Lost Gems

Lost Gems

A common problem of working with a digital camera is the number of images you generate over time. The goal of this project is to reduce the size of my photo catalog and hopefully rediscover a few forgotten gems. I will go through the catalog on a regular basis and… read all

When time slows down

When time slows down

The weather was overcast, but we were eager to get out of the house for a little bit of nature and family time. When we arrived at the beach, the sun broke through a layer of clouds. The morning quickly reminded me about my childhood. We spread out the blanket… read all

The Prediction of Everything

The Prediction of Everything

I am just finishing up the work on a new timelapse movie. I shot the first sequence for this film a little over three years ago on a visit to Sequoia National Park. The rest of the clips were captured in Arizona, Utah, Yosemite and Joshua Tree over the last… read all

The Last Man on the Moon, or What It Means to Share

The Last Man on the Moon, or What It Means to Share

I just finished watching The Last Man on the Moon. And now I am trying to understand what it’s like to experience something so rare as walking on the moon. It’s such a profound experience, yet you cannot fully share it with anybody. Where do you begin? Apollo 17 Extravehicular… read all

Making Memories in Germany

Making Memories in Germany

We finally made it to Germany. This trip was long overdue. Traveling with a 16-months-old is exhausting, but seeing my Mom meet Aadi for the first time was all worth it. We spent two weeks in the countryside where I grew up, just outside of Hamburg in Northern Germany. We… read all

Manifestation of a Transformational Year

Manifestation of a Transformational Year

2014 has been a transformational year. The birth of our son, relocation to a new city, closure of one startup adventure, the beginning of another startup journey and the launch of various big design projects. To manifest the transition I have composed a short film of sequences that were shot… read all

Let The Outside In: Graduation Show Preview at the Pasadena Art Center

Let The Outside In: Graduation Show Preview at the Pasadena Art Center

Thursday evening I stopped by at the Pasadena Art Center to get a first look at this term’s Graduation Show. The graduation show features remarkable student accomplishments from a variety of fields in Advertising, Film, Product & Transportation Design to Illustration, Photography, and Imaging among others. Play is the highest… read all

Three Days of Perseid Meteor Shower in 60 Seconds

Three Days of Perseid Meteor Shower in 60 Seconds

Shot on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night in Joshua Tree National Park during a time-lapse workshop.Enjoy the movie: Timelapse of the Perseid Meteor Shower in Joshua Tree Park from Kai Gradert on Vimeo. Please note that not all light trails in the shots are meteors. Some are airplanes crossing the… read all

Recap From the UX Happy Hour in Eagle Rock

Recap From the UX Happy Hour in Eagle Rock

We just wrapped up another UX Happy Hour in Los Angeles and the turnout was fantastic. Here are a few notes and selected photos from last nights UX Happy Hour in Eagle Rock. You can also view the entire set on Flickr. Jon Fox from NELAUX featuring Google Glass. Very… read all

Meteor Shower and Timelapse Workshop in Joshua Tree

Meteor Shower and Timelapse Workshop in Joshua Tree

With photography, as with most everything else in life, half of the battle is being in the right place at the right time. So when I found out about a timelapse workshop in Joshua Tree with Henry Jun Wah Lee, I signed up at the very last minute to make… read all

The Interface Is the Padded Cell

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure to work with Kai Krause on a variety of projects that pushed the creative boundaries and challenged the status quo of interface design. In this rare video clip Kai Krause provides an insight into some of the guiding principles that defined tools such… read all

Create Something That Has Never Been Seen Before

What interest me is to make tools with which people can do images that have never been seen before.<footer> - Kai Krause</footer> As a designer, I encourage you to define a set of guiding principles. They are a valuable tool in your toolset. Strong guidelines will help you through the… read all

How Amazon Is Putting “You” In User Experience

How Amazon Is Putting “You” In User Experience

Last night I placed an order with Amazon at 9:30 pm. This morning the package arrived at 9:30 am. Twelve hours later. Wow! It is this type of user experience that turns customers into loyal brand advocates and evangelists. When people talk about great user experiences, the discussion is often… read all

Got an Idea? Start Coding!

Got an Idea? Start Coding!

How many times are you being pproached with the question: “Do you know a designer or developer who can help me with an incredible idea?” I get this question, at least, a few times a year from friends, acquaintances, business contacts and total strangers. The assumption is that with only… read all

Usability Improvements for Faster & More Predicable Pictures With Google Glass

Usability Improvements for Faster & More Predicable Pictures With Google Glass

The camera has quickly become the stand-out feature for me after using Google Glass (XE6 and XE7) extensively for the past few weeks. The ability to capture hands-free and candid in the moment shots is a strong use case. There are however a few usability improvements that would make taking… read all

If Corporations Are People, Then Act Like People

If Corporations Are People, Then Act Like People

It’s surprising that after all these years some brands still do not understand how to engage with social media. A few days ago my credit card got stolen and charged $1,000 for airlines tickets. Luckily I caught the transaction in time, and my bank was able to cancel the pending… read all

Spreading My Wings With a Little Macro Photography

Spreading My Wings With a Little Macro Photography

My wife and I recently spent a long weekend at a friends cabin in Sierraville, overlooking the vast valley and enjoying quiet time in nature. The perfect opportunity to try out some new photo techniques. For this trip, I rented a telephoto macro lens (Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM).… read all

Getting Started With Siteleaf

Getting Started With Siteleaf

Manage your website in the cloud and publish to your FTP, Amazon S3, or Rackspace Cloud account. Your data is archived forever, independent of our service. Check out this video for a quick introduction to Siteleaf.

Interview With Ev Williams About the Early Days at Blogger & Twitter

Interview With Ev Williams About the Early Days at Blogger & Twitter

Serial entrepreneur Evan Williams talks candidly about his experiences building Blogger, Twitter, and his latest project, Medium. It’s always a pleasure to hear founders speak about their early days. Ev recounts the early days of Blogger and Twitter, shares what he’s learned about how to scale fast-growth products, and explains… read all

I believe in open borders and the freedom to travel, work and live freely anywhere in the world.

Google Glass Review: Wearable Computing Requires Durable Hardware

Google Glass Review: Wearable Computing Requires Durable Hardware

I applied for the Explorer Program with the intention to take Google Glass on a one-week cycling trip down the California coastline. I did. Following is a detailed report on my cycling trip with Google Glass. If you want to skip the full post, here is a quick summary: Google… read all

Cycling from San Francisco to Los Angeles with Google Glass

Cycling from San Francisco to Los Angeles with Google Glass

Last week I joined 2203 riders and 552 roadies on a 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money and awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This year was my second time to participate in the Aids LifeCycle ride, and I was lucky enough to get… read all

Apple TV: Five Core Features Hidden in Plain Sight

Apple TV: Five Core Features Hidden in Plain Sight

With CES is in full swing and the rumor mill running wild about Apple coming out with a TV, it’s time to take a closer look at the current version of Apple TV. I’ve been using Apple TV for the past few years. First in addition to existing services, then… read all

Why Cheers?

Why Cheers?

Sometimes we need a little boost. A simple reminder to “look on the bright side” or “stop and smell the roses”. Sometimes we get so caught up in the daily grind that we forget to be grateful for the little (and not-so-little) things in life. We recently released an update… read all