Stop motion short about Street View by Google Japan

Adorable and beautifully executed

Visualizing The U.S. Electric Grid – Flash infographic piece on NPR site

NPR has a nice informational feature on their site called Visualizing The U.S. Electric Grid.

“The U.S. electric grid is a complex network of independently owned and operated power plants and transmission lines. Aging infrastructure, combined with a rise in domestic electricity consumption, has forced experts to critically examine the status and health of the nation’s electrical systems.”

Really great way to get a quick understanding of how our electrical system works. The site explains proposed expansions to the system for power generated through coal, nuclear, gas and hydro power plants as well as new lines to transfer power created with solar and wind generators.

Specific information for all major power plants

How much and which types of power each state creates

Existing solar power systems

History of Flight

Whoa, this is rad! Very nicely designed, interactive timeline from Nike Jordan, breaking down Michael Jordan’s career and the “The History of Flight” from 85′ to present. Poke around and check out all the “pop-ups”. I love the illustrations too. Banger.

3D Interface Study

Technological and conceptual developments are slowly making 3D interfaces more useful. This note card sketch study explores some of the existing interfaces that I find most inspiring.

Spectra is a flash interface for viewing MSN content. A swirling circle of stories can be sorted and browsed. The overall impact of the interface is impressive until you try to start using it as a serious news viewing tool. Despite its flaws, Spectra explores some beautiful UI ideas.

Cool Iris is a browser plugin that presents a wall of content that can be scrolled through horizontally. Clicking a piece of content zooms in on it. Cool Iris is an example of a very simple implementation of 3d that creates a new and useful way to browse many types of content.

White Void’s portfolio is getting a little older but it’s my favorite 3d interface to date. It helps that his content is great, too. A simple expanding folder system prominantly displays the current level you are at while maintaining a dimensional view of highger levels to give you constant a sense of where you are in the hierarchy.

GOOD and Prius Achieve Balance

GOOD magazine and Toyota Prius have teamed up on a project called “Road Map to Harmony” that begins to answer how we achieve balance in a world that needs improvement in so many different areas. I received this fold out poster from GOOD the other day and I was superbly impressed. The illustration style is bright and inviting while the info graphics are clear, simple and accessible. We all know that GOOD magazine has a knack for info graphics, but I became really excited  when a friend sent me an online, interactive version of the map. It is informative, friendly and visually sweet. Check it out and play here.