iWant. iNeed. iMust.

Ravenous are the technological nerds.

Yesterday's iPhone 4S reveal has seen a blow-back in terms of positive feedback in the internet world and blogosphere. Turns out coming out with a new phone packed to the gills with upgrades is a bad thing. Is this what kind of society we live in? Is this the legacy we want to leave for future generations? That once a year has passed, that new "thing" you spent hundreds of dollars on is old hat? Honestly, how spoiled does that sound?

Nowadays, people expect anticipate too much, invest all their eggs in one rumor basket, and expect these tech companies to cater to their every demand: "Faster! Smaller! Bigger! Cheaper!" Have we as a collective society become overly materialistic? I'm afraid to say that we have. It no longer matters that we're taking huge strides in technology and can bask in it for a while. No, new technology is more or less already irrelevant as soon as it's announced. Could you imagine is this state of mind existed during the moon landing? Once Buzz Aldrin's foot lifted off the moon's surface for the first time, we'd already be calling it old news, and wish they would've shot him to Jupiter instead.

What we should be taking away from yesterday's iNouncement is pure awe. Just because it doesn't look different does not make it something to casually pass over. This is Apple we're talking about; they rarely make stuff that falls short. Faster CPU & GPU. More storage. A far more superior camera. Heaps of new and innovative features with the new iOS5. And not to mention an enormously impressive voice controlled personal assistant called Siri. Yes, all this is packed into the same old casing as last year, but really who cares? Apple's not stupid, so stop acting as such.

Be well,


Image: Ian Kahn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


EDIT (10/7):
This post couldn't have been more ironically posted, seeing as how Steve Jobs passed away in the evening following the original post. His brilliance and utter genius will be genuinely missed throughout the entire technology industry, as well as here at Printed Specialties. May his legacy live on through his numerous contributions to the modern world and his general creative and 'magical' attitude. In his immortal words, "Stay hungry, stay foolish."

Some Stop-Animation Fun

Here is Printed Specialties' latest YouTube video, posted yesterday afternoon.





I've always wanted to create such a video, and yesterday I finally had my chance! It was a painstakingly tedious project, but fun and unique.
Enjoy! Oh and share with all your pals!
Be well,



PS. To view our YouTube page and our other videos, click here.

Fare Thee Well Books?

Last week I saw a commercial for the Kindle, which is now touting a hot and fresh reduced price tag of $99. Now I don't have anything against the Kindle; if I read more I myself would probably own one. I do however own an iPad, but I don't use it for reading. I also do not believe the Kindle is killing publishing. People still enjoy the tangible nature of a book or a magazine over digital flipping for the time being. My only beef with this commercial is the way in which they seemed to degrade the greatness of a common bookstore. Advert to follow...




While not an outright slam on bookstores, the suggestive nature of the brick and mortar warehouse of books being unimportant and eventually becoming irrelevant is what comes through to me.

Such a shame.

This past weekend I drove past a Border's bookstore in my hometown that had been there for the past 15+ years. This time, there was a huge "STORE CLOSING FOREVER" sign across the front of the building with several other "EVERYTHING MUST GO" signs strewn about. This was a gigantic store on the corner of a very busy intersection, and who knows what's going to replace it now. I remember hanging out at the bookstore in high school for no particular reason. Sitting around at the in-store coffee shop, relaxing in an over-stuffed chair reading various magazines and books. And now this store will be gone forever quite soon.

Is this generation pushing out the classic bound book? I certainly hope not, and don't necessarily think so. If you look at any IKEA advertisement or catalog spread of a living room or bedroom, there's always bookshelves abound that are positively filled to the brim with books (whether they are real or not is questionable.) I have always wanted a massive bookshelf stuffed with books, and not just for show or decorative flair or for using one inconspicuous book as a switch-lever for entrance to a secret room, but to actually read them and use them for reference! While I understand that places going out of business and liquidating assets is a common occurrence these days, it is still a shame to see a landmark of my youth disappear.

Ahh, a classic.

I hope the seemingly dying appeal of books, which single-handedly propelled human civilization from the caves to the 'burbs, will recoil and bounce back. Not simply because I myself am in the publishing and printing industry, but because books hold a special place in the formation of modern society, and seeing that vanish would be a terrible (however unlikely) sight. If Hollywood needs to do a reboot, they should do The Pagemaster (remember that one?!), to make books seems somewhat exciting again!
Be well,