Good morning! welcome to open door design…
Nicked on Google Street View
Monday, June 22nd, 2009 Posted in Google Street Car | No Comments »
Google Street View has come under a lot of stick since it’s launch earlier this year. Mainly from worried individuals that believe that it can only be used for evil, such as burglars planning their escape routes and having the ability to have sticky beak over their high wall perimeter fences.
Well, for once, Google Street Views’ powers have been turned to good capturing a pair individuals just moments before they mugged a helpless Dutch lad on his bike in Groningen last September.
Good result!
Having a Blast!!
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
During one of my many aimless evenings of surfing the web, I came across BBC Blast, a new site that has recently launched to promote talent and creativity.
The site features an impressive art installation housed in the Topolski studio at London’s Southbank Centre where via some very clever web cameras and remote controls you can make an addition to the art installation from your own computer screen. There are 4 machines that can be remotely controlled, ranging from a cool glue gun, paint pellet machine for firing paint at a canvas, printer and hanging light strips that play sounds as they light up all directed from your computer.
For visitors to the Topolski studio, the art is happening in front of them, all controlled by internet users, a fantastic combination of technology and art!
Why not contribute to this impressive project at http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/
Top 10 April Fool’s hoaxes
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5086490/Top-10-April-Fools-hoaxes.html
1. In 1957 the BBC’s Panorama news programme announced that due to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in and many called the BBC asking how they could grow their own spaghetti tree.
2. In 1977 The Guardian newspaper published a special seven-page supplement devoted to San Serriffe, a small republic said to consist of several semi-colon-shaped islands located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles described the geography and culture of the fictional nation, prompting hundreds of calls from readers seeking information about the idyllic holiday destination.
3. In 1980 the BBC reported that Big Ben was to be given a digital readout, in order to keep up with the times. The announcement received a huge response from listeners shocked and angered by the proposed change.
4. In 1989 Richard Branson, the entrepreneur, landed a hot-air balloon on the outskirts of London, which had been made up to look like a flying saucer. Thousands of motorists reported seeing the supposed UFO causing police to rush to the scene only to discover that it was an elaborate hoax devised by the businessman to promote Virgin Records.
5. Last year, the BBC announced that it had captured footage of flying Adélie penguins, while filming near the Antarctic for its natural history series Miracles of Evolution. The report was accompanied by a video clip of the hoax creatures, which became one of the most viewed videos on the internet. Presenter Terry Jones explained that, instead of huddling together to endure the Antarctic winter, these penguins took to the air and flew thousands of miles to the rainforests of South America where they “spend the winter basking in the tropical sun”.
6. In 1998 the fast-food chain Burger King published a full-page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a “Left-Handed Whopper” specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new Whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper, but that they were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. It was reported that thousands of customers fell for the prank and began specifying left or right hand versions of the burger when visiting its restaurants.
7. In 1986 thousands of French citizens were outraged after The Parisien reported that an agreement had been signed to dismantle the Eiffel Tower and have it reconstructed in the Euro Disney theme park.
8. In 2004, the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme announced that the traditional theme tune to The Archers was to be scrapped in favour of a new electronic version by Brian Eno.
9. In 1976, Patrick Moore told Radio 2 listeners that, at precisely 9.47am that day, an unusual alignment of the planets would lessen the Earth’s gravitational pull, so that anyone who jumped in the air would feel a strange floating sensation. Hundreds phoned in to say they had experienced the phenomenon.
10. In 1994, BMW continued its tradition of running hoax adverts on April Fool’s by touting the latest advancement for its cars – pivoting convex lasers mounted in front of each wheel to melt ice and snow on the road.
The future of lunch time
Friday, March 27th, 2009 Posted in office | No Comments »
The Pizza vending machine, personally, I think this is one of the best inventions of all time….
Leeds Design Agency on the Google Map
Thursday, March 19th, 2009 Posted in Google Street Car, office | No Comments »
Today saw the launch of Google Maps Street View for Leeds, it’s been a while since we saw the Google Car driving ’round our streets.
Now you can see where we are, there’s no excuses, we’d love to see you for a cuppa or to drop in and discuss your next design project.
Open Door Design - Leeds Design Agency
Take a look at Google Street View for Brown Lane West in Leeds
Google Latitude – the next Proximity Marketing tool?
Friday, February 6th, 2009 Posted in Online, Proximity Marketing | No Comments »
Yesterday Google launched the eagerly awaited mobile application ‘Google Latitude’, a Big Brother like tracking tool that you can install on your mobile phone to enable your friends, family, employers to find out where you are, accurate to some minutes and metres.
It’s a nifty bit of a kit and as you’ll see from the pictures it’s tracked me to my desk in the office.
So what’s the point of this? Well, currently it’s a great way of finding your friends and where they are, or you could keep track of your kids to make sure they’re where they say they are etc.
From a commercial point of view, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than installing vehicle tracking for trucks and vans, or for businesses where they want to keep track of their employees; however, I’m sure that a commercial / fuller featured version will come out in due course with a price tag to match.
And you can bet your life that Google won’t have missed a future trick with this type of technology. I reckon it’ll only be a matter of time before, much the same as sponsoring pay per click terms with adverts; we’ll be able to sponsor regions and co-ordinates in locations to prompt you of services in your region. Could this be the future of Proximity Marketing?
Could I be famous?
Monday, December 15th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Just recently, I made a bit of a eejit of myself by getting a bit excited about a Vauxhall Astra driving passed the office with a big camera strapped to the roof. The guys in the studio really had no idea what was so amazing about this car, but there’s a real good chance I’ve just immortalised myself in the virtual Google history books.
Maybe you’re familiar with Google Maps or other online Maps? Very soon, the UK will have caught up with Australia, New Zealand and parts of America with their very own street view maps, compiled by Google. So how does it work? Well, it’s very simple, this Vauxhall Astra with the cameras strapped to the roof is driving up and down every street in the UK taking 360 degree still images every couple of yards. Once compiled you’ll be able to travel down any street in the UK and have a look around.
Click here to check out the amazing street scenes from Sydney
Hopefully in a few months time, when you search for Brown Lane West in Leeds, you’ll see me standing on the corner waving at the car like an eejit!
Back to business
Monday, October 6th, 2008 Posted in Online, Personal Lives, Proximity Marketing, Travel, Wake Boarding, Work | No Comments »
I’ve been back a while from my fantastic trip to Croatia and I’m still revelling from what an awesome trip it was and can highly recommend taking a boat out for a week in the sun. Not quite the boat that Dean likes to play in, but none the less one of the guys still managed to get a wakeboard off the back!!
So, back to work. We’ve had an interesting couple of weeks since I came back with some really good ideas starting to evolve from the online side of the business. We’re starting to develop some products relating to “proximity marketing” using blue tooth technologies, it’s a little bit hush hush at the mo but as soon as we’re ready to launch it we’ll have a lot more to tell you.
Our resident programming guru, Chris, is polishing off our spangly new and improved online tools which really rock! The new Content Management System has been greatly improved and we’re really looking forward to applying this to the new builds we’re on with at the moment.
This weekend coming I’m heading off to the Lakes to meet up with some University chums for a bit of walking, boozing and no doubt some shenanigans, fingers crossed for some good weather!
The joys of mobile wifi
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 Posted in Online, Personal Lives | No Comments »
“A blog is a fantastic way of us giving our clients an insight to our lives and give the client and idea of what some of the guys get up to in their spare time..” Me and my big mouth! (Just kidding).
So here’s a little bit about me, I head up the Online team at Open Door Design, this in effect is a bit of a geeky role, but I thoroughly enjoy my geeky nature and all the things it allows me to do. It’s great being able to work doing something that you enjoy so much, every day has its new challenges and there are always plenty of new things to learn to keep up to speed. To give you an idea about what I mean, I am currently writing this on a yacht in Croatia, island hopping the Adriatic Sea. The weather is fantastic and I’m getting the opportunity to sail to the most amazing places, but not without my laptop and mobile WIFI!
Next time I’ll sort a few pics from my hols and I’ll get down to business with some industry articles too that I think you will enjoy. For now, I’m off back on deck to steer the boat into Dubrovnik.
