Often, I’ll flag a story for discussion or posting and then forget about the article.   Here’s such an article.   A couple months ago, The Unofficial Apple Weblog published a very interesting story detailing the timeline of the iPhone:

The only applications loaded in by default were SMS, Calendar, Photos, Camera, Calculator, Stocks, Maps, Weather, Notes, Clock, Phone, Email, Safari, iPod and Settings. While the list may seem impressive typed out, there weren’t even enough applications to fill the whole screen. There certainly weren’t the 50,000 applications that are available today.

Steve Jobs and company told us from the beginning there wouldn’t be an SDK. Instead developers were encouraged to write web apps, taking advantage of the iPhone’s great mobile browser. Obviously people weren’t happy with this arrangement, and jailbreakers (including our own Erica Sadun) got to work shoehorning in native applications with no help or documentation from Apple.

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us iPhone geeks next summer!

…for packaging design, at least.   I found these a while back at Waldbaum’s.   The minimalism is striking compared to your average national brand.

The New York Times last week released an awesome, and I do mean awesome, interactive graph of how people spend their day.   You can break-down the graph by group (e.g. men, women, age, etc.) and isolate specific activities (e.g. work, sleep, computer use, etc.).   I learned that at 11:10pm, 1% of Americans are using their computer and 66% are sleeping.   I’m about to join the latter.

(Nod: Lifehacker)

I heard about this a while back, but recently, I finally saw for myself the special summer packaging for Ritz crackers and Oreo cookies at Target.   This packing is both retro and sparse.   How fun!

Ritz crackers (regular packaging on left, special packaging on right):

Oreo cookies (normal left, retro right):

Pizza Hut recently launched a free iPhone app.   A really cool iPhone app:

I downloaded it and, after I had to sign up for an account on PizzaHut.com, played around with the app.   Very impressive and fun to use.   The ad says the app is a “revolution in mobile ordering.”   I agree, and I’d love to see more of this.

(Nod: Lifehacker)

I learned something new about my Mac tonight.   While I was reading an article online, I wanted a quick way to look up the meaning of “fiat.”   I knew that in Safari, if you highlight a word and right-click, an option in the resulting menu allows you to look that work up in the native dictionary app:

Also, with a highlighted word in Safari, you can choose Safari > Services> Look Up in Dictionary:

But I’m using Firefox, and in Firefox, neither of these options are available.   I learned by experimenting, though, that I could highlight a word and then drag it to the dictionary app icon in my dock.   The dictionary opens up and reveals the definition of my word.   I love finding little usability gems.   Put this one on the list.

Last August, Stop & Shop unveiled a new identity:

Curiously, though, none of the store-brand items in either of the two Stop & Shop stores I stop and shop in adopted this new branding.   I don’t know if other stores in more heavily-shopped areas adopted the new branding sooner, but finally this week, when I was milk shopping, I noticed the Stop & Shop milk jugs were rebranded (old design on the left, new on the right):

Here’s a closeup of the new label:

The cartons have been redesigned as well:

And:

A quick check on the other Stop & Shop items in the dairy case yielded one more find:

The new packaging finally makes use of the Stop & Shop rebrand, and the simplification and unification of the visual elements on the packaging offer a greater sense of visual unity and cohesion with the brand.

I hope this cohesion is extended to their line of shredded cheese because it’s a mess:

…as compared to this:

I snapped this at work last month.   Never a good sign when the men’s room says “danger do not enter”!

I was first introduced to someecards a couple years ago by a friend in grad school (thanks Gloo!), but I was recently reminded of them by a CNN article highlighting funny-haha websites.   Someecards are like your normal ecards, but the sayings on their ecards are part-funny and part-biting-satire with a healthy dose of inappropriateness thrown in and an occasional sprinkle of political wit.

From their website:

Someecards.com is possibly to probably the best site on the Web for free, funny ecards. We have greeting cards for every occasion-from important to utterly pointless. Send greetings for apology, birthday, baby, breakup, congratulations, encouragement, farewell, flirting, friendship, get well, sympathy, thanks, thinking of you, wedding, workplace, and holidays like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We suggest you e-mail them to friends, family, coworkers, loved ones, liked ones, and anyone else with fingers.

This one from Independence Day:

This one from around Michael Jackson’s, Farrah Fawcet’s, and Ed McMahon’s death (not to mention the world events the ecard speaks of):

This one is a popular birthday ecard:

This one a popular workplace ecard:

This one from last year’s presidential election:

This one from a recent Appalachian Trail hiking trip:

And finally this one about Obama:

InstantShift has a very interesting article with excellent supporting images and commentary on the evolution of 20 corporate logos.

(Nod: @LogoDesignLove)

Easily one of the best fast-food advertisement campaigns and, of course, in honor of the little dog, too:

(Photo: LA Times)

Recently, the Hall of Presidents attraction at Disney World was updated to include President Obama.   Historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin was consulted by the Disney Imagineers for historical accuracy.   Here’s a bit on the making of the updated attraction:

And here’s a behind-the-scenes video of recording Obama:

Disney Insider writes:

There are many more additions to the show to see. For one, now George Washington speaks, for the first-time ever at the Hall of Presidents, delivering a historic address inspired by a speech he gave on the occasion of his second inauguration, when he described his feelings about being elected by the people to be the first president. And the show now concludes with a choir singing “America the Beautiful”-a moment guaranteed to put a lump in the throats of Guests.

In addition, Pam [Fisher, the Senior Show Writer and Director for the Hall of Presidents] explains, Imagineers have taken the opportunity to give the show its first facelift and sprucing up since 1993. “All the costumes have been refreshed, and some beards and wigs have been replaced. We’re using new digital systems-including video projection, the lighting system, and the show control system. We even have new curtains!”

Finally, here’s the show:

(Nod: Ben)