I don’t wear ties very often, but if this Space Invaders tie were in my closet, I’d definitely dress up more often—and I’d pay top dollar if the blue were 0×007998.

via Design Fetish

Art Lebedev Studio introduced a mug that displays the bars of a battery gauge if the drink within is hotter than 96.8º, and I need to have it.

via LikeCOOL

I’ve been asked to be a guest on DesignChat tonight. The discussion will revolve around spring, coffee table books, and Matryoshka dolls. And since it’s live with a chatroom below the feed, you can chime in and ask a question or two. Join us here at 9pm EST.

Since the beginning, Twitter has supported Basic Auth as a form of authentication. On June 30th, however, they plan to pull the plug. If you’re unfamiliar with authentication processes, Basic Auth involves attaching the user’s username and password to a request header. It’s as simple as can be for developers, but not exactly safe for users. Although many developers wouldn’t even consider tampering with a user’s account, the dark side still lingers.

Because of this, OAuth was introduced to keep users’ passwords out of 3rd party hands. Instead, an access token is given to the 3rd party for each user. With it, they can call any of the methods in the API that Basic Auth could, but users can feel safe knowing only Twitter holds their passwords. Though this sounds all well and good, it certainly has its downsides.

For one, the login process isn’t as smooth—for both the user and the developer. This diagram compares the user experience of Basic Auth versus OAuth. As you can see, OAuth is a bit long-winded. It’s even worse for the 3rd party. They bear the burden of encoding and signature parsing. From a user experience standpoint, the worst part of the OAuth process lies in the last three steps. Twitter is not a bank. Requiring the user to copy, paste, and authenticate a pin adds three unnecessary steps.

Prior to DestroyTwitter, I developed DestroyFlickr, which authenticates with Flickr to access its API. This process involves entering a username in the app, which opens Flickr.com, asks you to login if you haven’t already, then verifies that you’d like to authorize this app. Finally, return to the app and you’re good to go.

Now, Twitter does have an alternative authentication method—xAuth. Imagine if Basic Auth and OAuth had a baby. The process is the same for the user as Basic Auth, but the 3rd party is given an access token, just like with OAuth. There’s one problem—it still divulges the user’s password to the 3rd party, just like Basic Auth. Even though Twitter says, “Storage of Twitter usernames and passwords is forbidden,” this single sentence isn’t going to stop a malicious 3rd party from exploiting users.

Let’s look at one last issue that arises with OAuth. For Twitter app developers, how do you authenticate with services like Twitpic?—with the user’s username and password. If the 3rd party can’t store users’ credentials, it’s impossible for them to authenticate with the service. Unless Twitter releases this proposed echo method with enough time to implement, you will either see a massive drop in Twitter service usage or Twitter app developers will ignore the no-storage rule and put us back at square one.

Keep in mind, a lot can change between now and June. Let’s hope Twitter improves the user experience by removing the need for a pin. Let’s look forward to a way to communicate with services without sharing users’ credentials. With enough of a heads-up, June 30th will just be another day. If, however, Twitter makes a change in the eleventh hour, we might see a number of frantic developers.

[update] – Twitter updates OAuth docs to prepare developers for June.

Over on Etsy, you can pick up a handmade rotary phone base for your iPhone. I have no idea why anyone would pay $195 for this, but considering it’s sold out, there must be some sort of explanation.

via Gizmodo

I felt a bit sluggish today due to a late start this morning and the dead weather here in Baltimore. As a pick-me-up, I messed around with a few of Photoshop CS5′s new features. One of the more useful tools I came across is the Mixer Brush, which is like the Smudge tool but smarter and more painterly. After a few minutes of use, I could tell this will be huge with the touch-up crowd. If you’ve seen some of my photography on DestroyEveryday, you know I’m more drawn to emphasizing details however gruesome they may be, but I thought I’d try the reverse with the photo above. The Mixer Brush was used on the right side while the other side was left untouched.

On another note, I’m considering a weekly Photoshop post to keep me active with it since I’ve been pretty neglectful lately—”Photoshop Friday” has a catchy sound to it. And if I start this and keep it going, should I include the process?

These cards are pretty clever and they are designed by San Francisco’s own Yellow Owl Workshop. I came across the cards at Upon A Fold, where a pack is a solid $8, but you can buy direct from YOW and get them for a smooth $4.50 (or 5 for $18).

via Ufunk

Lying flat, the iPad takes up a surprising amount of space, especially if you’re low on desk real-estate. Situating it parallel to your display also saves your neck. After looking around, it seems there are two options: purchase an insanely overpriced iStand or pull a McGyver and fashion one out of cardboard. I’ve been content with the latter, but I came across this Lifehacker post that lists a few alternatives. Most of them lie under the makeshift category, but the first one caught my eye. Originally designed to hold books upright, the Fellowes Study Stand is perfect for the iPad and only $4.99 on Buy.com—free shipping too.

When CFL bulbs first came out, everyone was blown away that they could last seemingly forever in comparison to the old-fashioned incandescent bulbs, all the while using less energy. Well, GE has just unveiled a new LED bulb that boasts 77% energy savings over incandescent bulbs and lasts 25 times longer—3 times longer than CFL bulbs. To put this in perspective, the general manager of GE Lighting said, “This is a bulb that can virtually light your kid’s bedroom desk lamp from birth through high school graduation.” On top of that, it looks just like Xayide’s palace from Neverending Story 2.

via Design You Trust

Anyone who owns a laptop knows the pain and suffering that comes from a lack of USB ports. I, myself, rely on the additional USB ports on the external display as well as a USB octopus. Even then, I don’t have enough. Lucky for us, the world is full of creative industrial designers who come up with perfect solutions, like InfiniteUSB. Unlucky for us, it’s still a concept. Regardless, I will gladly pick up a set when they come to fruition, as it is one of the best solutions I’ve seen yet.

via Design You Trust