#1: Rich Corinthian Leather
from Welcome to Macintosh on April 14, 2015
Episode summary from Pots:
When I saw my social feeds recommending this new show, I thought "Just what we need... another Apple podcast." This one, however, is a terrifically produced first episode that is 100% worth listening to. This particular entry covers the rise and fall of skeuomorphs at Apple, specifically the influence of "rich corinthian leather" and how textures fell into heavy use in early Macs. Guest Dave Wiskus gives an excellent overview of skeuomorphic design, focusing on user interfaces Apple has created over the years. An apt analogy is made comparing heavily skeuomorphic digital interfaces to 1990s popular music -- specifically looking at the way grunge was received by some critics ("no talent, noise") versus how various grunge bands found success playing on MTV's Unplugged series (stripped down and intimate, though it was the same songs). Good first episode, I recommend it.
Episode highlights:
- 5:46 – Comparison between skeuomorphic design and grunge music. Specifically, the skeuomoprhs ("sugar") and the core interaction behind them -- these being compared, respectively, to the production-heavy "noise" of grunge music and the core musical talent that is indeed there (as heard in the MTV Unplugged series with bands such as Nirvana).
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