Hasta La Ideas

The Rotman School of Management dedicates its winter issue (pdf) to wicked problems, a concept not unknown to futuregazers. Jeff Conklin of the CogNexus Institute once characterized wicked problems as follows:

The problem is not understood until after formulation of a solution.
Stakeholders have radically different world views and different frames for understanding the problem.
Constraints and resources to solve the problem change over time.
The problem is never solved.

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Here are three iPhone apps specifically of use to environments designers:

The $0.99 Converter lets you quickly convert metric to Imperial, and vice versa. The $1.99 Dimensions gives you a series of on-screen measuring devices, like a ruler, tape measure, calipers, and a level. Lastly, the more full-featured $9.99 Mark on Call lets you lay out floorplans, measure distances, and handily uses the iPhone’s camera to let you photograph a texture/pattern that you can “skin” objects with on-screen.

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I still remember my first electric guitar. I’d plug that shiny black Strat knockoff into my little red single-channel amp, crank that sucker to eleven, and let her rip. Jamming along with songs on the radio or my favorite tapes and CDs was fun, but it wasn’t long before I was disappointed with the sounds I got out of that amp.

For the next decade, I battled an affliction that plagues many hobbyists known as G.A.S. — Gear Acquisition Syndrome — a compulsive pursuit of the shiny brand new. Amps, guitars, pedals, effects boards, speaker cabinets. I wanted anything that I thought might help me find that perfect tone to let me rip like Slash or groove like Stone. I don’t even dare to think about how much time and money I must have spent buying all that stuff, lugging it around and storing it over all those years.

Thankfully, most of that stuff is gone now. When I record at home, I use Apple’s Logic Studio which does a reasonable job of replacing all of that equipment I bought, sold, and lost over the years. It’s a pro software bundle at an amateur price, though there’s definitely a learning curve. Logic Studio may be for the advanced user, but Apple hasn’t forgotten about the beginners.

By now, most Mac users know about GarageBand. Apple has included it as standard software on every new Mac since 2004, and each year it gets better. The new iLife ‘09 suite updates GarageBand with several exciting new features that will help beginner, and even advanced, guitarists keep their hobby clutter-free.

Apple added more guitar sounds and effects, and an intuitive new interface that lets you visually tweak your “rig” without the cost and clutter of buying tons of equipment. Add pedals or switch out entire amps with a click of the mouse.

“Basic Lessons” help you learn new songs at your own pace, complete with a backing band, while “Artist Lessons” let you learn your favorites from the original artist. Pretty cool.

They look like microphones, but they’re actually speakers: The Music Balloon is a USB-chargeable portable speaker that plugs into any headphone jack. We like the minimal form-follows-function factor. And though this playful take on speakers may look like a toy, they’ll run you $76.

via geek alerts

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Brasileirismos, or Brazil-isms, is admittedly a redundant theme for the already distinctly Brazilian collections at the Winter 2009 edition of São Paulo Fashion Week, which ended last Friday. The biggest change, compared to past seasons, was the massive influx of international journalists flown in (including our own Ami Kealoha and Greg Mitnick; video forthcoming) to provide coverage of an event whose organizers are pushing for it to stay on the fashion map.

2nd Floor was strong all around (above). Taking inspiration from the 40’s and 50’s era of aviation, the result as a romantic collection of skirts with plane appliques, bomber jackets and schoolboy looks.

Do Estilista bounced back to form after last season’s fantasy-fueled outfits. This year designer Marcelo Sommer used prints taken off tiles and dishrags from Holland (above).

The Cavalera show took on a mysticism and folklorism inspired by an annual festival that takes place on the Brazilian Amazonian island of Paratins. Animal prints appeared among colorful, saturated pieces (below left).

Oestudio came through again with their expected element of surprise, integrating social commentary into fashion. This year they seemed to criticize society’s tendency to turn a blind eye to serious issues (above right).

Always intriguing and fascinating, Osklen‘s collection used cotton sweatsuit material to create rather conceptual pieces. Playing with volume and unexpected pinnings created interesting silhouettes. Proving that function need not come at the cost of appeal, I especially enjoyed their rubber items (above).

Also on Cool Hunting SPFW Summer 2009 and SPFW Winter 2008.