Firewheel Design creates sophisticated interfaces for web applications, software, and mobile devices. We craft exceptional brands for digital media. We are icon design experts.

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Southlake Town Square
181 Grand Ave, Suite 206
Southlake, TX 76092

817 428 4248
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Copyright © 2001-2006
Firewheel Design Incorporated
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September 2005

Sparkplug : September 2005

We found this rather perfect thread at SitePoint Forums regarding invoicing solutions. While you can always roll your own PHP and MySQL invoicing solution (have fun!), Blinksale might just be the best choice for Mum (or Mom, depending on where you live).

Icon Theft to Logo Theft

2005 September 12 by Josh

Comment Icon 23 Comments

stolen logo Over the years, we've had plenty of our icon design work stolen carte blanche from our portfolio and reused illegally on some website, in software for sale, or in somebody else's portfolio. It's disturbing, and at times sickening, that people have no regard for original work.

By stealing work from our portfolio for their own use they violate our copyright as well as the rights of our clients who paid for the work to be commissioned. Today we may have found a new low, as a logo has been ripped from our site (or the site of our client) and is being used as the logo for an online retailer.

Perhaps Maxmost feels like they can drive traffic to their site by raising a stir using a logo stolen from our portfolio. However, this just doesn't seem like the best way to do business, now does it? Our friends at Squarespace have already attempted contacting the Maxmost to remove the offending logo from their site, but as of this post the logo remains.

Update: The logo has been removed. The word is that the logo design was contracted by a third party designer (who simply decided our logo design would work for the job). If this is the case, we're very sorry for Maxmost. This is not too cool. We're not so sorry for the offending logo designer cum thief.

September's Plugs

"Should you ever be abducted by aliens while wearing Location Earth Dog Tags and not returned safely to Earth you will be entitled to a full refund of the purchase price."

2005 September 30 by Brian

Fantabulous? Fantabulous!

2005 September 30 by Brian

At first glance, these customized cars look rather run-of-the-mill. But scrolling further down reveals several cases of automotive outrageousness.

2005 September 30 by Brian

An update to the game Madden NFL '06 had to be put on hold because it carried with it the unintended side effect of reducing New York Jets player Michael King to a height of seven inches.

2005 September 29 by John

The $100 laptop seems interesting ... until I realize that there's probably zero chance it will run the Mac OS ... then my interest wanes.

2005 September 29 by Brian

Cutesy, cutesy, cutesy.

2005 September 29 by Brian

Because of it, Alice threw out her back. Because of it, Peter found a tarantula in his bed. Because of it, Greg wiped out big time. Are you sure you want to own it?

2005 September 29 by Brian

Just in time for Christmas, Hiƫronymus Bosch "toys".

2005 September 28 by Brian

Everything you always wanted to know about backward masking (but were afraid to ask).

2005 September 28 by Brian

A slightly mean, but awfully amusing assessment of Dell's answer to the iPod nano.

2005 September 28 by Brian

A bit of audiovisual madness which you SHOULD NOT VIEW if you are susceptible to seizures.

2005 September 27 by Brian

Playthings of extreme artsiness by PLAYSAM.

2005 September 27 by Brian

A photo novella featuring everyone's favorite masked Mexican wrestler, Santo!

2005 September 27 by Brian

"This unique stool is a great low-tech item for any computer geek." ... Geeky is correct!

2005 September 26 by Brian

"The banana as we know it is on a crash course toward extinction."... Seriously.

2005 September 26 by Brian

A brief history.

2005 September 26 by Brian

Looks more like an iPod refrigerator.

2005 September 23 by Brian

Despite Macromedia's public relations statements, it seems quite clear that FreeHand's days are numbered.

2005 September 23 by Brian

The nuttiest thing you'll see all day.

2005 September 23 by Brian

An accidental outbreak in the online, multiplayer game World of Warcraft bears all the markings of a real-world epidemic. Players are eating it up even as they die horribly, over and over again.

2005 September 22 by John

A board game which "helps children to learn basics of programming languages, such as C, C++ and Java".

2005 September 22 by Brian

... for sale (where else?) on eBay.

2005 September 22 by Brian

Old Macintosh laptops + arcade emulators = MAME Machines. Nice!

2005 September 22 by Brian

I have no idea what the connection to Honda is, but this beautifully crafted Flash game, involving a rabbit who moves through isometric space to collect carrots, can be found on their EU site. It's pretty resource-intensive, but if you have a decently powerful computer it's worth trying. And since I mentioned the Element, here's somebody who made one (among other things) from everybody's favorite building material.

2005 September 21 by John

Swell retro bowling alley signage via Roadside Peek.

2005 September 21 by Brian

... and other sounds of Superman.

2005 September 21 by Brian

Once the Crazy Rabbit has grabbed your cursor, shake shake shake him loose.

2005 September 21 by Brian

Would you walk on it? It's only an artist's rendering and it makes me dizzy!

2005 September 20 by Brian

Let Oddio Overplay be your guide.

2005 September 20 by Brian

A lengthy, heady discourse about that future console you've been hearing about (the console which is being eclipsed by its controller).

2005 September 20 by Brian

Ever wondered what a quntillion of pennies would look like? Wonder no more.

2005 September 19 by John

A supercute pinball variation. Spacebar controls the plunger, left and right arrow keys operate the flippers.

2005 September 19 by Brian

... i.e. Rock Paper Scissors Deluxe.

2005 September 19 by Brian

Everybody's trying to turn a buck, sometimes one penny at a time.

2005 September 19 by Brian

National Geographic has set up a live safari webcam for the wildlife voyeurs among us. Peak viewing hours are between 7am and noon — Botswana time.

2005 September 16 by John

Shigeru Miyamoto says, "We wanted a controller that somebody's mother will look at and not be afraid of." I say, "Oh, Momma!"

2005 September 16 by Brian

Hey there, hard-rocking dudes, bid on an air guitar.

2005 September 16 by Brian

What begins as a not particularly unique review of the new iPod nano descends into a shocking stress test! Shudder.

2005 September 16 by Brian

Hey! Nice shirt!

2005 September 15 by Brian

What do art, the masses, Vincent Price, and Sears-Roebuck have in common? Read! By the way, the Picasso mentioned in the article is still available. Wow!

2005 September 15 by Brian

If you don't enjoy cheesy 1970's martial arts flicks and have no interest whatsoever in said decade's rampant Bruceploitation, don't click this link!

2005 September 15 by Brian

If you use a lot of hues: Color Scheme Generator

2005 September 14 by Brian

The iDJ is high-priced mobile music gadgetry on a small scale. The Scion xB DJ is high-priced mobile music gadgetry on a big scale.

2005 September 14 by Brian

Are you a junkie?

2005 September 14 by Brian

I have no idea why this exists. Enjoy!

2005 September 13 by Brian

Campbell's Tomato Soup playing cards.

2005 September 13 by Brian

"Everyone has a favorite word. What's yours?"

2005 September 13 by Brian

Evidence is mounting that dinosaurs, including the big king himself, may have looked more like big, fluffy chicks than terrible lizards. I find this news really depressing.

2005 September 12 by John

Hee hee!

2005 September 12 by Brian

Interesting documentation of Nintendo censorship from the 1980's to mid-1990's (though the author's occasional attempts to make the practice seem sinister are really kinda silly).

2005 September 12 by Brian

The instructions are in French, but you can figure out this pleasant little indoor golf course without them.

2005 September 12 by Brian

One man's amateur photodocumentary of the storm — before, during and after. Possibly the most amazing pictures of the event yet to appear.

2005 September 10 by John

Normally, I'm not a fan of Celizic's sports opinions, but this article couldn't echo my sentiments more. I'm ready for another round.

2005 September 9 by Josh

The PC HabiCase, a way to bring hamsters, gerbils and mice into the information age.

2005 September 9 by John

I see that I'm not the only person who remembers a made-for-TV movie that starred Tom Hanks and served as a warning of the psychiatric dangers of playing everybody's favorite 80's RPG, Dungeons and Dragons.

2005 September 9 by Brian

"A Delicious Assortment of Thrift Store Cookbooks"

2005 September 9 by Brian

Everyone seems to be chomping at the bit over the lately announced iPod nano, but I'm equally fascinated with Sony's latest Walkman. I do fear, however, that it will employ some sort of proprietary file format and require the use of Windows-only software. Sigh.

2005 September 9 by Brian

A nifty new twist on the diamond ring.

2005 September 8 by Brian

A short, absurd, don't-know-why-I-like-it animation featuring a street sign and music by Herb Alpert.

2005 September 8 by Brian

Selling melons the cheeky way.

2005 September 8 by Brian

An amusing CG cosmetic mishap. Find links to high resolution downloads halfway down the page.

2005 September 7 by Brian

If you've grown a bit tired of Howard Shore's score to Peter Jackson's relatively recent Lord of the Rings film trilogy, perhaps you should investigate this jazzy, 1974 musical interpretation. Scroll down for the swinging samples, Precious.

2005 September 7 by Brian

Don't just use your iPod to listen to music as you navigate the subway, use your iPod to navigate the subway.

2005 September 7 by Brian

Abstract art created from a sample of your very own deoxyribonucleic acid.

2005 September 6 by Brian

Behold the battle over the Core System versus the Premium System. Yawn. Wake me up when the Revolution is ready.

2005 September 6 by Brian

Some creative soul has gone and constructed a replacement case for his Power Mac G4 Cube — out of Legos.

2005 September 2 by John

Pity the poor redshirt.

2005 September 2 by Brian

Courtesy of Paul Schmidinger, three spectacular java-based visual effects generators: Grappa - Blue Random, Grappa - Delayed Trace, Grappa - Galaxy Creator 2.

2005 September 2 by Brian

B is for Brian, b is for bananas, and b is for B-movies. Brian is bananas for B-movies.

2005 September 2 by Brian

One of the many Katrina photosets found at Flickr. Our prayers are certainly with New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region today and in the days to come.

2005 September 1 by Josh

Pizza in a cone seems tasty. Pizza from a vending machine does not.

2005 September 1 by Brian

Since the film series has hit rock bottom, it's nice to see something even remotely interesting going on in the 007 universe.

2005 September 1 by Brian

... and other Metro logos of the world.

2005 September 1 by Brian