The Disquieting Muse

With the internet becoming an increasingly dominant aspect of our everyday lives, the World Wide Web is beginning to change dramatically. Not only are we witnessing changes in terms of the way the internet looks aesthetically, but the way it feels for the user as more and more websites become interactive or ‘dynamic’. This shift in focus is causing a decline in the do-it-yourself style of website building that used to be so common in the 90s era of basic HTML coding, and calls for a new generation of highly skilled, and carefully pragmatic web designers. This article is going to examine three of the world’s leading Digital Agencies, to take a look at the way they’re helping to shape the internet as we know it today.

First off, the home-grown agency known interestingly as MessageForce. This organisation prides itself on being able to carry out any number of marketing strategies. Providing it takes place in the digital medium, they have the knowledge and the experience to make it happen. This all-round holistic approach to internet marketing has earned them a reputation as one of Australia’s leading website design firms. The screen shot below should give you an idea as to why this is.

Another exciting Digital Agency making waves internationally are these guys. WebCreationUK have found a way to make simple, easy to use designs affordable to everybody. Their designs are attractive, functional, and they just work! We’ve taken a small sample of some of their best to share with you below.

Last but not least, this exciting web design team is creating quite a stir in America. The aptly-named American Web Design boasts a combined 25 years experience in the industry, and has created literally thousands of unique and up-to-the-minute websites, leaving their clients more than satisfied time after time. Unfortunately we can’t show you their designs on our blog due to copyright issues, but you can see the designs for yourself here.

Well that’s our post on we design. We know you’ve been waiting a long time to hear our thoughts on the subject so we hope that’s left you satisfied. Until next time from the Disquieting Muse!

The Future of Vending Machines looks bright as Intel was showing of their new augmented reality display at Digital Signage World in Sydney last weekend. The impressive vending machines have a large resistive touchscreen , an inbuilt camera and has also the ability to connect to wireless networks over 3G , Wifi or Wimax.

One of the most impressive functions of the vending machine is the large digital display screen which can be used to showcase advertising as the machines camera will recognize when nobody is within a 10 foot radius and will automatically display the advertising screen.The ads will disappear if somebody was to enter 3 foot proximity to the vending machine and it will be replaced by a touchscreen menu to purchase the contents of the machine. The user can scroll through the products using the large digital touchscreen , with vibrant backgrounds changing depending on what product the user has currently highlighted.

The demo machine then used a smart cashcard to make the required payment before the drink was released.

The vending machine is also unique compared to the rest of the market as the wireless connectivity allows the companies the option to be able to monitor the machines , allowing contents to be filled when only they are empty instead of regular basis whether they are empty or not.The camera also uses face detection technology to determine the sex and age of the user, which can be then used to appeal to advertisers.

The vending machines are already available in Japan and have become a huge success and should be arriving in Australia soon.

The Disquietingmuses.com is a quarterly webzine publishing pieces on poetry, literature, design and artwork. It is also a magazine of poetry and visual art with verve. They present poems and visual art with different authors and creators all over the world.
They help to elevate appreciation for the work of our contributors, and to serve our readers by offering, without charge, a magazine filled with the most interesting poetry available to us
As of today – June 2001– ten issues of poetry, art, and the occasional review so far (Feb/May/Aug/Nov 99; Feb/May/Aug/Nov 2000; Feb/May 2001/) after the resurrection of the magazine in February 1999. Interested folk can read about this in Dancing Bear’s Letter from the Editor

Poets featured range from Dorianne Laux, Michaela A. Gabriel, Wendy Videlock Adrienne Lee, James Lineberger, Pooja Mittal, Janet I. Buck, Lyn Lifshin to C.E. Chaffin, Julie Damerell, Joy Harjo, John Carle, and Robert Sward. The latest issue, May 2001, features poems by Robley Wilson, Jane Hirshfield, Len Anderson, Glenda Cooper, Tom Fugalli, Ellery Akers, Idra Novey, and Garth Greenwell.
When asked what distinguishes Disquieting Muses from other zines, Dancing Bear had this to say: “Well, I could say we appreciate a good lyric, but so do other zines. I could say we appreciate imagery, but so do other zines. I could say we like a little surrealism, ellipticism, classicism, et cetera, but so do other zines. If pressed we might say that one of the qualities we’re proud of is scope; we publish a wide range of styles and topics. If it’s good, interesting writing, if it’s good poetry, if it’s good to all of our editors, it’s in. I don’t think we can quite be categorized; maybe that implies a certain editorial open-mindedness?
According to its Submissions and Award Guideline pages, Disquieting Muses cautions writers “not [to] interpret our name to imply a preference for anything other than the highest quality writing possible. Our only preference is for work that is well-written and interesting to read. We consider all reasonable topics and styles. That said, however, we’d like to especially encourage submissions that are lyrical, imagistic, or slightly surreal.”

The Australian International Design Awards began to request entries for this year’s event last September. Not surprisingly, the participants for the prestigious event delivered. 42 winners, all of which underwent careful scrutiny from the very watchful eyes of the experts, were announced in Sydney, June 4.

Before an entry can be considered for the event, the product must meet the following requirements:

a) they must be submitted by Australian or international designers or manufacturers and,
b) they must be made for sale, either in Australia or overseas.

Once entries have passed these requirements, the products are then judged on several design factors, including environmental sustainability, visual appeal, functionality, and innovation.

As mentioned, 42 entries were given the honor of receiving an award at this year’s event. In addition, 69 entries were also awarded the Design Mark in recognition of their excellent designs.

Of the 42 winners, the most notable to receive the coveted prize were: M8 Intensive Care, who produced a hospital intensive bed designed by Howard Wright, a New Zealand-based company. Attention to detail, ease of use, and safety were heavily contributing factors, all of which were exhibited by the NZ winner and it’s no wonder it bagged the top prize. Other Design Award winners included the OPTILINE™ Sheep Drenching system – designed by Simcro and Novartis Animal Health, A Cochlear™ Nucleus 5 implant System – designed by Cochlear and Blue Sky Design Group, A Baby Jogger City Mini Single stroller – designed by Baby Jogger, and the Lean+Green Lightweight Wine bottle – designed by O-I Australia.

In another category, the Enviromesh, a sturdy and lightweight alternative to concrete reinforcement bagged the Sustainable Design Award for this year’s event. Designed by Infinty Design Development, a product development consultancy based in Queensland, for OzSafe Industries,the Environmesh improves the longevity of concrete structures, and is likely to cause a huge impact in the world of industrial construction.

Another designer worthy of note is Liam Ferguson, who claimed the James Dyson Design Student’s award for his Mamtoya vehicle, designed to efficiently defend against bushfire incidents. His prototype is pictured below:

The 2010 Australian International Design Awards is a great way for participants to get media exposure, claim credibility, and quite possibly gain print and online promotions. With this year’s turn out, it would be no surprise to see even more incredible designs at next year’s event in 2011.

For more information, please feel free to visit www.designawards.com.au.