Launched a little prototype web app for Mason Law Library. This web app was developed for a graduate course (Advanced Web Design) using jQuery Mobile. The purpose of the app is to offer a set of core functions, such as searching for books, chatting with a librarian, connecting to law-related catalogs, that catered to the Law Library patrons. Please note that this is a prototype; therefore, not all features are functional. Read more about the concept of the app.

Stephen Coles’s The Anatomy of Type takes less time to read, but much more to digest. From the terminals to the tails, Coles breaks down the nuances of 100 typefaces with beautiful, comprehensible illustrations. He draws particular attention to the details that make a typeface unique. With a short history of each type and suggestion for what the type is good for, this is a must-have for web and print designers.

Once you’ve mastered The Anatomy of Type, you can pick up Lara McCormick’s Playing With Type to explore various typographic techniques. The book provides 50 experimental guidelines to jumpstart your creativity. The hands-on approaches aren’t limited to just playing with type on the computer. For example, the first experiment, “Ransom Note,” encourages you to cut out types from printed materials and assemble them together as a collage. With simple instructions and well-executed examples, Playing With Type is fun to read and inspiring to apply.

Một lần nữa, Hiền Thục ra mắt một khai thác khá bất ngờ với album mới nhất mang tựa đề Tằm Tháng Năm. Tuy sở trường của Hiền Thục luôn gắn liền với dòng nhạc trẻ, cô có thể chuyên chở thành công các dòng nhạc khác như những ca khúc của Trịnh Công Sơn qua lối hát mộc mạc, xinh xắn nhưng không kém cảm xúc. Phải công nhận rằng càng ngày cách hát của Hiền Thục càng quyến rũ hơn. Chỉ cần nghe lối phát âm rõ ràng và nhẹ nhàng của nàng là đủ phê rồi.

Bí quyết làm mới lại những bài trữ tình trong Tằm Tháng Năm không chỉ qua lối trình diễn trẻ trung trong giọng hát và lối hoà âm mang âm hưởng quê hương đương đại, mà là cách xử lý khéo léo trong ca khúc. Điển hình là bài “Còn Thương Rau Đắng Mọc Sau Hè” của nhạc sĩ Bắc Sơn. Hiền Thục không làm cho nó quá mùi mẫn cũng không quá điệu bộ nên nghe dễ thương mà không đến độ sến. Cô ca giọng Nam ngọt ngào lắm. Với “Ngày Đá Đơm Bông” của Nhật Ngân, Hiền Thục hát giọng Bắc cũng đáng yêu.

Với bài tươi vui “Gặp Nhau Làm Ngơ” của Trần Thiện Thanh, Hiền Thục thật hiện rất có duyên. Tuy nhiên nếu lối hòa âm chỉ giữa chọn điệu swing và đừng chuyển qua dance thì hoàn hảo hơn. Tuy rằng album này có nhiều sơ hở nho nhỏ, rất hoan nghênh tinh thần đổi thay của cô.

Tim Brown, a former colleague and a great friend of mine, had written a little book called Combining Typefaces. Even though the text is quite short, Tim managed to squeeze in invaluable resources for readers to explore further. The e-book format turns out to be quite useful for that task.

One of the advices I take away from the book is to experiment with different types. Nothing wrong with sticking to just one family, “But it also robs us of the opportunity to truly understand why a combination works or doesn’t, and can lead to a false sense of completion.” Tim said, “The task of combining typefaces doesn’t begin or end with any single piece of advice—it is necessarily more complex, and dependent upon a project’s design goals.” I’ll definitely keep that mind when designing my next project.

Thank goodness Trần Thu Hà is not obligated to make poppy shits for Thuy Nga. Although Lệ Buồn Nhớ Mi is billed as a Trần Thu Hà’s album, it actually released under DK (dentist-songwriter Đăng Khánh) Productions, and yet it features some of her best recordings in years. She brings her full vocal range to do the justice to Đăng Khánh’s music.

With “Đừng Gọi Tên Em Nữa,” in particular, she soars, floats, ebbs and flows her voice all over the excellent, lust orchestration courtesy of Hoàng Công Luận, a very low profile producer. In the title track, she reaches the upper register with ease and maneuvers her way around the beautiful arrangement from Thanh Phương with poise and grace. “Biển Sầu Mênh Mông,” “Đêm Trăng Khuya” and “Sàigòn Buồn Cho Riêng Ai” are also outstanding recordings.

It’s a shame that Đăng Khánh didn’t make a whole album of Trần Thu Hà singing his songs. Instead he filled in the rest of the album with male vocalists from Quang Dũng, Nguyên Khang and Elvis Phương. In “Dù Nghìn Năm Qua Đi,” Quang Dũng mispronounced both “Capri” and “Venice”; therefore, he ruined the whole song. Even the sensational bossa-nova-swing arrangement from Hoàng Công Luận couldn’t save the track. He should have learned Tuấn Ngọc’s version before making the record. The different between the master and disciple is that Tuấn Ngọc made those two words alone worth listening to the whole song.

If Đăng Khánh invested more into Trần Thu Hà, he would have created another classic album for himself. For now, Tuấn Ngọc’s Dù Nghìn Năm Qua Đi still stands the test of time. His rendition of “Ta Muốn Cùng Em Say” is a killer.

I did a very thoughtless thing the other night. I clicked on an extremely savage video a friend shared on Facebook. I am still traumatized today. The graphic still stuck in my head. How could a human being do such a thing to another human?

I used to be quite tolerant for graphical violence. I enjoyed violent films because I know that underneath all the gruesome scenes are just fiction. This particular video, however, was not fake. It was captured on a cell phone and it was one of the most horrifying violences I have ever seen.

Now being a father makes me even more sensitive to those things. I almost delete my Facebook account last night, but I am still tied into several admin roles for work and various projects. I won’t be using Facebook much anymore for that reason and I also need to be extremely cautious when clicking on a video even when a friend shared it.

Thanh Ha is obviously in love. Her new release, Mong Manh Tình Về, is the proof. Her heart is not in it even though her lover is collaborated on the album. They rather make something else together than music.

As a result, Mong Manh Tình Về is either romantically sleepy or sleepily romantic. From the opening “Có Đôi Lần” to the sugary “Những Ngày Mưa ” to the sedating title track, Thanh Hà and Roland seem to be rather cuddling under sheets than recording in the studio. No wonder the rope she adorns on the cover is so damn fitting.

Even when conveying anguish in “Giận Anh,” Thanh Hà seems to prefer to just nap it off. Don’t blame her for the dullness in her music. Just congratulate her for being in love. She probably won’t make an exciting record until shit happens. I am suggest that it should. I am just saying.

Our little guy turns four today. Unbelievable how time has flown by. Four years of challenges and fun. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Dao is a very special kid. He’s a quick learner and very sharp. He makes me laugh all the time. The other day, he invented his own vocabulary: “badiculious.” I asked him, what does that mean and he said, “It means not listening.” He went on, “You are badiculious, daddy.”

Last weekend, his mom told him, “Don’t run.” He responded, “I am not running mommy. I am just hopping.” He basically has a counter for everything. Sometimes it’s fun. Sometimes it’s quite exasperating, specially when he threw a tantrum to get what he wanted.

While his development escalating, his behavior is improving slowly. We’re doing our best to give him the freedom to grow, but also keep his attitude under control. Now that the terrible three is behind us, I am looking forward to his fantastic four.

At this point in her career, Ngọc Hạ needs no introduction and if you have been following her work for the past 14 years, her newest release is what you would expect from a smart singer with a powerful voice and versatile styles. Ngày Xưa Hoàng Thị is another solid album with some outstanding arrangements, noticeably from Đồng Sơn. His contemporary-folksy production for “Giận Mà Thương” is unmistakable. His clever use of electric beat with traditional instrument provided a savory backdrop for Ngọc Hạ to lay down her delicious central dialect.

Ngọc Hạ’s take on Diệu Hương’s “Mình Ơi” is another delightful demonstration of her ability to sing in Huế’s accent. Obviously Phạm Duy’s music has a special place in her heart. She carried the title track, “Tóc Mai Sợi Vắn Sợi Dài” and “Em Lễ Chùa Này” with soul and sensation. In fact, the entire album is top-notch as if she wisely picked only the most perfected records. No flaws and fillers are allowed in this album in term of song choice and vocal delivery. A few productions aren’t so great though, particular “Cô Nữ Sinh Ðồng Khánh” (Thu Hồ), which featured very mechanical rhythm section with irritating, fake-ass horn lines.

The main problem with Ngày Xưa Hoàng Thị, as well as her earlier works, is that Ngọc Hạ has yet to master the art of creating an experience. Each track stands out own its own, but collectively they don’t make a coherent album. For example, both “Giận Mà Thương” and “Mình Ơi” put listeners into central zone, the next track, “Paris Có Gì Lạ Không Em” (Ngô Thụy Miên), cuts to the city of love. The sudden change of mood, style and location is quite disorienting. The listening experience would have been much more pleasurable if she narrowed the concept down to just traditional, Huế-centric vibe. I am also surprised that she hasn’t make a Phạm Duy’s album.

As I was leaving my evening class today to celebrate my little birthday with my family, my professor wished me a happy birthday and asked me my age. Truthfully I couldn’t recall my exact age; therefore, I exaggerated a bit and told her that I am fifty. She looked surprised, but believed so.

At this point of my life, I am just thankful to have a loving, supporting family. I am enjoying being a father more than I did a few years ago. I am adapting to the parenting environment. I love spending time with the boys. Each brings a special joy to me. They help me overcome obstacles in life. I am learning not to take myself too seriously, especially in my profession and education.

I am in the process of reconsidering my priorities. I want to simplify my life and have just a few choices rather than everything I want to accomplish. Time slips away way too fast. I need to just narrow down my path and live a worry-free life. I am sure the next thirty five years would go by in a blink of an eye.