Design, with an inverted pyramidal form as a starting point.

    The armchair is built up of trapezoids only and the armrests are perfectly integrated into the design. I think these characteristics make the design looks hard, sturdy and stable.

    Brad Ascalon is from Philadelphia. In 2006 he founded Brand Ascalon Studio NYN.

    Pillar 01
    Pillar 02
    Pillar 03
    Pillar 04

  • Simplicity.



    Simplicity.



  • Simplicity.



    Simplicity.



  • Kill all the copies

    The following command executed in the windoze cmd will kill all the running instances of IE:

    taskkill.exe /F /IM iexplore.exe /T

    Instant happiness!

  • Kill all the copies

    The following command executed in the windoze cmd will kill all the running instances of IE:

    taskkill.exe /F /IM iexplore.exe /T

    Instant happiness!

  • New beta of Notes 2 is up

    New beta of Notes 2 is up:

    simplesoftware:

    Now with https support and encryption for the Simplenote login info. Get it here.

  • Want not, waste not.

    via Bill Westerman

    Of the 30 million tons of digital junk, about 70% ends up in poor nations. And increasingly, that garbage ends up in West Africa. Countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast get this garbage through illegal imports. This is called digital garbage by importers of semi new but in fact, 80% of computers that arrive there are outdated and broken.

    If such images and information do not compel one to use the technology they have for as long as possible, I don’t know what will. Seriously, go read and look at the rest of the photos. Now! I’ll be here when you get back…

    That shiny new phone you want, you don’t want bad enough yet. That system that is getting “a little slow” is not yet slow enough. Even if it is too slow for you, it is more than most of the world could ever dream of having. Seriously, use your technology until it hurts – badly. Because the pain all of this consumption is bringing to a world that is just beyond yours is immeasurable.

    Then, when you must (and only when you absolutely must), please make sure you reuse (first preference) or recycle all of your technology in the most humane and responsible way possible. Here are just a few of the possibilities:

    • Free Geek – If there is a Free Geek program in your area, consider using it. They are a non-profit organization that will refurbish your electronic equipment and give it new life and use by giving it to those who could not otherwise afford it. Anything they can’t refurbish they recycle according to the strictest standards.

    • Best Buy – Best Buy will take up to three electronic items, per household, per day, for responsible recycling. They do this as no charge for most items (those with screens, TVs, monitors, etc. are charged a nominal fee that is refunded on the spot in the form of a Best Buy gift card). I have done this with many items and it’s a pain free, no questions asked, experience.

    • Apple – When you buy a new Mac, Apple will take your old computer for recycling for free.

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