Alex Kontis (Page 2)

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Two soundscape apps

Two soundscape apps

I spend most days of the week with headphones on editing podcasts [https://www.sonics.io] so when I’m not working I’ll try to unwind by reading. However, I struggle with near silence so I’ll use one of these two apps to help me focus. The first

A couple of tips for learning languages with Duolingo

A couple of tips for learning languages with Duolingo

If you couldn't tell by my last name I'm half Greek. Γειά σου 👋 My dad is the Greek one of my parents but since I was born and have lived in England my entire life I’ve never actually taken to learning Greek. It would certainly

What I've been listening to lately

What I've been listening to lately

Yesterday A Winged Victory For The Sullen [https://www.awvfts.com] released a new album and I've had it on repeat over the last 24 hours and I was listening to it when I wrote my post for yesterday [https://www.alexkontis.co.uk/blog/2019/11/1/

November blogging challenge

November blogging challenge

In a recent email from Shawn Blanc [https://shawnblanc.net] he outlined how he was going to be blogging every day for the entirety of November and I thought “Hey I can give that a go too.” His parameters weren’t grand; no word counts, set content formats, or post

Apple, Spotify, and Podcast Discovery

Apple, Spotify, and Podcast Discovery

Do a quick Google search for “podcast discovery” and you’ll come across lists of show recommendations, newsletters to subscribe to, and even podcasts about podcasts. All are valiant attempts at solving one of the biggest problems for podcast listeners — discovery — which so far no one has been able to

Amazon Key makes complete sense for Amazon

Amazon Key makes complete sense for Amazon

On first impressions the Amazon Key [https://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Amazon-Key-In-Home-Kit/dp/B00KCYQGXE/] system has the potential to be the second creepiest product that the company has released in recent times—the Amazon Look [https://www.amazon.com/Hands-Free-Camera-Assistant-Alexa-opinion/dp/B0186JAEWK] takes first prize in that category. If you’ve

Sound Design for Digital Product Designers: A Collection of Resources

Sound Design for Digital Product Designers: A Collection of Resources

Sound is often overlooked and underappreciated in digital products when it has the ability to greatly enhance the experience of these products. If sound is implemented well it can communicate important information to users. This can be in conjunction with a visual or even as a substitute for it altogether.

Where’s The Audio On Facebook?

Where’s The Audio On Facebook?

Facebook’s F8 developer conference this year introduced us to their 10 year plan which, in short, includes lasers, satellites, bots, and more. One of the lesser talked about points that Mark Zuckerberg touched on in his keynote was accessibility in the main Facebook product. He highlighted machine learning and

Sound Design Studies: Wunderlist

Sound Design Studies: Wunderlist

Wunderlist doesn’t need much introduction. It’s one of the leading to-do and task manager apps, and was recently acquired by Microsoft in the summer of 2015. It’s easy to attribute part of its success to the fact that, at its core, the product has remained the same

Sound Can Be Sketched Too

Sound Can Be Sketched Too

Sound is an inherently abstract and ephemeral medium. Yet the ways in which we try to convey the ideas we have when discussing it are equally, if not just as, abstract. The challenge comes in trying to translate something that you’ve heard and communicate it through a different medium

Rumours of Skeuomorphism’s Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Rumours of Skeuomorphism’s Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

The era of Scott Forstall’s green felt poker table and leather-bound yellow notepad has now passed and is fading into the rear view mirror. Long live Jony Ive’s glass palace of translucence or Google’s Material Design pack of cards, as you see fit. > Skeuomorphism has become