Topics

May

OIC’s Greatest Hits: Different Eyes on the World

by Your friends at OIC on May 3, 2021

5 Everyday Ways That Cultures Show Their Differences

People in every culture celebrate, greet each other, share stories and good food together, fall in love, honor their ancestors, play music and sports, name babies, and more. But the customs—the do’s and taboos—surrounding these universal activities are a remarkable reveal into how varied and ingenious different cultures can be.

Culture reveals itself even in mundane ways from what communities show on their road signs to how people cook their onions or describe a downpour. At OIC, we say no one way is the “correct” way. And here, in our latest collection of “Greatest Hits,” our bloggers prove it with their observations and insights on everyday cultural differences. May they inspire you to look at the world with new eyes. Read more...

Your friends at OIC Comments

Cultural Diversity/Cultural Do's & Taboos/Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Cultural Symbols

Jan

SOS: Save Our Skeuomorphs!

by Joyce McGreevy on January 4, 2021

A smartphone on a sailboat contains a compass app, a skeuomorph that carries a cultural memory of an ancient invention, the nautical compass. (Photo by TheHilaryClark and Pixabay)

What smartphone app resembles a 12th century nautical tool? The answer’s due south!
TheHilaryClark/ Pixabay

Skeuomorphs “Net” Cultural Memory

As we sail into a new decade, a titanic debate continues to rock the boat from port to computer port. On one side, designers who’ve jettisoned skeuomorphs. On the other, those who are still on board with them.

Should skeuomorphs be set adrift? Or treasured because they’re anchored in cultural memory? What are skeuomorphs, anyway?

Someone holds up a digital tablet with a compass app, a skeuomorph that incorporates a cultural memory of an older compass. (Photo by TheHilaryClark and Pixabay)

Some designers dislike skeuomorphs’ ties to the past, as in this digital version
of a nautical compass.
Geralt/ Pixabay Read more...

Joyce McGreevy Comments

Cultural Symbols/Language & Culture

Feb

Memorable Moments: Love is in the Air

by Your friends at OIC on February 11, 2020

Valentine’s Day puts love in the collective spotlight once a year, but as these heartfelt posts from the past remind us, love and its steady stream of “Oh, I see!” moments are a constant. Read more...